Entrepreneur Has Extreme Taste in Franchising

Brett Weiss said he has the answer for people chasing the American dream , it’s hot, it’s tasty, it’s served in a pita and takes about $225,000 to $250,000 in funding to get started.

What is it?

For Weiss, the American dream isn’t just owning a home, but owning an Extreme Pita franchise.

Weiss holds the licensing rights to open franchises in San Diego and Orange counties from the Ontario, Canada-based Extreme Pita franchise. Since Weiss opened his first Extreme Pita restaurant at 4898 Convoy St. in Kearny Mesa on April 15, business has grown 10 percent to 20 percent every month, he said.






He projects first-year sales between $370,000 and $450,000.

Weiss said he took a chance when he embarked on his venture.

He figured if Arizonans are going for food that sold well in the cold Canadian climate, then Californians should love it too.

“I come from the restaurant world, and when I saw how it sold in Phoenix, where Extreme Pita opened their first store 18 months ago, I decided to take a leap of faith,” Weiss said.

Extreme Pita now operates 150 franchises in the United States and Canada, and Weiss sees more on the horizon.

He’s looking for an experienced restaurant owner or entrepreneur to operate a second franchise in Poway in mid-February.

Weiss is also scouting future restaurant locations in the Mission Valley and Hillcrest areas.

In 2006, he wants to open three restaurants in the San Diego area and three in Orange County.

What’s in it for the franchisees?

According to Weiss, franchisees can expect a 15 percent to 25 percent return annually on gross sales, provided they follow Extreme Pita’s recipe for creating a successful business.

The company trains new franchise owners for seven to 10 days in Ontario.






Weiss said he’ll provide two weeks of training at his own restaurant, help open the new franchise, and give continued support “for as long as it takes.”

Running a successful restaurant franchise takes seven to 10 employees, he said.

The restaurant works similar to a Subway sandwich eatery in that clients choose what they want rolled in their pita , tuna, grilled chicken, gyros, falafel and vegetables , and which sauce , hummus, tzatziki, Greek feta dressing, honey mustard, hot Cajun barbecue, chipotle mayo.

Pitas come in small or regular sizes and are priced from $3.79 to $6.29.

For information, go online to www.extremepita.com.

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Help Wanted:

Most every homeowner in San Diego can expect to find help in their mailboxes in the next few weeks.

Well, not quite help, but a 100-page guide of local roofers, painters, landscapers, chimney sweeps, general contractors and other service providers.

The “Done Right” directory offers information on professionals of more than 70 home care and home improvement trades.

Every professional has been “relentlessly reviewed,” including the status of their licenses, insurance coverage, history of complaints with the state of California and the Better Business Bureau, according to Done Right, which is based in Pasadena.

Done Right said one valid customer complaint is enough to delist service providers.

“We aren’t interested in reviews from the plumber’s mother, best friend or worst enemy; we’re interested in how the service provider deals with customer problems day-in and day-out,” said Done Right’s chief executive officer, Paul Ryan. “That’s what we mean by ‘relentlessly reviewed,’ ” Ryan said.

Done Right charges service providers to be listed in the directory according to a pay-per- call model, said Rebecca Mikkelsen, a spokeswoman for the company.

The company promises service providers a set number of leads in the form of valid phone calls over the course of a year, he said.

The price of the annual contract depends upon the nature of the service provider’s category and the number of calls the service provider requests, ranges from $1,000 to $10,000, which works out to $10 to $100 per lead.

For more information, go to www.DoneRight.com.