Well the first one’s open, Crusty Devil and what I’ve seen is a continuous decline in the bakery, particularly hot bread business over the last 10 years. I mean you’ve done other investments so what would you be worth financially now? The information memorandum says on a normalised basis, EBITDA … RFG lost $111 million in the December half and Mr George, an insolvency expert who took over day-to-day running last December, warned shareholders the company, which owes $260 million, needed to urgently sell assets, recapitalise its balance sheet and reduce costs by about $20 million a year to avoid collapse. You’ll also receive special offers from our partners. They’re different businesses. The company continues to grow through its unique franchise system, and from June 2008 to June 2009 it opened over one new store per week. I don’t know. It’s just basic stuff. Date of visit: July 2015. Jessica Shapiro. I mean, it was bad and then it got a bit better through the recession. They’ve pretty much watered down the two minute pizza so that hasn’t become a guaranteed item any more. You can opt-out at any time. I’m going to talk to you in two years and we’ll see if you’re happy still with that vision. So that side of things is certainly happening. Not only is Hawaiian pizza not actually from Hawaii, it's not even from the United States. If you want to go into franchising, it’s like the difference between being a motor mechanic and a gynecologist. I mean they just barely exist. Hell Pizza - The best damned pizza in this life or the next. Put in a coffee culture up there. you dont need 10 toppings to make a good pizza. IN LATE 2010, pizza chain Eagle Boys was in dire straits. 2020 was a year like nothing else for AGMs with some positive developments driven by an urgent unanticipated need for a new approach. Date … July 14, 2002. "The build of the Pizza Pies follows a new process in our stores and our operations team worked closely with our franchisees and store staff to get them trained up and excited. Domino's … How did he do it? We’re actually bringing in our coffee up from Sydney. We would go through periods of five and six years when I owned Eagle Boys making no money at all. In March 1989, Pizza Hut, which was part of PepsiCo Australia, bought out Dial-a-Dino’s and abolished its brand. They’ve got good people, they understand business, they understand the sport. Now his sites are set on new nests in Southeast Asia. They probably took a year hovering around and doing their due diligence. Sixteen Aussie entrepreneurs reveal their top focus for 2021, eBook Preview: The biggest small business trends and challenges of 2020, Bitcoin is trading at an all-time high. "Eagle Boys Express at Sydney Airport’s T1 features our new range of EB Rolls including a fully loaded kransky hot dog. Today we talk to Tom Potter, the founder of Eagle Boys Pizza franchise chain. Mr Potter fears the company will fall into administration, a move that could trigger the collapse of more than 1000 RFG franchisees if landlords use the event to terminate leases. You see a lot of those guys are sitting there saying let’s pump the share price, they’re saying let’s create a great sporting business. The Eagle Boys Pizza chain bought out Pizza Haven in July 2008. Doughy things are (for me) super easy to purge. Eagle Boys Pizza's second Mad Minutes online campaign is a success, breaking records for the chain and better than expected results. A lot of areas that I certainly wouldn’t have done but I don’t really know what the outcome is yet. Eagle Boys Pizza, one of my all time favourites located at Tagore Park when it comes to Italian delicacies have incorporated a wide range of scrumptious delicacies in their exquisite menu! The Retail Food Group (RFG) has confirmed it is not currently engaged in any discussions to acquire Eagle Boys Pizza after its head office entered into voluntary administration late last week.. SV Partners were appointed as the administrators and have taken control of day-to-day operations in the Eagle Boys… They’re certainly opening up a lot of stores. Having sampled pizzas from other local outlets I always come back to --- and now stay with --- Eagle Boys Pizza. The stores will also get a new update with new uniforms, pizza boxes, menu, website and community assistance program, the Eagle Boys Happiness Fund. Value. It is the third largest pizza chain in the country, with 12% share of Australia's pizza market. Call us on 13 14 33 or order online at www.eagleboys.com.au The founder of Eagle Boys Pizza isn't content to roost just in Australia. No, a bit boring. In January 2010, Eagle Boys became the second largest pizza chain in Australia, and in March 2010 opened its 300th store in Sydney. When I was on the board at Brumby’s, there were too many directors, they all had different agendas, the company was sluggish to say the least. But I haven’t looked broadly, I’ve looked very closely and said my area of expertise is food and that’s really where I’ve stuck and looked at it. Come on, tell us the figure. At the age of 23 he founded Eagle Boys Pizza and over the next 20 years turned it into Australia's third-largest pizza chain before selling to Queensland-based private equity firm NBC Capital in 2007. We sort of made a very clear plan as to who we wanted to sell to, why we wanted to sell and what we wanted to get for it and we stuck to it. At 8:30 a.m., Tom Potter faces the first dilemma of the business day. The business then grew to become a The pizza box came with a photo of the eagle himself, who the seller speculates "may still be alive in Christchurch". Crafted using real fresh quality ingredients, Eagle Boys' pizzas showcase flavour combinations that are sure to satisfy your tastebuds. Eagle Boys. You can browse through the complete EagleBoysPizza menu comprising … The Mobile Application is easy to operate and ensures quick ordering and delivery of a pizza. "The most interesting one is Gloria Jean's – it's got to have drive-through pads, drive-through coffee is the future.". Well the thing is if you’re going to build one, you’ve got to build 200. You’ve started your own new venture, tell us about that. So, the Eagle Boys tweaked the process of making the pies to make sure they can deliver the Pizza Pies within the similar time frames their customers are used to. I can go online to order my own creation and it is always ready at the time ordered for pickup. I mean it’s a very difficult business being a franchisor in Australia. The decision had been made probably a year and a half before. Australia's third largest pizza chain Eagle Boys has collapsed into voluntary administration after struggling to pay debts, but insists it is 'business as usual' until the outcome of a review. We’ve found that people were a lot more careful about what they were doing but on the other hand you had people wanting to buy themselves a job because they’d been made redundant and they were also usually not ideal franchisees either. Is the market for recruiting for franchises turning? I’ve been on boards of various private and public companies and I find it to be extremely difficult to penetrate through to management. Eagle Boys has been reported in the media today as having placed videos on YouTube indicating that Dominos large pizzas are smaller than those of Eagle Boys. Did those things bore you? No you won’t, the king of franchising won’t franchise. So we’re probably doing two and a half times what the average bakery does in Queensland already. One of the videos also implies that the Dominos delivery driver’s penises are small.. Firstly, Dominos pizzas taste much better than Eagle Boys. So what’s next? They’ve gone into a gourmet market. But just on that. Melbourne, 3000 Australia. The founder of Eagle Boys Pizza isn't content to roost just in Australia. One of the reasons I sold was because the company needed more capital to take it to the next level and that’s why a venture capital group came in and said okay here’s some cash, let’s have a non-dividend policy for the next five years and grow it faster and harder. And so are we seeing more people doing the buying a themselves a job? Eagle Boys Pizzeria & Cafe. The move will see Eagle Boys operate 270 stores across Australia and see the company enter the Sydney and … It's Eagle Boys time! Eagle Boys Pizza - Scarborough is located at 187 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough. Put in a lot of signature products, produce all our own pies, all our own cakes, use all fresh creams, fresh custards. It’s been driven by a couple of reasons, one of them is category killers like The Coffee Club and Muffin Break have come in and then you’ve got the vast majority of independent bakeries which are extremely run down, tired, grubby, hot, uncomfortable and with a very small range. So what would you be worth now? The pizza box came with a photo of the eagle himself, who the seller speculates "may still be alive in Christchurch". If it was from a strategic point of view for the parent company, my advice would be to have a five year vision, a three year plan, a very clear and precise strategy and then a very good board of directors to help you achieve that. So, what’s happened to Eagle Boys since you left? Look I’ve done that and what they say in some cases and what they do are two different things. So since you’ve left the jury is out on how they’re travelling? Very interesting. Hi Tom. However, emails sent to RFG show Mr Potter asked to speak to Mr George on March 4. Are you advising people on growing franchises at the moment, is that also what you’re doing? A reporter from the U.S. is on the phone and digging for information about his 150-store company, Eagle Boys Pizza. Today we talk to Tom Potter, the founder of Eagle Boys Pizza franchise chain. SmartCompany Working at Eagle Boys Pizza was overall a somewhat rewarding experience as it was my first job. Not settling for only a redesign, Eagle Boys Express is also launching new products for its menu line-up. Tom Potter says drive-through outlets could help turn around Gloria Jean's. So I probably decided that it was an unemotional move that had to be made at least two years before. Okay so you’re set on the future. "Not too many people have figured out the administration will trigger the largest collapse in Australian retail history," he said. But his calls and emails were not returned. Copyright © 2020 Private Media Pty Ltd. Publishers of SmartCompany. This successful idea caught on, and the first store in Albury was quickly creating a generous profit. ther reason being is that pizza hut, dom, crust, eagle boys use budget cheese(its yellow, comes sliced and has no aroma) and packaged tomato paste to make their pizza. And as soon as we started building drive throughs at Eagle Boys, we had a massive response. And once we get the model right, build some drive throughs and start opening these places up 24 hours a day. Level 6, 22 William St, Follow updates here. I mean just pouring it all back in and building infrastructure and employing people and building training modules. I mean the Queensland coffee I have to say Tom needs improvement. And someone said to me “why?” and I said, well you just open them all up in one town so people know who you were. All Rights Reserved. And did it take that much time to get ready for the sale? Turns out, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's attack on former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate might have been a bit overblown. Having sampled pizzas from other local outlets I always come back to --- and now stay with --- Eagle Boys Pizza. "We couldn't get hold of anybody.". Eagle Boys Pizza A description of the nature of the business Founded by a young baker in his mum’s garage in 1987, Eagle Boys now operates more than 335 stores throughout all states of Australia. Sotirios (Sam) Panopoulos immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1954 and opened the Satellite Restaurant with his brother in London, Ontario.When the Satellite hired a Chinese–Canadian cook and started adding some sweet and savory dishes to the menu, the inspiration for pineapple on pizza was … If you were to go out to a bookstore tomorrow and say “give me a book on an Australian franchise company”, you wouldn’t find one. I think so, yes. A reporter from the U.S. is on the phone and digging for information about his 150-store company, Eagle Boys Pizza. So you’ve had your year off, you’ve written a book. Professional director – frustrating. Eagle Boys advertised their products as semi-gourmet pizzas that quite unique to the larger chains, yet cheaper due to the high production output. Pizza Place. At its peak Eagle Boys was the nation's second biggest pizza chain with 340 Australian stores. He has been a director of several franchise systems including Brumby's Bakeries and Burger Urge, founded Crusty Devil Bakehouses, and is a well-known speaker on the business circuit. I packed up and took off overseas for nearly a year so I didn’t do any wild investing. Just one of those “if we build it, they will come” approaches. We’ll catch up in a year and we’ll see who wins the bet. ‎Welcome to the official EagleBoysPizza Mobile ordering application, powered by Appcare. It is one hundred per cent Australian owned and operated and delivers pizzas to hungry families across Australia - from metropolitan inner city areas to small remote towns. Adelaide-based Australian Fashion Labels collapses into voluntary administration, How these two entrepreneurs led Australia’s transition into the circular economy. They are. It’s like in media the difference between a subscription paid model and a free model or an advertising model. Why we went into the drive throughs, how we invented the two minute pizza, all that kind of stuff. Sotirios (Sam) Panopoulos immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1954 and opened the Satellite Restaurant with his brother in London, Ontario.When the Satellite hired a Chinese–Canadian cook and started adding some sweet and savory dishes to the menu, the inspiration for pineapple on pizza was … July 14, 2002. They’ve definitely got a longer term strategy. The first Eagle Boys Pizza opened in Albury, New South Wales. "Eighty to 90 per cent of all franchises in Australia are quite well run and ethically managed but 10 to 12 per cent stink – those of us in the industry know which ones are run by stinkers," he said. They’ve got a good mix of the right people to get the job done. It boils down to two things: location and who’s running the place. That is something I don’t like to talk about… BRW said I was worth about $17 million about four or five years ago. Over time the menu will start to use fresh dough pizza bases rather than using par-baked pizza bases," Heslehurst said. Mildura store owner Andrew Kynaston had driven four-and-a-half hours to Adelaide for an … Just fill out the fields below and we'll send your friend a link to this article along with a message from you. At the age of 23 he founded Eagle Boys Pizza and over the next 20 years turned it … The value of the edible Christmas present is AUS $60,000 (U.S. $47,000). According to the chain, the two-week campaign drove a record number of people to the Eagle Boys website, with a 50.1 per cent increase from the fortnight prior, and 39.5 per cent of those visiting the website for the first time ever. The pizza box came with a photo of the eagle himself, who the seller speculates "may still be alive in Christchurch". When you look back what can you really advise other franchises about? I seriously considered whether I wanted to become a professional director. Took me ages before I could have pizza again, but I find that the best type is doughy pizzas. Is there any way that you can vet before you take on a board position and see if you can make a difference? I did okay. What was it like when you left, was it heart wrenching? After putting together funding for an offer, Mr Potter says he attempted to contact former RFG chairman Colin Archer, former chief executive Richard Hinson, former director Stephen Lonie and, finally, chief financial officer Peter McGettigan in an attempt to reach executive chairman Peter George. no meat but imho pizza is abt the quality of the ingredients, the best sauce and the perfect base with a good cheese. I find this curious - the first time I tried to purge pizza, it just would NOT come, and I choked several times trying. Eagle Boys advertised their products as semi-gourmet pizzas that quite unique to the larger chains, yet cheaper due to the high production output. In 2005 he was recognised by the Franchise Council of Australia as the inaugural member of the Hall of Fame and became the chairman of the Hall Of Fame Committee in 2013. Hell Pizza - The best damned pizza in this life or the next. The move will see Eagle Boys operate 270 stores across Australia and see the company enter … Right okay let’s go and build half a dozen bakeries, put in some good people, make sure it’s managed well, great cashflow business and have some fun. Is the government hiding the report into Australia Post’s gifting of Cartier watches? The Eagle Boys Pizza chain bought out Pizza Haven in July 2008. I don’t think so, I’m not hearing that yet. I mean they are entirely different businesses. The advent of pizza delivery in Adelaide effectively put an end to the dine-in Pizza Hutt family restaurant. Luckily enough there was decent pay out at the end when I got out because it was a long grind to get to build 250 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand and then saying gee what have we got for this? Last month a parliamentary inquiry report into franchising singled out RFG as the "poster child" for problems in the $170 billion sector and recommended the corporate and competition watchdogs and the Australian Taxation Office investigate past behaviour including possible insider trading, breaches of market-disclosure obligations and tax avoidance. Eagle Boys is an Australian fast food chain specialising in pizza.Eagle Boys has more than 160 stores throughout Australia, particularly in regional areas. Not only is Hawaiian pizza not actually from Hawaii, it's not even from the United States. I can go online to order my own creation and it is always ready at the time ordered for pickup. "Our thinking was [to] buy the entire company and turn it around," Mr Potter told The Australian Financial Review. I mean the mob that we ended up selling to took a long time. I’ve been through two previous recessions, ‘89 and ‘94. It was opening as many stores as it was closing. 138 were here. I haven’t actually got a lot of intention to expand outside of Queensland. SmartCompany is the leading online publication in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia's entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers. I mean you think you might know that you’re working on a bunch of stuff, but you don’t, you need to bring in expertise. And if you have a bit of a look at your picture you go okay I’ve got my investment sitting over there and I’ve got my property sitting over there and I own this house and I own this and that and I go – now what am I going to do? At its peak Eagle Boys was the nation's second biggest pizza chain with 340 Australian stores. So what do you expect revenue wise, are you $8-10 million and you’re set? privately owned pizza company and effectively retire at 43. I just think there’s such big numbers over there and it’s just a different consumer market. Pizza company Eagle Boys is continuing its relationship with the team behind Aussie comedy film Fat Pizza vs Housos offering one customer, and their ‘Missus or … What are the other mistakes that you see the franchises making and how has the market changed for franchising in the last year? This successful idea caught on, and the first store in Albury was quickly creating a generous profit. Eagle Boys Pizza, Beerwah: See 15 unbiased reviews of Eagle Boys Pizza, rated 3 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #22 of 25 restaurants in Beerwah. No, not really. What’s the potential for international expansion given that Queensland’s behind? Particularly in Queensland. A good example is the sandwich chain that opened up in opposition with Subway a couple of years ago – Wendy’s brought them in from America – and they opened up a couple in Adelaide, a couple in the Gold Coast, a couple in Brisbane and they all went broke. 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