Franchising in New England

NEFA member Itamar Chalif, principal of Atlantic Capital Solutions, will appear on WPI’s Venture Forum program on Saturday, February 7th, which will air from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on WTAG 580 AM and 94.9 FM. Mitchell Sanders, Executive President of ECI Biotech, will host the program.

The WPI Venture Forum Radio Program is a talk show for anyone interested in starting a business. Whether trying to write a business plan, raise capital, create a benefits package or determine the best way to structure a management team, the program’s hosts and guests have been there and done that.

Besides a discussion between host and guests, the audience is also encouraged to phone in with  questions and comments. In addition to tuning in on the radio, you can listen to the program online on WTAG’s Web site at www.wtag.com.

It’s 11:30 on a Monday morning, and Karim Menebhi is waiting for the first customer at his brand-new Ronzio Pizza & Subs franchise in Smithfield.

Menebhi has been busy — loading boxes of supplies onto shelves, talking on the phone to suppliers. Now he’s getting a little nervous. “I was feeling just normal until about 20 minutes ago,” he said. “Now I’m feeling that I need to see some people walk in and start serving them some food.”

Finally, about 11:40, the elusive first customer arrives. He’s Ryan West, who manages a karate school, Mastery Martial Arts, in the same shopping plaza as the new Ronzio. West orders a chicken sandwich. He also represents a potential source of future business, telling Menebhi that his martial arts school frequently hosts birthday parties for its young clients. Menebhi said he could provide discounts on pizza, and West took some Ronzio menus with him when he left.

Ronzio is a local chain, with 19 locations in Rhode Island and 1 in Massachusetts. Julian Angelone, chief operating officer for the company, said it’s opening a second Massachusetts location, in Worcester.

Read the whole story at Providence Journal