Dunking Donuts
A large-scale donut operation might not be the easiest path to riches in health-conscious Southern California, but Roger Glickman is finding it even harder than he anticipated.
Glickman, president of L.A.-based Great Circle Family Foods LLC, six months ago signed a deal with Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp. of Winston-Salem, N.C., to open as many as 42 Krispy Kreme franchise outlets in Southern California.
But six months later, Glickman has discovered that “fast food has fallen out of favor.” Not with L.A. consumers, but with L.A. municipalities, which won’t approve his drive-through concept, he said.
“We’re finding resistance from many municipalities. They would cite noise and pollution problems (from cars idling in line),” he said. Also, the ideal sites in high-density, high-traffic areas have other businesses competing for them.
So now, Glickman’s grand ambition is to get one franchise outlet open by year end.
Game of the Sexes
“My relationship baggage a) fits nicely in the overhead compartment, b) keeps opening and spilling on others c) must be checked at the gate.”
No, it’s not a question from the latest television dating game. It’s Mattel Inc.’s new adult-oriented board game, “Men are from Mars, Women Are from Venus,” in which the parents of Barbie have put a $26 price tag on the war of the sexes. Based on popular author John Gray’s book of the same name, men and women can now duke it out on the game board under such categories as “Gender Bender” and “Island Fantasies.”
Sara Rosales, a spokeswoman for the El Segundo-based toy company, acknowledged that the game proved to be provocative during its nine months or so in focus-group testing.
“We didn’t have any fist fights, but we had a lot of debates,” she said.
Sony Synergy
When Japan’s Sony Corp. bought Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures, the theory was that the entertainment “software” provided by the movie companies would complement the high-tech hardware developed by Sony.
The strategy hasn’t panned all that well, but when Sony Pictures Entertainment tossed a premiere party for its new adventure yarn “The Mask of Zorro” for Sun Microsystems at the Cary Grant Theater, salespeople showed off an ultra-lightweight Sony laptop to the crowd.
To get sales rolling, the laptop, which retails for under $2,000, was available to anyone at the soiree for a lot less.
Happy Birthday to IHOP
Even though the first International House of Pancakes restaurant opened in Toluca Lake 40 years ago this month (don’t look for it that location is long gone), Glendale-based IHOP Corp. isn’t doing much to tell customers about the anniversary. There will be no commercials with historic footage, no special menu items, and no anniversary promotions.
Why not? “It’s a yawn for everybody but people inside the company,” said Richard Kim Herzer, IHOP’s president and chief executive. “I mean, with all due respect, who cares? The average consumer out there doesn’t really care. He wants to know, is he going to get good food?”
