Sporting goods store shares space
for new restaurant’s interviews
By:Beth Kressel
When a national chain restaurant opens next door, local business owners rarely extend their warmest welcome.
But if you’re Henry Janssen, owner of Janssen’s Sporting Goods on Route 206, and Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, one of 77 nationwide, opens next door, you extend your warmest hellos. Then when Robert Fanelli, owner of the New Jersey Famous Dave’s franchise, says that he needs a place to interview prospective employees, you offer him space in your own store for eight weeks.
"We allowed them to use the team room to interview for employees," said Mr. Janssen, "They’ve been here seven days a week for eight weeks."
The team room is a designated area in the front right corner of the store which looks like a corporate meeting room. Mr. Janssen normally uses the long shiny table and plush burgundy chairs to meet with high school and college teams who are looking to be outfitted with uniforms and other equipment.
He is assistant coach of the Hillsborough High School lacrosse team and gets business from the school’s sports teams. The store’s Hillsborough High School emblazoned merchandise certainly gives the business, which originally opened May 1999 on South Branch Road, a hometown feel.
Outwardly, Famous Dave’s has a less personalized touch. The first Famous Dave’s opened in Wisconsin and its Hillsborough restaurant maintains the traditions of the original.
The hunting and fishing lodge style is the same as all Famous Dave’s restaurants and this branch held the traditional opening ceremony on Monday. Each new restaurant celebrates the Native American heritage of Dave Anderson, owner of the larger company, Famous Dave’s of America, Inc., with the "Passing of the Fire" tradition during which the embers from the original ceremonial fire in Wisconsin is brought from the last opened restaurant.
On opening day the Hillsborough restaurant was filled with a corporate training team whose members hail from all over the nation and will be instructing the Hillsborough employees until the end of June.
"This is the best barbecue I have ever tasted. The food is great and the scenery is great. It’s just a great culture," said Michelle Blagaich, an opening units coach who hails from Chicago. Most of the training team will stay until the end of June, with the last of the trainers including Ms. Blagaich, leaving July 4.
In Hillsborough, the restaurant is quickly acquiring a more hometown feel. Vince Coggiola, general manager of the township restaurant, estimates that 90 percent of the store’s 130 employees are from Hillsborough. Mr. Fanelli, himself a 15-year resident here, says that its eight, 10 and 12-seater tables and its family dinners that can feed four or five, are perfectly suited to the family-oriented community.
And who can forget the relationship between Mr. Fanelli and Mr. Janssen who knew each other before their businesses became neighbors when the restaurant owner came into Mr. Janssen’s store to outfit his son for baseball.
"I have to talk to Bob a bit more," said Mr. Janssen. "But we have talked about all kinds of possible future collaborations."
Mr. Janssen’s own grand opening is this Saturday and Sunday, and will feature a variety of giveaways, raffles and contests. He moved into his new location March 19.