YNot Pizza owners Tony and Harry DiSilvestro. Photo by Paul Chin, Jr.
By Al Moore
When it comes to understanding your business and leveraging your success, it’s hard to beat the brothers who own and operate YNot Pizza in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
Brothers Tony and Harry DiSilvestro are initiating an expansion plan built upon franchising and a well-understood formula for success. That formula has served them well for over 17 years.
Unlike many, if not most, franchisors, YNot is planning to measure the success of the expansion by more than numbers alone. Tony DiSilvestro stated, “Protecting the stability of the brand is our number one priority.”
Operating their restaurants in a manner that leverages the best a family-run restaurant can offer, while implementing the consistent discipline that typifies many corporate chains, has enabled them to maintain a pattern of increasing sales. Harry said, “Even over the past three years, when many food service establishments have suffered, we just haven’t seen it.”
Customer-facing practices such as wait-staff uniforms and consistency in the way things are done surpass what might be seen in many family-run establishments. Harry commented, “New customers are always asking us if this is a franchise. That is often their first impression when they experience a meal in one of our places. It is a direct result of our emphasis on consistency.”
However, the emphasis on consistency of performance is not allowed to interfere with personal touch that goes so far to enhance the customer experience. The owners routinely “walk the front” to make sure they have the opportunity to interact with customers.
While it is easy to detect the passion with which the brothers describe the culture at YNot, what really exemplifies that passion is the manner in which they describe the selection of potential franchisees. “Our best candidates for franchise success are folks who have worked here for several years,” explained Tony.
“If they’ve been here a while, they see how we, as owners, take personal interest in each and every customer experience,” continued Tony. Harry added, “If they’ve worked here, we can see how they react and it’s a good indicator of how they feel about the business.” Other potential franchisees will have to find a way to demonstrate these same traits.Their emphasis on maintaining the culture of the business was instrumental in the decision to expand through franchising. “We considered expanding through the opening of more company-owned stores,” said Tony, “but we feel that we can get a higher degree of commitment to our values by placing an owner-operator into each store. Store managers who are employees of the company just do not have the same passion that an owner has. And, like many small businesses, operating capital is always a consideration for us,” he continued. “Franchising meets both of our requirements.”
In addition to the experience gained through the establishment of their restaurants, the brothers have sought expertise from various specialists.
While legal assistance is key to any franchising initiative, the brothers have expanded their outside resources to include both a local advertising agency and a remotely located restaurant operations consultant. The agency is responsible for ensuring that YNot’s marketing efforts keep pace with their needs. The operations consultant assists with the identification and implementation of recommendations intended to fine-tune the operation.
YNot’s strategy of conservative expansion, coupled with the strongest possible commitment to the company’s culture, positions the DiSilvestro brothers for continued success.
