tiger by the tail

some people say we have the tiger by the tail. i guess that means we have a business that shows signs of success but we have a long way to go in my opinion. we need to become more profitable so we can show potential investors what kind of return they can get on their money if they were to invest with us. i see so many people who take other peoples money and just use it for their own enjoyment like buying new cars or houses. i read about a guy in today's paper that was barred from the investment community 20 years ago and still got 2 people to invest with him and he took their money and bought antique cars and certificates of deposits. what a ratfink.
i don't have those needs or wants but i do need to get some investment capitol to grow igtogo.
we need a new factory to produce the products for igtogo and the cookies and tamales for dicapo foods and we do need to open another igtogo. i'm sure that another would do as good or better than the current one.
jo/co would do $1m. olathe could do $1m.
we are consistently hitting our numbers at igtogo and should turn a profit in the coming months.
we are getting alot of good press and the word on the street is great.
we do have a tiger by the tail we just need to nurture it and make it grow.
salute,
john david

tiger by the tail

tiger by the tail

another good week

we're starting to put good weeks back to back which means we becoming consistently popular with the masses. that's our goal is to have a good week every week and a great week once or twice a month. we're on our way.
we heard back from one of the developers we spoke to about a location in jo/co and guess what? jimmy john's is taking a spot but there is an opening and waiting to hear what their asking for the 3rd pad site. i'm sure it's not cheap but the location is good.
we have anew employee starting today who might work out. he has experience and that's important for our fast paced business. we'll see how it plays out.
looking forward to building the day biz up. i have some ideas.
enjoy your week.
ciao,
john david

saw a couple of interesting sites

i saw a couple of sites yesterday in op that just might work if the price is right. we need to get one going and we need to do it now. winter will be upon us soon and by spring we need to have igtogo #2 in place. we have been open on barry rd. now for almost a year and hit our expectations for the first year. now we need to raise those expectations and try and increase sales 20% in 2011 which is our goal.
people all over the northland and the metro area are talking about the italian gardens and that makes me feel good. we've received several nice phone calls complimenting our food, service and prices.
that's how you build a business. one customer at a time.
i'm happy how the first year went now let's move on.
going from 1 to 1000 is going to take some work but we have a great start.
ciao,
john david

it's a beautiful day

we had a great friday night. sold alot of lasagna. we are really on to something and we need to add the right vitamins and nutrients and watch it grow.
i'm heading to op ks again today to look for a sight. i know we could open and generate over $1m in sales in op but we just need to find the right location.
as i have been told by several people, hit the $1m mark in sales and your on your way. we just need to do it.
met with a consultant yesterday. there's a group of former restaurant folks around town looking for the next generation restaurant success story and i have it and now i'm trying to get them involved.
i know if we put the right group together we can expedite this thing and make it huge --- fast and on track.
keep pushin on. reo. motivation
salute.
john david
ava's dad
p.s. was on the radio yesterday kkfi 90.1 fm. spoke about the book and the restaurant. got alot of calls. this thing is huge. book, restaurant, factory. vertically integrated

it's tough out there

business is tough. life is hard but fun. success comes from within. if your in love your lucky.
i believe all these things and i also believe that people love a good plate of pasta and meatballs in america. our country is full of immigrants who brought their food and it became a staple of the american palate. burgers, chicken, mexican and pasta.
we are the america's pasta restaurant. when people want to feed their family pasta today up and around barry road they got to igtogo. we can replicate this everywhere in the us.
when pizza hut tried to do the same thing in the early 90's they focused on the single serving. we came out with the bucket and that's were it all begins. serving the family.
we will pick up our daytime business with our sandwiches and single servings but our focus is buckets for the family.
we're getting closer to putting the pieces into place and by the first of the year we should be ready to roll.
enjoy the weekend.
ciao,
john david

new signs-new lights

we have a sign guy coming out today to discuss new signs for the igtogo. we also have our electrician coming out to check on our lighting. it's very important.
we need to let more folks know about the great product we have and advertising and marketing is the way we need to go.
we'll have something done soon.
business is slow with the beginning of school and change in the weather. we missed our target for the first time in a 10 days. just taking a breath before the fall and pasta season.
we're working on a special for our 1 year anniversary which we are going to celebrate the 16th of september with a ribbon cutting provided by the northland chamber of commerce.
we are beginning talks with several consultants that can hopefully lead us in the direction we need to go to grow and prosper.
ciao,
john david

no free lunch

i have been working the day shift the last few days and the lunch biz has been pretty slow. we need to davelope it more using our pizza by the slice, sandwciches and single servings of pasta and lasagna. we need to advertise and market the product better to stop those folks driving by looking for a lunch option. once they come thru thay will come back. we have the best food in town and we just need for them to give us a try to retain them as customers.
we need more signage and i'm going to call the sign guy today to get some new ideas and cost estimates.
we have a meeting today with our attorneys to discuss QT and how we need to proceed to try and recoup the losses that were directly attributed to their new costruction. we both (QT and IGTOGO) know that their construction hurt our business it's just we need to prove by how nmuch and we need to decide if it's worth going after them.
i'll do it because it's the right thing to do. big companies can't just run over the small guys and get away with it. we won't let that happen.
looking to connect with a person with experience growing small companies into mid-sized companies. have a few people who might be interested who are going to call. excited about the future possibilities.
watched the history of kfc a few nights ago. see alot of similarities. saw the mistakes the colonial made and what he did right. took note.
sabenadica,
john david

blue monday

it was just an average monday. we were poised and ready to take on the masses but they didn't come last night. we look forward to the start of monday night football. that should bring alot of bucket business with folks getting together in front of the tv's watching the game eating their favorite pasta.
the weather in kc in starting to change and that should also increase business. we have an excellent product and people are becoming regulars and that's what we are trying to accomplish. having customers return often. that's the way the gardens was built once and that's the way we'll build it again.
we need to get the $1m store in op ks opened.
that will take us to the promised land.
salute,
john david

big sunday

sunday was a big day. more than likely the busiest day we've had in 2010. i attribute that to the fact that alot of people are talking about the gardens and word of mouth advertising is the best advertising there is.
you'd be surprised how many people come thru the line and tell us that they neighbor or friend told them about igtogo. it's truly priceless.
with all the business come a new set of challenges. we need to hire more people and we have to produce more product. we can't seem to find the folks we need to work consistently. we hire people who tell you they need a job and can work anytime and after a few weeks they ask for time off or just don't show up. it's a sad part of the business but one we need to get on top of to keep things running smooth.
we also need to produce more product and make sure that we keep the quality and consistency to our high standards. we want every customer to be a repeat customer. this is one thing we can and do keep a close eye on. we only use the finest raw materials we can find like tomatoes, cheese and pasta. it makes a big difference and people can taste it.
my task this week is to find a few good people to add to our team and keep sales growing.
ciao for now,
john david dicapo

we had a great week

business has increased over 25% this week in total due primarily to QT being open and our access in now unobstructed. this is the best week we've seen sales wise since last year. we are on the way to hitting our magic number for the month.
that and the fact that we have great food and reasonable prices and offer great customer service.
i feel we have all the aspects people want when they come out to pick up quick served food and it's Italian. we provide value in a time of uncertainty.
our lasagna sales are trending higher and that might be attributed to our adding lasagna and fettuccine to our outside menu sign. it's real good and topped with our meat sauce makes the taste buds dance.
i hope today continues with great sales and with the weather moderating this week and the kids back to school our pasta by the bucket sales should also increase.
i have many interesting things going on that might contribute to operating igtogo more efficiently and allowing up the opportunity to show other the numbers that will make them want to participate in our growth.
glad to have see ava on friday.
ciao and have a great day.
good bless
john david

we're up

business has really increased this week due to the QT being finally completed after 5 months.
we're up 30-40% for the week depending on today's sales.
i had a very good meeting yesterday with someone who may be able to help us grow.
i got a visit from a person who has a business in overland park who wants to buy our pizzas and resell them in their store.
it's an idea we have to think about.
we do sell some of the other food we offer at the igtogo like rongini and cookies to others but that's about it.
we want to keep the food we make proprietary but we also need to make money and we need to look at all options.
i'm feeling really good about our possibility for growth and look forward to the future.
ciao,
john david

what a day it has been

my days are very busy from the time i get up until the time i get home. that's usually 5 am to 7:30 pm. but this is the life i've chose and i couldn't be in a better place.
we're getting ready to make history developing the country's first drive thru only fast food italian restaurant.
they've done it with burgers, mexican, chinese and chicken so it's about time we did it with italian. we have all the components to be successful: the name, the food and the desire to succeed.
we're in the game just waiting for the one big break that will propel us to the sweet spot location and into mass development.
we're putting the team together that has the experience and knowledge on how to accomplish this feat.
we're on our way and it feels good.
enjoy life, play hard.
ciao,
john david

one said no

i got a call from one of the banks in lee's summit and he said that their bank was very interested in the new igtogo project but that the sba wasn't real happy with the 20 year ground lease. it looks like were going to have to buy a piece of ground and use it also for collateral for a loan.
they also wanted us to get our numbers up at the igtogo on barry road which we are currently doing.
business is great and increasing as the weather finally gets cooler and more people find out the italian gardens is still alive and going strong.
the italian gardens catering company is doing our first job today at the platte county chamber of commerce. we're excited about the business we can produce for both the catering company and the igtogo restaurant from growing this business.
we had a dinner for two advertisement go out in the kc star last sunday the 14 of august and people really enjoyed it and many will be back for another. it is a great deal and they love it.
my friend from mcdonalds is coming by the igtogo this morning. excited to get his comments.
ciao,
john david dicapo

we're back

business is really good and folks are commenting on how fine the food is and what great value they receive for their money. this is a very important fact in trying to develop a business and get those customers to return over and over again.
we are very lucky that we decided to open the igtogo at a time when the economy is slow and people are looking for a good deal. we give them that deal and they are very appreciative.
i have some time today to scout out overland park kansas to look at a couple of sites.
if we could get an igtogo open in op i feel we could do $1m in sales and be on our way to our goal.
ciao,
john dicapo

it's awesome

it's awesome that QT has finally opened and the walls surrounding igtogo have come tumbling down. finally people have easy access to our drive thru and sales increased over 30% in just one day. i really don't think those QT guys realized how bad they were hurting us but now it's over and we can get back to growing our business.
the italian dinner for two is a big hit. we are going to bundle a slice of pizza, salad and a drink for our next combo type meal and try and increase our lunch business.
i love what's happening and can't wait to share it with the world.
enjoy life.
john david dicapo

nice weekend

we had a nice weekend at the igtogo. nothing record breaking but a nice steady weekend before the kids go back to school which in most cases is today. that will increase our day business because we are located close to several schools and we get alot of business from the teachers and faculty from those schools.
we are doing our first catering job this week. it's to a chamber of commerce we joined and we hope to do a good job and get alot of new business from it.
we need to get an aggressive jo/co real estate person involved looking for the right spot for the next igtogo.
we need to get #2 up and running in the next 8 months. it's important we grow and have our second unit open in 2011.
have a great week.
ciao,
john david

seems like it's over

we'll is seems like the heat wave is over and now we can get back to business. the QT next door is slated to open tomorrow night and then we'll have clear access to our drive thru. yahooo.
it's been a trying 5 months since those folks decided to build a new building and add a zillion new gas pumps but then they're the 800lb gorilla in the city and they do what they please.
hopefully we can get back to where we were before they started and that construction.
we had a nice meeting with some very successful restaurant industry guys who shared their insight with us. great guys and useful information.
i have another fellow who owns a mcdonalds and i'm going to try and get ahold of him to see if he could meet us. fast food or quick serve as it is now called is what we do and we should also get some insight from the quick serve leader mcdonalds.
there are 2 things we need to accomplish in 2011. we need a new manufacturing plant and we need a new prototype igtogo that does $800k-$1m a years in sales. we need to get our food cost down and we need to stay positive and healthy. we need to do those things in order to grow and grow we will
enjoy your sunday.
god bless you.
john david dicapo

we're still beating the heat- final weather report

well, the heat wave is still going on and the igtogo just keeps on rolling. i'm amazed that we continue to hit our numbers even though the temp is over 100 and QT is still limiting our access.
i spoke to the QT man in charge yesterday and he said that he was shooting for monday to get the driveway open. that will be a big help. that along with school opening soon should increase our day business and if our night and weekend business holds up we should be in the black.
it's been a trying 4 1/2 months since QT started demolition and then construction. they really should have thought out the process a little better of doing what they needed to do and limiting the damage they would do to other neighboring businesses but then when you get to be that size no one or nothing really matters except the dollar.
hopefully we'll never get to the point where were insensitive to other businesses.

we have a meeting today with a fellow who has been a successful restaurant operator in kc for over 40 years and owns several concepts and is a franchisee for another company. we're going to speak to him about igtogo and what his thoughts are regarding the path in which we are about to take. the more opinions we get the better decisions we can make.

today is forcasted to be the last major heat day will a cool front heading our direction.
hallelujah
ciao,
j.d.

italian dinner for two

we introduced our italian dinner for two last week and they are really starting to fly out of the place. you get an order of toasted ravioli, a piece of italian sausage and pepperoni pizza, a 1/4 loaf of garlic bread, one order of spaghetti and meatballs, a taster box of italian cookies and 2 soft drinks all for $14.99.
what this has taught me is the value of packaging items together to create a meal. an old friend of mine used to be a taco bell manager and he said that over 50% of their customers would order by number as in i'll take a #1 which was meal deal. people like that. i was talking to my dad about a month or so ago and we spoke of the dinner for two that was offered downtown. he told me how popular it was and so it was just a natural thing to do at igtogo. we sold over 25 last night and that generated over $375. we will most likely add more packaged or bundled deals like a piece of pizza, a salad and a drink for lunch. there's much to do.
ciao,
stay cool
john david

spell check

i'm sorry about all the misspelled words. i'm trying to find out how to check this before i post it and i always seem to just post it.
remember, i'm just a cook so this is not my bag but i'll figure it out soon.
in the meantime forgive me.
j.d.
p.s. just found the spell check. yahoo

it's got to be a team effort

we are trying to put together a team of individuals who all have the same goal in mind which is to open up several more new igtogo's in the metro area.
we have spoken to alot of people who are willing and qualified and we just need to put the pieces together to get it moving forward.
i feel after 1 year of being in business and seeing it grow we are just scratching the surface.we get new customers daily with just the limited advertising and marketing we've done. i could just imagine what we could do if we have a full blown campaign.
olathe kansas would be a great spot for an igtogo with its demographics.
we need to find the right locations. 30k sq. ft of ground sould give us the right amount of space we need to erect a bldg and do the site work and also allow ample room for our customers to make the turn to arrive at the pick up window.
if we could purchases a 30k sq.ft. parcel for $200k that would make our payments $1500 a month for 20 years at 7%. that along with a bldg, equipment loan for $350k at 7% for 15 years which calculates to $3100 a month and you get a monthly payment of $4600 for a bright, shining new building and ground that we would own.
we pay close to that now for a less than new bldg and equipment in a high profile location with limited access.
i feel with our quality of food and our name and reputaion we don't need to be on the corner of the busiest street.
we could take an area off to the side that gives our customer easy access. that what we need. we can build a nice vegetable garden, maybe add a fountain and play our italian music and even though our customers aren't getting out of their car they still can get that italian experience.
ok, now i'm pumped this morning at 6am.
LET'S ROLL.
sabenadica,
john david dicapo

it was tough out there

it was tough out there yesterday. very hot and humid and i think it might take a few more days until it's gone. we interviewed a potential new employee yesterday for the assistant mgr's job. he was a nice fellow. we need to get prepared to be busy and to grow.as soon as the weather cools a bit and QT is done with construction which should be next week i feel we are going to be exteremely busy.
we have our electrician coming out to see if we have enough power to install a second microwave because we sure could use it.
it would be great to have everything we need to be successful available to use but until that time we make due with what we have.
life is good!
ciao and stay cool,
john david

selling pasta in hell

you cannot imagine how hot it is in our little building. it's like selling pasta in hell and there are alot of sinners. we need to make sure in our next building we have a bigger space, larger a/c and better ventilation.
we we're extremely busy yesterday i guess because my dad and i have been on channel 9all week promoting our new book "the italian gardens, a history of kansas city through its favorite restaurant". we had a lot of new customers yesterday along with our regulars who come every sunday. i spoke to a few that said buying a bucket of pasta on sunday was becoming a weekly tradition at their house. THAT'S JUST WHAT WE WANT. we want people to come weekly to buy their family dineer. if we can get enough of those people to do that and to then tell their friends and co-workers we're on our way to 1000.
we have an order for 68 sandwiches at 9:30 this morning. got to go.
ciao,
john david

it's gonna be a hot one

well today is going to be a hot one. projected temps up to 110 adding the heat index.
we'll that might stop some but the igtogo will press on. we have our dedicated sunday customers who come after church to get their bucket of pasta and head to their air conditioned homes to enjoy a nice day of rest with an italian sunday dinner. they love it and so do i.

the overland park spot was a little too expensive and way too congested for us.we need to make sure we pick the right spot in o.p. so that we can be a success and add a few more once the first one gets going.
i feel we could do one close to state line, one around the oak park mall, one out west and one at 151st. we also need one in olathe. that would be a real winner with all the families looking to enjoy a good quality dinner for a good price.
we need to find a jo/co realtor who knows where the deals are.

business up north is holding steady and the construction next door at QT is winding down. it should be complete in the next two weeks.can you believe it's been 4 months and we've survived people being unable to easily access our drive thru. we have dedicated, loyal customers and we love them.

this next week of the 9th of august is forecasted to be the hotest of the year. we need to stay cool and keep business steady.

ciao and stay cool,
john david

busy days ahead

we've got some busy days ahead. got a call from a car dealership yesterday. ordered 36 sandwiches for pick-up today at 11:30. got another call from a gal feeding 25 young girls at a camp. wants 4 buckets. sold 65 sandwiches for a retreat at a church for monday morning and it just keeps growing.
we can't wait until the QT next door finally gets completed by the end of the month. we should really see a jump in sales when customers can actually easily enter and exit the drive thru.the last 4 months with all the construction have been difficult.

as far as expansion is concerned we're going to look at the site in overland park today. it might just be the one. we'll keep our fingers crossed. if we could get something happening in op i'm sure that would open the doors for expansion throughout the rest of the metro.

we'll get another igtogo or two opened in the next 12 months and expand our manufacturing facility. after we get that completed we should be able to open several more either as company stores or franchises. once we get the franchise work completed we'll have to bring in someone who knows how to grow these types of businesses and then we can start adding multiple units in other areas of the midwest.
that's how we roll.
ciao,
john david

it's unbelievable

it's unbelievable to me that we can consistantly do the business were doing on barry road when Quik Trip has our entrance/exit almost totally blocked.last night was a perfect example of us doing almost 75% of our business after 5pm.
that tells me that the construction at QT which goes on primarily from 8-4 is definatly disrupting our business. we're trying to get a lawyer to take the case on a contigency basis but that's hard to do now days. i can't imagine all lawyers are that busy today that one wouldn't want to take a chance on our case.
it's pretty cut and dried.

i did speak with the owner of the property in jo/co yesterday and he's willing to deal on his building.hopefully we can make the numbers work. the location is golden.
we're going to look at the interior on saturday.

if we could make it work and do lee's summit we would have 3 units up and running by sping of 2011.
that would make us a chain and put us on the road to 1000.
ciao,
john david

people are calling

there was a television interview on channel 9 yesterday of my dad and i touting our new book "the italian gardens, a history of kansas city through its favorite restaurant." it went very well and in the interview it was mentioned that we are going to open more igtogo's around the kc area. well we got several calls from people who told us about buildings and sites that we should take a look at that were close to where they lived. we even got a call from a gal who said she wanted an igtogo to move to overland park becaise she loved it and missed it and visited the original restaurant weekly for over 25 years.
we are planning on reviewing the buildings and sites that were brought to our attention this weekend.
an overland park igotogo could be a $1m a year operation and wouldn't that get folks attention.
that being said there's a whole lot of positive energy associated with the italian gardens right now with the book and the igtogo on barry road and all the great press we've been receiving and we are grateful and thankful.
ciao,
j.d.

wow it sure is hot here.

it's amazing that we allmost hit our break even point on a day when the temp got to 110 heat index. i guess people just buy their pasta and take it home and eat in the air conditioning. that's what i would do. too hot to cook.

got an email from a bank in lee's summit. heading over there soon to see if we can get approved for the loan for igtogo #2.
it will be an awesome spot and the folks in lee's summit want it real bad.
will #2 make igtogo into a chain?
don't know, will have to research.
ciao for now.
john david

here we go

i'm on a journey to open 1000 drive thru Italian restaurants in the united states.
i have one that is doing great. we're close to signing bank papers to get # 2 ready for construction.
it's going to be awesome to offer folks the best Italian food they ever had for little money.
people are going to freak. we're going to do for spaghetti and meatballs what the colonial did for chicken.
come follow our journey @ igtogo.com
c heck this blog out. i will be entering posts daily until we reach our goal.
ciao,
john david