we need to increase the lunch business

lunch is dragging us down. we need to come up with a marketing campaign to do more lunch business. we need to get to the local businesses and promote our single pasta servings and sandwiches.
we have our graphics person coming in a week or so to work of the new menu but until then we have to do something.
i wish we could get some small signs for the area in front of the building to promote our pizza by the slice but we have been unable to do that as of yet. will give the sign guy a call today.
we have many projects in the works along with a catering party for 30 tonight.
ciao,
j.d.

i guess i've been busy

that's an understatement. i have alot on my plate but that's better than going hungry.
business is good and will get better. we have new menu items coming on line mid october and several new advertisements coming out.
we are looking at new locations in overland park and have a building in mind to move our manufacturing plant.
we need to get more professionals on board to help in this growth and we are constantly looking for assistance.
we have several meeting scheduled in the coming weeks to possibly solve some of these issues.
if your not growing your dying.
john david dicapo

pass on summit center

well we had to pass on the 16k sq. ft piece of ground in front of the summit center in lee's summit we've been looking at for several months. with the amount of business we are doing and the number of cars that we generate that site was just way too small and we feel would cause too much congestion. people would be turned off by their inability to get in and out fast and that would be a black eye for the igtogo. we cannot and will not make decisions on our next locations that we don't have 100% confidence in. this is not the time to make marginal decisions. all our locations have to be good. we cannot or will accept a loser.
business continues to be great.
we have a few new employees that we hope will stay and grow with the company. we do have an overland park site spotted and we are in discussions.
our food remains too notch and along with our great value and friendly and courteous service igtogo should grow and prosper.
have a great sunday.
god bless you.
john d. dicapo

what a great day

We had one of our best days ever yesterday Friday September 24th 2010. We had a great lunch business and an even better dinner business. The funny thing is we really weren't that busy. We have our systems and procedures down pretty well that everything flowed just perfect. We're starting to see the incremental rise in our sales and hopefully they will continue. We were up 50% from our b/e point and that's a great day.
Hope to duplicate it today.
God Bless all
John David DiCapo

back to normal

Well our computers are back up and business is great. We had a fantastic Thursday and we've hired 2 new people. The weekend is setting up to be real nice so hopefully we can continue our positive momentum.
We have an excellent product. We are in the process as I've said before of increasing our prices so we can start making money. We have a dedicated customer base and they are very loyal. We have a valuemail ad coming out next week which should increase business.
We found a location in Overland Park. Negotiating now and looking for an investor to buy the ground.
Enjoy the weekend.
John David DiCapo

computer woes

can you believe our computer went down yesterday morning? we had to hand write every order and call it to the others in the restaurant. we hope that we get the new board shipped overnight this morning otherwise it's going to be another day of working without technology. i guess we just wore it out with all the business and transactions we do. we've been consistently busy for the last 2 weeks thank god and i don't see it slowing down anytime soon.
i'm going to pick up my little sweetheart daughter ava at school today and we're headed for op ks to scout out a new location. there's got to be one out there for us and we need to find it soon.
we need to keep our momentum headed in the right direction. positive mojo.
the igtogo is a winner. we need to get an investor and EXPAND.
ciao,
john david dicapo

i'm mad and disappointed

we had a guy named chris apply for a cook's job 3 weeks ago and he said how much he needed a job and would love to work at igtogo. he had previous experience working for the other drive thru only italian restaurant in the northland and he wasn't getting the hours he needed so he quit and was looking for a fresh start. we interviewed him and felt he would be a good addition so we hired him. the next 3 weeks we trained him and he was starting to be able to handle the position.
when the manager ryan arrived yesterday morning i commented to him that chris was doing a good job and that we should consider letting him start to expedite the food to the customers. ryan's response was that chris told him his previous employer had offered him more money to return. when chris arrived earlier than his normal shift time 11;30 i asked him about his previous employer and what were his plans. he told me that it was true that the other guy offered him more money but that the other guy had lied to him in the past and that he didn't plan on returning to that other place.
well guess what? at 12 when chris's shift started chris was nowhere to be found. didn't answer his cell or text. can you believe that. a guy comes in and to your face lies.
that seems to be the norm today. the american worker is a sad lot. no respect, i guess that's a reflection of our country and the breakdown of the family. when kids showed their parents respect it was taught that they shows others respect and when they aren't taught that and don't show respect at home they are ignorant to the fact that respect for others is important. i blame them and i blame their parents.
now we have to start the process over of looking for another line cook and cashier to help operate our very busy successful restaurant.
ciao,
john david dicapo

sunday's great

sunday's are great for business. football games and getting together with friends and family make for a perfect time to share a bucket of pasta or a pan of lasagna.
it's a beautiful thing and business was great yesterday as predicted. we sold many, many dinner for 2's and the ad should propel us into another great week. the weather is going to be warm today and tomorrow but will cool off wed and maybe we could get a little rain which always helps business.
we are going to get our graphics person to raise some of our prices on a new menu we should debut in october to coincide with increases in raw material costs. we need to get our food cost down. there's two ways of doing that: increase prices or lower production costs. we will be able to do the later as we grow and open more restaurants and buy in larger quantities to get the volume discount. the bigger we get the more our costs should go down and the more profit we can make.
bigger is better as long as you control quality and service.
looking forward to a good day and a great week.
ciao,
john david

missed a day

did i not blog yesterday? i guess with the big catering order i forgot. well you got to miss one every once in a while. we had a nice day yesterday. nothing special just a typical saturday. the weekends aren't the biggest days for us. our best day this last week was wednesday. it was rainy and i guess folks just didn't feel like cooking. i do see our sales trending up with the cooler weather. comfort food. that's what were selling.
working hard on the lee's summit location. don't want to make a mistake. it needs to work and work well. i'm sure it will
we have an ad coming out in the kc star today featuring the dinner for 2. it should be a huge night.
god bless.
john david

good day

we had a good day and we didn't even sweat. wow, we took in 20% more that our targeted sales quota and we didn't even sweat. we have a good crew and we have our system down and now we just do it.
it give me a chance as the expediter to talk to the customers about the weather, their kids, the old gardens or anything else they want to talk about. as an old bartender i know how to start and sometimes stay out of a conversation but that what makes the igtogo different than other QSResaturants. i just spoke with a friend from cleveland and he said he went to a chick-fil-a and they were very non personal with him and chick-fil-a is supposed to be the best at customer service. maybe one slipped through the cracks or maybe as they grow so fast their loosing that southern hospitality. we'll as long as i'm at the helm of igtogo customer service will be right up there with food quality and value.
i love this thing we have and can't wait for it to grow. it's going to be a blast.
stay aboard.
cioa,
john david dicapo "head meatball"

we spiked

we spiked yesterday and hit revenues which were 50% more than our average. it was wednesday and there was a slight rain. i don't know what was the cause of the spike in business but it sure was welcomed. we handled it great. we were well prepared and the flow was great. we had a great night and i can see how we can do this daily and also how it can be increased. we didn't have that great of lunch business and that can be improved with more signage and marketing. it's crazy with so many people out of jobs we can't get a sign person out to give us a bid or to show up when they say they're going to. some peoples word just means nothing now days. it's a real shame and its a detriment to our business world. some people believe that being late, re-scheduling or just not showing up at all is the norm today. i can't accept that. that's not my style or how i was raised and it pisses me off.
as i hand out the orders i can see alot of returning customers. we have great customer retention and i'm proud of that. we serve great food and a good price, fast and courteous and people appreciate it and come back again and again.
i want to get igtogo to the level of business that we hit yesterday as our new norm and strive to increase it. hard work pays off!
ciao,
john david dicapo

business is steady

we are very lucky and fortunate to have many dedicated and loyal customers that love our great italian food, good service and great value. that's what people look for in today's world and they want it in a quick environment that allows them to multi task and we have just the thing. drive thru. the drive thru now accounts for over 65% of all food purchased from quick serve restaurants and since were a drive thru only restaurant people know they can purchase great italian food quick and fast and get home without missing a beat. that's why our paper costs are high. we use expensive containers that make our food look as good when you get it home as it would if you opened it when we first give it to you. that's important to me and to our customers.
we have a ribbon cutting scheduled for tomorrow at 10am to celebrate our 1st year anniversary on barry road and 85 years in kansas city. hopefully we'll get some press and the event will be fun and joyous. we're lucky to have survived the first year with all the adversity we've had to overcome but we made it and now it's time to get busy.
we have a catering event this saturday for a local car dealership and one next tuesday for a political candidate. catering could help us increase our bottom line and i know alot of people do it but not with the quality of food we serve and not for the price we charge.
we have a bank meeting this friday and our new building contractor seems to be a good addition to our team.
salute,
john david dicapo

cool weather-hot eats

with the weather getting cooler and fall among us we're expecting business to improve with people eating more hot foods and of course our stick to you bones pasta, lasagna, garlic bread and all the other fine items we offer at igtogo.
i have a personal matter to attend to this morning so i will share more thoughts tomorrow.
ciao,
john david

it's going to be a good week

we'll monday night football is finally coming back to kc and what better meal to enjoy before the game but a bucket of pasta or family pan of lasagna from the italian gardens togo. i hope many people feel that way tonight and i'm pretty sure they will. we have a constant contact email going out this morning telling our 750 best customers to come by and get their pasta before the game. we have a full friday night staff scheduled and we'll be loaded for a big night.
as you can tell i get psyched up every morning talking about igtogo. i just love the concept and the food is wonderful. we need to get some more technical help involved to show us how to make money. once that is accomplished it's off to the races. have a great week.
GO CHIEFS
ciao,
john david

steady as she goes

business is starting to get steady and we are beginning to become profitable. the first year for any business is tough but for the igtogo especially we had a trying first year. we had a blizzard on christmas eve and below zero temperatures in jan-feb, we had QT totally building anew building and completely overhauling their infrastructure next door and we had a summer that was extremely hot. we overcame all those obstacles to break even for the year. that was an accomplishment in a year of recession.
our economy has not gotten much better but we are a lot smarter than we were a year ago. we have a tremendous amount of regular customers that eat here consistently. were building a business that we can sustain for hopefully many, many years.
we had our new potential builder here yesterday and i feel good about him. he's from lee's summit so it's coincidental that our second location will be in lee's summit. he is very well qualified and i have a real good gut feeling about him. we'll see where it takes us. i told him we are going to build 1000 igtogo's and he wasn't intimidated.
we are going to the bank on friday with the intent of getting the lee's summit store financed.
we need to have the second location up and running by the spring and #3 by the end of fall.
we can do it and we will.
have a great sunday. it's grandparents day.
john david dicapo

no complaints at the gardens

we are doing really well. we strive for excellence and will accept nothing less. we always need to get better but we have to remain in our own niche. we can't be all things to all people so we have to be what we are: a real good drive thru only italian restaurant with quality food and a great value.
god bless america on 9/11.
john dicapo

growing pains

we had a very busy night last night and at one point there was a logjam at the pick-up window. it was caused by a customer ordering 2 family lasagnas that take over 8 minutes to prepare. we have never had a protocol or procedures in place when that happens but we will now. i feel that the ordering of the family lasagna will be a common occurrence and we need to know what to do and how to keep the line moving when that takes place. we are going to have a managers meeting this morning to discuss our options and to decide what will be done when this occurs.
these are growing pains that every restaurant or business encounters as they mature. i'm glad that we are having this problem and i know we will get it solved and keep the line moving. we had a great night in sales and we hope every customer was happy even though they might had to wait a little longer than normal.
ciao,
john david

? biggest or best

i just read an article in consumer reports rating the best burgers and guess what? mcdonalds came in dead last. the largest and most successful hamburger chain in the world has what consumers rate as the worst hamburger of all. you know what that tells me? consumers don't eat with their taste buds they eat with their wallet. this article compared mcdonalds with five guys and the mcdonalds hamburger costs $1 while the five guys costs $5.5o. of course the more expensive burger cooked to order will taste better but how many people want to wait for a burger to be cooked to order and how many want to get out of their cars and wait in line at five guys for that better burger and pay up for it.
i think five guys has a good product and it's on an upward swing but it won't be sustained. it's just a fad and after it's over mcdonalds will still be the king of the hill and the most successful hamburger chain in the world with the burger that's rated at the bottom of the list.
igtogo wants to be what mcdonalds was when mcdonalds started growing in the late early 60's. great food and a good price. we can do it.
we're doing it now we just need to keep growing and getting better.
ciao,
john david dicapo

full steam ahead

i met a builder yesterday that i have confidence in. he told me all the work he has done in the past and he specializes in modular buildings. i think he could be our man.
i'm going to get the lease prepared for lee's summit and start the process. if we start now we should be open by the spring. that will make us ready for the lake season of 2011 and being on 50hwy on the way to the lake, that will take us to the promised land.
you get to a point where you have to either make the move or back away. it's time to move and move we will.
ciao,
john david dicapo

it's a new day

well fall is here and the weather has started to mellow. we need some cool weather for a few days in a row to make us feel confident that the seasons are changing. i like fall. it's a good time to watch football with a couple of italian steak sandwiches or a bucket of pasta. were going to do real well this fall. we have several marketing and promotional projects in place and were also going to upgrade our christmas lights on the outside of the building. were going to get another microwave to help in our rush hours and overall provide the employees every tool they need to be successful doing their job. this is important. they need to know we support them 100%.
thank god for all that he's done for us.
ciao,
john david

good things are happening

happy labor day! i'm working of course but what else is there to do on labor day but work. do it while your young my friend so you do not have to do it when your old. i said have to do it. now you might want to do it but that should be your option.
we have had a below average weekend sales wise but then again the weather has been wonderful and the grocery store have been busy with sales trying to capture that last bar-b-q day before fall. we'll get em, maybe today. last year we closed on labor day but were one year older and i hope one year smarter.
i had a good conversation with a potential builder of our new lee's summit igtogo yesterday. i have some good ideas relating to that business that i'll share at a later date.
overall real happy. have a great day.
john david

the ava fountain

italy and kansas city are both famous for having wonderful fountains and since were italian and kansas citians we concluded we should have a fountain at the new igtogo. when people order and pay they usually have some extra change and what better thing to do with it but to make a wish and throw their change into the fountain wishing well.
as we grow and prosper and add more restaurants around the country the fountain will be our trademark like mcdonald's' arch. people will know were from kansas city, the city of fountains.
i like the idea that as people order, pay and proceed around the fountain and our circular italian gardens they will be serenaded by italian music and that will lessen their stress while they wait for their food. it will be our green area. people will love it and it will differentiate us from the pack. it will show were leaders and innovators and along with our great food, great service and good value will keep people coming back.
salute,
john david dicapo

i love this thing

you cannot believe how much i love this thing, this igtogo. i love it because people love it and they keep coming back and back. we have great customers and all they want is good italian food at a good price with good service and that exactly what you get at igtogo. i guarantee it!
we've had a great week. maybe the best week of 2010 and that has motivated me to get back on the lee's summit project. i am going to get it financed and set in place by the first of november and we will open in the spring. the folks in lee's summit have the same demographics as the people here on barry road, there are just more of them.
i feel very fortunate to be in the position i'm in and i thank my parents, my daughter and all others who have helped me get to this point.
god bless,
john david

full steam ahead

were heading into labor day weekend full steam ahead. we've had a wonderful week with our day business picking up and our night business holding steady. we have so many marketing and advertising options available its going to be fun to initiate new campaigns.the dinner for two has been a big success and we actually have the ad coming back out the 19th in the kc star and the 29 on the valumail flyer.
i'm real happy that we made it to our first year anniversary that were going to celebrate on the 16th of september with a ribbon cutting ceremony. alot of people bet against us but with hard work and perseverance and good luck and most of all the grace of god we succeeded.
its great to see our business improve. we now need to tweak the business to make it profitable.
once we do that and open our second location its away we go. were going to have fun and enjoy life doing what we love to do. putting smile on peoples faces serving great spaghetti and meatballs.
sabenadica,
john david dicapo

happy anniversary

well, we made it through year 1 and it wasn't easy. we had alot of adversity but with hard work and perseverance we made it and made it we did. yesterday was the first day ever that we took in more revenues in the day time 11-5 than we did at night. i can attribute that to many things but i guess it was a day for people to pick up pasta a share with others. it was a great day and a memorable one.
we have a new employee who is working out well. we hope to have another by next week so that we can have set schedules for our employees and they can plan their weeks accordingly.
i'm real happy with the way things are going. i'm tired but real happy.
i had a guy come through yesterday who was interested in a franchise for lee's summit. i told him to give me his contact info and we'll stay in touch but were not ready now.
i wish we were. this thing we have is a good thing and i'm very blessed, lucky and fortunate to be where i am.
god bless,
john david

what happened to the american work ethic?

i had two men in the last 3 months give me two weeks notice they are leaving igtogo for another job and pick up their check on the monday and never come back. what does that tell you about these men and is this a reflection our the american worker. give a man your word and then walk away. i've seen it again and again and i'm starting to believe this is the norm. now let me say these are entry level $8/hr jobs but they're still jobs and they get paid every monday whether i made money that week or not. i made a commitment to those fellows and made good on those commitments. they made a commitment to me and walked away. i guess that tells you what kind of man they were.
we also have had to hire and hire several cashiers because they have no work ethic. we had a young lady who started a few days ago come in last night and just didn't want to be there. had no enthusiasm, drive and most worry some no smile. when your at the front window of the igtogo your our only connection to the public and your sooo important. you need to smile and up sell. this young girl has some problems and we sure don't need them. she left and i was relieved.
this i can see will be a problem with our industry in the future. we need to hire good people, pay them well and hope they feel the same way about igtogo that i do. we need to hope they care.
keep your heads up and keep smiling.
ciao,
john david