Settled Out-of-Court Stake your mall cafe claim away from the food court.
By Devlin Smith
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
David and Camille Rutkauskas, 40 and 34, respectively, havecreated a franchise any mallgoer can appreciate: Camille'sSidewalk Café, which offers a tiny oasis for tired, hungryshoppers. Their idea sets them apart, literally--the cafe offerssandwiches, smoothies, salads, wraps and coffee drinks in anenclosed space away from the packed, noisy, fried-food-dominatedfood courts.
The couple opened the first Camille's Sidewalk Café inthe Woodland Hills Mall near Tulsa, Oklahoma, in October 1996 andbegan franchising three years later. The company now franchisesboth mall-based cafes and larger, inline locations.
Before they started Camille's Sidewalk Café, theRutkauskases owned a deli and a sportswear chain. They neverconsidered being franchisors, however, until the cafe came along."The concept was tailor-made for franchising," Davidexplains. "It's very efficient, and we felt the system wedeveloped could be easily duplicated."
Camille's Sidewalk Café currently has 16 franchisedunits, with agreements signed for up to 26 more. The company isalso planning to open a second corporate location this year, whileplotting national expansion. "We have the right concept at theright time," David says. "The fast-food places are allgeared toward kids now, and baby boomers want something quick in aplace [with a] warm, inviting atmosphere. Yes, our concept is fastfood, but it's so much more than that."
