Boys are liking Godfather's return to Forest City
Well, it looks like the Fenske boys are going to have to move; after all, we can't possibly live a mere block away from a Godfather's because the oldest of the boys - that would be me - is going to go broke.
I used that line on Doug Gust the other day, and he just laughed. “You just stay right where you are and let those boys have their pizza.”
Gust is the owner of Forest City Foods, and late last month - on Halloween to be exact - his latest business venture opened. Forest City Foods is now a franchise of Godfather's Express, and after a two-year absence, Godfather's is back. And I'm even more broke than usual.
In all seriousness, Gust said he had been looking to bring some more “restaurant” type options into his store, which already has a deli. He looked into a few, but one of his suppliers mentioned Godfather's, and the more and more he thought about it, the more and more Gust liked the idea.
“There was obvious name recognition because Godfather's had been here,” he said, “and I talked to quite a few people and realized how loyal Godfather's customers are. I heard about quite a few people who drive over to Mason [City] just for the pizza.”
So earlier this fall, Gust and his employees went to work to make room for their little Godfather's corner. Basically, they moved a cooler or two, expanded the deli to fit in the “official Godfather's pizza oven” and added onto the counter.
He hired new employees to man the pizza place and put in a new phone line (582-2100) for call-in orders.
On Oct. 31, Godfather's made its Forest City debut ... or shall we say, it's return. Gust decided for what storeowners called a “soft opening.” There was no advertising, save for the sign on the front of the store.
“Before we dived right in, we wanted to make sure we had everything working right,” he said.
Still, even in these tough economic times, Gust very well may be onto something. Yes, you can argue, the old Godfather's went out of business, but from what we've heard, it wasn't because it wasn't making money, it just wasn't making enough money. And besides, Forest City Foods' downtown location is probably much better for a pizza-on-the-go place, especially with Waldorf College but a few blocks away.
And Gust hopes the pizza will help business at the grocery store.
“While you're getting your pizza, grab some milk and bread, too,” he said with a laugh.
Two days after I talked to him, I realized Gust wasn't too far off the mark. A friend was in town, and he decided “he'd buy if the boys flew.” So we ordered a pizza, the friend gave Josh and Noah 20 bucks and they raced up the hill. They returned with the pizza ... and two candy bars.
BACK TO NORMAL: For a month or so, I was able to be what University of Iowa football fans have often been to me, a diehard Gopher. In short, I was able to be smug.
Well, that's over. Minnesota is back to being inept - losing two straight games - while the Hawkeyes are coming off a thrilling win over an unbeaten, third-ranked Penn State team. And geez, I hate to admit it and pray none of my Minnesota friends see this, but as I watched the Iowa fans storm the field Saturday night, heck, even I was excited.
FINAL ELECTION THOUGHT: It's over. Thank God.
Bob Fenske is the editor of the Forest City Summit. He can be reached by phone at 585-2112 or by e-mail at editor@forestcitysummit.com.
Story created Nov 11, 2008 - 14:29:46 CST.
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