French Twist
Not your average small fry business.
McDonald's and Burger King may be fighting over who makes
better french fries, but that hasn't stopped 32-year-old
Suzanne Levinson from tempting the palates of New Yorkers in the
East Village with her own signature spuds.
Levinson's first tiny Pommes Frites street shop opened just
last year, serving European-style twice-fried french fries along
with 30 dipping sauces. In 1997, sales hit approximately
$500,000--thanks to customers who collectively devoured as much as
3 tons of potatoes each week. A second location is set to open in
Manhattan by year-end, and Levinson has decided to franchise the
concept.
The former travel executive traces her entrepreneurial
inspiration back to a trip to Belgium, where she first stumbled
upon the idea. "The Belgians have fry shops on every
street," she says. "And I said to myself, `Why don't
we have this in New York?' Then I said, `If I don't do it,
somebody else will.' "
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So she did--despite her lack of experience. After getting some
research assistance from the New York Public Library and scoring a
start-up loan from Chase Manhattan Bank, she launched the
business.
Today, the line of patrons stretches out the door of her
Bavarian, Tudor-style eatery. And although it takes up a mere 500
square feet, that doesn't faze this fry connoisseur. "We
have a window where we serve onto the street," she explains.
"The best way to have your fries, I think, is to just walk
down the street, eating [them] in the open air."
Contact Source
Pommes Frites Inc., 123 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003,
(212) 674-1234