STRICTLY BUSINESS: WHAT TO CALL SANDWICH? HOW ABOUT A BLIMPIE SUB

So, what do you call a new sandwich?

That was not an easy decision for young Anthony Conza and two of his former high-school pals who were introducing a new submarine sandwich to the public in Hoboken, N.J., more than three decades ago.

The trio, not long out of high school in 1964 -- Conza had completed a year of college and was working on Wall Street -- decided to "go into the restaurant business."

Conza, president and CEO of Blimpie International Inc., which now has more than 1,300 franchised outlets in 44 states and operations in Sweden, Spain and the Ukraine, was in Cape Girardeau last week to visit with people involved in the local Blimpie's Subs and Salads franchise, 1001 Broadway, owned by Susan Stanfield and Brad Farrar.

Accompanying Conza to the Cape Girardeau franchise operation was Scott Harrell of Springfield, Mo., area developer for Blimpie. Stanfield and Farrar are looking to a second Blimpie operation in Cape Girardeau, along William Street, just across from West Park Mall.

Conzo was easily recognizable here last week, by appearance and/or voice. He serves as Blimpie's No. 1 fan in television and radio advertising campaigns, "Blimpie, It's A Beautiful Thing."

Thirty-two years ago, Conza and his buddies visited a number of sandwich shops, including one at Jersey Shores that prepared sandwiches in front of the customer.

"We liked this idea," said Conza. "We borrowed $2,000, and opened what was to become Blimpie International Inc."

Why the name "Blimpie's?"

"We tossed around some name ideas," said Conza. "One was `Hoagie,' but we didn't really like that. One night, we started looking through the dictionary, starting with the A's. When we hit the name, `Blimp,' we stopped. That was it...a `Blimpie' Sub Sandwich."

Blimpie sold its first franchise within the first year, for $600.

"After that first year, business kept getting better and better," said Conza.

Goal: 5,000 by 2000

Blimpie's goal is to have 5,000 restaurants in operation by the year 2000.

Conza said the company was on track with that projection. "We opened almost 800 restaurants last year," he said.

Blimpie's International has been rated as the "fastest-growing restaurant chain" by Nation's Restaurant magazine .

Blimpie same-store sales grew by 3.3 percent in fiscal year 1995, and systemwide, sales grew by 44 percent. Forbes magazine ranked the company 25th among the 200 "Best Small Companies in America."

Conza is a believer in his company's foods.

"I eat it every day," he said. During the past 40 years, the proportion of meals eaten away from home by Americans has more than doubled, a trend that show no sign of abating, said Conza. The sandwich segment increased 36 percent from 1988 to 1990, accounting for 3.8 percent of all dollars spent at quick-service restaurants.

Blimpie, said Conza, entered into the "co-branding" arena in 1992. Today Blimpie submarine sandwiches can be found in such non-traditional outlets as convenience stores, mini-marts, colleges, schools, hospitals, mass merchandiser and institutional food-service operations.

The company's co-branding strategy has also reached new heights with Delta Air Lines, where more than 500,000 passengers a month eat Blimpie subs during lunchtime flights.

Conza is also a believer that good people make good franchises. "All of our franchisees go through a two to three-week Blimpie Training School," he said.

All Blimpie outlets are owned and operated by franchisees.

Best time to open theaters

There are two "best" times to open a movie theater -- at the beginning of summer around Memorial Day ... Or ... during the winter, about Thanksgiving.

That's the thought of Robert Gallivan, director of real estate for Kerasotas Theatres, headquartered in Springfield, Ill.

Kerasotes, which operates more than 200 screens in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana, will open an eight-screen operation at Poplar Bluff around one of these two dates next year.

Gallivan announced last week that the new 1,350-seat, eight-screen theater would be constructed along Highway 67 South, on property previously the site of a drive-in movie.

The drive-in has been closed a number of years and the property is owned by the Kerasotes company.

The movie industry is in a boom period and that should continue into the future, said Gallivan, who would like to see the new theater open during the earlier 1997 date.

Kerasotes currently operates the Mansion Mall Cinema and the Rodgers Theater in Poplar Bluff. Plans have not been announced for those locations.

Gallagher indicated that the company may run "first-run" movies at the new theater, and "second-runs" at the other two locations.

Kerasotes was the second theater chain to announce plans for new facilities in Southeast Missouri last week.

Wehrenberg Theatres Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, announced an expansion project for the Cape Girardeau area, and is in the process of discussing possible sites for a new 14-screen facility in the city's West End.

This would increase the screens in Cape Girardeau to 24, giving the city more movie screens than any other in the region.

Wehrenberg, which operates more than 100 screens in the St. Louis area, and more than 160 nationwide, has indicated it would like to see the 14-screen cinema open late this year.

Business closings

"Everything's A $1.00," which opened in West Park Mall in October of 1991, is closing.

Employers were notified recently that the store would close in 8 to 10 weeks.

Everything's A $1.00 is located in a 3,300 square-foot space along the Venture Store corridor.

An executive of the company, headquartered in Milwaukee, said the Cape Girardeau store had not provided the profitability expected by the company.

Everything's A $1.00 features a variety of items, including jewelry, children's toys, gifts, books, cosmetics, seasonal items.

The store at Cape Girardeau employed as many as 26 full- and part-time people.

Altenthal's Sporting Goods, founded in June 1992, is closing operations at Plaza Galleria, 2002 Independence.

The retail business, which provided sports apparel, uniforms and equipment, along with indoor batting cages for baseball-hitting practices, closed last week.