Yeah, this seems like a now win situation. I used to be in exactly the same situation. My business partner made about $250,000/yr at his regular job, and looked down upon our business, as this little side venture, I worked for a sub-standard wage for 3 years. We made very little money, because everytime I tried to spend money on improvements, or marketing he would nix it before I spent the money, or got the advertising.
My best suggestion I have for you is whilst the business is down per se. Have your Business Partner draw up his evaluation of the value of the business, and then buy him out. Offer him a contract of say $500 a month minimum or 50% of profit, whichever is greater until the note is paid off, and to sweeten the deal you might offer him 6 or 7% interest, this way you can run the business the way you see fit.
Some thoughts for building sales. Focus on the area closest to your store take the area a one-mile radius around your store and make that your focus for a year. Domino’s had a belief that the average store should be able to do $1.00 for every man woman and child with in there zones.
I don’t know how populated your area is. But if you focus on the closest people first they will get the best service, and respond in kind.
Allot of the Domino’s I managed didn’t open for lunch Mon thru Thurs, If you don’t have a lunch consider closing, or run the store by yourself, forwarding the phone to your cell phone, when you leave on a delivery.
I had several stores with managers that did that and handled upwards of $1000 in sales all by themselves.
Crosstrain all your employees to do every task in the house. If they balk, show them the door. Your business is your survival, so take it seriously, and personal. If your employees, have a problem with working hard for what you pay them boot them to the curb.
A new employee should be able to make 10 pizza/hr. A 3 month employee should be able to make 20 pizza/hr.
Limit your drivers to Double on there deliveries, If you give them more than that, you loose control of them, they grab 5 deliveries, and they are gone for an hour or more, and all but their first delivery, is probably a little disgruntled because the pizza’s are late, cold, and probably crumpled my the weight of the stack, or have slid around in the box, cause your driver is racing around. Limit them to double, and your drivers will be more efficient.
On predictably slow night keep and train and inside who you trust to run the inside, and make deliveries yourself, this give you a chance to meet your customers, and also monitor the strength of you inside’s(future manager) capabilities.
