Beyond Reno

Reno's got it all growth, growth, and more growth.

That's from Morris Friedman, founder of Beyond Juice, a new national chain currently in a fast expansion phase.

"The city has tremendous growth," adds Friedman, and also even more important available prime locations.

Two new Beyond Juice licensees are under construction in Reno, one at McQueen Crossing in Northwest Reno and one at the South Virginia Commons, a center under construction at South Virginia and Sierra Center Parkway.

The location on South Virginia is prime, says Friedman, and the center has visibility from Highway 395.

The traffic count by the new center,when combined with Highway 395, runs at upwards of 100,000 cars a day.

And the northwest location? That's a location of love.

Beyond Juice licensees Heather and Christopher Thomas are opening the northwest store just a few doors down from Raley's.

The Reno couple both grew up in Reno,went to high school here, have family here watched the McQueen Crossing go from open field to upscale shopping center.

They wanted to be in that center.

In fact, they say, they picked the center before they picked a business.

Location is of utmost importance for fast-food success, says Friedman.He sees downtown Reno as a prime, wide-open location for future Beyond Juice shops.

The customer potential from downtown workers, plus tourists and residents is like a beacon to the licensor.

Beyond Juice, a fast-food concept based on natural and fortified juice drinks, alongside breakfast muffins and lunch sandwiches, is up and running in upwards of 17 locations nationwide right now, adds Friedman.

Several more are in the process of opening or are in the planning stages.

By year-end, he's expecting to have about 50 Beyond Juice shops open and another 100 in the planning or construction stages.And after that more stores, building up at an exponentially fast rate.

The stores are scattered across the country with some possibilities cropping up in Germany and England as well.And cluster marketing? There's no attempt at that, says Friedman.

Stores are opening in a plethora of cities, all depending on licensee interest.

Individual licensees, however, such as Chris and Heather Thomas in north Reno and Ed Gentry in south Reno, often have plans for more than one location."The more stores you have in an area," says Friedman,"the better for everyone."Regions create their own clusters, and brand recognition is built on a local level.

Friedman has no national ad campaign plans."We don't collect advertising allowance," says Friedman,"so it's difficult to compete with the big boys." So,what does a national chain offer the local business people signing on with it?

"The turnkey aspect is a draw," says Heather Thomas.

"We only have three responsibilities," adds Christopher Thomas: "Obtain a business license; obtain liability insurance; set up a business entity." (The Thomas entity is Thomas & Beyond, Inc.)

That's until the business opens, of course, an event scheduled for early May.

Then it'll be seven days a week, he says, as the two shuffle schedules and oversee their three part-time employees and keep up with their four children.

If there's one thread that runs through the Thomas's discussion of their new enterprise, it's flexibility.

Christopher Thomas, after more than 12 years in a corporate world and time spent earning a master's in business administration at the University of Nevada, Reno, seeks the flexibility to tweak the business."We have that," he says.

The license agreement allows for menu adjustments, decor changes, and locally based decisions on such things as delivery capabilities.

Schedule flexibility of owning their own business versus working for a corporation was also a draw for the couple, says Heather Thomas.

That's flexibility for time to spend with the family, for time to mountain-bike in the hills.