Blimpie
Blimpie International, Inc.Blimpie International, Inc., is a submarine sandwich chain in the United States. The company is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1964, by three friends, and has since endured three ownership changes.
The first Blimpie store opened on May 16, 1964, in Hoboken, New Jersey. By mid-2002, there were about 2,000 Blimpie outlets in operation, located in 47 states and in 15 other countries. Blimpie does not own many stores corporately, but relies on revenue from franchises. In addition to traditional locations, Blimpie can also be found in a variety of nontraditional sites, such as inside convenience stores, gasoline station food marts, schools, office complexes, hospitals, and sports arenas. The number of Blimpie locations declined by over 60% through 2011.
A key area of growth is in the development or acquisition of other brands. In 1999, the company launched Pasta Central, a franchised chain within the "home meal replacement" category featuring Italian-style pasta and pizza; the concept was exclusively a vehicle for co-branded Blimpie/Pasta Central outlets. Two years earlier, Blimpie International acquired majority control of Maui Tacos, a Mexican quick-service restaurant chain. Along with Maui Tacos came its offshoot founded in 1998, Smoothie Island.
The first Blimpie sub shop opened on May 16, 1964, in Hoboken by Tony Conza, Peter DeCarlo, and Angelo Bandassare, former high school friends and classmates at Saint Peter's Prep in Jersey City. Inspired by the successful Point Pleasant operation Mike's Submarines (later Jersey Mike's Subs), the three speculated that a similar restaurant would do well in Hoboken. The store's name came about because Tony Conza preferred not to call the sandwiches subs, which he felt sounded like a greasy spoon. Conza preferred the term hoagies, but Hoboken residents were unfamiliar with the Philadelphia term. He scanned a dictionary until he found "Blimp", a word that sounded to him most like a sandwich. The original Blimpie store was a hit, and, before long, customers began asking about franchises. The first franchise was sold to a friend in western New York for $600 during the company's first year of operation.
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