Case Study: Happy Joe’s, Davenport, Iowa
It’s a dream come true for many operators, but in some ways, a nightmare as well: Your pizzeria has the opportunity to grow—but how will you maintain your high standards of quality, safety and consistency? How will you continue to deliver on your brand promise?
In 1973, Joe Whitty’s single Happy Joe’s pizzeria in Davenport, Iowa, had the opportunity to franchise, and Joe had no idea how he’d handle his homemade ground sausage recipe from 30 miles away.
So Happy Joe’s became Burke Corporation’s first customer, and Witty discovered he could maintain the integrity of the products that established his brand with custom-formulated, precooked toppings.
Happy Joe’s, now with 60 locations in six states, has expanded to offer a huge variety of pizzas—many made with toppings custom-designed by Burke. Management knows that fully cooked toppings are safer and more convenient than raw, and customers know they’re always going to get the flavors they expect, regardless of where they order their Happy Joe’s pizza.
Safety was one of Whitty’s primary concerns when he started franchising. “When you start franchising, you start worrying—‘Is the other guy going to cook it the right way? Is he going to cook it long enough?’” says Whitty. “Burke took all that worry away.”
From re-creating signature products to developing new recipes to exacting specifications, Burke Corporation’s product development team delivers with some of the fastest turnaround times in the industry.
“We have a very diverse, flexible and knowledgeable research and development team, and a tremendous amount of resources,” says Casey Frye, Ph.D., vice president of research and development for Burke. “Once we know the intended use of a product, we’ll custom design that product to meet customer expectations for size, shape, color, performance, flavor and shelf life.”
Find out how Burke can make your job easier and create the custom solution you need at BurkeCorp.com/CustomSolutions.
