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Sal's Prices...

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by smheese, Sep 1, 2009.

  1. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    I just got my car fixed. Everything around here quoted me $900 and up. Went to a shop in Vienna and had it done for $700. I'll continue to shop around. Convenience doesn't mean you can rip me off!
     
  2. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    Yea we thought Sals was expensive to begin with but they have been unreasonable with their price increases and lack of coupons or specials. We stopped going last year... it is a shame.

    If they are having trouble making a profit, then the last thing they should be doing is raising prices...
     
  3. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    Could also be that they got a rent hike, and they're trying to maintain. Still a bad situation all around.
     
  4. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Restaurant.com has Sal's. Wait for the 80% off sale. You can get a $25 coupon for $2.
     
  5. boomertsfx

    boomertsfx Booyakasha!

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    not anymore Cliff, I tried the other day :( Unless they (restaurant.com) ration them and they just weren't available that day...
     
  6. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Bummer, boomer! Haven't checked recently.
     
  7. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    so if they offer coupons and lower prices, they need more volume to make up for that income loss. if it doesn't generate more biz, then they still stay in the red.

    it's a real catch 22 around here- the margin is razor thin because you can't count on volume. we have 5 pizza places to choose from within 5 miles of our front doors. narrow that down to TWO and i bet things get better.
     
  8. Ozgood

    Ozgood Not a space alien

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    Perhaps another example of business owners failing to conduct a proper market reseach effort before deciding to open up a new joint?

    If I knew there were four established pizza joints in this area, I would not want to gamble my investment in opening up a fifth pizza joint unless I am offering the customer something significantly different or I had some data that the area has the demand that would justify the fifth pizza place.

    I have seen this happen with several of the businesses that open up and then close down. I want to ask the owner "What were you thinking?"

    Do businesses do market research any more when considering new locations, or do they just "build it and hope they will come"?
     
  9. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    bingo. but even if they DO the research, some numbers look like we COULD support a biz but many people simply don't eat out around here, or much at all. i think the head count is skewed- they see 10,000 heads not 2,500 households and think there's a need for yet another pizza place, dry cleaner, tae kwon do school or thai restaurant...
     
  10. Ozgood

    Ozgood Not a space alien

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    But evidently not enough heads for a decient bookstore :(

    5,000 Thai restaurants, 400 starbucks, and a million Harris teeters but not one book store. (sigh)
     
  11. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    And they also see the high medium income!
     
  12. smheese

    smheese New Member

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    I hope someone from Sal's and other businesses is reading this!!

    It's the volume that I'm willing to give a business for a good price.

    Example: When my fave local pizza place has cheap: 8 or 10 dollar large pie night, I order every week and you get 40 bucks a month from me (or more if I order a scoop of spumoni to go with it or a salad), but it's the cheap pizza that brings me in and makes the amount comfortable enough for me to patronize you every single week. OR at the current prices, I order maybe once a month and spend 20-25 dollars or less.

    Same for nail places, for a 45-50 dollar mani/pedi, I go every 6 weeks. If, like I have seen in other towns there is a cheap mani/pedi day of the week like 25 or 30 bucks I would go every 2 or 3weeks, so in the long run for something that's not costing you a lot to do for me, you make more money off me because I go more often with a comfortable price. Seems to make sense to me.
     
  13. neo_mra_ct

    neo_mra_ct New Member

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    They are now. I checked out their website, not easy to find actually and very poorly designed at that. http://www.salsnypizza.net/

    Since there was no other contact information available, I faxed the link to this thread to their number.
     
  14. PDILLM

    PDILLM Well-Known Member

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    What really surprised me is a fatherly pizza place in Purcellville that I frequented weekly took credit cards, but when I moved to ashburn its cash only. I never have more than $10 in cash, so if its not credit I can't buy (and yes I pay it off every month). I know they have to pay between 1-2% to the credit card merchants, but I would be replacing that with volume. I now have it delivered to work and just bring it home.....all because of the credit card.

    I'm ordering for 6, so its never cheap.... :(


     
  15. rich351854

    rich351854 New Member

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    All,

    I think the challenge with SALs is that the pizza is good, but since they are not positioning themselves as "fresh high quality ingredients" you can not charge a premium. I think SALs business would grow astronomicly if they tweaked their supplies to being fresh and organic.

    Secondly, they really need to fix up the inside of the place as it creates a feeling - and if they redesigned the inside to a be a bit more open (knocked down that wall when you walk in) and I would strongly suggest they pull down the board above the register as it is tacky and looks out of date.....also the slices are under the glass and kind of in the dark.... just some lighting in that area would help.

    If you improved the base ingredients and "brightened up" the restaurant, I think they would be surprised at the success they could have.

    Now I know that brings risk and cost to the family that owns the place...

    All I would say is that there is no reason why they shouldnt be able to dominate over the other basic italian restaurants in the area.... and I really do believe that a few small things would make that happen

    It is easy to critique and I know that family works hard to run their business and I wish them the best at it...
     
  16. Sunny

    Sunny Chief Advisor

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    I took the opportunity when I had it to use the restaurant.com coupons at Sal's and our fam loved everything we ordered.
     
  17. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    We stopped going to Sal's too, this Jersey girl is use pie @ $2 a slice, I was shocked at the $3 for extra sauce charge...

    Manhattan's gets our business (for now).
     
  18. vincecarbone

    vincecarbone New Member

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    As an owner, I am very aware of prices rising and consumers watching their pennies. There are some things that you have to realize effect us. We deal with rising food costs, rising minimum wages, rising electric bills, and rising rent. As an owner, we have to suck it up. We can not pass these increases onto the consumers because you will not come back. However, some things have to be adjusted. Some prices on items may go down while others go up. I try not to pass anything onto the consumers but it is hard.

    The landlords should be doing the market research and not taking anyone that is willing to sign on the dotted line. There should not be two of the same concepts in any shopping center. Some people signed leases years ago when everything was doing great. That is the way it goes. It is a risk no matter what you open.
     
  19. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the candor Vince.

    We only have to worry about our wallets, you have to worry about yours AND ours! ;)
     
  20. cmsb705

    cmsb705 New Member

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    Note, you can get 10% off at Sal's if you have one of those local discount cards that the kids sell. We have one from Dulles Little League, one from the Broad Run football team, and I think I've seen them on this forum from time to time.
     

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