I just wanted to stop by and thank you for a wonderful dining experience at the Charley’s in Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood, WA (#478). There are a lot of choices at this mall food court and I have never tried Charley’s before. Tonight, I was there with my three year old son who wanted fried rice from the vendor next to the Charley’s. While we were in line for that restaurant, the two friendly gentlemen behind the counter at Charley’s were passing out samples and after tasting the sandwich, my son was hooked and changed his mind.

We ordered a small cheddar turkey melt and Ray let me know that if I bought a large sandwich, I could get the fries and drink for free. What a great deal! I knew I could never eat all of that food – but what fun to have lunch for tomorrow. And while we were placing our order, Ray also gave my son a free packet of Oreos. What a nice extra touch!

When Ray was finished dressing my sandwich, he even went the extra mile to ask if he could wrap up the other half for me “to go” and put the rest on a plate. Just excellent customer service, going the extra mile.

When I brought our tray to the table, laden with food, the ladies next to me (who had happened to purchase their meal from [another sandwich shop]), commented on how great it all looked. I said yes, and I was still so impressed with the customer service and value that I told them about my experience. They were both impressed and said that next time, they would order from Charley’s. I said they certainly should, as I know my food looked way better than what they had – and had cost me less! And my husband had ordered pizza from another vendor. He was jealous of my meal and plans to order his own next time!

After trying my best (and failing – so good, but so much, even with my 3 year old doing his best to help me – he gobbled up a good portion of sandwich, declaring it “delicious”!) to finish all of our meal, I was still thirsty. I returned to the counter and asked Ray how much refills were. He said that they are normally 58 cents with tax, but that he would give me one “on the house” since I seemed like “such a great mom”. I hope I am not getting Ray in trouble for giving away a refill, but can I just tell you, it’s the little things like that which will make me a repeat customer. 58 cents might not seem like a big deal, but free refills, free fries and drink with sandwiches, a free packet of Oreos. . . it made me feel as if I was getting a bargain. And it will also inspire me to tell my friends and family about the great deal and “extras”, and since most of us are on a tight budget, these types of deals WILL make a difference in our food choices.

My entire experience, from first impression to final “Thank you” was excellent. The food was very good, but it was made even better by Ray (and another gentleman behind the counter who made the food, but his name isn’t on my receipt – he was very pleasant as well). Both thanked me multiple times and wished me a good evening with my son.

In this economy, value is very important to a family, especially one on a single income as we are. But customer service is important, too. I just want to commend you on having both, which is a wonderful combination. I hope this comment gets in the right hands and that Ray (and the other gentlemen on staff that night (6/16 at 7:30 PM)) are recognized for their excellent customer service and great attitude. I will definitely be back to this location (and other Charley’s if I come across them) again.

THANK YOU AGAIN!

Katie H. (& Will)

// via entrepreneur.com

The backstory on Charley Shin’s remake of a Philly tradition.

A claim to steak: Charley Shin redid a philly tradition.

Charley Shin is lucky his family isn’t good with maps. While visiting relatives in New York City in the mid-1980s, the Shin family got turned around and ended up in Philadelphia. Instead of stopping for directions, Shin, then a junior at Ohio State University, stopped for a legendary Philly cheesesteak, and an obsession took hold.

Soon after, he convinced his mother to sell her restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and lend him her life savings to open a 450-square-foot cheesesteak shop across the street from campus.

“I really like traditional Philly cheesesteaks, but I didn’t think it was going to fly in Columbus,” he says, pointing out that Cheez Whiz and piles of meat warming on greasy grills were a turnoff to college students. Instead, he began experimenting with recipes and plying his friends with cooked-to-order steak topped with provolone, grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms. When he perfected his sandwich, Charley’s Grilled Subs was born.

Over the next 25 years, Shin franchised and grew his concept, focusing on niches like food courts, military installations and airports. There are now more than 430 stores in 30 states and plans to open 40 to 50 more per year. We talked with Shin about the ups and downs of growing his business on its silver anniversary.

Why did it take so long for you to become profitable?
Originally, I thought once I had 20 stores open we’d be in good shape. At 30, I was still losing money. Fifty wasn’t doing it. It wasn’t until we were at 100 stores that we were making a little bit of money. That first 10 years was a lot of trial and error. I took the duty of franchisor seriously. If I was going to take franchisees’ money–their American Dream–I felt I needed to invest it in the company, not take a profit.

How does Charley’s differ from the competition?
Our product is impossible to mass-produce. We stress the fact that we are not McDonald’s or Wendy’s. We prepare food fresh for each customer, which means we take longer and charge more. But we’re proud of what we serve. I don’t know any other chain that serves USDA Choice steak.

What makes a good franchisee?
If we have franchisees with restaurant experience, that’s really good. But I’ve found other traits that determine success. You need people willing to work hard and people who really relate to others. And they need to be humble. If you’re not humble, you won’t be willing to follow the system and learn.

Can you still grow?
Our concept is based on the idea of the captive audience. We’d open in regional malls and airports, but in any given market, there aren’t a lot of captive audience settings, so we’d grow one unit at a time. Our future growth is going to be different. For us to reach our goal of 3,000 stores in 11 years, we have to focus much more on free-standing units.

You’re very religious. Does that influence the company?
Religion is the most important part of my life. Our company culture is very straightforward–don’t cheat, steal or lie. We give 10 percent of our earnings to a nonprofit set up to fund missionaries. I’m very grateful to see our franchisees living with those kinds of principles.

Did you pay your mother back?
My mother lives with our family. She’s healthy and proud of me. I’ve never thought about it, but after all these years, she’s never said anything about giving me her life savings. So many people have contributed to this business. I couldn’t have done it by myself.

//via fastcasual.com

For the first time in the restaurant chain’s 25-year history, Charley’s Grilled Subs has hired a chief operating officer to guide the brand into the future.

Bob Wright, a former vice president for both Wendy’s International and Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, has been named as Charley’s new COO.

“Charley’s is experiencing tremendous growth in partnership with our franchisees and we’ll be able to continue on this path by exceeding our customers’ expectations every time they visit,” Wright said. “I am thrilled to use my experience to keep the momentum going. We’re growing fast and I am excited about what’s in store.”

In 2010, 38 new Charley’s restaurants opened and the company is planning to build another 46 locations this year. Charley’s also has hit some milestones with development overseas, recently signing its 12th location in the United Arab Emirates that will soon open in the Dubai International Airport in Terminal 1. Additionally, Charley’s expanded this year to the Dominican Republic and Brazil for the first time.

In his new role with the company, Wright will oversee the franchise and company operations, in addition to purchasing, training and store openings. At his previous companies, Wright led the implementation of customer service systems, resulting in as much as a 15 percent increase in customer experience scores. He also was credited with creating a successful company-wide customer courtesy program.

Charley’s was founded in 1986 by Charley Shin. Plans call for the franchise to have at least 500 restaurants open by the end of 2011.

The Virginian-Pilot | © March 7, 2011 | By Danielle N. Coley | Posted to: Community News

Through the help of Dogs Deserve Better, Charley’s restaurant owner Monica Severy, pictured third from the left with her employees at MacArthur Center, has kicked off a campaign to raise $600,000 to restore Bad Newz Kennels, the home and former dog fighting facility of Philadelphia Eagles player Michael Vick. (Danielle Coley)

A dog is woman’s best friend

Virginia Beach resident Monica Severy found out early on that her purpose is to give a voice to abused animals.

Through the help of Dogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit organization designed to rehabilitate abused animals, Severy has vowed to raise $600,000 to buy Bad Newz Kennels, the Surry County house and former base of the dog fighting ring of convicted felon and NFL star Michael Vick.

Severy is a franchise owner of Charley’s Grilled Subs, including the restaurants at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach and MacArthur Center mall in Norfolk, where she has set up donation boxes for Dogs Deserve Better.

She organized several fundraisers for the cause, including an online eBay auction, a wine-and-cheese tasting and a private CPR refresher course.

“We’ve raised $100,000 alone in online revenue,” Severy said. “I myself have also committed $60,000. We’re certainly hoping for positive results.”

Dogs Deserve Better has to act quickly. It must raise the purchase price of the Surry house by March 20 because a closing date has been set for March 31.

“We’re seeking all of our options, including reaching out to celebrities,” Severy said. “We’ve already gotten some positive feedback, and we’ve even been invited to the ‘Dr. Phil’ show.” (more…)

Patient leadership grows Charley’s Grilled Subs

03.01.2011 | Mark Scott | Columbus | Cover Image

Charley Shin did have a moment when he wondered if Charley’s Grilled Subs was going to make it. It was actually a very long moment, one that lasted about 10 years, as he recalls.

“I underestimated the time and the cost of the growth that would take place,” Shin says. “I started out with a business plan that we would break even when we had about 20 stores. When we hit the 20 stores, we were still losing money.”

Shin kept revising his goal to finally become profitable for 30 stores, then 50 stores and then 70 stores. At each step, he was still losing money.

“It wasn’t until we had about 100 stores that we were breaking even and making some money,” Shin says. “It was over about a 10-year period. It was a very intense, grueling, excruciating 10 years.” (more…)

Here at Charley’s we’re always encouraged by the philanthropic work we see from our franchisees. Every year, we continue to be amazed…and this year is certainly no exception. Lori Bagwell, Jim Novak, Monica Severy and Amelia Alexander have gone above and beyond what any of us expected this year!

(more…)

2011 is going to be a new and exciting year and, in preparation for it, we’re going to start rolling out some social giveaways. We can’t give away too many details, but through facebook, twitter, our eClub and this blog we’re going to be giving away Charley’s goodness in denominations between $5 and $50. Follow us on facebook and twitter and don’t forget to sign up for our eClub.

Stay tuned, the fun’s just about to begin!

We’re continuing to open more and more new, fantastic Charley’s stores every single week! Here is a list of the stores we have opened since our last eClub newsletter!

Aug 18 – Golden State Plaza, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ 07652
Sept 5 – Al Wahda Mall, Hazaa Bin Zayed The First Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Sept 9 – Blue Mall, Avenida Winston Churchill, Local P4-22, Domingo, Republica Dominicana
Oct 1 – Abingdon Plaza, 404 Cummings Street, Space 3, Abingdon, Va 24210
Oct 8 – Emerald Square Mall, 999 S. Washington Street, F-313, North Attleboro, MA 02760
Oct 11 – Shops At Mission Viejo, 555 Shops at Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA 92679
Oct 16 – Altamonte Mall, 451 E. Altamonte Drive, #FS-05, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Oct 31 – The Shops of Grand River, 6200 Grand River Blvd. E., Leeds, AL 35094
Nov 1 – Meadowood Mall, 5615 Meadowood Circle, Reno, NV 89502
Nov 6 – Pier Bravo Navy Base, Fleetstore Building, 810 Willamette Street, Pearl Harbor HI 96860-5001
Nov 9 – Independence Center, 18813 E. 39th St. South #104, Independence, MO 64057

Hey all you foursquare fanatics, start checking in at Charley’s to redeem special offers!

We’re kicking off the program at a handful of locations across the country and around the world, but we’re looking to our fans to tell us where we should go next. We’ll be adding a few locations to the offering every week! Let us know where you think we should go! We’re listening on facebook, on twitter and in the comments below! (more…)

We have selected Felicia McKinney as the fifth Charley’s scholarship winner! We were proud to call Felicia a memberFelicia graduated from Penn Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania. (more…)