Young entrepreneur branches out on his own

So young, so ambitious.

That would be the appropriate description for David Thornton, a would-be entrepreneur who just turned 27 this month, a celebration he marked with the opening of a new FigaroÂ’s Pizza franchise store.

HeÂ’s at 7221 Matlock Road in Arlington — within sight of Mansfield  city limits — a brand new business in a brand new strip center, the future unknown in todayÂ’s souring economy but the debt heÂ’s incurred a certainty.

“We started working on financing a year ago and had things locked up for this store, but I’m not certain that if we started in today’s environment if the lenders would be as available,” said Thornton, who up until this month had spent most of his adult life working for one or another restaurant operations for someone else. “I learned a lot, but the most important thing I learned was that it’s a lot better to be an owner than an employee.”

The good news is that it is not big debt in a major scheme scenario. He’s out $25,000 for franchise rights and another $100,000 for the gleaming new equipment in this particular Figaro’s, which incidentally is a “take and bake” facility. Patrons can either order their pizza steaming hot out of the oven or buy them ready to go, but uncooked — good for parties, church events, whatever. Figaro’s, headquartered in Salem, Ore., is a major player in the take-and-bake component, with about 100 franchise across the country.

“I guess I make it 101,” Thornton said.

 The pizza business is big in this country, about $30 billion annually. All those deliveries in towns across the United States add up. There is also, of course, an enormous amount of competition.

“I think this is a great first location, don’t you?” Thornton said as he put the finishing touches in before opening day Oct. 20.

It is a question full of hope as he eyes hefty traffic speeding by on Matlock, a major connector street between Arlington and Mansfield. Ten years ago this particular area was mostly cotton fields and cattle ranching, but suburban swell ate it up, the rooftops of new homes, schools — and strip centers — springing up everywhere on the rolling prairie.

He answers his own question: “It is,” he said. “I think it’s a good one. I hope our next couple of stores are this good.”

Next couple of stores?

“Well, yeah,” he said. “Your second and third stores are cheaper, your franchise fees discounted. So we want at least three. Our idea is to stick close to the I-20 corridor between Fort Worth and Grand Prairie. It’ll make the logistics of management easier.”

But, he concedes, the future of FigaroÂ’s II and III depends very much on how well the first FigaroÂ’s fares. Thornton, too, knows that even small businesses like his ride a roller coaster of economic events far beyond his control.

“I’d like to open the second store within six months and the third in less than a year, but a lot depends on whether banks will feel like the climate is right,” he said. “We’ll just have to see how things go.”

Thornton has kept costs down for his startup store by making this a sort of family enterprise. His uncle, Bobby, helped with construction; his father, Jim, will assist with business matters; his fiancée, Kristen, will help manage; Kristen’s brother, Bret, will assist in operations; and Thornton’s younger brother, Jacob, will start his first job ever as a member of the Figaro’s Pizza team. His parents also are investors of sorts, co-signing loan notes. There’s a lot at stake for the Thornton clan.

“I’ve learned a lot already, for example I think that I can really cut our setup costs for the next restaurants,” he said. “That’s once we get this one up and going.”

Figaro’s also will deliver, which is why Thornton has a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. About every 30 minutes a new would-be Figaro’s employee knocks on the door and asks for an application. These are the jobs for the most part that are popular with high school- and college-age people, which means lots of applicants and, probably in the future, lots of turnover.

“I figure we’ll need about 16 full- or part-time employees,” Thornton said with a rueful laugh. “I’m not even open yet and I’m already calculating payroll numbers.”

At that, he exudes confidence.

“It’s going to work, I know it,” he said with obvious confidence. “Figaro’s 2 & 3 are on the way.”

okcarter@bizpress.net