CEO of the year

34 Ph i lade lph ia Smar tCEO June 2011 www.smar tceo .com

John ScardapaneFOUNDER AND CEO

Saladworks

How a Philadelphia entrepreneur turned a lowly side dish into a franchised phenomenon

fresh idea

By Samantha DrakePhotography by Bryan Burris

www.smar tceo .com June 2011 Ph i lade lph ia Smar tCEO 35

But Scardapane didn’t want his operation to be a salad bar; he had another idea in mind from observing the different sections of the country club’s kitchen. “We cut up all of our fresh vegetables ahead,” in the salad area, explains Scardapane. “That section looked beautiful; the rest of the kitchen not so beautiful,” he adds with a laugh. “So I thought, why don’t I take that environment of fresh cut-up ingredients, vegetables and produce and put it into a mall food court and let people watch us make the salads to order?”

Looking back, it was a great plan, but this was 1986, when salads were still largely a side item. Mall management flat-out rejected Scardapane’s proposal. “They said sal-ads could never afford to pay for the rents we need at this location,” he notes. So he reworked the salad proposal, and again, mall management gave it the thumbs down.

On Scardapane’s third try, he stubbornly stuck with his salad idea. “This time they said to me, ‘Just because of your persistence, we’re going to give you a shot, provided half of your store makes sandwiches and the other half makes salads,’” he remembers. Scardapane agreed.

“As far as we can confirm, we were the first create-your-own, toss-to-order salad concept,” he says.

In the beginning, Scardapane called the business FoodWorks, but switched to Saladworks about a year later following trademark difficulties. Saladworks started out with salad and soup on the menu, plus sandwiches at the aforementioned mall management’s insistence.

Two months after his food court location opened, salads were so popular he stopped selling sandwiches. “After the first year, we became the highest-grossing tenant in the food court,” Scardapane says. Mall management, of course, loved it. In fact, management gave Scardapane capital to open in other malls run by the same company and he eventually opened 12 Saladworks locations. Sandwiches went back in the mix once he began opening Saladworks outside of mall food courts.

The Cherry Hill Mall food court still has a Saladworks. There are currently 103 Saladworks franchises, with the majority in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with others are as far north as Massa-chusetts and south as North Carolina. A second franchise recently opened in California. As of 2010, Saladworks has served more than 6 million customers, with an annual revenue of more than $63 million.

salad daysAfter years of working at the Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield, NJ, most

recently as a chef, Scardapane was ready to strike out on his own. A relative put him in touch with management at the Cherry Hill Mall, which had a failing food court location. Scardapane recalls he was reluctant to pursue the opportunity because he re-ally wanted to open a full-service restaurant, but he agreed to check out the situation.

The number of customers served by the food court vendors amazed him and sparked his interest in launching a food court operation. “I couldn’t believe the vol-ume that these small food court locations were doing,” Scardapane says.

All he had to do was come up with a concept that would be successful and not duplicate any existing food court vendors at the mall. Scardapane says he decided on a salad-oriented concept because he knew salad sales had increased tremendously at the country club, particularly among men, and that he needed something different to compete with all the fast food.

“ What we do is get the franchisees to buy into and believe in the Saladworks concept. The ultimate success of a franchise company is the success of the franchisee.”

mMost entrepreneurs would be thrilled with the success John M. Scardapane has already achieved since founding Saladworks,

the nation’s first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept, in 1986. Saladworks boasts 103 franchises in 14 states

and a slew of awards, including being named No. 1 salad franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine for the past three years. But

the Saladworks founder and CEO has more ambitious plans in store, namely taking the Philadelphia-based franchise from

coast to coast and beyond, while continuing to win the loyalty of customers and admiration of the industry.

After 25 years of steady growth, Scardapane feels his company is on the verge of tipping point – eyeing 500 locations in the

next four years.

“Our passion and our vision is to be the greatest restaurant brand. And that’s really what we’re all trying to work toward. And

I believe we will one day,” says Saladworks’ founder and CEO. “It doesn’t have to be the largest [brand]; I think it has to be

the most respected, the one that everyone wants to emulate and copy.”

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Naturally, customer service is one of Saladworks’ core values. The company is constantly developing and teaching its core values, which are reinforced at every meeting and in every decision, he says. Business coaches visit franchisees twice a month to reaffirm core values and make sure the franchises are following them.

Saladworks’ core values were modeled on those of Commerce Bank, Scardapane says. Vernon W. Hill II, the founder and president of Commerce, took the bank from a single branch to a 450-office franchise and is one of the businessmen he admires most, says Scardapane. Hill is now chairman of the executive committee at Salad-works. “When we finally met, he was amazed at how similar this business was to Commerce,” says Scardapane.

Saladworks’ six core values are customer service, integrity and honesty, doing whatever it takes to get the job done, hiring the best people, valuing each other and have passion to be the best. (See sidebar, page 38.)

Franchisee Jim Dooney knows all about Saladworks’ core values and fan phenomenon.

fan fare“It’s a strange thing in the restaurant business; once you get involved, it just

sucks you in, and you’re in it for good,” says Scardapane. “And even if you leave for a temporary time, you always seem to come back to it.”

Scardapane got hooked on the restaurant business while growing up in Pennsauken, NJ. He started out as a paperboy but dropped that to become a cheesesteak cook. He moved on to learn the business of fine dining as a busboy, waiter and bartender at Tavistock. By the time Scardapane was in college, he had entered the country club’s three-year training program, where he spent a year each in the front of the house, on the business side and in the kitchen.

But after spending a year at St. Joseph’s University and a year at Rutgers Uni-versity while working full time, Scardapane left his college career behind. “I decided college wasn’t for me,” he says. “I didn’t think I was getting the return on my invest-ment. It was a little too slow for me.” Instead, Scardapane focused on studying the restaurant world inside and out and eventually applied his knowledge to building the Saladworks franchise chain.

Fresh ingredients, which first made an impression on Scardapane back in Tavis-tock’s kitchen, became Saladworks’ hallmark and the focus of its “fanatic’ly fresh” menu.

“We’re fanatical about freshness. Every day, we chop all of our produce,” he says. “It would be easy to go out and get processed products like you see in bags at the su-permarket that have grown so popular now. But we believe there’s a difference in taste, and we’re not ready to make that move.” It takes about four hours to chop everything before the store opens each day, with more chopping during the day as needed.

Another big part of Saladworks’ success is great customer service. The company’s mission statement is simply: “Provide a fanatical customer experience.”

“Saladworks believes that you have to deliver such a fanatical experience to the customer that you turn them into a fan,” Scardapane explains. “It all goes back to creating fans. Without your fans who go out there and promote your brand, you’re just never going to be able to get any real traction or get any real growth in your company,” he says.

Scardapane says his biggest pet peeve about customer service is when employees fail to make eye contact or smile when waiting on a customer. Employees texting or talking on cell phones are a big no-no as well.

Customers always come first, no matter what. Employees are trained to respond to customer complaints immediately. “We say, ‘To err is human, to recover is Salad-works,’” notes Scardapane. “We teach instant recovery. So if we make an error, we fix it right there, right at that spot with the customer. If you make the wrong salad or a bad salad, the customer gets a new salad and a coupon for an additional salad.” And possibly a new fan.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED: John Scardapane’s proposal for a salad-only operation was rejected twice by Cherry Hill Mall management before he finally set up shop in 1986.

BANK ON IT: Saladworks modeled its core values on those of Commerce Bank. Vernon W. Hill II, the founder and president of Commerce, is now chairman of the executive committee at Saladworks.

FRESH START: Instead of buying bagged or processed produce, employees chop fresh produce before the store opens each day – a process that takes about four hours.

LEADING BY DOING: Scardapane leads by example – he personally ran the first 12 Saladworks locations.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Scardapane works with his wife Gale, who serves as vice president of public relations. The Scardapanes have four children – Alexandra, 20, Anthony, 19, Isabella, 9, and Sabrina, 7.

At a Glance Five things you’d be surprised to learn about Saladworks

“ I understand every aspect of running Saladworks. There’s nothing that I would ask anybody to do that I haven’t done myself.”

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Now the owner of seven Saladworks franchises (in Bensalem, PA, Willow Grove, PA, Wayne, PA, Glassboro, NJ, Bridgewater, NJ, Toms River, NJ, and West Nyack, NY), Dooney says he wondered at first if a salad-oriented store could survive. “I wasn’t a huge salad eater,” he admits

Dooney already knew the ingredients were fresh – he sold produce to Saladworks for years before becoming a franchisee – and was intrigued to see how many men flocked to Saladworks. “People just raved about it,” he says. “Saladworks has such a following. John created a concept that people just love.” Upon opening one of his franchises, Dooney recounts how one woman came up to him, gave him a big hug, and thanked him for opening the store.

“Everyone sells salads, but no one does what we do, the way we do it, and as well as we do it,” says Dooney.

macromanagement 101Part of Scardapane’s entrepreneurial “genius” is that he foresaw the promotion of

salads from a side dish to a main course, says Paul R. Steck, the president of Salad-works, who joined the company in 2002.

Salads remain the most popular items on the menu over sandwiches and soups, with about 70 percent of Saladworks’ revenue coming from salads, says Steck, who previously ran franchises with Au Bon Pain and Burger King. The most popular salad is the “Create Your Own.” It provides the assurance of food safety because the customer can watch it being made and there is an element of control, he explains, noting, “you still get to choose what you want on your salad.”

Another part of Scardapane’s genius is that he can foresee issues and problems that could affect the company and plan ahead accordingly, Steck says. He joined Saladworks just in time for the implementation of a strategic planning process that resulted in a five-year plan for the organization.

Planning ahead includes creating an organization of good decision-makers who are all working toward the same goals. “The reason John and I have a great working relationship is I can make any decision I want. But I know what he’s after because we have some great processes in place to make sure we’re all on the same page,” he says.

Steck calls Scardapane a “macromanager” because “everything keeps running whether John is here or not.”

Part of a leader’s responsibility is to develop future leaders, Scardapane concurs. “So I’m always looking for people who can replace me. And all my team leaders are always looking for people to replace them. We build a strategic system here that al-lows all of our department heads, no matter what level they’re at, to make the right decisions. It has really helped us focus on what the issues are and who should be mak-ing the decisions,” he says.

A strategic planning process not only directs where an organization is going but helps shape the company culture. “Once you define your culture, which is the DNA of your company, everyone will be going down the same road and everyone knows to refer back to the core values, which will help you make the right decision. Once you

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CUSTOMER. At Saladworks, our customers come first at all costs. We strive to make each customer feel special by saying “yes” to every request and making each person that enters the store feel special. Always remember, to err is human, to recover is Saladworks. DO THE RIGHT THING. Integrity and honesty are Saladworks hallmarks. We always stand for the good and noble while having a positive effect on our community and environment. Don’t try to be all things to all people – you will mean nothing to anyone. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT DONE. Every day we are innovative and diligent in our pursuit to fanatically please our customers. The Saladworks way means embracing change and encouraging risk-taking, which yields giant results and creates fanatical fans. BEST PEOPLE. In order for Saladworks to be the greatest restaurant brand, we must recruit and cultivate the best people. This is accomplished by hiring for attitude (energy, ambition and passion), training for skill and empowering our employees to make decisions. Fostering honest feedback and celebrating winners breeds confident and successful future leaders. VALUE EACH OTHER. A humble leader should know that each member is an important component and necessary for a successful team. We must recognize and praise the attempts, abilities and accomplishments of all associates in order to achieve our mission of providing a fanatical customer experience. PASSION TO BE THE BEST. Be fanatical about everything you do. At Saladworks, we reject stupid rules, allowing our team to grow fearless leaders who understand that we will make mistakes and learn from them. We only provide superior products and services to our customers, which feeds our goal of being the best.

Source: www.saladworks.com

At the Core Saladworks’ six core values are at the heart of

everything the organization does. The core values are:

“ We teach instant recovery. So if we make an error, we fix it right there, right at that spot with the customer. If you make the wrong salad or a bad salad, the customer gets a new salad and a coupon for an additional salad.”

Saladworks CEO John Scardapane brings the same fresh food experi-ence that his customers have come to expect to his headquarters staff (right).

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this place would be the same and would have continued to grow and do what we do. … John has created this culture where people feel comfortable making a decision. That’s what makes this company so great. And when you have that, you tend to at-tract really good people.”

Saladworks has 26 corporate employees, some of whom are based in the field. “I don’t know where they are as of this moment. I don’t care. Neither does John,” Steck says. “You hire really good people and you give them the tools they need to do the job. …We spend a lot of time hiring and interviewing and getting the right candi-dates, and then we get the heck out of their way and let them do their job.”

have that established in the company, you won’t have any problems trusting people to make decisions,” Scardapane maintains.

“I only get upset when they don’t make decisions. I’d rather they make the wrong decision than not make a decision,” Scardapane says.

As Steck points out, “A lot of organizations get stuck, meaning that if there’s a hierarchical organization where the head guy or gal has to make all the decisions, in the absence of that person being there to make the decisions then the organization can do nothing.”

“As important as John is to us,” Steck adds, “if he didn’t show up for a month,

1986: Year Saladworks was founded103: Total number of franchises 14: States that boast Saladworks locations$63 million: Saladworks’ annual revenue in 20106 million: Customers served in 201070: Percent of Saladworks’ revenue that comes from salads26: Number of corporate employees25 to 1: Store to business coach ratio500: Projected franchise locations by 2015

By the Numbers

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Each year, SmartCEO magazine names a CEO of the Year. In selecting its CEO of the Year, SmartCEO looks for CEOs who are true leaders among their peers. More than company revenues, profits and community popularity, CEOs of the Year have proven track records of innovation and bringing value to the marketplace. They lead more than just companies; they lead industries in new directions.

WHY SALADWORKS CEO JOHN SCARDAPANE? At a time when salads were relegated to side-dish status, John Scardapane envisioned a restaurant concept that elevated the emerging entree and created the nation’s first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept. After 25 years of steady growth – with last year’s revenues reaching $63 million – Saladworks is poised to achieve “overnight success” with planned expansion to 500 international locations by 2015. Through his pioneering vision and focus on core values, Scardapane has risen as a leader in his community and his industry. For these achievements and more, SmartCEO honors him as our 2011 CEO of the Year.

CEO of the Year

“ Now I’m in it for life. I tell people all the time, my exit strategy is death.”

Jena Henderson calls herself the “poster child” for Saladworks leadership strategy. She joined the company six years ago as a business coach and, since then, worked in local store marketing, corporate marketing, franchise sales and strategic planning before being named vice president of brand services.

“Every time I get really comfortable in a department, they pluck me out of it and put me into another department that needs help, which has been amazing,” she says. Henderson explains that she has learned it is okay to stumble a few times and that Scardapane and Steck are there to help her figure things out.

Scardapane’s open-door policy is underscored by the clear pane of glass instead of a wall at the front of his office. “If you’re going to be the leader, you shouldn’t be hiding behind anything,” he says of the glass wall.

From his desk, Scardapane can look out into a common area filled with several tables and chairs where all of the employees at the Conshohocken, PA, headquarters gather for lunch every day. Lunch is on the company several days a week. The only unwritten rule is no talking about work.

ready for anythingBecause of all this preparation and development, Saladworks executives say the

organization has rarely, if ever, faced a true crisis. “Our strategic planning process helps us identify any issues before they become a

crisis,” Scardapane says. “So we’re already fixing it even before it becomes a crisis.” A sluggish economy decreasing sales? Crazy weather increasing produce costs? No

problem. “We try to minimize the exposure to our systems and our margins by contract

buying directly from the growers,” explains Scardapane. For example, Saladworks ne-gotiates a set price for iceberg lettuce for the entire year. Prices may be raised a certain percentage if a cold snap occurs, but the company remains protected from significant market fluctuations, he says.

On the other hand, an outbreak of a food-borne illness is a problem that could potentially wreak havoc on a far-flung franchise system. In the restaurant busi-ness, it is not unforeseeable, however, and Saladworks has a crisis plan ready to go. “Sometimes there are things that we can’t control, like the spinach crisis.” Scardapane acknowledges.

The company put its crisis plan to the test in 2006 when an E. coli outbreak con-taminated spinach around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 199 people were infected by the outbreak in 26 states. A total of 102 were hospital-ized and three deaths were confirmed to be associated with the outbreak.

“We found out about [the outbreak] on the 11-o’clock news,” Steck recalls. It didn’t matter that the growers and distributors were not those used by Saladworks. By 8 a.m. the next morning, every Saladworks location had thrown out all their spinach, posted signs explaining the situation to customers and had a script in hand on what to say to customers. Franchisees also knew to refer all press questions to the corporate office, where a spokesperson was designated, he says. By the time Scardapane called

to check in the next morning, everything had been done. “We didn’t have to think about it because we already laid out the plan. All we had

to do was do it,” Steck says.

support systemWith 103 franchises and more on the way, Saladworks maintains a close relation-

ship with every franchisee to ensure consistency and success. “What we do is get the franchisees to buy into and believe in the Saladworks concept,” says Scardapane. “The ultimate success of a franchise company is the success of the franchisee.”

New franchisees receive five weeks of training, are assigned a business coach to help become as profitable as possible and meet routinely with Saladworks executives. Franchisees also have access to MySaladworks, an intranet portal for communication with headquarters, news and product and sales information, where franchisees can also view their weekly sales ranking and submit product comments.

Scardapane says he leads by example, noting that he personally ran the first 12 Saladworks locations. “I understand every aspect of running Saladworks, he says. “There’s nothing that I would ask anybody to do that I haven’t done myself.”

Henderson says Scardapane is in touch with what goes on with the franchises, noting that they are both on the road at least two days a week, meeting with fran-

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chisees. In addition, the business coaches see their franchisees on average about once a month and talk with them via email or phone at least once a week. “We have a 25 to 1 store to business coach ratio, which is kind of unheard of. The industry average is about 60,” Henderson points out.

Franchisees also have the opportunity to meet with Scardapane through franchise advisory council meetings, which convene at company headquarters every other month. The council is composed of eight to 10 franchisees who participate on a volunteer basis, she says.

“I think franchisees continue to be amazed at the level of sup-port that we offer,” says Henderson. “We really are there through the life of their franchise agreement.”

New franchisee Unmesh Patel can attest to the organization’s sup-port system. “The support I’ve gotten from them has been awesome.” Patel just opened his first Saladworks location in Durham, NC, in March and plans are in the works for Patel’s second Saladworks loca-tion.

After working in his family’s Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts franchises, Patel was ready for his own business. In addition to the healthy menu, Patel explains he was attracted to Saladworks’ six core values, which he readily reels off. “I can’t emphasize enough how much I believe in them,” he says.

Patel recalls Scardapane saying Saladworks would help him be successful and telling him, “We’re going to make money together.” Scardapane, Steck and Henderson all visited Durham to scout sites for Patel’s Saladworks. “Just the fact that they came down here made me feel better,” Patel notes.

The team attitude and personal attention at Saladworks is much appreciated. At other chains, “you are either a franchisee or the franchisor. You are a franchise, if you know what I mean,” Patel notes. For Patel, it is worth mentioning that the executive leadership knows him on a first-name basis.

Up next for Saladworks is national and international expan-sion, with the company projecting an estimated total 500 franchise locations by 2015. In addition to more Saladworks planned for the East Coast, the company will be establishing footholds in Texas and Louisiana and setting up more locations in California. New menu items and combo options will be rolled out soon. Saladworks is also tinkering with its catering program to add “make your own” options.

Jena Henderson, vice president of brand services, knows where she’s going at Saladworks because John Scardapane knows where the company is going.

“I’ll retire here. I’ll never work for another brand other than Saladworks,” says Henderson. “I think that’s because of John. And not just him personally, but because of the brand that he’s built. John always knows where he’s going and has such a clear vision for the future and becoming the greatest restaurant brand in the country.”

What CEO doesn’t want to hear that from an employee? Cultivating talented, loyal workers is an ongoing process and an essential part of strong leadership. Scardapane’s

strategy includes the following:

HIRE LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS. “Everybody here is 100 percent on board with our core values,” Scardapane says. “You’ll know pretty quick if you hire someone that doesn’t have the same values as you do. They won’t last very long.”

BE DECISIVE, PARTICULARLY IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. “You have to be able to calmly make quick, decisive decisions and give instructions,” says Scardapane. “As long as [employees] see that you’re leading and making decisions, they’ll support you as best they can.”

HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY. Saladworks employees know they can talk to Scardapane. As he points out, “I would be upset if there was something they wanted to talk to me about and they didn’t do it.”

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1986: John Scardapane founds Saladworks and opens his first store in the Cherry Hill Mall.2001: Saladworks begins franchising to the public, opening 24 locations. 2003: 70 total franchise locations open.2005: Saladworks expands to 87 total franchise locations.2008: Commerce Bank founder Vernon Hill joins Saladworks as chairman of the executive

committee.2008: Saladworks debuts its new 3G design at its 100th store opening in Mount Laurel, NJ. 2009: Saladworks is first named the No. 1 salad franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine.2010: Saladworks expands outside its core market, signing franchise deals in California,

Texas, Louisiana, Maryland and Delaware. 2011: First Saladworks opens in Southern California. 2011: John Scardapane is named 2011 Philadelphia SmartCEO magazine CEO of the Year. 2015: 500 Saladworks locations projected to open worldwide.

A Salad Evolution 25 years of Saladworks – past, present and future

Scardapane explains. “They all know me, so it’s a little difficult anyway.”Helping his franchisees grow as business people is one of the most rewarding

parts of Scardapane’s job. “I love to see the success of not only the home office, but the franchisees,” he says. “When they become successful, it’s just a great feeling to have that you were some part of that somehow.”

There are no longer any lingering doubts in Scardapane’s mind that he made the right choices for Saladworks and himself. “Now I’m in it for life,” he chuckles. “I tell people all the time, my exit strategy is death.” CEO

Expanding within the U.S. will be business as usual. Taking Saladworks global, however, is another thing, says Scardapane. Deals are underway to bring Saladworks to London and the Middle East, he says.

In particular, Saladworks has to do its homework on the Middle East to under-stand what cultural differences might have an impact on the business. For example, Muslim countries do not serve pork, so bacon – one of the most popular ingredients in the U.S. – is off menu, Scardapane explains.

Saladworks must also iron out procurement issues and chart projected growth so it can set up its infrastructure first. Saladworks cannot sell any franchises before the infrastructure is in place, Scardapane says, noting that this helps the company anticipate or avoid problems down the road.

faith lost and foundWith so many plans for the future, it’s hard to believe that Scardapane once seri-

ously considered walking away from the whole operation. Saladworks, like most chains, has seen franchises close despite the company’s

overall growth. One such closure led to a crisis of faith for Scardapane. A building contractor sued Saladworks in 1999 because a franchisee failed to pay the contractor and then abandoned his store. The parties ultimately settled.

“It was very disturbing for me personally because I believe that if you always do what you say, and you do the right thing, you’ll never be sued or lose a lawsuit,” Scardapane says. “Well, that wasn’t the case. We weren’t as prepared as we should have been for the lawsuit.”

For the first time, Scardapane wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with the com-pany. “I really did some soul-searching and for a period of time I considered selling Saladworks and remaining on as a franchisee.” He talked to some prospects that were interested in buying Saladworks, but admits, “I couldn’t find anyone who I wanted to lead my friends or me.”

His commitment to Saladworks was renewed, Scardapane says, “by seeing how many people out there are really not honest and not genuine and not good in the business world. And I thought, I just couldn’t turn this over to someone like that.”

Scardapane’s strong convictions also translate into strong sense of modesty, and he is generally reluctant to tout his accomplishments. This makes vice president of public relations Gail Scardapane’s job difficult at times.

“We’ve done a lot of charity work, and for many years, John said it’s not charity if you give money or goods or services to a charity and then expect to get something for it, like publicity. It’s called advertising,” says Gail, who is also John’s wife.

She says it took some time for her to convince Scardapane to list the charities and organizations Saladworks supports on the company’s website, which include Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Utley’s All-Stars and Philabundance. Even the charities were a little puzzled by his refusal to take any credit, she adds.

But the biggest public relations challenge so far was creating an in-house PR department after working with an outside agency. “I learned that while an agency can do a good job for you, they have a lot of clients and they can only give you a certain amount of time,” says Gail. “Nobody is going to have the passion for the brand like you will.”

Gail joined Saladworks 14 years ago and learned the business in a variety of jobs, including food procurement and working with potential franchisees. Because they worked together and carpooled together, the Scardapanes made a rule – no talking shop after 8 p.m. “We have four children. There’s a lot to talk about,” Gail notes.

Scardapane says the best decision he ever made was to work with his wife. “When you are so passionately involved in something, it’s good for both spouses to under-stand what’s going on,” he says. Both spouses understand the highs and lows of the business and can spend time together.

Maintaining a balance between work and family is important to Scardapane, who never misses his children’s baseball games or recitals, no matter how much he travels, Gail notes.

The family recently moved from Cherry Hill to Villanova, where Gail grew up. Scardapane says he relaxes by cooking on the weekends and spending time with Gail and his children, Alexandra, 20, Anthony, 19, Isabella, 9, and Sabrina, 7. The family goes out to dinner frequently, and every Friday night is date night for the Scardapa-nes.

One thing they never do is make a surprise visit to a Saladworks for a bite to eat and a secret assessment. “I don’t think it’s the right thing to do to a franchisee,”

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