Out of work? Some strike out on their own as entrepreneurs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/728492.html

By COURTENAY EDELHART, Californian staff writer
[e-mail] | Saturday, Mar 28 2009 12:00 PM

Last Updated: Friday, Mar 27 2009 5:16 PM

After more than a decade with a home builder, Russ Johnson found himself out of work.

It was 2007. The real estate market had gone belly up, and his employer didn’t need a vice president of land acquisition anymore.


Russ Johnson is the owner of Firehouse, a sports bar and restaurant on White Lane, east of Gosford Road. He was laid off from a job working for a home builder and decided to open this establishment a few weeks ago.


So Johnson decided to change careers. Earlier this month, he opened Firehouse, a new firefighter themed restaurant in southwest Bakersfield.

“In a way I was in better shape than a lot of my co-workers, because I already had experience with family-owned businesses,” he said.

Johnson’s family owns sports bar The Corner Pocket and pool table retailer Billiards and Barstools.

FULL story at link.

[Hannah Bell]

1. who will his customers be? if he's successful, who will he be taking business away from?

[Ikonoklast]

2. I wish him good luck at his endeavor.

But, oh my, I would hate to be in the restaurant business right now. In good times the failure rate is high.

[Mugweed]

3. How long before people see that he's never been a fireman

and decide not to patronize a sham establishment?

[tomreedtoon]

4. At least Firehouse Subs was "founded by firemen."

True. It was established by two firemen whose father was a fire chief. They often do work with fire companies, and all their restaurants have huge murals showing the local fire companies at work.

Not only that, their mostly-steamed subs are pretty good, and they have a ton of hot sauces, including their own "Captain Sorensen's" sauce.

(No, I don't work there. But the place is good, and competes effectively with Subway. And I like them even better since they finally got Faux News off their in-store TV sets.)

[catnhatnh]

5. Pssssst.....

The "Olive Garden" isn't.....