From the Streets to a Store?
From the Streets to a Store?
(May 15, 2013)
THE MEATBALL KING IS HERE TO STAY!
I recently had a two-hour dinner meeting at a local pizza parlor with an acclaimed local chef who first met me when I was doing a cooking demonstration at Chef Central last winter.
It was an enlightening conversation and we examined many topics such as the differences between simple, classic old-school cooking (which is what I do), to his specialties including recipes with “Chopped” style ingredient blending, his dabbling into molecular gastronomy and the very artful way to “plate” a dish. He is not only a chef, but a restaurant consultant, who assists struggling eateries with décor and menu redesigns ala Ramsay/Irvine. His experience was impressive, but I was not intimidated at all, mainly because he was such a down-to-earth individual (and fellow paisan) who not only has been researching me for a while, but seemed to respect my marketing style and the large following that I’ve built from it.
Our discussion shifted into my main idea, which is to eventually open and operate my own “Johnny Meatballs Shop” in New Jersey. I explained that over the past four and half years how I’ve not exactly “mastered” one particular area of my business but “dabbled” into several…from online shipping to retail to street vending…With my only natural progression at this point to be having my own storefront. I further explained that the main reasons for my overall lack of massive expansion with my “brand” was due to not just a lack of capital, but a lack of finding the right individual to partner up with. He agreed that one person cannot do it all with a business, you need a team around you so everyone has a defined role and you can run things like a well-oiled machine.
Then we really got into the pros and cons and dynamics of what it would take to actually make a Johnny Meatballs storefront a reality and if that was indeed the correct natural progression for me at this point. His question to me was: “can a store have long-standing success after the initial honeymoon phase is over by specializing in ONLY meatballs?” I didn’t pause in my reply, because I know in my heart and soul that long-standing success would occur because A.) It wouldn’t be just another run-of-the-mill establishment and B.) The duplicates out there ARE sustaining long-standing success. Ok, let’s explore those two things…
What makes me different? I am not trying to sound conceited but besides being the original and best, you aren’t just getting a meatball sandwich when you visit me, you are getting an entire EXPERIENCE. Any brick and mortar place that I would open would have to be in a highly trafficked, “hip,” Hoboken-esque area, where the “feast experience” and all my clientele could easily be translated into a storefront. Taking what I do out of the streets and into a store means taking my local celebrity status—everything I’ve built via the media and social media—all my fans and crowds…the fun, the music, all the things that make my stand at festivals and fairs “the place to be” in the spring and summer into a spot where you would go on a winter Wednesday. Is this possible to achieve? Sure it is, because I am not looking to open up a regular deli or a pizzeria or a diner. My concept is a place where you get a variety of different meatballs, Italian classics and twists on Italian classics, served in a setting that is definitely cool and fun, but also comforting and welcoming. Blending old-school and new-school. (Plus I have a few other ideas and tricks up my sleeve which I am not going to reveal here.)
Now let’s look at my counterparts in the business, their staying power and also examine this question: is the meatball just a “trend” or is it one that will be around forever? Can meatballs and macaroni be America’s long-term burgers and fries? Or is pizza forever going to be the main national Italian food? This kind of fires me up a bit for several reasons. I’ve blogged about it before and had endless conversations about it with my wife and others. Look, I did not invent the meatball. While the majority of my public loves what I do and how I do it, there’s always going to be “haters” and those who just don’t get me. Fine.
Here’s the thing. Over the past 5 years, the whole meatball thing has just gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. With no signs to suggest that one cannot build a successful business with the main food being the meatball. I do comparative research all the time, and it’s great for data keeping and for one’s business plan. But it’s not so appetizing when you see everyone else capitalizing—both with fame and fortune—on something that I pioneered. Now you must really think I’m being conceited or that this is all about “sour grapes,” because I’m not yet where I feel I should be with my business. However, I wish nothing but success to my counterparts in the industry, that’s the God’s honest truth. I never would want to see anyone fail, there’s plenty of the pie to go around. I just feel that my piece of it should be a little bit bigger at this juncture of the game considering how dedicated I am to the Johnny Meatballs brand—from meatballs to music to merchandise. Come on, who else actually NAMED themselves their business? That should show you something.
I’m not going to lie; recently 2 things really got me going. First, I visited a kiosk in the mall which just opened up called “The Meatball Obsession.” It was by all accounts, a very similar concept to what I do. I was approached (actually begged) by the Garden State Plaza to open a kiosk in the mall last year but I didn’t have $100k in my back pocket to do it. Hey, I hope that place thrives, but even if it doesn’t, their original location in Manhattan makes enough to wipe away any loss that may occur if the mall spot doesn’t work out for whatever reason. That kind of foundation makes it hard to compete with. While we are on the topic of Manhattan, the “Meatball Shop” is so busy they cannot roll balls fast enough and have expanded into multiple locations.
The other thing I stumbled upon last week was “Local Meatball,” which is a guy in Connecticut who—get this—operates a meatball wagon in the streets! Let me repeat, I obviously didn’t invent the meatball, but the idea of constructing a hot dog cart into a mobile food concession that specializes in meatballs was my original concept. I researched for weeks before I labeled mine as “The World’s First Mobile Meatball Cart” three years ago. This individual just opened up last month. I reached out to him in a very nice way, challenging him to a friendly throwdown—an event that would be great for both our businesses. After a day of being ignored (and blocked from his facebook page), he responded to me and indicated that he had never heard of me before but would like to do something together this fall. Hmm…we’ll see if that materializes.
What is it that keeps me going in this business? It’s the fact that I know I am the best of the best and the originator of this craze. The timeline proves it. I started my business in 2008 and took on this character of the Meatball King of New Jersey. And America first saw me in action doing just that—on national TV—back in 2010 for ten episodes, week after week on Vh1’s “My Big Friggin’ Wedding” reality show. So it definitely wasn’t Snookie who first made the word meatballs popular on reality TV. Nor was it “Joey Saucy Balls” who now runs Brooklyn Meatball Company in Houston and was on the NBC show “America’s Next Great Restaurant.” Every TV show, store, food cart, food truck revolving around meatballs has come along AFTER me. They are all still going strong. But so am I. And the time has come for me to go to the next level.
Maybe this chef I met is exactly the man to go to the next level with. Maybe not. Either way, if I don’t end up getting a place with him, I definitely see us collaborating on something. Nobody knows what the future holds; I’m just taking things one day at time, hustling in the streets, doing what I do. The expressions and comments from my customers make it all worthwhile and fuel me. But so does every other guy out there who is in the meatball business. Staying relevant in the public eye and never resting is what I do. If there’s no pot at the end of my rainbow, I’ll still have no regrets knowing that I did my absolute best. As I said, my reward is the faces of every man, woman and child—young and old—from every color and nationality of the spectrum who visit my cart and show me their love and support. Someday you may finally get to visit me at a downtown storefront. Until then…see you all in the streets…
Over Sicilian slices and Sangrias, we discussed a lot of different things—mostly about Italian-American cultural and food related trends sweeping the New Jersey tri-state area.
It was an enlightening conversation and we examined many topics such as the differences between simple, classic old-school cooking (which is what I do), to his specialties including recipes with “Chopped” style ingredient blending, his dabbling into molecular gastronomy and the very artful way to “plate” a dish. He is not only a chef, but a restaurant consultant, who assists struggling eateries with décor and menu redesigns ala Ramsay/Irvine. His experience was impressive, but I was not intimidated at all, mainly because he was such a down-to-earth individual (and fellow paisan) who not only has been researching me for a while, but seemed to respect my marketing style and the large following that I’ve built from it.
Our discussion shifted into my main idea, which is to eventually open and operate my own “Johnny Meatballs Shop” in New Jersey. I explained that over the past four and half years how I’ve not exactly “mastered” one particular area of my business but “dabbled” into several…from online shipping to retail to street vending…With my only natural progression at this point to be having my own storefront. I further explained that the main reasons for my overall lack of massive expansion with my “brand” was due to not just a lack of capital, but a lack of finding the right individual to partner up with. He agreed that one person cannot do it all with a business, you need a team around you so everyone has a defined role and you can run things like a well-oiled machine.
Then we really got into the pros and cons and dynamics of what it would take to actually make a Johnny Meatballs storefront a reality and if that was indeed the correct natural progression for me at this point. His question to me was: “can a store have long-standing success after the initial honeymoon phase is over by specializing in ONLY meatballs?” I didn’t pause in my reply, because I know in my heart and soul that long-standing success would occur because A.) It wouldn’t be just another run-of-the-mill establishment and B.) The duplicates out there ARE sustaining long-standing success. Ok, let’s explore those two things…
What makes me different? I am not trying to sound conceited but besides being the original and best, you aren’t just getting a meatball sandwich when you visit me, you are getting an entire EXPERIENCE. Any brick and mortar place that I would open would have to be in a highly trafficked, “hip,” Hoboken-esque area, where the “feast experience” and all my clientele could easily be translated into a storefront. Taking what I do out of the streets and into a store means taking my local celebrity status—everything I’ve built via the media and social media—all my fans and crowds…the fun, the music, all the things that make my stand at festivals and fairs “the place to be” in the spring and summer into a spot where you would go on a winter Wednesday. Is this possible to achieve? Sure it is, because I am not looking to open up a regular deli or a pizzeria or a diner. My concept is a place where you get a variety of different meatballs, Italian classics and twists on Italian classics, served in a setting that is definitely cool and fun, but also comforting and welcoming. Blending old-school and new-school. (Plus I have a few other ideas and tricks up my sleeve which I am not going to reveal here.)
Now let’s look at my counterparts in the business, their staying power and also examine this question: is the meatball just a “trend” or is it one that will be around forever? Can meatballs and macaroni be America’s long-term burgers and fries? Or is pizza forever going to be the main national Italian food? This kind of fires me up a bit for several reasons. I’ve blogged about it before and had endless conversations about it with my wife and others. Look, I did not invent the meatball. While the majority of my public loves what I do and how I do it, there’s always going to be “haters” and those who just don’t get me. Fine.
Here’s the thing. Over the past 5 years, the whole meatball thing has just gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. With no signs to suggest that one cannot build a successful business with the main food being the meatball. I do comparative research all the time, and it’s great for data keeping and for one’s business plan. But it’s not so appetizing when you see everyone else capitalizing—both with fame and fortune—on something that I pioneered. Now you must really think I’m being conceited or that this is all about “sour grapes,” because I’m not yet where I feel I should be with my business. However, I wish nothing but success to my counterparts in the industry, that’s the God’s honest truth. I never would want to see anyone fail, there’s plenty of the pie to go around. I just feel that my piece of it should be a little bit bigger at this juncture of the game considering how dedicated I am to the Johnny Meatballs brand—from meatballs to music to merchandise. Come on, who else actually NAMED themselves their business? That should show you something.
I’m not going to lie; recently 2 things really got me going. First, I visited a kiosk in the mall which just opened up called “The Meatball Obsession.” It was by all accounts, a very similar concept to what I do. I was approached (actually begged) by the Garden State Plaza to open a kiosk in the mall last year but I didn’t have $100k in my back pocket to do it. Hey, I hope that place thrives, but even if it doesn’t, their original location in Manhattan makes enough to wipe away any loss that may occur if the mall spot doesn’t work out for whatever reason. That kind of foundation makes it hard to compete with. While we are on the topic of Manhattan, the “Meatball Shop” is so busy they cannot roll balls fast enough and have expanded into multiple locations.
The other thing I stumbled upon last week was “Local Meatball,” which is a guy in Connecticut who—get this—operates a meatball wagon in the streets! Let me repeat, I obviously didn’t invent the meatball, but the idea of constructing a hot dog cart into a mobile food concession that specializes in meatballs was my original concept. I researched for weeks before I labeled mine as “The World’s First Mobile Meatball Cart” three years ago. This individual just opened up last month. I reached out to him in a very nice way, challenging him to a friendly throwdown—an event that would be great for both our businesses. After a day of being ignored (and blocked from his facebook page), he responded to me and indicated that he had never heard of me before but would like to do something together this fall. Hmm…we’ll see if that materializes.
What is it that keeps me going in this business? It’s the fact that I know I am the best of the best and the originator of this craze. The timeline proves it. I started my business in 2008 and took on this character of the Meatball King of New Jersey. And America first saw me in action doing just that—on national TV—back in 2010 for ten episodes, week after week on Vh1’s “My Big Friggin’ Wedding” reality show. So it definitely wasn’t Snookie who first made the word meatballs popular on reality TV. Nor was it “Joey Saucy Balls” who now runs Brooklyn Meatball Company in Houston and was on the NBC show “America’s Next Great Restaurant.” Every TV show, store, food cart, food truck revolving around meatballs has come along AFTER me. They are all still going strong. But so am I. And the time has come for me to go to the next level.
Maybe this chef I met is exactly the man to go to the next level with. Maybe not. Either way, if I don’t end up getting a place with him, I definitely see us collaborating on something. Nobody knows what the future holds; I’m just taking things one day at time, hustling in the streets, doing what I do. The expressions and comments from my customers make it all worthwhile and fuel me. But so does every other guy out there who is in the meatball business. Staying relevant in the public eye and never resting is what I do. If there’s no pot at the end of my rainbow, I’ll still have no regrets knowing that I did my absolute best. As I said, my reward is the faces of every man, woman and child—young and old—from every color and nationality of the spectrum who visit my cart and show me their love and support. Someday you may finally get to visit me at a downtown storefront. Until then…see you all in the streets…
DISCLAIMER: Posts published in i-Italy are intended to stimulate a debate in the Italian and Italian-American Community and sometimes deal with controversial issues. The Editors are not responsible for, nor necessarily in agreement with the views presented by individual contributors.
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