MZD Looks to Revitalize Historic Hoosier Restaurant Chain

Last week, The Indianapolis Star featured Allan Zukerman, Chairman/CEO of MZD and Bill Church, Executive Director of Food Service and Retail Development for MZD in an article about the revitalization of a local brand name restaurant chain that brings back a lot of warm memories for Hoosiers: Mr. Dan’s Hamburgers.

Here's an excerpt:

Mr. Dan, the well-known restaurant chain that specializes in The Big Dan, a made-to-order burger and Nathan’s hot dogs, as well as other food items, is going to be franchised nationally through Mr. Dan’s Franchising LLC.

Church, president of Mr. Dan’s Franchising LLC., said it is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs. 

“A lot of people have special memories of Mr. Dan’s,” Church said. “It’s a familiar name to many people who grew up in Indianapolis.”

The first Mr. Dan’s was opened in 1950 at the corner of 14th and Illinois Streets by Richard Hogshire, the founder of Mr. Dan’s, who is still active in the business. The original name, Gay Dan’s, came from the Gay 90s era and adopted the circus wagon look for a Gay 90s hot dog stand. The name was changed in the 1970s to Mr. Dan’s.

One popular location was right next to the old Bush Stadium on W. 16th Street in Indianapolis, which was home to the Indianapolis Indians for years.

The original menu was hot dogs, baked beans and a fresh cup of coffee. After the first few years of business, it became obvious that the hamburger was necessary to attract more business. Over the years, the burger process has been standardized and remains as a fresh grilled burger. Mr. Dan’s now sells The Big Dan Hamburger 10 to 1 over hot dogs.

Over the past 50 years, a total of 16 Mr. Dan’s have opened and closed. Most locations have ceased operations due to lease terminations, change in markets and a change in traffic patterns and road access.

Two Mr. Dan’s locations are currently in operation: one at 4390 N. Keystone Avenue, just north of Fall Creek Parkway, and another at 34th and Massachusetts.

“The menu and operations reflect years of success in defining the Mr. Dan’s niche,” Church said. “The entire business has sought its own level of customer needs.”

Mr. Dan’s current menu consists of hamburgers, hot dogs, tenderloins, chili, and French fries. A limited breakfast menu is available late night and early mornings.

“The Big Dan hamburger is the mainstay of the business,” Church said. “The burger is widely known in the community as the best. They are always cooked to order and served hot.”

The business is open 24 hours a day, six days a week and closed on Sundays.

“Because Mr. Dan’s is located in urban areas, it does not compete with the big boys of fast food,” Church said. “Mr. Dan’s stays within its niche and serves hamburgers cooked in sight and to order. The Coney sauce and seasoning salt are proprietary items manufactured under the Mr. Dan’s label.”

Charlie and Barney’s Award Winning Chili and Nathan’s Famous All Beef Franks are also served at Mr. Dan’s.

Zukerman noted that Mr. Dan’s Restaurants Franchisee LLC is separate from MZD Advertising.

“We have been starting to host Mr. Dan’s Franchise seminars to inform people who may be interested in opening their own franchises,” Zukerman said.  “The restaurants will have a positive impact on their communities and offer employment opportunities. We plan to begin franchising in the Midwest, starting first in Indianapolis, and then Louisville, Dayton, Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland and Detroit.”

Church said the first franchise seminar was successful. 

“We shared a lot of franchise opportunity information with influential members of the community about the concept and a lot of people are excited about it,” Church said. “What really got our attention was the return-on-investment on this concept and the low cost of entry.”

Hogshire said it’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurs.

“It’s a tried and true concept that we have had over the past 50 years,” Hogshire said. “It has done well over the past five decades. It is simple and can be duplicated very easily.”

Just in case you may not be familiar with Mr. Dan's, it's first location was built in 1950 in downtown Indianapolis. The restaurant is themed after the hot dog stands of the era. Its original menu consisted of hot dogs, baked beans and coffee. The restaurant’s popular “Big Dan” was introduced in the mid 1950s. The restaurant has evolved over time to offer breakfast and began serving 24 hours a day in the early 1970s.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Dan’s refined its menu and operations to better meet the demands of many loyal customers.

While improvements over the decades have better positioned Mr, Dan’s in the marketplace, The “Big Dan” has remained just the way it was back in the mid 1950s.

We've tried the food (always a requirement before we work with any franchiser) and have to say that it's one of the best burgers in town.

Let us know if you've been to Mr. Dan's, had any of their food and how your experience was. We'd love to know.

We know how to throw a party

Last Saturday, June 26, the folks at MZD helped throw a party for our client, J. Solotken and Company, Inc., a scrap metal dealer and recycler. J. Solotken has been around since 1914, and just this past year they decided to expand their services and moved into a newer facility. Well, everyone knows you have to have an Open House party if you move, so J. Solotken turned to MZD to help them plan and throw one great bash for their friends, family and clients. Over 300 people RSVP'd to the event and we had a great turnout despite the 90 degree temps. To add to the evening's festivities we also announced the winners of our "The Art of Scrap" metal sculpture contest. They are as follows:

• 1st – Trent Lannan – Jasper, IN - $2,500
• 2nd – Lyndsay McBride – Bristol, IN - $1,500
• 3rd – D. Delreverda Jennings – Indianapolis, IN - $1,000

Catering and additional event planning was done by Jeremy Hamilton and the crew from Indianapolis Dine. Needless to say, everything was first-rate!

Take a look at just a few of the photos from the event below:

Meet the Interns

School may be out for the summer, but not everyone has stopped learning. Here at MZD, four interns are spending their precious summer days plugging away, learning the ins and outs of agency life. Let us introduce this dedicated crew . . .

Jake Donnelly, Public Relations Intern
Jake is a student at Anderson University and is pursuing a degree in Marketing. At AU, Jake has been involved with a group called SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise), which gives him the opportunity to get involved with local businesses throughout the community.

“One of my goals is to learn something from each person I come in contact with at MZD to better myself as a person and as a working professional,” said Jake.

When he’s not at school or MZD, Jake likes to play golf any chance he can get, as well as spend time with his new fiancé.

Emily Haley, Account Service Intern
Emily is a junior at Ball State University where she is majoring in Telecommunications. She decided to do an internship at MZD to gain real life experience and hopes to learn what the industry is all about.

“I also hope to get a better understanding on which direction I want to take in the world of telecommunications,” said Emily.

“The work that gets my attention most that MZD has done is the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (ITPC) commercials,” she said, “Particularly the one with the child in the back seat of her mother’s minivan where her mother rolls up the windows, locks the door and lights a cigarette.  I think that commercial is very powerful.” 

When Emily isn’t at school or MZD she likes to spend time with her friends and family, as well as waitress at Outback Steak House in Muncie. 

Taylor Orf, Public Relations, Account Service Intern
Taylor has a degree in Public Relations from Ball State University where he wrote for the Ball State Daily News for a semester and was also PR Chairman for his fraternity.

“MZD is a well known, respected local firm that has nationally recognized clients as well as local clients. I also liked that MZD did work in advertising and marketing, as well as PR so that I could attain experience in all three areas,” said Taylor. “I really hope to learn what my strengths and weaknesses are pertaining to the PR/Marketing/Ad industry. I am excited to see what transfers from the classroom to the office.”

Taylor enjoys travel, snowboarding, intramural sports, St. Louis Cardinal Baseball, and “general shenanigans” with his friends.

Brian Willsey, Account Service Intern
Brian has a B.A. from IU Bloomington in Communications, where he minored in Business. He is currently a grad student at University of Indianapolis where he is getting his MBA with a concentration in Marketing.

Brian decided to do an internship with MZD because he wanted to learn from an experienced firm with deep ties to the city of Indianapolis.

“Especially in such volatile times, I wanted to be a part of a place that has seen the ups and downs of the industry and knows how to bring about success,” said Brian. “I hope to learn more about the behind the scenes activities concerning a marketing and advertising firm. How exactly do you get to that finished project? I want to get real world experience that I can not only translate to future classroom settings, but also translate into a future career.”

When he’s not at MZD, work or in class, Brian likes to play golf, work out, check the stock market and read.

HP: The New Fashion Accessory?

By Kiley Kellermeyer, Account Executive

Several of my friends have been excitedly gossiping about Sex and the City 2, set to hit theatres May 27.  Not having watched much of the series or first movie, I have no connection to Carrie and her crew.

However, I have to admit I was intrigued to learn that Hewlett-Packard had finagled their way into City, kicking out Carrie’s very prominent Mac Book. Carrie’s Mac was featured in nearly every episode of the television series, or so I hear. And just think, when Miss Bradshaw flips open her laptop, moviegoers won’t see that shiny white apple on the cover.



Carrie will document her memoirs on an HP, and there are alleged stills that show Kim Cattrall using a desktop version of the HP TouchSmart.

HP apparently partnered with the movie franchise to increase its brand recognition with stylish women.

Well, I suppose it’s worth a shot, as I’m sure PC sales are slumping. They’ve got to do something, right? But sticking HP products in this particular movie is, to me, a bit like serving pizza rolls and Bud Light at a black-tie ball.

In three words: Doesn’t. Quite. Fit.

Everything in Sex and the City smacks of fur coats, cosmopolitans and Manolo Blahniks. Those ladies eat, sleep (and sleep with) and breathe high-class, high-end, and expensive. Would any of them choose an HP over a Mac when Apple has so cleverly cornered the digital market on style?

Rick's Weekly Wrap-up: Why Print Still Matters

It's not all doom and gloom for print media, although most would like to believe that. After reading the following article on MediaPost.com (alright, you caught me, I read it online, not in print, but let's ignore that for now, shall we?) I was reminded again of the rapid changes taking place with traditional print media. Take a read:

Enterprise: Print Struggles, Doomsday Forecasts by Erik Sass

The article reports on the declines that newspapers and magazines are experiencing in circulation and ad revenues.
 
The future, in general, does not look bright for either medium.

Now, with that being said, let's talk a closer look.

A key fact not addressed in the article is that the declines are primarily limited to major titles with large circulation that try to be all things to all people.  Most of these titles are seeing erosion from either their own internet sites or comparable sites that report on similar information, but do it in a timelier manner. Community newspapers that report on local events, schools and community happening are not experiencing the same downturn.  They serve a niche that the large metro dailies have long since abandoned.  Similarly, special interest magazines that serve highly targeted interests have also been able to avoid the downturn.  Both may have seen a downturn as the result of the economy, however they should be able to rebound with the recovery, unlike their larger counterparts.