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97 Comments
- dawglse, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21I agree with smacky; how do you shoot YOURSELF in the CHEST... THREE times?
- Scrappy1850, on 10/12/2007, -0/+192 generations of italians didnt teach you that its called a "peel" and not a "pizza shovel"?
- ryanschmidt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20I go to the same quiznos about twice a week. The owner of that store is always there and always seems terribly stressed. I use coupons there a lot but after reading this I think I am gonna go easy on him. He's a nice guy, not saying I think he's unstable... just that by this one man's doing, a lot of people are going to question the entire company and that could hurt my local quiznos pretty bad.
- Detritus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17I'm a big fan of Quiznos (best sandwich shop since Togo's got bought out) and since I'm a regular at my local shop I made friends with the family working there. Indian folks coming here for the American dream, but ended up in debt hell. The whole family has to work there to keep afloat because they can't even afford to hire someone on at minimum wage, and they all work insane hours.
Same story with 7-11, and the little convenience stores. I go out of my way to buy my cigarettes at a little convenience store after I got to know the owner. He came over from India with a buddy, they planned to share the responsibilities and assume the debt together. His partner ditched out after a month and now to keep afloat he has to work 130 hour weeks, with only one employee covering for him when he's sleeping (it is a 24 hour shop).
For contrast; the worst I've ever had to work was 60 hour weeks (2 jobs, 1 full and 1 part), and I was at my edge. - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Believe it or not, but a good portion of "Fast Food Nation" the book, is about crooked franchise operations. Most people assume it's a modernized version of "The Jungle" (full of vegan anti-meat scare tactics) but rather it's a dissemination of what's wrong with the fast food industry from many facets.
Fast food franchises gross me out. The fact that people put themselves on multi-year waiting lists to go into debt and serve the crap food that FF is known for is disgusting. And the fact that if taken on it's own, this same idea, minus the corporate whoring of a particular brand would fail, is also equally disturbing, - EComni, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13Did I miss the science lesson that says that people instantly die when they get shot?
I think you people watch too many action movies. - appetite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Screw Quizno's. Locally owned sub shops are usually about 5x better than any franchised sub shop. Especially in New England where they know how to make a sandwich. I only eat at locally owned places nowadays.
- jmikola, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10"I use coupons there a lot but after reading this I think I am gonna go easy on him."
Better yet, use the coupons and leave him a cash tip for the difference.
This isn't the first I've heard about Quiznos being a miserable franchise. AFAIK, there are practically no restrictions in place to prevent someone else from opening a second Quiznos down the street (or next door) - and all the while corporate offloads many of the losses through their promotions to the individual owners. - djshinodalp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8"that payed of car that dad gave you"... hmm, a well educated person amongst us. By the way, all that crap you posted about "give crap back to the system" sounds good in books. Give that piece of advice to the people who suffer and they'll put a cap in your ass.
Also, Mahatma wasn't the only person who fought the system. He's most well known for it, but wouldn't have happened if it weren't for TONS of other important Indian figures. - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I'm sorry, I misread your thing. I thought it said third generation. My mistake, since it apparently should read "last" generation.
Good customer service is the reason why smaller family owned businesses last.
Suck it up and deal with it or sell your restaurant. There's a local family owned mexican restaurant near where I grew up that is known for it's family service and has been open locally for over 30+ years. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10NEVER go corporate for pizza. Always go local.
If anyone thinks Dominoes, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, etc is good pizza, then please jump in front of a speeding bus now. - Ruckgesicht, on 10/12/2007, -10/+17How? With a gun. I don't care about how, I care about WHY. People don't just decide to shoot themselves, so when they do 'why?' is a far more interesting question, don't you think?
- IEatHamburgers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@dawglse: Three-round burst mode?
- littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Note to Self: Don't buy a Quiznos.
I've read that they don't make success easy.
I could be wrong. 3rd hand. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The quiznos near me should be brought up on False Advertising charges. The TV advertises that they have much more meat than Subway... Yet they routinely try to get away with putting ONE FREAKIN MILLIMETER SLICE OF MEAT on a sub. When you call them on it, they'll try to get away with one more slice... Even though the pictures, and the advertisements show big heaping amounts.
Screw 'em.
Meh. - betacmag4u, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I have been to the Quiznos franchise sales pitch. They are extremly careful not to "say" anything about profit expectations but it is implied. My best friends brother bought/built a location in Tampabay area and his store has done very well about 50% more than the average Quiznos does but to get that traffic he pays an ass load of rent for a great location. I know of other stores in the area that if you own one you basically bought yourself a average paying job.
I had another buddy who had a Blimpie franchise. Blimpie oversold his area with the stores in gas stations and ran him out of business. He sued and was even featured in the Wall Street Journal. He won and while not able to disclose the terms of the settlement. I believe he basically got back the cost of the franchise fee/location build but not compensation for his lost 2-3 years of life. Buyer beware! - Scrappy1850, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7i used to run a papa johns. i worked 110 hours a week on salary. my owner was an ogre. shop at the little guy for food, it really makes a difference. ***** corp.
- WraTH017, on 10/12/2007, -6/+12A Quiznos franchise owner comes with 30 percent more self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the chest than a regular Subway franchise owner!
- SambekZX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5http://franchisepundit.com/index.php/2005/04/10/what-a-quiznos-franchisee-makes/
Read the article and comments about costs to the Quiznos franchisee. - drmangrum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I have a cousin whose wife shot herself twice in the heart with a .22. When you are depressed and you want to die, you WILL find a way. The second and third bullet were probably easier to squeeze off than the first. After the first, your not just ending the emotional pain, your ending the physical pain too.
- smackywentz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8What!? No. I am certain in this case 'how' is a much more important question. What are you thinking?
- gharding, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5If any fast food restaurant ever made food that looked like their commercials, I'd eat there. I don't expect to be doing that any time soon.
- shortwaveradio, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I know they only do cold subs, but Jimmy John's pwns any and all corporate sub shops. End of story. Cheaper, a TON of meat, fast as *****, and they deliver. Taste better too. /shameless plugging.
- mabhatter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I worked 6.5 years for the "Clown". I got to see the actual books a few times for a Corporate store, and they were really bad. Huge swaths of money go out to corporate in addition to what the owner pays. I worked there right as the bottom fell out for owners. When I started, an owner could clear 100k per store per year after costs.. in 1989 dollars. Now an owner barely clears 50k so the only way to operate is as a "group". Remember, like Amway, Microsoft, and all the others, the money is in selling the Brand, not the product. For FF chains, it's in franchise fees... then the Stores pay for advertising, promotions, wages, benefits, and products (of course). I was seeing 25% for franchise fees off the top (before buying the hamburgers!) all the other fees to corporate had to be almost 50% of the store's operating cost... imagine if you had to pay the company loan off too!!! The company always owns the property and NEVER looses money. When you start talking Rent it would get worse.. "The Clown" has real estate power.. they buy up early and sell to other people. Pity the company that has to pay mall rent... your talking thousands per month, PLUS a cut of the Gross sales. In my local malls they shut down half the small shops by DOUBLING the rent after 2-3 years with 30% of the slots EMPTY!!! Retail is awful.. food doubly so!
- mfigueredo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I frequent a Quiznos, most of the times the owner is working the cash machine, very nice guy although more than a few times he's made comments about the business "not going so well", even though you can see its always crowded at lunch times, he seems stressed yup.
- MadOgre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The multiple shots are stemming from what is called "hesitation wounds" and then the nervous reaction afterwards. I've seen this before even with headshot suicides... one guy had popped himself in the head 5 times with a .40.
- Sparkster185, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6This does not explain "how" at all. Does everything in www.consumerist.com automatically make the front page? Lame.
- CedEx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Why do we have to go through the consumerist to get here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/business/24quiznos.html?ex=1329973200&en=2669d9122877e661&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
???? - worldsbestgamer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@ Detritus
A local store I know converted to a 7-11, and made out well. He now owns the franchise location.
@ Everyone
The sauces there do not digest well. The store nearest me also has been cutting back on ingredients. No idea if that is company wide. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4You make it sound so easy.
- Lilbrittle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6their is a quiznos right down the street from me, Who is down to get a toasted sub?
- jcenters, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Dugg for Jimmy John's.
- Detritus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Update: This story put me in the mood to try that new Garlic bread prime roast sandwich today. I'm a big fan of their cheese-steak (I get it on wheat without onions, and I have them switch the swiss to 1 slice mozzarella and 1 slice cheddar, so that is very close to what this is) but didn't like this at all. The garlic bread just isn't that good (and I do love me some garlic).
So for those of you looking to patronize your favorite Quiznos so as to prevent the proprietor from doing a copy-cat: avoid the garlic bread. - diggduggjoe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"clokergod: Thats how a poor bastard gets the strength to shoot himself in the chest 3 times, he wants to MAKE SURE it's over"
I am sure that will not be in the Quizno's Franchise Brochure. Yikes, shoot yourself and instead of bailing out, you try again and again. Man, I didn't have a clue how bad a franchise could be. - tradjik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Over the summer the Quiznos by me closed without warning.
Talking to a few employees in the store next to it they said the Quiznos owner closed the doors and skipped town. The last paycheck the Quiznos owner gave to his employees bounced.
I thought it was just a local issue of a crooked owner, but after RTA it sounds like Quiznos as a company isn't that great to work for. - nju0843, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5On another note, Quizno's is now hiring at that location....
- idonthack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3So I guess the average Subway franchise owner has approximately 2.3 gunshot wounds?
- thewebguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Quiznos is a joke. Everyone knows they treat their franchises like this.
Visit a nearby Quiznos location and ask for the manager, you'll immediately see how stressed they are. Just look for 2 big Q's in the sky (because there are probably 2 locations right near each other).
Anyway, everyone knows that any company whose entire marketing campaign from day one has been to trash the other guy loses no matter what. Every Quiznos commercial ever is about how they have something that Subway doesn't.
These guys are basically a test subject for Subway -- Subway watched to see if the toasted subs had any demand as Quiznos advertisements describe how much better they are because they offer toasted subs. Then, Subway bought toasters. - merreborn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"The fact that people put themselves on multi-year waiting lists to go into debt and serve the crap food that FF is known for is disgusting."
News flash: People like making money. If you do well at it, it's a friggin' gold mine. - hybridcreation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I couldn't live with myself either if I had to charge people $14 for a sub, chips and drink.
- Viralcraig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You know the sad thing is, I just read the article and the only thing I could think about was how hungry I am. Definitely can't skip breakfast tomorrow.
- betacmag4u, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Firehouse Subs............yummy!
- Thuktun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The original was better.
http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/ - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Buried with all Consumerist Spam. There is NO WAY most of hteir submissions would make the front page, if not for their blatant gaming of the algorithm.
- PabloMac, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Many historians believe that Meriweather Lewis didn't commit suicide, but was murdered for the money he was traveling with.
- CorpT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I have a solution to your problem, but, unfortunately, it is pretty difficult. If you don't like the customer service, the quality of product, or any other aspect an establishment sells you..... don't go there.
Eventually, they will either improve their product and hope customers come back or go out of business. Problem solved. - PabloMac, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Buried story for not telling "HOW A Quiznos Owner Shot Himself 3 Times In The Chest."
- brickne3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I refuse to shop at Quiznos. I was mugged in one of their Milwaukee stores last summer and they did not even call 911 (I was busy chasing after the guy, who got caught thanks to my efforts and other bystanders). A store that cares so little for their customers should simply not be patronized.
I didn't feel too bad about my decision, either. Their subs used to be good four years ago, but have gradually declined in quality. - Verdanic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It can be hard enough to shoot yourself in the head from what I've heard, as your body naturally forces the gun to the side before you get the chance to fire (and you'll just end up losing an ear). The chest would be a challenge - most people go into absolute shock after the first. Correct me if I'm wrong.
- wingophone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mmm...curry.
Now, if we had some good indian takeaway, I'd never go to a fast food place ever again.
PS IMHO Indians aren't taking jobs away from Americans that Americans don't already think they're too good for. -
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