Dig in! - Restaurant Equippers

May - June 2006
Midwest Food Network
Dig in!
Serving up one of the best
franchising opportunities
Happy 40th Anniversary
Kids in the Kitchen
- Meet Lanie Bayless
Chefwear - Where fashion
meets functionality
May - June 2006
“A Menu of Choices!”
Serving up one of the best
Dig in!
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franchising opportunities
available
4-5
Turn the pages... 14
Fashion meets functionality 16
Thriving in the business of flavor 18
Culinary Crossword 22
Making it look like a piece of cake 35 - 36
10-11
All under one roof
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Midwest Food Network
Vol. 1/Issue 3
May/June 2006
MFN is a bi-monthly regional food magazine that communicates directly
and exclusively with foodservice owners, operators and staff in Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Circulation
– 64,000.
President & Publisher: James T. Young
Vice President & Editor: Carmen Seward
Graphic Design: Matt Jordan
Contributing Writers:
Contributing Writers:
Gordon Matthews
Eric Hahn
Marc Reisman
Katherine D’Imperio
Barbara Wade
Gerry Ludwig
Jo To Go Coffee
Published by Plus Publications, Inc., 57 S. Third Street, Newark, OH 43055
Phone: (740) 345-5542; Fax: (740) 345-5557
Visit us on the web at www.midwestfoodnetwork.com.
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Kids in the Kitchen
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part or transmitted in
any form without the prior written consent and permission of the publisher. All articles
contained herein solely represent the views and opinions of the authors or those directly
quoted, and are not necessarily the views of Midwest Food Network. All information
herein is believed to be accurate, however MFN assumes no responsibility. MFN does
not assume any responsibility for validity of claims made in the paid advertisements for
products & services.
All under one roof
Restaurant Equippers promises immediate pick-up or shipment
on thousands of in-stock items
By Carmen Seward
W
hen someone decides to open their own restaurant, where do they go to buy
the pieces of equipment that they’ll need? A quick trip to the local WalMart or Target may work for those little items like toilet paper, paper towels
or Windex wipes, but what if you need a refrigerator, a hot dog & bun steamer, a full size
natural gas convection oven and a commercial bar blender?
Look no further than Restaurant Equippers!
With an amazing showroom located at 635 West Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, this
family owned business is celebrating its 40th anniversary and when you’ve been in the
business this long, you must be
doing something right!
Catching up with Debbi Sugarman, the Vice President
and Co-Owner, it only takes
a minute or two to discover
a part of the reason why this
business has been and will
continue to grow.
As Sugarman talks candidly
with a couple of entrepreneurs,
it’s apparent that she has their attention. Working with other small business owners in
foodservice industry for the past 25 years, Sugarman is an expert at selling her wares,
but a part of what keeps folks coming back is the way she and the other employees treat
them.
“We try not to oversell anyone,” she states, while showing the young guys a couple of
different refrigerators and explaining their unique features. “When someone leaves our
business, we want them to be armed with everything they’ll need in order to be successful but at the same time, we don’t take advantage of the situation and, it’s paid off! I can’t
begin to tell you how many people drop by and say, ‘Hey! You were right, we didn’t need
this or we didn’t need that.’ I think they really appreciate our honesty and that’s what
builds trust and long-term relationships.”
Believe it or not, the Restaurant Equippers you see today, is not the same business that it
was when Debbi’s father started selling items from the garage of their home.
“Dad was looking for a job that would enable him to spend more time with his family.
He really wanted to have somewhat of a life outside of work and this became his ticket
to success. Starting small and growing his inventory, dad built up a reputation for having
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the items that others would need if they were going into the restaurant or foodservice
business,” says Sugarman.
As the only Holocaust survivor in his family, Morris Dasch did not allow the past to
dictate the future. Instead, this man whom his daughter describes as a people person
with a tremendous spirit and vision, set
out to plant the seeds that would yield a
return on investment for many generations to come.
“Dad passed away two and half years
ago,” notes Sugarman, “I know he
would be very proud of what we’ve ac-
complished and the direction
we’re headed. We want to continue his dream and to expand
the business even more so, so
that our children will have
the same opportunities if they
choose to run the company
someday.”
Sugarman’s 83-year-old mother still comes to work everyday
and her brother Larry is the other co-owner who helps to keep this well-oiled machine
running. Between the showroom in downtown Columbus and their distribution center
out near Rickenbacker Airforce Base, Restaurant Equippers has over 150,000 sq. ft. of
space that is filled with inventory. Unlike some of their competitors, Sugarman says they
buy in bulk and pass the savings along to their customers.
“When we purchase something, we don’t just purchase one fryer or one refrigerator, we
buy multiples because this way, we get the best possible price and we can keep things at
bare bones and our customers win, too,” she adds. “We love working with the Ma & Pops
as well as the new start ups. If there’s a small business owner out there who has a problem
that he or she needs solved and we can help, I want to do it! Being a part of someone
else’s dream is a privilege.”
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