Small Business Stories - Lion and Rose Video

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Small Business Stories - Lion and Rose

Ivy Hartman: Welcome to sbtv.com’s coverage of the Hotel Motel Show 2008 here in Chicago. I’m Ivy Hartman and with me is Chris Weber who is the District Manager for the Lion and Rose which is a franchise opportunity. Chris Weber: Right. Ivy Hartman: A British pub and restaurant in the Austin, Texas area. Chris Weber: Texas area yes. Ivy Hartman: Tell us a little bit more about British, the Lion and Rose. Chris Weber: The Lion and Rose. Ivy Hartman: Yeah. Chris Weber: Well we’re what we call a British Pub, we have full menu so we focus on food and beer obviously and liquor. So we’re a restaurant and bar that’s what kind of a pub is all about. Ivy Hartman: One of the consumer trends of the NRA is posting is that consumers have becoming more snobby when it comes to their food and drink pairing as well as the specialized drinks. Chris Weber: Right. Ivy Hartman: Tell us about how your restaurants have been addressing these things? Chris Weber: Well we incorporate you know different beers from around the globe and a lot of people are interested in trying different ones that they haven't tried before. So we typically have 20 to 25 different draft beers available for them to try and sample we have sampler platters and allow them to you know get smaller portions of different that they haven't tried one. They don’t have to have a long term commitment to each one. Ivy Hartman: That sounds good to me, you know, yeah, I don’t have to make a decision, I can try a little bit. Chris Weber: You can try, yeah, exactly try a little bit, yeah. Ivy Hartman: I think that’s a good, that’s easy way to go about it. I know that you’re an international franchise association member. Many small businesses start out as a person buying into a franchise. Talk about how the IFA has helped you and also the people who are buying the franchise. Chris Weber: Right, well I mean I would say it really helps us bring credibility to our group and it combines you a lot of assistance in developing all the legal ratifications that you need to be a franchise and to go out there in the market place and franchise yourself. So it does help me quite a bit in that and it's a great association to be with because like I said it does have that credibility to your company as you're out franchising. Ivy Hartman: And it does, and in turn, helps it grow I would guess. Chris Weber: Right, yeah, people are more out to approach you if they know you are a member of the IFA rather than just you know just kind of off the street kind of thing. Ivy Hartman: That’s true, so initially when you looked at franchising the line—that was the big thing. Before you’re already an IFA member or was— Chris Weber: Well we opened up our first pub but when we start to develop we have three in San Antonio now. So as we grow and we wanted to develop our brand across the region, Texas and going into other parts of the country, that obviously pays a big part of—yeah. Ivy Hartman: And you're here at the 2008 Hotel Motel Show in Chicago, what do you up to accomplish by having an exhibit here? Chris Weber: Introducing our brand to the people in the country, obviously the Chicago show is the biggest in the world. So it really helps you get to established yourself with other people that are out here looking for franchise opportunities. Ivy Hartman: It's so big, is there a strategy for you know making such a— Chris Weber: Making those contacts, couple of things that we did obviously with the people that are coming to the show, they pre-enrolled and buy their tickets to the show basically. They register with the NRA and we have an opportunity to click email data from them and so we did some E-Marketing before we came here by profiling the people that we want to know free to bring buy our booth and so we did some E-Marketing to them and the assistance is in there. Ivy Hartman: I understand that this is a third year in a row that ticket booth has been sold out at the event so that most make it like it's usually. Chris Weber: It is the biggest show of the year for the restaurant industry and so it's you know, it’s important to be here. Ivy Hartman: Is there anything else we should know about the restaurant or about the franchise or franchising relationship with IFA. Chris Weber: Well I mean really they, they helped established those base lines for you on what you need to able to provide for your franchising so it is important to know that, you know that going forward and so it franchises what you have to provide to that that individual that signing up with you. Ivy Hartman: And the great thing about your booth here the Lion and Rose is that you actually brought a little flavor and a little feel of the restaurant right here to your booth. Was actually sitting in and I feel like I'm kind of what were in there in a pub. Chris Weber: Were in the pub, yeah, and that’s what we wanted to bring is to give, give the people that are coming by to visit us really a good example of what we are and that field of what were about. Ivy Hartman: Well I think it's probably time to appear somewhere. Chris Weber: It is. Ivy Hartman: We feel a little, so that maybe when we cover next just keep it right here on sbtv.com as we continue our coverage of 2008 Hotel Motel Show here in Chicago.

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Ivy Hartman: Welcome to sbtv.com’s coverage of the Hotel Motel Show 2008 here in Chicago. I’m Ivy Hartman and with me is Chris Weber who is the District Manager for the Lion and Rose which is a franchise opportunity.

Chris Weber: Right.

Ivy Hartman: A British pub and restaurant in the Austin, Texas area.

Chris Weber: Texas area yes.

Ivy Hartman: Tell us a little bit more about British, the Lion and Rose.

Chris Weber: The Lion and Rose.

Ivy Hartman: Yeah.

Chris Weber: Well we’re what we call a British Pub, we have full menu so we focus on food and beer obviously and liquor. So we’re a restaurant and bar that’s what kind of a pub is all about.

Ivy Hartman: One of the consumer trends of the NRA is posting is that consumers have becoming more snobby when it comes to their food and drink pairing as well as the specialized drinks.

Chris Weber: Right.

Ivy Hartman: Tell us about how your restaurants have been addressing these things?

Chris Weber: Well we incorporate you know different beers from around the globe and a lot of people are interested in trying different ones that they haven't tried before. So we typically have 20 to 25 different draft beers available for them to try and sample we have sampler platters and allow them to you know get smaller portions of different that they haven't tried one. They don’t have to have a long term commitment to each one.

Ivy Hartman: That sounds good to me, you know, yeah, I don’t have to make a decision, I can try a little bit.

Chris Weber: You can try, yeah, exactly try a little bit, yeah.

Ivy Hartman: I think that’s a good, that’s easy way to go about it. I know that you’re an international franchise association member. Many small businesses start out as a person buying into a franchise. Talk about how the IFA has helped you and also the people who are buying the franchise.

Chris Weber: Right, well I mean I would say it really helps us bring credibility to our group and it combines you a lot of assistance in developing all the legal ratifications that you need to be a franchise and to go out there in the market place and franchise yourself. So it does help me quite a bit in that and it's a great association to be with because like I said it does have that credibility to your company as you're out franchising.

Ivy Hartman: And it does, and in turn, helps it grow I would guess.

Chris Weber: Right, yeah, people are more out to approach you if they know you are a member of the IFA rather than just you know just kind of off the street kind of thing.

Ivy Hartman: That’s true, so initially when you looked at franchising the line—that was the big thing. Before you’re already an IFA member or was—

Chris Weber: Well we opened up our first pub but when we start to develop we have three in San Antonio now. So as we grow and we wanted to develop our brand across the region, Texas and going into other parts of the country, that obviously pays a big part of—yeah.

Ivy Hartman: And you're here at the 2008 Hotel Motel Show in Chicago, what do you up to accomplish by having an exhibit here?

Chris Weber: Introducing our brand to the people in the country, obviously the Chicago show is the biggest in the world. So it really helps you get to established yourself with other people that are out here looking for franchise opportunities.

Ivy Hartman: It's so big, is there a strategy for you know making such a—

Chris Weber: Making those contacts, couple of things that we did obviously with the people that are coming to the show, they pre-enrolled and buy their tickets to the show basically. They register with the NRA and we have an opportunity to click email data from them and so we did some E-Marketing before we came here by profiling the people that we want to know free to bring buy our booth and so we did some E-Marketing to them and the assistance is in there.

Ivy Hartman: I understand that this is a third year in a row that ticket booth has been sold out at the event so that most make it like it's usually.

Chris Weber: It is the biggest show of the year for the restaurant industry and so it's you know, it’s important to be here.

Ivy Hartman: Is there anything else we should know about the restaurant or about the franchise or franchising relationship with IFA.

Chris Weber: Well I mean really they, they helped established those base lines for you on what you need to able to provide for your franchising so it is important to know that, you know that going forward and so it franchises what you have to provide to that that individual that signing up with you.

Ivy Hartman: And the great thing about your booth here the Lion and Rose is that you actually brought a little flavor and a little feel of the restaurant right here to your booth. Was actually sitting in and I feel like I'm kind of what were in there in a pub.

Chris Weber: Were in the pub, yeah, and that’s what we wanted to bring is to give, give the people that are coming by to visit us really a good example of what we are and that field of what were about.

Ivy Hartman: Well I think it's probably time to appear somewhere.

Chris Weber: It is.

Ivy Hartman: We feel a little, so that maybe when we cover next just keep it right here on sbtv.com as we continue our coverage of 2008 Hotel Motel Show here in Chicago.

Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services