BETWEEN THE LINES: Good ingredients, sound management key to success
It all started out by dialing a wrong phone number. I was trying to get in touch with someone in charge of umpiring for softball. The man who answered told me no such person was at that number, so I tried again. Same results.
“What’s going on?” I thought.
Undeterred, I tried a different phone number. The same person patiently answered again. However, this time we determined the number I dialed was the overflow line to his restaurant.
The man turned out to be Doug Miller, who was debuting his new restaurant Papa Murphy’s in Marble Falls that very day. He invited me to his grand opening, so I rewarded his patience by driving to his place at U.S. 281 and RR 1431.
Papa Murphy’s is a pizza place, but not in the traditional sense.
The pizza chain has developed a different approach to a familiar product. They do not bake the pizzas. It is a strictly to-go operation. They do not deliver. They prepare the pizzas on the spot as their customers watch, and use fresh ingredients delivered daily. The store has no freezers or ovens, which lowers their overhead. Since their product does not require cooking, there is no sales tax. Their central location offers a convenient drive-through.
When I got there, I introduced myself to Miller as the idiot who dialed the wrong number and offered my humble apology.
Then, Miller briefly talked about the concept of his pizza restaurant. It was obvious he was proud of his product. My wife and I enjoy vegetarian pizza, so I ordered one. This was not made with the traditional tomato-based sauce, but instead a creamy garlic sauce.
It was delicious with the fresh vegetables.
I thought there was a story here, so I asked Miller if I could interview him.
I asked him how he got into the pizza business. The Iowa native, a business major and graduate of the University of Iowa, told me he met a person on an airplane trip interested in establishing a chain of pizza restaurants around the Salt Lake City area. The passenger’s story intrigued him.
Returning to his home in Boise, Idaho, where he had lived since 1993, Miller began his quest to get into the pizza business with the ultimate goal of owning his own chain. Papa Murphy’s is a 30-year-old national company located in the Pacific Northwest, and it now boasts 1,250 locations.
The Iowa native eventually helped an entrepreneur open four pizza restaurants in Boise, and later was able to buy out his business associate. His ownership has grown to 11 stores, three in Texas.
The opening in Marble Falls marks his eleventh store.
I was surprised Miller chose a location next to the Pizza Hut. Miller said that although they are selling the same product, they are marketing it in vastly different ways. Baking a pizza at one’s convenience ensures that not only the ingredients are fresh, but the pizza will be eaten at the proper time as well.
I congratulated him on his success. It is business owners such as Miller who are the heart and soul of our capitalistic free-market system, and not the mega corporations. The key to his success, he said, is focusing on retention. In an industry that typically has a 300-percent employee turnover, he experiences 60 percent.
As a business owner who typically employs young people, Miller feels he has a unique opportunity to teach his staff the value of work and being part of producing a quality product. Long after they move on, the owner relishes the relationships developed with them over the years.
It is great to run a successful business, but Miller is more gratified he did it the right way.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, e-mail ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.