Outward Bound

Entrepreneur.com:

Sure, an entrepreneur may have the most innovative product in the city or the hottest restaurant on the block, but that may not mean anything in a different corner of the country. A thriving garden center in suburban Ohio may not fly in New York City, and health-conscious Southern California might not take to Philly’s favorite greasy spoon. But for some entrepreneurs, a regional phenomenon can do just as well in new territories–it just might require some extra tweaking, marketing, research and customer education on behalf of the soon-to-be national franchisor.

Spreading the Aloha Spirit
Ask someone in Montana or Massachusetts what a plate lunch is, and you’ll probably get a blank stare. Then ask any native of Hawaii, and they’ll describe a lunch consisting of two scoops of white rice, one scoop of macaroni salad and a meat entree. After explaining the concept, which dates back to the island’s plantation days, they’ll probably refer you to L&L Drive-Inn–something else most mainlanders haven’t heard of.

When Eddie Flores Jr., 61, and Kam Johnson, 59, bought L&L Drive-Inn in 1976, the concept of plate lunches wasn’t something they had to market or educate the local people about. But they did see a need for some modifications to the plate lunch menu and decided to add barbecue chicken and beef to the selections. The restaurant quickly became popular, and by 1999, the pair had nearly 50 locations across the state. Continue reading.

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