CUPPY’S COFFEE: Contact Info for New Alabama Home Office
August 26, 2008
Cuppy’s Coffee is moving! Here’s the address below so you can send a Congratulations on Your New Office! card or an office-warming present to Dale Nabors and the newly relocated elite “super scooper” team of employees who “made the cut” and were awarded the opportunity to move to Alabama!
Cuppy’s Coffee New Corporate Address:
Cuppy’s Coffee and More
919 Avalon Ave
Muscle Shoals, AL 35661
Tel: 256-381-6336 Alt tel: 256-381-6077
Fax: 256-381-6461
FEEL FREE TO WISH THE CUPPY’S ELITE TEAM BEST WISHES AT THEIR NEW HOME!
Congratulations to the Cuppy’s Coffee Super Scoopers who were given the chance to relocate, including Robyn, Rudy, Troy, Desiree, Greg, Jessica, Amy, Ted, Frankie, Lou and of course, Dale. May you grow, prosper and quickly repay all of the “involuntary investors” and franchisees awaiting return of their money.
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CUPPY’S COFFEE: Federal Charges, Lawsuit & Other Rumors
August 26, 2008
Lots of rumors and conjecture about Dale Nabors, Elite Manufacturing, the Supreme Building Technologies lawsuit & poor treatment of employees. I’ll toss them out there… please share what you know with a comment below.
Federal criminal complaint filed against Dale Nabors?
I’ve received some vague but credible emails that Dale Nabors was served with Federal Charges yesterday in connection with Cuppy’s Coffee. This comment was also posted anonymously online:
“I was told that Federal charges were served to Dale Nabors yesterday. Does anyone know the particulars? Does this mean we will be getting our money back? Did it have anything to do with him not paying his employees and stealing from them? I understand there have been numerous resignations because of his dishonesty, and cowardly way of meeting with and following up with franchisees. Would be very interested in what happened yesterday when he was served with the Federal charges.”
Others have said that there are charges filed, but they have to do with franchising, not employment infractions.
SBT lawsuit against Elite settled?
Dale has reportedly stated that the SBT lawsuit against Elite Manufacturing has been settled amicably and is no longer an issue. Can anyone confirm or deny this?
Cuppy’s Employees sent packing
This week Cuppy’s HQ employees and soon-to-be-ex-employees are packing up the office for the big move from Ft. Walton Beach to Muscle Shoals, AL. Reportedly, laid-off employees were required to help pack if they wanted their unemployment compensation claims to go uncontested.
Additionally, several key employees have resigned as recently as yesterday. This means that there are many out there with lots and lots of inside information who no longer have any vested interest in protecting their higher-ups. If you’ve got a story to share, feel free to email us in confidence at unhappyfranchisee[at]gmail.com.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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BUTTERFLY LIFE: Franchisees Mourn the Loss of Cynthia Holt
August 25, 2008
A sad note from Butterfly Life franchise owner Sunshine:
It is with much sadness and a heavy heart that I say this.
An ex- BFL franchisee from Atlanta, Georgia, Cynthia Holt, who lost her club, was in debt beyond repay, whose home was in foreclosure- has ended her life. All of the details are uncertain at this time.
As sad as this is, it says a lot about what destruction and despair many are facing. No one ever thought anything like this would happen, but it has. You will be missed Cindy.
All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Holt family and Cynthia’s friends.
Feel free to share your thoughts below.
CUPPY’S COFFEE: End of a Dream… or of an Illusion?
August 25, 2008
Cuppy’s Coffee employees get to celebrate both the end of an era and an end to their employment this weekend by serving as the packing crew for the corporate move to Muscle Shoals, AL.
Right on the heels of alienating the American Association of Franchisees & Dealers (AAFD), and amidst complaints from franchisees that DN does not return their calls or respond to emails, FranSynergy owner Dale Nabors is leaving the remnants of the once 100+ office staff with a bad taste in their mouths.
Among the comments, complaints and rumors voiced recently from multiple sources:
- “Dale has not shown his face at the office or returned any e-mails from employees in a couple weeks.”
- “Last week the O Drive was locked down (O Drive is where all data is stored for all employees to use).
- “Dale said he would post jobs for the employees not asked to move to AL so they could apply for them, but never did.”
- “If employees intend to draw unemployment they are required to pack the offices Thursday and Friday.”
- “all they have right now are pissed off people.”
This weekend marks the end of the shared vision of creating a progressive, family-oriented Cuppy’s Coffee corporate office in Ft. Walton Beach, complete with on-site daycare. For some it’s the end of a dream… for others, the shattering of an illusion.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT OR FAREWELL MESSAGE BELOW.
COFFEE BEANERY: Overview & Blogliography
August 25, 2008
COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 2
August 25, 2008
Here is the second of two video interviews with unhappy Coffee Beanery franchisees Deborah Williams and Richard Welshans, who are in their 3rd year of a legal fight against the franchisor.
Coffee Beanery Franchise Fraud Part 2:
In this video interview posted on YouTube, Deborah Williams says “three months into the franchise, we realized something was wrong. Money was running out like it was going through a sieve. We hired an attorney. We also filed a complaint with the Maryland Attorney General’s office here in Maryland…”
Williams and Wilshans recently had an arbitration ruling against them overturned, and will be arguing their case against the Coffee Beanery in a court of law.
Also read:
The Coffee Beanery Franchise Woes Reported in Forbes Article
COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 2
COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 1
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 1
August 25, 2008
Here is the first of two video interviews with unhappy Coffee Beanery franchisees Deborah Williams and Richard Welshans, who are in their 3rd year of a legal fight against the franchisor.
Coffee Beanery Franchise Fraud Part 1:
In this video, Deborah and Richard describe their backgrounds (Deborah was VP of Operations for a large corporation; Richard was in industrial sales for 18 years before being downsized). They also describe their financial well-being prior to buying the franchise (owned a million-dollar house with $600K equity).
Deborah describes the type of business they wanted to open after Richard was a victim of downsizing: “We just wanted a little coffee shop… we just wanted a little franchiseable coffee shop, like a little Cheers-type place. We started looking for different franchisors. Our first choice, of course, was Starbucks.”
Starbucks doesn’t offer franchises, so they went with the Coffee Beanery franchise.
Check out Part Two for the rest of the story: COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 2
The Coffee Beanery Franchise Woes Reported in Forbes Article
COFFEE BEANERY: Exec’s Trafficing Conviction Leads to Franchisee Legal Win Part 1
CORK & OLIVE: Oldsmar Store Reopens; C&O Coming to Ocala?
August 24, 2008
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Former Ex reports that the Cork & Olive store in Oldsmar, FL has reopened. Who is the current owner? Who is at the helm? Will other closed stores begin to reopen? Share a comment below.
Oldsmar has reopened - no way in this econmoy will C&O be able to rebound… went in tasted listened to there stories… Same old wine, same old story, no uniforms, looking desperatly for experienced help… Glad to see no familar faces fell for there BS….
I DIDN’T PURCHASE AND WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANY C&O PRODUCTS
The Ocala Star Tribune reports that
OCALA - This week two of the biggest retail stores at Market Street at Heath Brook silently opened their doors.
Friday afternoon, excited and bewildered shoppers marched into DSW Shoes and Old Navy happy that their anticipated openings had come. Both stores opened Thursday, but Old Navy customers wondered why there was no fanfare, advertising or notice about the opening. There was only a white, roadside billboard on State Road 200 with a list of the stores opened.
* * * * *
Many storefronts throughout the retail and restaurant development are posted with signs of what’s to come. They include:…* Cork & Olive, a try-before-you-buy wine and spice store. The opening date is unknown.
WHAT’S THE STORY? IS CORK & OLIVE STAGING A BOLD COMEBACK? IF SO, WILL THEY SUCCEED?
CORK & OLIVE: Overview & Blogliography
August 23, 2008
MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Dave Bellso is Perplexed by Meal Prep
August 20, 2008
According to a story in the Times-Union, “Rarely has a new retail business idea been embraced by entrepreneurs so quickly, only to fail so spectacularly, as did the “meal assembly” concept.”
Dave Bellso, interviewed for the article, sounds perplexed:
“For some reason, the whole concept is just not doing very well,” said Dave Bellso, whose wife owns the Make & Take Gourmet chain, based in Syracuse. The two-year-old company had a store at The Crossing shopping center in Clifton Park, but closed it after a year for lack of business.
“When the industry first started, the research from the early stores showed it was a destination,” he said. “As the industry grew, that changed.”
This is a man who owns an advertising agency that claims to be the leader in meal prep marketing. His analysis is that the research showed that the early stores were destinations, but “as the industry grew,” the stores were no longer destinations?
In other words: “People are no longer coming to our stores and we don’t know why.”
Strangely, the Bellsos sound more certain when they’re selling franchises. In fact, the Take & Bake Gourmet website Dave Bellso’s agency built states “Our taste-tested recipes are so delicious they’ll keep coming back for more.”
It states: “Meal assembly kitchens are one of the hottest trends in the food industry.”
“We are excited to share this exciting, proven concept with you…”
“As seasoned marketing professionals we know how to “brand” and promote the business.”
“We have the pulse on consumer buying trends so that we can grow and change our business model to keep up with those trends faster than our competitors.”
“Our taste-tested recipes are so delicious they’ll keep coming back for more.”
“We will be able to assist you in developing effective, results-oriented marketing plans.”
“There is no limit to how many stores you can own. It all depends upon your desire for growth… It is actually advantageous to own more than one store in a market.”
It will be interesting to see what story the Bellsos will be telling tomorrow. It seems to change from day to day.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Related note: Bob Niedt of Syracuse.com wrote: ” Speaking of Towne Center, Make & Take Gourmet did a fast exit. The meal-preparation store announced its closing at the top of the week and by midweek, it was gone.”
Towne Center was one of the two Bellso-owned corporate stores.
