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Garlic Jim's wants to take Simi Valley's breath away
Garlic Jim's, which opened last month at 131 Cochran St., uses gourmet toppings to set it apart from the area's more established carry-out and delivery chains, according to franchisee Tom Curiale. "We've got a real good response from the residents of Simi Valley, which we're appreciative of," Curiale said. "Things are going well so far and we're improving every day." Thousand Oaks resident Curiale and operating partner Eric Moreno of Simi Valley celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 17. The restaurant opened to the public the next day. Moreno, 27, described Garlic Jim's, which is open only for pickup or delivery, as "a healthy gourmet fast-food restaurant." The chain has grown from two stores in 2004 to its current 44, and about 50 more franchises are expected to open within the year, Curiale said. Simi Valley and Valencia are home to the only Garlic Jim's in California, but Curiale, 32, said he's obtained the franchise rights to another in Thousand Oaks. He hopes to open the T.O. restaurant in a year. Garlic Jim's distinguishes itself from other pizza restaurants with its 12 specialty pizzas. Instead of going simply with cheese or pepperoni, Moreno said, most customers order the specialty pizzas. So far, the most popular choices in Simi Valley are Garlic Jim's Ultimate and Garlic Jim's Gourmet Garlic. Jim's Ultimate is topped with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, black olives, red onions, mushrooms, green peppers and extra cheese. Jim's Gourmet Garlic has basil pesto sauce sprinkled with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, red onions and feta cheese. Curiale got the idea to open a restaurant a few years ago when Craig Roberts, a friend from Southern Oregon University, helped come up with the concept of Garlic Jim's. Curiale became serious about opening his own store about a year ago. He and Moreno worked together at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Simi Valley. Having started as an intern at Enterprise, Curiale eventually oversaw five offices in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Now, Curiale and Moreno are embarking on a completely different challenge. "This is a new thing for us," said Moreno, a 2001 graduate of California Lutheran University. "We've had experience running different kinds of businesses, but nothing in the food industry." In April, the business partners attended a monthlong training course at GJ's headquarters in Seattle. Once Curiale found a suitable facility to rent in Simi Valley, Garlic Jim's provided the equipment and food. The city wouldn't allow the gas to be turned on in the restaurant until the final check, preventing the owners from going into the community and offering free samples to residents. "We still had a warm reception by word of mouth without people tasting the pizza," said Moreno, who's originally from Whittier. Curiale and Moreno hope their product will establish a solid reputation in Simi Valley, and eventually in Thousand Oaks. "We're competing with the national chains, of course, and all the local places as well," Curiale said, "but we're bringing the same type of highquality carry-out delivery service as the national chains who know how to do it well but we're providing the highestquality product as well. "We want to be able to carve out a little niche in a very competitive and mature pizza market. . . . pizza's our product, but we're in the people business. We're trying to find as many people in town as possible and treating them with a quality product while building a loyal customer base." |
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