Like a modern-day milkman, Bob McCarter cruises the city making deliveries.

His customers are so happy that they jump on him and drool when he arrives.

And McCarter loves it. Owner of The Creature Cafe, the local businessman delivers “premium” pet food to about 200 homes. That’s 600 pets, he estimates, and 125 miles a day as he makes stops from Moscow to West Memphis.

The pet food company was founded in California by former computer engineer Jeff Straub. The Memphis franchise is the only operation outside the Golden State.

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East Coast-based franchisor ERA Real Estate, with nearly 3,000 offices worldwide, is seeking to sign its first Santa Clara County franchisee.

In spite of — or perhaps because of — the marked slowdown in home sales, and the increased competition such an environment is bound to create, the company believes it is an ideal time for independent residential brokerages to affiliate with a national brand.

The area’s first meal preparation kitchen business is finding its expected customer base among busy moms, but the owner of the local Dinner by Design franchise is surprised at how many older couples are turning to her business.

“The surprising part to me is the empty nesters,” Pam Smitson said. “I was thinking we would have the families with children with lots of activities, professional women like myself who work, and we have them. But we have a lot of empty nesters.”

Smitson partnered with family members to open Dinner by Design last fall in a storefront along Tillotson Avenue.

The nationally franchised business — and others like it, including Dream Dinners — is based on the idea that busy families would eat better and spend less if they avoided fast food for dinner at the end of a long day of work and school and sports activities.

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MSNBC Says, “Here Comes The Men’s Version of Curves!”
“Cuts Fitness For Men Offers 30 Minute Circuit Training for guys whose only six-pack is in the fridge.” –Newsweek

Men of all ages, shapes, and fitness levels are discovering the power of taking control of their bodies and their health, with the help of Cuts Fitness For Men, the world’s fastest growing men’s fitness franchise. Cuts currently has franchise locations in 32 states and five countries around the world and was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 20 New Franchises. Developed by top fitness professional John Gennaro to address the specific health and fitness goals of “Regular Guys” in their thirties, forties, and beyond, the Cuts program delivers fast and lasting results.

On May 1, Cuts provides men with a user-friendly and information-packed guide, CUTS FITNESS FOR MEN: The Ultimate 30-Minute Workout (Perigee Trade Paperback Original; May 1, 2007; $17.95). The book was written by John Gennaro, noted fitness writer Myatt Murphy and Steven Haase, the former founder of Princeton Learning Systems. The book foreword was written by Dr. Mehmet Oz, bestselling author of You: On A Diet.

After following the success of Curves, the largest women’s fitness franchise in the world, Gennaro tailored the 30-minute workout plan to better suit men who don’t have the time or desire to exercise in traditional gyms. CUTS FITNESS FOR MEN delivers the proven Body Cuts workout–a 30-minute, full-body circuit-training workout designed to firm muscles, increase energy and endurance, and reduce body fat and inches.

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Removing rubbish from people’s homes calls for stamina and teamwork, along with an ability to navigate tight corners.

But Mark Weiss, co-owner of a 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise in Bergen County, also puts a premium on patience and compassion in the people he hires. Many of his customers are cleaning out their parents’ homes or are elderly themselves, and often face tough decisions.

“We can’t have anyone with a temperament that’s not customer-oriented,” Weiss said at a recent clean-out in Fair Lawn. “You have to be very patient in this job. You get customers who are struggling to decide what from their lives or their parents’ lives to keep and what to throw away.”

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Steven McDonald laid out 1,100 baby cakes for topping Thursday at My Daddy’s Cheesecake in Cape Girardeau. The bakery and cafe has sold its first franchise, which will open in Destin, Fla.
(Kit Doyle)

My Daddy’s Cheesecake Bakery & Cafe is bigger than Cape Girardeau. Over the years the baking institution outgrew a few kitchens, and it became clear that ownership was not a one-man operation.

Now the South Broadview eatery officially has become a franchise. The owners have sold their first store, and there will be a My Daddy’s Cheesecake in Destin, Fla., expected to open in late summer or early fall.

“We always appeared to be a chain, even though we weren’t,” said Wes Kinsey, who bought the bakery in 1996.

Kinsey said that every once in a while customers from outside the area argue that they’ve seen a My Daddy’s Cheesecake before. “It’s the way we branded the logo and the name and the fact that we ship nationwide,” he said.

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For Second Time, Local Entrepreneur Takes Children-Focused Business to Next Level

Twenty-four years ago, Mary Rogers, a young wife and mother, co-founded a small business in Great Falls to teach children about computers when the new technology was unfamiliar. Its success encouraged her to expand, and in 1987 she took the business a major step forward by franchising it. By the time she sold her interest in 1997, Computertots had 150 franchises in 11 countries.

Now she’s doing it again, this time with children’s art lessons, as many test-oriented school systems are cutting back on non-basics. Her new business, Abrakadoodle, offers art classes for children ages 2 to 12. Three years after launching it as a franchise, Rogers and a new partner boast 70 Abrakadoodle locations around the United States.

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Casual dining chain Applebee’s International Inc. announced Thursday that it has received several preliminary offers to buy the company.

Based on those nonbinding bids, the Overland Park, Kan.-based company said it will have a second round of discussions before asking potential buyers to submit definitive, binding offers. The company would not comment further on the preliminary offers.

Applebee’s also announced Thursday that it has ended its proxy fight with one of its largest shareholders, Breeden Capital Management LLC, a month before its annual meeting.

The company said it agreed to give Breeden two seats it wanted on Applebee’s board, one for Richard Breeden, the former Securities and Exchange commission chairman who runs Breeden Capital, and the other for attorney Laurence Harris, a Breeden ally.

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National Fondue Restaurant Franchise Launches New Big Night Out® Menu Item

The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc., the nation’s largest fondue restaurant franchise, today announced the nationwide rollout of its new Big Night Out four-course menu item that will offer new food choices and flavor profiles that are available for a limited time only. The Big Night Out is The Melting Pot’s most popular menu item, and it changes throughout year to reflect different seasonal flavors.

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Amy S. Chapman began selling real estate when she was a sophomore at Christian Brothers University. She can recall having her classes interrupted by phone calls from clients.

“It was kind of interesting because at that time we had pagers, and of course cell phones too, but minutes were so expensive,” she said.

Chapman started out taking classes during the day, but soon switched to night so she would be more available during the day for selling real estate.

“I remember sitting in class at night, and there goes my pager going off, and I would run outside so I could return a client’s phone call,” she said.

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Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee shop chain, will take a franchise route to India rather than a planned joint venture, the Mint newspaper said on Friday, citing a senior government official.

Starbucks has refiled its application, and will now operate through V.P. Sharma, its Indonesian franchisee, who will own 51 percent in a venture with India’s Future Group founder Kishore Biyani, the paper said.

“Starbucks is out of it (the new application),” a senior official at the ministry of commerce and industry told Mint.

“Sharma will represent Starbucks now,” he said.

Sharma and Biyani declined comment to the newspaper.

India had not cleared Starbucks’ earlier application in December, where Starbucks had said it would hold 18 percent in a venture with New Horizons Retail Pvt. Ltd., a company founded by Sharma and Biyani, Mint said.

But Sharma is a non-resident Indian, and his holding together with the coffee chain’s holding crossed the 51 percent that the Indian government allows single-brand foreign retailers to take in a venture with an Indian partner, the paper said.

The official did not say when the new application would be cleared, the newspaper said.

Italy’s Lavazza in March bought Barista Coffee Co. Ltd.’s Barista coffee chain and Fresh and Honest Cafe Ltd. from its Indian owner.

The proposed entry of foreign firms in India’s strictly controlled retail industry has sparked political concerns and protests from small shop owners who fear job losses.

Shares of a trimmed-down Wendy’s International soared more than 12 percent after it announced it is forming a special committee of directors to consider a possible sale of the company, among other options.

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz’s Trian Partners, which has pushed the company to make changes, received three seats on the board in March 2006.

Since then, Jack Schuessler abruptly retired as chairman and chief executive, and Kerrii Anderson stepped in as CEO to complete Wendy’s spin off of the Tim Hortons coffee-and-doughnut chain, sell its money-losing Baja Fresh Mexican Grill chain, and cut costs as it refocuses on its core burger business.

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Sunbelt®, the place to go to buy or sell a business, today announced that Alfred Naddaff, the original franchise director with Boston Chicken and one of the founding partners of Einstein Brothers, has joined the company as the franchise director for New England.

“The addition of Alfred to our franchise-development team is a significant coup for our company,” said Satish Patel, President of Sunbelt New England. “He is recognized in the franchising industry for his success with what have become two well-established brands among consumers. With our concept gaining in popularity among corporate executives looking to control their destiny and entrepreneurs interested in capitalizing on the franchising industry, we expect Alfred to be an important driver of our growth.”

Naddaff, who has served as an independent franchise consultant to companies in the beauty and restaurant industries, comes from a successful family of entrepreneurs who have been forerunners in several business categories throughout the United States. He is a graduate of Kenyon College and Milton Academy.

VINO 100 has opened a new wine store in Springfield, the business announced this week.

The 2145 W. Republic Road site offers unique wines, artisan cheeses, gourmet food, cigars, gift baskets and accessories. The store has a signature selection of more than 100 wines for $25 or less.

VINO 100 offers a wine guarantee, educational classes, and a private tasting room. The VINO 100 wine club offers hand-selected wines each month with exclusive member benefits.

VINO 100 Springfield is a franchisee of VINO 100 LLC.

As market changes occur, professionals in the real estate industry are seeking ways to keep drawing in potential customers. FASTSIGNS®, a sign and graphics franchisor, offers some simple, cost-effective tips to help commercial and residential realtors reenergize their current advertising efforts.

“Real estate is a fast-paced, competitive industry that is very dependent on market changes,” said Drue Townsend, senior vice president of marketing for FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “Agents should take advantage of that crucial first impression with a potential client, which is often based on the signage that is utilized and the information about a property that is communicated.”

According to the “Signage Sourcebook”, compiled by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Signage Foundation for Communication Excellence, Inc., signs are the primary way that newcomers become aware of a business and reinforce what they may or may not already know about the company.

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A sign for a Kennedy Fried Chicken franchise went up at an Indian Orchard pizza shop, but came down again after gaining the attention of city officials.

A city inspector ordered the owner of Town Pizza, 459 Main St., to shut down because he had failed to obtain permits to open a Kennedy Fried Chicken at that location.

Town Pizza owner Mohammad Iftikhar, of Springfield, said in an interview at the shop in the Save-A-Lot Plaza, that he had hung a Kennedy Fried Chicken sign on the restaurant because he is in the process of getting approval to run an outlet of the franchise.

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Many Tucsonans today decided it was worth it to wait hours for a hamburger.

It has been two years since Tucson residents first got word they were getting an In-N-Out Burger. Today, the grill was fired up for the very first time.

Thousands of people have been showing up since this morning. Most of them waited hours in line.

It is grilled ground beef put between two buns, but many people say there is something different about these hamburgers.

Some Tucson residents like Peymen Amini gladly waited about an hour and a half for a meal.

“It’s In-N-Out, it’s not just a burger. You just have to be dedicated,” Amini said. “I cleared out my schedule today.”

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Crystal Clear Window Works announced it has opened a new franchise serving Park City, Salt Lake City and the surrounding counties.

The company provides glass and window preservation services to residential and commercial properties.

A grand opening at its new facility will be held Saturday through Monday at the Home Remodeling and Decorating Show held at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy.

Money Mailer announced it will provide coupons for its latest franchise, serving the east Salt Lake area, including Park City, Heber City, Midway and Kamas.

Adrianne Hendrick is the new franchise owner.

Money Mailer has more than 300 franchises nationwide, serving nearly 200 categories of local businesses.

Build-A-Bear Workshop® Will Donate Trees

Guests and Associates Can Participate Too

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is cele-bear-ating Earth Day and its 10th birthday by announcing a tree-planting partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit tree-planting and education organization with nearly a million members nationwide. Build-A-Bear Workshop®, its Guests, and Bear Builders™ can all participate in this tree-mendous new idea called Friendship Forest. To launch the Friendship Forest campaign, the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation is donating 10,000 trees to be planted by The Arbor Day Foundation in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“Our Guests come to Build-A-Bear Workshop to make friendships through their furry friends,” said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. “And we know they also want a friendly environment. What better way to create one than to build forests around the world, especially in areas where trees are a scarce commodity.”

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