Long mainstays in New England, the D’Angelo sandwich shop and Papa Gino’s Pizzeria are set to offer exciting growth opportunities for potential franchisees.

For the 200-unit D’Angelo brand, the big news is a strong and aggressive remodel program. “Being 40 years old, many of the restaurants were in need of a facelift,” says Anthony Padulo, senior vice president of franchise development. “The effort began in spring 2005, and we should be done by May 2009.”

As of this writing, D’Angelo has remodeled 83 stores, and Padulo says customers have responded favorably to the new look, which he describes as upscale. “Our product has always been top quality—we’re the only major sandwich chain that offers grilled, toasted, and cold sandwiches. Now the look truly matches the quality of the food.”

Padulo notes that D’Angelo has traditionally been a blue-collar, male-oriented business, but the remodel program has succeeded in bringing in more women and families. (Women now account for 49 percent of traffic, as opposed to 41 percent previously.) The new look has also grown the brand’s dinner business.

On the Papa Gino’s side, the big news is that after 47 years in business, the pizzeria is finally offering franchise opportunities. Padulo calls this a great opportunity for both the company and franchisees, as it will allow the brand to grow more quickly and efficiently from its current count of 177 locations. He believes Papa Gino’s has the numbers to impress potential franchisees: Systemwide average unit volume of $926,000—with more than 50 percent of the system averaging $1.1 million—and average same-store sales increases of 4-–6 percent per year over the last 6 years.

For both brands, most of the development in the short term will be in the New England states. “Our philosophy,” says Padulo, “is to continue our stronghold there, and then grow outside New England.”

The big news for Papa Gino’s is that after 47 years in business, the pizzeria is finally offering franchise opportunities.

In New England markets, franchisee candidates can be either a single- or multi-unit operator, since there’s some filling in to be done, but also some areas, such as Connecticut, that are more open. When the brands grow outside of New England, they will look specifically for multi-unit operators. In either case, the preference is for operators with food, or at least retail, experience.

From a franchisee-support point of view, “it starts with the market planning,” says Padulo. “We understand the market well and specifically where we want to be.” They offer help in site selection, negotiating the deal, and construction, as well as pre-opening training—D’Angelo has a 5-week training program, Papa Gino’s an 8-week, plus two to three weeks in-store for both.

“The biggest differentiation we have for franchisees is that we also own and operate most of our restaurants,” says Padulo. “We have the benefit of being able to test different products and processes before we ask our franchisees to implement them. Our philosophy is that whatever we would do for ourselves, we would also offer to our franchisees.”

For more information about franchising opportunities, visit www.dangelos.com or www.papaginos.com.