Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Happy Joe's


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. The Bushranger One ping only 03:21, 10 January 2016 (UTC)

Happy Joe's

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Limited notability. I can't see how this can really be expanded upon. Cloudbound (talk) 22:05, 27 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Comment: I'll note that "can't be expanded upon" is not a criteria for deletion. - The Bushranger One ping only 22:19, 27 December 2015 (UTC)
 * That isn't a direct quote however. I don't think the subject of this article is notable enough. Cloudbound (talk) 14:35, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Delete From searches, it seems to be a popular outlet in its area of operation. However, I found no independent reliable sources, only adverts, and of the two sources on the article, one is a dead link. The WP article is thus essentially acting as an advertisement for the chain, which violates WP policy. LaMona (talk) 16:51, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Delete as none of this suggests a better notable article for simply this local pizza chain. Too soon at best, SwisterTwister   talk  19:04, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Food and drink-related deletion discussions.  SwisterTwister   talk  19:05, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Business-related deletion discussions.  SwisterTwister   talk  19:05, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Iowa-related deletion discussions.  SwisterTwister   talk  19:05, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Companies-related deletion discussions.  SwisterTwister   talk  19:05, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in reliable sources.  The book notes: "Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor Back in 1972, Joe Whitty had a new idea. Why not combine pizza with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor? Unable to sell the concept here to anyone who would back him, he reluctantly took his idea to New Mexico. Finally, a Davenport banker arranged a loan through the Small Business Administration, and he returned to open his first store in East Davenport. 'Without the SBA, I could never have opeend,' Whitty said. 'It's difficult when you can't get the banks to loan money.' He received the loan, and the Happy Joe's chain was born. All of the Happy Joe's restaurants are divided into two sections. Originally, the ice cream parlor had the 1940-style fountain fittings, and sold hard candy and hand-dipped ice cream. The other section sold pizza and was decorated with many nostalgic items such as player pianos and ceiling fans. In keeping with the style of the eighties, Happy Joe's has updated its look, making use of natural tones in its decor. Joe Whitty insists on each restaurant having a home-like atmosphere so families feel welcome. Happy Joe's tries to make even the 'little guy' equal, with a platform for children to watch the pizza being made behind a window. In the 1970s, Happy Joe Whitty won the pasta crown for innovation. He introduced sauerkrat pizza, taco pizza and specialty sandwiches. More recently he added a bacon, lettuce, tomato pizza, as well as a whole wheat pizza crust. With a chain of more than 100 stores in the United States, Happy Joe's new Egyptian venture opens the Mideast for more growth in the 1980s."  The article notes: "Blow the brass horn andsound the sirens. Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor will turn 30 in November. The brainchild of a North Dakota farm boy, the business remains under the watchful eyes of two of his children while its founder, Lawrence 'Happy Joe' Whitty, tests the waters of a retirement punctuated by community voluntarism. 'I just wanted one little store where my wife and I could run it and not have to work for anyone else,' Whitty said of the business he started on Nov. 16, 1972, with a $30,000 Small Business Administration loan."  The article notes: "The taco-pizza creator, Lawrence Joseph “Happy Joe” Whitty, opened his first pizza joint in 1972. Today, the Iowa-based chain has more than 60 locations across the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains. In June, franchise owner Robyn Aragon opened the first Arizona branch, in the former Pita Di Vita space next to Lifetime Fitness at Gilbert and Warner roads."  The article notes: "Before opening his first Happy Joe's in 1972, Whitty was nearly let go from another pizza chain for sponsoring a party for special-needs children. An entrepreneur at heart, Whitty said he was inspired rather than discouraged by the experience. Whitty noted Happy Joe's franchisees are asked to host an annual holiday party for children with special needs and, to date, the chain has hosted more than 140,000 special-needs children." <li></li> <li></li> <li> The article notes: "In 1968, Mr. Whitty became manager of a new Shakey's Pizza in Davenport, then one in Albuquerque, N.M., where he came up with the idea of a combined pizza and ice cream parlor because patrons often walked down the street for ice cream after leaving the restaurant. Shakey's wasn't interested in the idea, so after Mr. Whitty moved back to Davenport, he got a $30,000 loan, and the first Happy Joe's opened Nov. 16, 1972, in the Village of East Davenport, where Lagomarcino's is today. Mr. Whitty's daughter, Julie, came up with the now-famous name of Happy Joe's. Pizza places used to be more 'dark beer taverns that sold pizza,' he said. 'When we came in, we were bright and cheery and exciting -- birthday parties, blowing the horn, blaring the siren, making ice cream sundaes. It was different. 'I only wanted one restaurant, but every Saturday people kept asking about franchising it,' Mr. Whitty said, adding that the first franchise was in Muscatine, and now there are nearly 60 Happy Joe's in six states -- Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Missouri and Minnesota. The chain has about 1,500 employees, with a staff of nearly 20 at the home office in Bettendorf."</li> <li> The article notes: "Whitty, a 77-year-old born in Minot, opened the first Happy Joe’s in Iowa in 1972, striking out on his own after working as a manager for restaurants in the Shakey’s Pizza chain. His idea of teaming pizza with ice cream took off, and today the Iowa-based pizza chain has nearly 70 restaurants spread across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin. While Whitty still keeps an office at the Happy Joe’s corporate headquarters in Iowa, his eldest child, Larry, is president of the corporation, and several other children also hold positions in the corporation. Shortly after opening his first Happy Joe’s, Whitty began a custom adopted at every Happy Joe’s location since: One day a year the businesses close to the public in order to host a Christmas party for children with disabilities."</li> <li> The article notes: "Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream is based in Bettendorf, Iowa. It was founded in 1972 by 'Happy Joe' Whitty. The Grand Forks restaurant is one of 61 in Midwestern states. Many of the restaurants feature the buffets and are geared toward family gatherings and birthday parties."</li> <li> The article notes: "The concept of serving ice cream with pizza seemed unappetizing even to the giants of the junk food industry. But, after struggling for nearly a decade as a mid-level manager for a major pizza chain, Joe Whitty finally convinced a Davenport banker to stop laughing at his idea and lend him $30,000 for the first Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor. Another decade and 150 Happy Joe's franchise outlets later, Whitty is celebrating his success by introducing his pizza-and-ice cream menu to the Middle East, starting with a store in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Whitty, who as a youngster on a farm in Des Lacs, N.D., often dreamed of owning his own business, said he never thought he would be sitting at the helm of a multi-million dollar corporation today."</li> </ol>There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Happy Joe's to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 07:35, 1 January 2016 (UTC) </li></ul> <div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus. Relisting comment: Relisting per new sources presented in the discussion. North America1000 07:12, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, North America1000 07:12, 3 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep The sources listed above demonstrate notability and the potential for expansion. Andrew D. (talk) 17:20, 3 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep - One the nominator is wrong by nominating it on the basis that the article is not expandable as this is not a rationale for deletion. This is anti-Wikipedia. Second the subject is covered sufficiently by 3rd party reliable sources as per the refs in the article and the new ones posted here by User:Andrew Davidson. Kansiime (talk) 06:52, 7 January 2016 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.