Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Blaðsíða 23

Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Blaðsíða 23
23The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2015 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2012 2013 20141999 201020092008 2011 POPEYES 2000 – 2002 Global ly : 1,908 locat ions (1,533 US locat ions , 0 .000005 per capi ta) In Ice land : 0 f ranchises (0 per capi ta) Popeyes International HQ (“the world’s second-largest chicken chain in terms of sales, a division of AFC Enterprises”) had big plans for Iceland, proclaiming in July of 2000 that they would be open- ing their first franchise there later that year—eventually bringing the chain’s unique brand of Louisiana- style fried chicken (imagine a very slightly spicier KFC) to four loca- tions in the country by the end of 2003. Their Iceland Excursion was part of Popeyes’ “strategy of creating a global presence for the Popeyes brand” (this strategy en- tailed funding the godawful Adam Sandler vehicle ‘Little Nicky’ (2000) in exchange for some bla- tantly obnoxious product place- ment). The announcement also detailed similar plans for Panama. Despite being backed by two of Iceland’s most prominent busi- nessmen, brothers Sigurður Gísli and Jón Pálmason (heirs to the Hagkaup department store em- pire), Popeyes Iceland proved an abject failure, shutting down after less than two years in operation. Fun Fac ts ! • Unlike most fast food chains that make it to Iceland, Popey- es received very little attention from the local media. Whoever handled their PR should be ret- roactively fired. • Popeyes Iceland only man- aged to open two of their planned four locations before throwing in the towel in 2002 (at Peak Popeyes, Iceland had more Popeyes Per Capita (PPC) than the US). • Local Popeyes fans were be- fuddled by the chain’s sudden departure, but noted that Pop- eyes Iceland never seemed to get the taste quite right. • Popeyes Panama is still going strong. RUBY TUESDAY 1999 – Present Global ly : 792 (692 US Locat ions , 0 .000002 per capi ta) In Ice land : 2 locat ions (0 .0000063 per capi ta) Twenty seven years after the first Ruby Tues- day opened in Knoxville, TN, the popular ca- sual dining chain FINALLY saw fit to bring its take on Cuisine Américaine to Iceland. Local media enthusiastically reported on Ruby Tues- day’s arrival, noting that the “family friendly” restaurant’s fare was of a higher quality than most fast food, and that they would operate a huge salad bar (along with a regular bar, for al- cohol). The franchise’s casual American menu (burgers, ribs, “Mexican,” “Chinese,” etc.— think “slightly different TGI Friday’s”) proved a big enough hit with Icelanders to keep Ruby Tuesday’s Skipholt location in business, with an additional location opening in Höfðabakki in 2003. Fun Fac ts ! • Ruby Tuesday Iceland marked the chain’s first foray into the European market. • Many Icelandic buffalo wing enthusiasts consider RT to be Iceland’s premier purvey- or of buffalo flavoured chicken wings. Dunkin’ Donuts 2015 – Present Global ly : 8 ,000 locat ions (3 , 200 US locat ions , 0 .000025 per capi ta) In Ice land : 1 locat ion (0 .000003 per capi ta) Hi, Dunkin’ Donuts! Fun Fac ts ! • Perhaps due the timing of Dunkin’ Donuts grand opening (high cucumber season), the chain’s arrival quickly became a bonafide media event of gargantuan proportions. This was accompanied by an equally in- tense social media discourse, with some camps attempting to ascribe deep mean- ing to the pastry shop’s 101 takeover, while others expressed intense disappointment and/or joy at the prospect—and yet others just wanting to look at some fuckin’... pic- tures of folks wearing donut costumes on Laugavegur for a moment, thank you very much. • Dunkin’ Donuts is the second-ever inter- national chain to inspire a cover image for The Reykjavík Grapevine. Papa John’s 2000 – 2003 Global ly 3715 lo- cat ions (3 ,006 US Locat ions .000009 per capi ta) In Ice land : 0 locat ions (0 per capi ta) Papa John's burst onto Ice- land’s pizza scene in 2000, boasting superior ingredi- ents and quality service, all under the benevolent, charismatic leadership of internationally revered pizza mogul “Papa ‘Big Papa’ John” Schnatter. As records show, the fran- chise’s first customers were quite happy with Mr. Papa, taking the time to write letters to Morgun- blaðið’s editor extolling the fine and customizable delivery services of the franchise (“They will put pepperoni on your cheese sticks if you ask them, and they are really nice about it”). Unfortunately for John, his venture into Iceland’s restaurant scene ultimately proved fruit- less (though one can only imagine things would have been different had the man himself been present in Iceland to over- see his creation), the local market (and presumably the air and water supply) oversaturated with pizza. All the pizza. The streets of Reykjavík were paved with pizza. Fun Fac ts ! • Papa John is a real person, and Morgun- blaðið got to interview him. He appears quite handsome in the ac- companying photo, as was to be expected. DOMINO'S 1993 – present Global ly 9 ,927 locat ions (4 ,927 US Locat ions , 0 .000015 per capi ta) In Ice land : 9 locat ions (0 .000027 per capi ta) Iceland's second most successful chain restaurant—Domino’s Pizza, but of course—was established in the summer of 1993. Reflecting on Domino’s hectic first week, which saw Icelanders succumb to PIZZA FRENZY, Domino’s International Director of Development Gregory Ralko told Morgunblaðið that he was very impressed by the local franchise holders and the quality of Icelandic produce. He furthermore verified that, yes, Icelanders had set a DOMINO’S WORLD RECORD, with the Reykjavík outpost’s first week sales surpassing that of any other location in the world. We sure love pizza. Indeed, when Domino’s Iceland celebrated its third birth- day by offering a set price on all large pizzas, regardless of the number of toppings, sales soared from 7-8,000 pizzas per week to 11- 12,000. Some customers reportedly ordered pizzas with over ten differ- ent toppings, including anchovies and olives, according to then-CEO Þórarinn Ævarsson. Fun Fac ts ! • Film producer and frequent David Lynch collaborator Sig- urjón Sighvatsson was one of the original shareholders of Iceland's Domino's, and he had big dreams of expanding to the other Nordic countries. • For its first few years in Ice- land, Domino’s had an infamous policy of giving orders for free if they didn't arrive within 30 minutes. The practice was later discontinued due to road safety concerns. • For some strange reason (?!?) the Icelandic State owned and operated Domino’s Pizza Ice- land for a while following the collapse. Pizza Hut 1988 – present Global ly : 13 ,447 loca- t ions (7,566 US Loca- t ions , 0 .000024 per capi ta) In Ice land : 1 f ranchise (0 .00000303859 per capi ta) Upon scoring a Pizza Hut fran- chise licence in 1988, former hotel manager Steindór Ólafsson pro- claimed that he was so confident in the venture that he would move his family from London, back to Iceland. Explaining Pizza Hut’s superiority in the field of pizza to obviously excited reporters, Steindór noted that the magic re- ally happened in Pizza Hut’s spe- cial ovens, which were electric conveyor ones, rather than tradi- tional brick ovens. "This method should deliver a thicker pie," he said, "soft and light on the inside— crunchy and hazel-coloured on the outside." At the height of its arguably successful run, the family-friendly pizza restaurant operated three Iceland locations. Today, however, after some turning tides and that infamous economic collapse, only one remains. Fun Fac ts ! • Pizza Hut coming to Iceland was part of the brand’s Nordic expansion, which also reached Stockholm and Helsinki. Both cities still harbour Pizza Hut franchises. • When introducing Iceland’s first global pizza franchise, Steindór assured locals that Pizza Hut would place empha- sis on locally sourcing as many ingredients as possible. • For some strange reason, Pizza Hut became known as a sort of “luxury pizza” in Ice- land, which was firmly reflect- ed in the restaurant’s pricing policy. They did operate a killer all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, however, which was far more affordable. • There are no records to indi- cate that Steindór did not at- tempt to enlist "Pizza the Hutt" from 'Spaceballs' as his restau- rant’s mascot. Passengers through Kef lav ik a i rpor t 600369 693883 747534 830158 927689 927689 719073 719073 881915 1005122 1145928 1369183 Obesi t y ra te among adul ts of the populat ion 8 % 12 % 12 .4 % 23 . 2 % 21% 21% OU T TA ROOM , OU T TA SIGHT ! Hey ! We cou ldn' t f i t a l l o f f r anch ise - lov ing I ce land 's f r anch ises on th i s he re spread ! They a r e s imp l y TOO M A N Y! Go to w w w.gr apev ine . i s nex t week to r ead a l l abou t Subway, L i l 'O rb i t s ( ! ) , TG I F r iday 's A ND MOR E !
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