Peter Petrakis and Charlie Caputo had a keen interest in operating their own business, and following the advice of their accountant father, Alex Petrakis the trio decided to invest in a Pizza Capers franchise. 

Peter, Charlie and Alex have varying backgrounds and skill sets, which adds to the success of the business.

Peter previously worked as an apprentice plumber, however his true passion had always been the food industry, for five years Charlie was employed as a real estate agent, meanwheile Alex has run his own accountancy practice in Sydney’s CBD since 1991.

THE FRANCHISING SAFETY NET

While Alex encouraged his sons to pursue their dream of running their own business, he was also quick to educate them about the risks and challenges associated with such a venture.  

“For a business to succeed it needs a great offering, capital, business plan and the ability to manage human resources and marketing strategies,” says Alex.

“Notwithstanding my advice, Charlie and Peter’s enthusiasm for business did not diminish.”

He subsequently encouraged Charlie and Peter to opt for a franchise business rather than go out on their own, where the risks were far greater.

“The great advantage of a good franchise business is that it can offer support in product development, marketing, human resources, operating systems, strategic relationships and purchasing power.

“With all of these benefits [in mind], we decided that a franchise would be the best business option for us, and looked into setting up our own franchise business,” Alex adds.

FIVE DESIRABLE QUALITIES

Alex says there were five things that they found particularly appealing about the Pizza Capers brand:  

• History – at the time it was an established franchise business operating in Queensland
• Reputation – the brand came to our attention as a result of its success in the Canstar Awards
• Opportunity – Pizza Capers was looking to launch in the New South Wales market, and we saw this as an opportunity to be one of the pioneers in the brand roll-out
• The offering – having done our due diligence, we felt Pizza Capers had an excellent offering based on a quality product that would offer customers a ‘taste’ experience
• Passion – every person we met that was involved with Pizza Capers had a passion for the business. This was infectious. It was encouraging to see everyone so positive about the business

DIVIDING RESPONSIBILITIES 

There is a clear division of roles at the Pizza Capers franchise in Marickville, with Alex, Charlie and Peter responsible for maintaining different aspects of the business.

Alex handles all financial matters including finance, statutory compliance and risk mitigation, which comes as no surprise considering he has worked as a chartered accountant for more than 25 years.

“Charlie is involved in all things managerial and marketing… [meanwhile] Peter has a passion for delivering a great product and is mastering the art of food preparation to ensure consistency of product and customer satisfaction,” explains Alex.

A COMPETITIVE MARKET

Alex believes being part of a franchise is particularly beneficial in a market that has arguably reached saturation.

“Operating in the quick service restaurant (QSR) category means that there will always be stiff competition, whether it be from independents or other established brands.

“This is where being a part of a franchise provides benefits, with a support team working to differentiate your business from the others,” he says. 

Alex adds the recent acquisiton of Pizza Capers by Retail Food Group (RFG) has seen the franchisor continue to offer the support they as franchisees need to remain confident in their business.

“[The acquisition has] continued and expanded the help offered to us across new marketing initiatives, supplier relationships and open business networks and forums to ensure we are able to share opportunities and learn from our fellow franchisees.”

CONTINUED SUCCESS + GROWTH

Alex, Charlie and Peter plan to focus their attention on building the Marickville franchise up, and they are interested in additional sites.

“We have a strong commitment to the Pizza Capers brand and believe that the offering is excellent.

“Pizza Capers has an experienced and passionate management team that should help lead the brand to great success, and our plan is to continue to grow our current franchise and look for opportunities to become multi-unit franchisees,” Alex says.