Eric McCarthy
Tampa, FL (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal
Gladiator's Grilled Chicken
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Startup
Location:
Tampa
Industry:
Food Service/Restaurant
Year Founded:
1988
Number Employees:
1-10 people
Business Stage:
Creation/Idea
Entity Type:
Limited Liability Company
Description:
Founded in 1988, Gladstone's Grilled Chicken was forced to close its doors at year end 2013 due to a complete absence of advertising efforts (which is enough to kill any independent restaurant), lack of product variety, and stagnant management that failed to keep up with the changing market. The product was great; sales averaged $28,000 a month with no advertising in a large available market. We are located less than 2 miles from the University of South Florida; home to the 9th largest student population in the country (70% of graduates stay in the Tampa Bay area) and Hillsborough County is home to over 1.2 million people.
We are raising funds in order to help finance a revamping of Gladstone's as Gladiator's Grilled Chicken, keeping the general concept but giving everything a much needed makeover. We serve real food, real fast. About $75,000 worth of kitchen equipment has already been acquired from the old owners and an experienced management and marketing team have been assembled. An extensive marketing plan and a brand new, simple menu have been created to help expand our market potential even further without significantly increasing inventory. The old restaurant had 2 flavors of chicken, we have 11.