Charley’s Grilled Subs - Restaurant Business
“If not for a wrong turn, Charley’s Grilled Subs might not exist.
Charley’s founder, Charley Shin, was introduced to the Philly cheesesteak during a family vacation to New York while Shin was a high school student in Columbus, Ohio. During the trip, the family took a wrong turn and ended up in Philadelphia.
“I saw a little place with a line out front, so I stopped and got a sandwich,” Shin said. “It was very good. That was my first encounter with the cheesesteak.”
Shin was a 22-year old student when he opened his first restaurant in 1986 near the Ohio State University campus in Columbus. He launched the restaurant mainly out of necessity, he said.
“I was finishing college, my mother had sold her restaurant, and we weren’t sure what we were going to do,” Shin said. “I needed to make some money.”
That location, which is still open today, was christened Charley’s and included a line on the sign that said “Philly-style sandwiches.” Although the restaurant was successful, it wasn’t a barn-burner, Shin said.
“Once we changed signs and changed the name to Charley’s Steakery, we saw a 50-percent increase in business,” Shin said. “That made me understand the value of a customer’s perception.”
Choosing a path for growth Shin opened the second Charley’s in 1988, followed by a third shortly thereafter. After he opened the third location, he began to think seriously about the path the company would take.
The company began franchising in 1991, although 20 locations are company-owned. The bulk of Charley’s earlier locations were malls and airports.”