December 2013
| Business World Magazine | 183
a good thing for all of us,” he says. “We
want them to have that broad spectrum,
because that’s what the customers are
there for.”
Going forward, while growth is both
anticipated and desired, a chuckling Had-
jis stops somewhere short of “coast-to-
coast domination” as part of his latest
five-year plan. In fact, he’s looking for-
ward to stepping backward and letting
more generations of the family take a
more significant role.
A short-term aim is the startup and de-
velopment of the Oggi’s Pizza Express
“fast, casual” concept, in which locations
will be opened to allow customers to
choose from a selection of personal piz-
zas, wraps and salads at a flat price. Og-
gi’s beers will also be available.
A location is expected to open in the
student union facility at San Diego State
University in the spring.
“The cost to get the thing started is half
the cost of a full store, but the renevues
we’re expecting are not just half,” Had-
jis says. “It’s a way to make us appealing
to younger customers and bring in people
outside of the main customers we’ve had
for all these years. The way to do that is
to take the concept and recreate it into
something new.
“It’s a family business and we’re more
interested in the legacy that we leave, be-
cause this is our thing. We created this
and we’re very, very careful with how we
carry it forward.”
