Created in 1997 by McAlister's Deli co-founder and former partner
Robin Fant and local casual-dining veterans Bernard, John and
Myrrl Bean, Columbus-based Sweet Peppers is a sandwich deli "hybrid"
that integrates more full-service features than typically are
found in the sandwich sector.
"We knew we had a great fast-casual concept, but in 2002 we
asked two marketing consultants to confirm our vision and help
us fine-tune the Sweet Peppers operation," Bernard Bean said.
"So we designed enhancements for the menu, adding panini and wrap
sandwiches."
Bean said the Sweet Peppers group also began testing plateware
in place of food baskets. Cashiers at the order counters, meanwhile,
began suggesting desserts or cookies to guests, who also were
encouraged to place dessert orders later with servers who greeted
them in the dining room. Servers place flatware and napkins and
then check in with tables until guests finish. They cover from
eight and 14 tables each, depending on the traffic.
"Because our background is full service, we didn't find it hard
to incorporate these changes," Bean explained. "Customers rightly
perceive they are getting a lot for their money."
The Sweet Peppers system now boasts four 4,000-square-foot strip
center units in Memphis, Tenn., and Columbus, Hattiesburg and
Starkville, Miss., plus one 5,000-square-foot freestanding site
and one "express" food court location in Tupelo, Miss.
According to Bean, the four company-owned Sweet Peppers are
averaging $1.8 million in annual sales with a $7-per-person check
average. He said the food court unit is a potential secondary
format option for many markets.
The Bean family entered the upscale-casual segment in Columbus
in 1982 with a theme concept called Harvey's. The group now operates
two additional Harvey's, in Starkville and Tupelo, as well as
a fine-dining concept called Park Heights in Columbus and two
mainstream casual restaurants - Jackson Square Grill in Columbus
and Cotton District Grill in Starkville.
Partner Robin Fant, who evolved the fast-casual Bulldog Deli
concept after acquiring it in 1984, went on to partner in the
startup of Jackson, Miss.-based McAlister's Deli but later separated
from that chain. Bulldog Deli eventually became the prototype
for Sweet Peppers.
"Next year we expect to open a unit every other month, and by
2006 we'll reach the one-a-month pace," Bean predicted. "In effect,
that means we'll be doubling our size in each of the next two
years - to 12 restaurants in 2005 and 24 units in 2006."
McAlister's Deli, meanwhile, which passed the 100-unit mark
at the end of 2002, envisions the current year ending with close
to 150 restaurants in its chain, according to chief development
officer Patrick Walls. Now in 17 states, the system has 23 locations
across Mississippi.
"The economy is very good here now," Walls said. "A new Nissan
plant opened north of Jackson a year ago, and a lot of suppliers
have moved in since. Also, the casinos are still influencing our
economic health. That industry is in full bloom."
Craig Ray, director of Mississippi's tourism division, confirmed
that the state's base of 29 casinos, operating mainly on the Gulf
Coast and in Tunica County on the Mississippi River south of Memphis,
is continuing to grow.
Ray said three new casino projects either are under construction
or are nearing development. The first, a Hard Rock venture, is
targeting the Gulf Coast; the second and third are set for Natchez
and Tunica - the latter, a $900 million project boasting a 18-hole
indoor golf course.
The majority of Mississippi's gaming tourists are day or weekend
visitors, however, who travel by automobile, restaurant association
leader Cashion explained.
According to Ray, there were "33 million visitors to the state
last year, and the estimate is that 70 percent to 75 percent of
them were traveling to the casinos. But we want those gaming tourists
to stop locally, see the towns, take in the sights and eat at
the restaurants."
On a related front, Mississippi's state and local convention
and visitors bureaus are looking intently at the golf and outdoor-recreation
industries, according to Cashion.
"We are rapidly becoming a destination for the golfing crowd
and will be drawing a lot of business from Canada," he said.
Ray said 100 of Mississippi's 142 existing golf courses - some ranked
among the nation's best - are open to the public, and greens fees
statewide are 30 percent to 40 percent less than what golfers pay
in Florida or South Carolina. 
