Today we’d like to introduce you to Trina Ueal.
Hi Trina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Our journey began with the desire to advance our lives through ownership of our own business. We looked at several types of businesses and eventually settled on pursuing a Lenny’s Franchise for several reasons. The brand is small, the food product is outstanding, and the potential for growth is tremendous. With Memphis, TN being the home of the Lennys brand, opportunities to develop multiple stores there were limited. So, we decided to locate our store in the Dallas/Forth area to join forces with two other existing stores already established in the metroplex. After two years of searching for a great location, lease negotiations, contractor negotiations, and construction, we finally open our doors in November of 2019. While there were two stores in the metroplex when we began the process in 2017, there were none (due to franchisee mismanagement) by November 2019. This was not expected (and was very disappointing), but we had no choice but to go forward. Our life savings is in this business so we had to move forward. Not knowing what business would be like for a new brand in a new local territory, we were quite surprised with the business we received during our first week.
Over the next few months, business was not great but not bad either until the unfortunate events of COVID. Like many other business owners, we were very disappointed with the drastic decrease in business, but vowed that we will continue to trust God, believe, work, and persevere through this unprecedented pandemic. We drastically reduced labor which relegated us to working seven days per week. To this day, we still work long hours, but our diligence and patience to save our business has kept us open without one day of closure. Our high level of service, great food products, and cleanliness have all contributed to the growth we are starting to see. We are confident that our business will continue to grow and eventually allow us to develop additional stores in the DFW metroplex.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been very bumpy. Prior to opening, we were surprised with unexpected costs which eliminated cash that we set aside for backup business and personal savings. This stressed the business because there was very little money to meet payroll, buy product, and handle misc services and expenses. In addition to reduced cash on hand, it was beyond our expectation that finding employees would be a difficult task. For unknown reasons, it remains a difficult task even though our starting pay is extremely competitive. However, we are blessed in that we still have employees that have been with us for over a year. We also have the unfortunate circumstance of another establishment’s vehicle traffic impeding our business. This is an ongoing situation which may result a lawsuit to solve.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Before becoming restaurant owners, I worked for a fortune 300 company for 13 years as an HR administrator. While I enjoyed my job, opportunities for growth were limited even after acquiring my 4-year degree in Computer Graphics & Design. My husband’s story is similar to mine. He has worked for a fortune 300 company for the last 25 years, where during that tenure, he achieved his master degree and doctorate degree in Management of Information Systems. Unfortunately, he has not been granted an opportunity to advance even though his contributions have contributed heavily to where the company is today. We believe what sets us apart is our understanding of customer service (details) in how to interact with our audience. We are rooted in the church and believe in treating people like we want to be treated.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
While the Lennys brand is small, we believe that it has huge development potential in DFW. We intend to open additional stores in this market to give the avid restaurant visitor another distinctive taste in a great sandwich. We pride ourselves in customer service, quality of foods, and cleanliness of the restaurant. As we say to all our guest, we are confident that you will love our foods, especially our signature hot pepper relish for those that like a little spice, but don’t take our word for it. Judge for yourself and if it exceeds your expectation write us a review. If it doesn’t we still want to know so that we can correct it going forward. The reviews we have gotten over the last year speak to what we describe here. By the way, we bake our own bread and four choices of cookies daily. We slice our deli meats to order. Our Philly steak comes from Philadephia which we cook to order on our grill. So, come check us out and experience one of the greatest sandwiches, hot or cold, in the DFW metroplex.
Pricing:
- 5″ Grill Sub: $5.79
- 7.5″ Grill Sub $7.69
- 10″ Grill Sub: $9.69
- 15″ Grill Sub: $13.99
Contact Info:
- Email: lennysgrapevine@gmail.com
- Website: www.lennys.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lennyssubs/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/LennysSubs
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/lenny-s-grill-and-subs-grapevine?osq=lennysgrill
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