By Bob Cox
Back in the stone ages of the 1980’s and just before I
found the career I actually enjoyed, the highlight of my day was escaping the
dry walled jail cell of retail management by grabbing a bite for lunch at one of
the nearby restaurants. My favorite place to eat was a small locally owned deli
that served delicious sandwiches, served on amazingly fresh and crunchy bread
that seemed to melt in my mouth.
As the years rolled by, those memories were left in the
dust until one day, after seeing the amusing Mr. Pickle’s sign for the 1,000th
time, I decided to take a leap of faith and try something new: a sandwich from
Mr. Pickle’s. The second I walked through the door, I knew I was in for a
memorable experience as I inhaled the intoxicating aroma of the breads baking in
the ovens.
When I ordered my sandwich, I was offered several choices
of bread, including Dutch crunch. I normally select wheat, but the Dutch crunch
option sounded vaguely familiar. Once I sunk my teeth into that mouthwatering
sandwich, those pleasant old memories came flooding back. After all the years,
I remembered how amazing a fresh and delicious sandwich could be! From that day
on, no ordinary sandwich would ever be sufficient to satisfy my hunger.
I recently met with Gary Osgood, the owner of three local
Mr. Pickle’s franchises to learn more about how Mr. Pickle’s seemed to rise
from nothing to become one of the fastest growing restaurants in the area.
Here’s how our conversation went.
Q: How long has Mr. Pickle’s been around?
A: Mr. Pickles started in 1995 in Daly City. The CEO of
our company had a few sandwich shops and he decided he could do it better.
Q: What does Mr. Pickle’s do to make such amazingly tasty
sandwiches?
A: Every franchise is required to freshly slice
everything every day. We can’t have any carryover. We freshly bake our bread
about every 15-20 minutes. We serve five ounces of meat on our sandwiches,
compared to other places that do considerably less. That’s what makes Mr. Pickle’s
different. We’re into freshness, quantity and quality for your dollar while
also providing superior customer service.
Q: What was your plan when you purchased a Mr. Pickle’s
franchise?
When we opened up the Zinfandel location (Rancho Cordova)
six and a half years ago, our plan was to run it for a few months and then sell
it to a franchisee. But after we got into it, those plans changed. My wife
Terrie and I enjoyed doing it so much, we decided to keep it and branch out to
other locations. We opened our second store on Sunrise and Cirby in Roseville
in 2012 and that has been blossoming so well, it basically let us take the
chance on the Coloma and Sunrise location, which we’ve been running since
November, 2014.
Q: How did you get involved with Mr. Pickle’s?
Q: Did you explore any other franchise opportunities
before choosing to go with Mr. Pickle’s?
A: Yes, we did a lot of research before we decided to go
with the Mr. Pickle’s brand. We checked all the other sandwich franchises and
Mr. Pickle’s was a superior product, for the main reason that everything had to
be sliced every day. Too many people complain about the other sandwich shops in
town. They say their stuff tastes watered down or old. We never have that
problem because we get to work by 7am to prep for our day and to make sure that
everything is fresh.
Q: What were you and Terrie doing for a
living before you decided to invest in Mr. Pickle’s?
A: I was a contractor for 30 years and Terrie
was a bookkeeper and a photographer.
Q: What were your greatest fears and concerns
going into business for yourself?
A: It was a gamble, but we believed in the
product and Mr. Pickle’s.
Q: What strategy did you use to overcome
those concerns and how has it worked out?
A: So far, so good. Our concerns came from
working with a younger staff and being able to learn the marketing things
associated with the business.
Q: Aside from the walk up customers, the other big part
of your business is catering. What are you doing to really stand out and make
your catering service superior and unique?
A: We are known as the 911 of catering. Most caterers
require a minimum 24 hour notice. We only require two hours. In two hours, we
have catered from 100 people to 600 people. I have a great staff between the
two stores in Rancho Cordova, so no catering job is too small or too big. We
emphasize customer service by giving the customer what they need.
Q: Do you charge a delivery fee on catering?
A: If it’s over $100 or a house account, we’ll deliver
for free. If it’s under $100, we charge $10.
Q: Does your staff provide additional service after the
delivery?
A: Yes, we also offer to help set up an event. We’ll set
up tables and arrange everything for you.
Q: Can you tell us about the box lunches you offer on
your catering menu?
A: Sure, a box lunch is a half sandwich, a bag of chips,
potato salad, a cookie and a bottle of water or canned soda. This is a perfect
solution for corporate seminars or a school field trip, saving them the time
and trouble of a lengthy clean up.
Q: Are there any local companies that you cater to?
A: Yes, each year, we cater a special event by Hewitt
Packard. We make 600 sandwiches and
supply chips and drinks for their Greek Games once a year. We’ve been doing
that for the past three and a half years. Hewitt Packard has about 1,000
employees and every year, we’re up a 2 o’clock in the morning, baking bread and
making cookies for an event that starts at 10:30am. So, while you’re
sleeping, we’re slicing!
Q: What were the factors that motivated you to acquire
the Sunrise & Coloma store in Rancho Cordova?
A: We purchased that location to help with a lot of our
catering overflow from the Zinfandel store. That store is our highest volume
store and is number five in the franchise.
Q: How important is customer service to you?
A: It’s extremely important. Our number one emphasis at
Mr. Pickle’s is friendly and immediate customer service. The second you walk
through the door, we always want to greet you with a smile.
Editor’s notes: For more information about Mr. Pickle’s,
be sure to stop by one of the three restaurants in the ad below.
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