Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/390025
measures between 1,200 and 1,500 square feet. All the cooking is done at plants in Michigan and Tennessee, not at the stores, and Paul Lyons uses the term "micro-cookers of beef jerky" to describe the process, likening the company's specialty offerings to mi- cro-brewed beer. In Parker's words: "Our jerky is made with the eye of the round, so it's a very lean piece of meat. You start with 400 pounds, and you end up with about 180 pounds' yield." Parker opened his first beef jerky store in 2006 in Tennessee, after a lengthy career with Intel and Sony. Paul Lyons had been a supplier for independent jerky stores around the country, including Parker's store, be- fore deciding in 2007 to buy his own shop, in Dundee. Later he and Parker opted to partner up and go the fran- chise route under the Beef Jerky Out- let banner. Some observers think the chain's chances for success are good, so long as management keeps growth con- trolled. "The real key is making sure that they are growing at a pace where they can be replicating their success and not duplicating mistakes," said David E. Hood, president of the Homewood, Ill.–based iFranchise Group consulting firm. "For any re- tail brand that grows quickly, that's a risk. It's more of a risk for them if it's a small company with not a lot of people on the management team with experience. It's less of a risk if it's a bigger company that knows where mistakes can be made." It perhaps bears mention that the fun at Beef Jerky Outlet is hardly re- stricted to meats — the stores also of- fer edible ants and other yummy in- sects. And one may purchase T-shirts that read "PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals" — a dig at the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treat- ment of Animals, which preaches against eating meat and wearing fur. "The amazing thing is how many people come in here and say, 'I didn't know a store like this existed,' " said Steve Lyons. "Their eyes pop open like it's Christmas morning. It's what I like." SCT r e T a i l i n g T o d a y O c t O b e r 2 0 1 4 / S C T 35