When Convenience Store News featured Eskimo Hut in their June 14, 2010 issue, the drive-thru convenience store having a twist – twist of lime perhaps – was unique to Texas. But even so, CEO Kevin Morgan and Vice President of Business Development Brian Dobbins were setting their sights on something bigger. That is, if there is something bigger than Texas.
Now, one year later, they may be in talks with two different sets of potential franchisees to give Eskimo Hut to Florida.
Eskimo Hut started as being a drive-thru store where customers could purchase frozen wine-based daiquiris, called Eskimo Snow, without ever leaving their cars. Which had been then; this is now. So has the concept, as the business has evolved. It now bills itself being a drive-thru convenience store with frozen daiquiris and it has expanded past its birthplace of Amarillo, Texas.
The master plan, which was in the drawing board for about per year, would be to bring Eskimo Hut to more communities – not merely in Texas but beyond its borders too, Dobbins explained. Around the Texas front, Eskimo Hut purchased two components of property, one out of Bryan and also the other in Victoria, to assist move its growth plans forward. However, as the company began redevelopment of the Bryan site, it realized the property would not work because of the existing egress and regress. Eskimo Hut still holds title to the property, but has decided to lease it, he said.
Plans will still be “a go” to look at a firm-owned store in Victoria, together with the redevelopment work currently underway. There was clearly some thought presented to branching out into foodservice on the Victoria store, possibly something over a small scale like burritos or hamburgers. Check-cashing was an alternative choice for your store. But in the long run, the space was not sufficient, Dobbins said.
However, a new franchise location in Houston does have foodservice – pizza and chicken – because Eskimo Hut built out in an existing Valero site. If there is interest,” he added, “It is the first one we did like that and we may do more.
Expanding for some other states is a huge recurring goal of your Morgan-Dobbins team. A number of months ago, the two traveled to Florida to meet having a group thinking about opening Eskimo Hut stores in Orlando. Dobbins and Morgan may also be looking at bringing the company’s c-store concept to Fort Lauderdale. Before either of those plans can get the green light, the company is reworking its franchise agreement being applicable anywhere in the usa, Dobbins explained.
“We are during this process of redoing our franchise agreement so we can franchise out of state, and it also appears like Florida could be the next state we enter into,” he stated, adding the move might not happen until 2012.
If we’re not growing, we’re dying,” Dobbins said, but growing in its home state is still a focal point for Eskimo Hut, “I always tell Kevin that. “Texas is simply so big. There are plenty of locations that we aren’t in so and yet many other places where we are able to include a second or third store.
“Kevin concentrates on Texas and I focus on away from state,” he was quoted saying. “We are utilizing the company in two different directions but with the same speed.”
And also to that end, they offers to attend franchising expos country wide to promote Eskimo Hut’s name and concept. The duo has additionally expressed a want to place its Eskimo Hut one-liter bottled wine Ocean, Rocks and margaritas Margarita, on shelves in grocery along with other convenience stores. They have yet to seal a pact by using a grocery retailer; however, a deal with a distributor in Amarillo brought the beverages to many other c-stores in this area.
The retail industry’s interest was piqued, he added, after CSNews named Rocks Margarita the best cool product from the liquor/wine category in the 14th annual Convenience Store News Best Cool Product Awards competition last fall.
With sales up this current year, Eskimo Hut is introducing winter cocktails and summer cocktails to its beverage lineup. As an example, in the winter months, customers can sip coffee or tea using a kick; in the summer months, sweet tea.
Eskimo Hut also added a marketing and advertising/advertising manager to the mix having built up a fresh clothing line for your company. “We now have seen our clothing line increase tenfold,” he added.
That knows, this time around next year, customers could be enjoying their own personal Eskimo Snow in your neighborhood.
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