Denver-based Quiznos plans to offer home delivery in Denver and several other cities, according to a Las Vegas agency hired to promote the new service.
Executives at R&R Partners said the company has developed an ad campaign to launch the service in cities including Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Quiznos has established a telephone hotline to recruit delivery drivers in Las Vegas and is running online classified ads for that market with a “potential to earn up to $15” an hour, according to careerbuilder.com.
Quiznos has held meetings with Denver-area franchisees to explain the plan, which is expected to be optional, according to a franchisee who asked not to be identified. The company’s website lists more than 20 locations in Denver.
The toasted-sandwich chain has been one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains, posting sales of $1.38 billion in 2005, a 23 percent increase over 2004, according to Technomic, a Chicago restaurant consulting firm. Quiznos has more than 4,900 locations worldwide, in 15 countries.
Chris Bray, a Texas franchisee and president of the Toasted Subs Franchise Association, said he was not familiar with the company’s delivery plans but was skeptical of its prospects for success.
“The economics aren’t there for delivery to work,” Bray said. “Unless they have a magic plan for corporate people to make the deliveries, I don’t see it happening.”
While home delivery is common for pizza and some Asian restaurants, it has yet to gain a strong foothold in other sectors, Denver restaurant consultant John Imbergamo said.
The company will have to aggressively create a market, he said, since most people contemplating food delivery won’t automatically think of Quiznos.
A spokeswoman for the sandwich chain declined to comment. It is unclear whether Quiznos will require minimum orders or charge for delivery.
At least one other sandwich chain, Jimmy John’s, advertises delivery of its sandwiches, citing a delivery charge of 50 cents per item. Jimmy John’s has four locations in the Denver metro area.
Delivery “accounts for up to 30 percent of our business, varying by location,” said Dave Stalker, co-owner of the four Jimmy John’s locations. He said if Quiznos begins to deliver, “I don’t think it’s going to change the landscape very much.”
“There’s a big opportunity to deliver to offices,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic.
Quiznos might also see dinnertime demand if high gas prices encourage people to stay in and have food delivered, he said.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
