Up And Coming Entrepeneur

Success Magazine: What does success mean to you? Marty Terwilliger: Success is the opportunity of new franchises coming into the Angels corporate structure and duplicating the successes of our franchise. When they have success with their own franchise in their own areas then I know that we have been successful. My personal success is with my family, my wife, my children and they are all involved with the decisions of the business and their future success for years to come.

SM: You are the first one to have an Angel's franchise east of the Rockies, what made you decide to open an Angel's franchise and what foods and services do you offer? MT: The uniqueness of the franchise is that it is an ice cream, lunch and dinner restaurant under one roof. And the ice cream is all natural made right on the premises with our own recipes. On the food side we are what we look like, we are like the luncheonette that we had in the fifties and sixties. We offer hot dogs, sausages and chicken dishes, as well as wraps and healthy foods in a family setting. As for being the first Angels on the East coast, I just thought that the market was there for a health conscious quality restaurant and it turns out I was right.

SM: The interior design is very unique. Who designed it? MT: The original design on the west coast had the shells, juke box and the whole luncheonette look. But it was not excitingùit was bland. The restaurant now looks like my study; I have always had the 50's and 60's memorabilia like the pictures of Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle, and all that era. I called the CEO and asked if he would give me the latitude to design our restaurant using the memorabilia that I had and he accepted my design and gave me the freedom to design our store as you see it now. The corporate office liked it so much that our store is now the benchmark for the design of all future franchise stores.

SM: You have some unique memorabilia, how is it received by your patrons? MT: You would be surprised how much these items are appreciated by our clients. We have the Brooklyn Dodgers team picture. Some people were not even aware that the Los Angeles Dodgers started in Brooklyn. If they are with their parents then it starts a family discussion about the past and the times that people had and the history of the region. Kids ask questions and then go home and research it on the internet. It is great for family fun and communication.

SM: Why is there an interest in your organization over other franchises both in the States and worldwide? MT: The corporation that purchased the rights to the franchises in 38 countries had researched the other franchises out there and found that we offered them a unique product as well as a healthy bottom line opportunity to get in on the ground floor with a great and expanding franchise opportunity. They have restaurants and franchises in all of these countries in central and South America and they believe that our product mix and store line food service will fit into their corporate structure nicely.

SM: What is different about your menu? MT: We offer a variety of foods that are healthy and fun and the family can enjoy an outing at our restaurant and feel good about the food that they are eating. Our ice cream is home made with natural ingredients right on the premises. We offer French fries, chicken fingers and fried dough that is cooked in high speed hot air ovens, so no trans fats, no cholesterol and up to 1/3 less calories. People with health concerns say they are able to eat our French fries and products because we do not cook our fried foods in fatty shortening. We offer wraps and yogurt and other healthier products than fast food chains. The end result is that the customers can eat a good meal and eat food that they are forbidden to eat because of their heart and cholesterol restrictions and they can enjoy themselves. We have salads and vegetarian sandwiches and now we even offer some of our ice cream without sugar.

SM: Who should invest in your franchises? MT: You have to be a people person owner. You need to have a desire to get involved in your community. We offer fund raisers for our community and are very involved in every way that we can. We offer the lowest start up costs of any food restaurant franchise. We do not charge a markup on our equipment like other franchises. We are very involved to ensure the success and prosperity of each and every franchise.

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