Talk:Blimpie

History Neutrality
Can't we find a source for the history that wasn't written by the company? —Preceding unsigned comment added by DHDiamond (talk • contribs) 06:23, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Requested move
The company may refer to itself in all caps, but we don't have to. tregoweth 02:14, September 3, 2005 (UTC)


 * Add *Support or *Oppose followed by an optional one sentence explanation, then sign your opinion with ~ 


 * Support. Their logo contradicts the capitalisation of their name in the article. – AxSkov ( ☏ ) 05:24, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Support. Proteus (Talk) 13:41, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Support —Michael Z. 2005-09-4 21:05 Z 
 * Support. Jonathunder 21:49, 2005 September 4 (UTC)

This article has been renamed after the result of a move request. Dragons flight 04:32, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

In the United Kingdom

 * Add any additional comments

Where are the stores in the United Kingdom?--Darrelljon 21:41, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

I remember there was a Blimpie in Leeds City Centre but this closed several years ago and is now a travel agents. Also looked on Blimpie website and there is no mention of any UK branches so believe this entity is now defunct in the United Kingdom. Would suggest editing to say they had tried entering UK market but had withdrawn for whethever reason. --Wrh1973 14:28, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

I wonder if Blimpies leaving the UK was based in some part on fear of confusion with Wimpy's?

Fair use rationale for Image:Blimbielogo.jpg
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WP:FOOD Tagging
This article talk page was automatically added with WikiProject Food and drink banner as it falls under Category:Restaurants or one of its subcategories. If you find this addition an error, Kindly undo the changes and update the inappropriate categories if needed. You can find the related request for tagging here -- TinucherianBot (talk) 07:55, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Brand history
Hi Wikipedia Editors, As a representative of the Blimpie brand, I wanted to provide a link to additional information about the brand's history in an effort to make the article more complete. I was told by the Wikipedia help team that the discussion page was the proper venue to do so.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=8397

Thanks! (JoanTeller (talk) 01:10, 19 August 2010 (UTC))

Uncited material in need of citations
I am moving the following uncited material here until it can be properly supported with reliable, secondary citations, per WP:V, WP:CS, WP:IRS, WP:PSTS, WP:BLP, WP:NOR, et al. This diff shows where it was in the article. Nightscream (talk) 22:11, 14 February 2021 (UTC)

1960s — mid-1970s
The original Blimpie store was a hit, and, before long, customers began asking about franchises. The first franchise was sold to a friend in western New York for $600 during the company's first year of operation.

In 1965 Baldassare left the company and Conza and DeCarlo expanded into New York City with a store on 55th Street in Manhattan. By 1967 there were 10 Blimpie restaurants in the chain, four of which were owned by the founders. Despite the chain's growth and good sales volume, profits were difficult to make, and the partners sold the four stores they owned and began to concentrate primarily on franchising. By the mid-1970s, Conza wanted to introduce Blimpie subs to the South. DeCarlo, however, was against the move. This disagreement led to a split between the two. In 1976 Blimpie was divided into two entities, with both retaining rights to the Blimpie trademark. DeCarlo became head of a new, completely independent company, Metropolitan Blimpie (later Blimpie's of New York, Inc.), which controlled franchising rights in New York, New Jersey, and other parts of the East Coast. Conza retained control of the original company, which was incorporated in 1977 as International Blimpie Corporation. Conza remained chairman and chief executive officer of Blimpie through January 2002.

Late 1970s — 1989
During the late 1970s, Conza sold franchises anywhere he found an interest. Blimpie began selling franchises both for individual stores and for territories. Many of these new franchises were rather isolated from the rest of the chain, and some benefits of franchise arrangements had little effect in those locations. Although the chain was growing rapidly, several of the newer stores failed. By 1983, International Blimpie's annual revenues were approaching $1 million, and Blimpie's franchises totaled 150. Conza took the company public that year, with an initial over-the-counter offering of 90 cents per share.

By 1988 Conza realized where his focus was, and he exited the Tex-Mex business. Seeing the tremendous success of Subway, Conza redoubled his efforts in the sandwich arena. He began to address the Blimpie problem with a more systematic approach than he had used before. The first step in Conza's revitalization program was to identify four fundamental problems plaguing the business: a lack of goals, poor use of financial resources, low employee morale, and procrastination. He then assembled a group of managers and drew up a list of "101 Small Improvements". Delegating to his senior staff much of the day-to-day managing he had always done himself, Conza went on the road in an attempt to open up the long-closed channels of communication between Blimpie and its franchisees.

At the same time, Conza continued in his efforts to improve relations with franchisees, many of whom had become disgruntled over the last decade. In addition to visiting dozens of cities to meet restaurant owners, Conza formed a franchisee advisory council to keep him apprised of important issues, launched a newsletter called No Baloney News and a toll-free hotline to get important information to franchisees, and gave franchisees more control over advertising through the formation of regional advertising co-ops.

[Blimpie's low-calorie menu] was called Blimpie Lite, and included a variety of tuna, crab, chicken, and turkey-based items, in both salad and pita-bread sandwich form. The following year, the company launched another test: gourmet salads sold under the name 'Blimpie Fresherie'. Blimpie began tinkering with its prototype restaurant design around this time, incorporating the company's signature lime-green and yellow colors into an updated look for new outlets. By 1990 Blimpie had recovered, with system wide sales reaching $120 million per year.

1990 — present
The Blimpie chain continued to grow steadily through the early 1990s. Much of this growth was fueled by the company's area developer program, in which franchise rights were sold for an entire area to a developer, who then subfranchised those rights to individual operators. The company continued testing new products throughout this period. In 1991 Blimpie unveiled its 'Quick Bite' menu. The company also began testing pizza at a handful of locations in an effort to expand its dinner business. Conza's attempts to improve franchisee relations continued as well, which included a franchisee convention, the first in 1991.

As the 1990s continued, the company looked for more new ways to sell Blimpie sandwiches, including vending machines, outlets in supermarkets, and new types of carts and other mobile product-delivery systems.

In 1999, the company launched Pasta Central, a franchised chain within the "home meal replacement" category featuring Italian-style pasta and pizza. The concept was exclusively a vehicle for co-branded Blimpie/Pasta Central outlets. Two years earlier, Blimpie International acquired majority control of Maui Tacos, a Mexican quick-service restaurant chain. Along with Maui Tacos came its offshoot founded in 1998, Smoothie Island.

The chain's 'Smoothie Island' concept was launched through Maui Tacos in 1998. Smoothie Island's menu featured beverages blended with frozen yogurt and fruit. In addition to opening standalone units, including airports, health clubs, and grocery stores, Blimpie also planned to co-brand Smoothie Island with both the Maui Tacos and Blimpie concepts—both in dual-branding and tri-branding formats. By mid-2001 there were 80 Smoothie Island units located in the United States, Puerto Rico, and four other countries.

By mid-2002, there were about 2,000 Blimpie outlets in operation, located in 47 states and in 15 other countries. Blimpie does not own many stores corporately, but relies on revenue from franchises. In addition to traditional free-standing locations, Blimpie can also be found in a variety of non-traditional sites, such as inside convenience stores, gasoline station food marts, schools, office complexes, hospitals, and sports arenas. The number of Blimpie locations declined by over 60% through 2011.

In 2013, a controlling interest in Kahala Corp. was purchased by the Serruya Family of Canada. The Serruyas own and founded Yogen Fruz, a chain with 1400 stores around the world. At that time, Michael Serruya became chairman and CEO of Kahala Corp. The company name was changed from Kahala Corp to Kahala Brands to better align the focus of the business.

The first Blimpie store which was opened in Hoboken, New Jersey, was closed in September 2017. It was bought by the owner of Shaka Bowl, another popular restaurant in Hoboken.

Gap
Seems there’s a gap between the founding of the first store and the 80’s 24.143.96.211 (talk) 18:34, 23 January 2022 (UTC)