Yummy Lunch! Waldo's.....

[gravy boat]

Good afternoon,

Just a quick note to share a very positive lunch experience today at Waldo's. I've been craving a cheesesteak and having grown up in NJ, I have a hard time finding one close to the "Philly Cheesesteak" (not the cheez-wiz version, but the melted prov version). I told my husband that I want to check out the cheesesteaks at Waldo's, so we headed in at about 12:30 or so. Great choice! Excellent cheesesteak -- fried onions, peppers and mushrooms. The fries were outstanding -- though I prefer the fries when they are a little overcooked than most people. Hubby had the Pastrami w/Swiss and added fried onions and peppers -- he said it was outstanding.

We will bring the three girlies next weekend for lunch for sure -- thank you Waldo's for a great lunch and excellent service!

GB

[gravy boat]

So we put Waldo's to the ultimate test -- could they satisfy four hungry girls who were VERY picky?

Two bacon cheeseburgers; one regular cheeseburger; one sausage sub with American Cheese (she's 9 and hasn't yet learned the value of provolone).

Service was great -- waitress was friendly, courteous and prompt and joked with the girls.
Food was excellent -- each burger eater said it was the best they ever had.
And the sausage sub disappeared very quickly, except for some bread -- she needed to save room for the "yummy fries".

Hubby and I had what we had the prior weekend -- it was so good the first time that we ordered the same. Maybe next time we'll try something new -- but the hot pastrami and the cheesesteak were outstanding again.

Waldo's definitely passed the "Girlie Test".

[pats fan]

I was talking to some people the other night at Fratello's and they said that Pepper and Waldo are no longer the owners or involved at all with Waldo Pepper's. I was told that Waldo fixes cars full time and Pepper works at Lowe's. These folks said they have nothing at all to do with the place. Does anyone know if this is true?

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by pats fan

I was talking to some people the other night at Fratello's and they said that Pepper and Waldo are no longer the owners or involved at all with Waldo Pepper's. I was told that Waldo fixes cars full time and Pepper works at Lowe's. These folks said they have nothing at all to do with the place. Does anyone know if this is true?

Pepper has posted before that she and Waldo choose to take other jobs so that they can employ more people at the restaurant vs. if they worked there themselves. Haven't heard anything about them selling their interest in it though.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

Pepper has posted before that she and Waldo choose to take other jobs so that they can employ more people at the restaurant vs. if they worked there themselves. Haven't heard anything about them selling their interest in it though.

That just sounds odd. How many more people does that employ 3 or 4?

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by dpg

That just sounds odd. How many more people does that employ 3 or 4?

I didn't say that I agreed with the logic, just passing on the information

[Waterbaby]

Regarding ownership of Waldo's:

[URL="http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5841"/URL]

[COLOR="blue"]And this, from the same thread, regarding why Pepper and Waldo aren't as visible at Waldo's:[/COLOR]

(Post #47, from Pepper) As most longtime readers of this forum know, I have been working for Lowe's since November of 2006. When it becomes difficult to survive an economic downturn, one must do what one must do. I must admit it's awfully nice to work for a large corporation, as they provide health insurance, dental, disability and a 401K as well.
Waldo has in fact spent the winter months doing automotive work. Once again, one must do what one must do.

Our youngest son who has always worked with us, also has a second job outside of Waldo's as well. He's heading off to college in the fall, and needs to earn as much as he can for tuition.

Gail has been a manager at Waldo's for the past six years, and since I have been working elsewhere she has very nicely filled my shoes! Her sister, her son, and her neice are all valued members of the staff at Waldo's as well. We also seasonally employ numerous foreign students, as well as local students. Much of the reasoning behind our working elsewhere is that it enables us to continue providing employment to these loyal employees - if the business does not have to support us, it can support them.

Now, to answer the question of who does the cooking - everybody who works there contributes to the effort. We have always lived by the philosophy that involving staff members in each step of the process engages them in the product, which instills pride in their work, and understanding of the hard work put forth by their team mates.

We have been blessed with many fabulous employees over the years, and look forward to providing them a new workplace where they can enjoy year-round traffic.

I will continue to work for Lowe's, as it makes the best economic sense for our future. I can do so knowing that our hardworking and loyal staff are ready to continue the traditions we have all worked so hard to build.

Hope this helps!

[dpg]

I've been working for a very large company for years. I always say I would love to own my own business (and work there.) Guess the grass truely always is greener.

[Tiger Lilly]

WHERE is Waldo's located???

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Tiger Lilly

WHERE is Waldo's located???

The new Waldo Peppers is located in Gilford across from the Walmart entrance.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by Waterbaby

Regarding ownership of Waldo's:

[URL="http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5841"/URL]

[COLOR="blue"]And this, from the same thread, regarding why Pepper and Waldo aren't as visible at Waldo's:[/COLOR]

(Post #47, from Pepper) As most longtime readers of this forum know, I have been working for Lowe's since November of 2006. When it becomes difficult to survive an economic downturn, one must do what one must do. I must admit it's awfully nice to work for a large corporation, as they provide health insurance, dental, disability and a 401K as well.
Waldo has in fact spent the winter months doing automotive work. Once again, one must do what one must do.

Our youngest son who has always worked with us, also has a second job outside of Waldo's as well. He's heading off to college in the fall, and needs to earn as much as he can for tuition.

Gail has been a manager at Waldo's for the past six years, and since I have been working elsewhere she has very nicely filled my shoes! Her sister, her son, and her neice are all valued members of the staff at Waldo's as well. We also seasonally employ numerous foreign students, as well as local students. Much of the reasoning behind our working elsewhere is that it enables us to continue providing employment to these loyal employees - if the business does not have to support us, it can support them.

Now, to answer the question of who does the cooking - everybody who works there contributes to the effort. We have always lived by the philosophy that involving staff members in each step of the process engages them in the product, which instills pride in their work, and understanding of the hard work put forth by their team mates.

We have been blessed with many fabulous employees over the years, and look forward to providing them a new workplace where they can enjoy year-round traffic.

I will continue to work for Lowe's, as it makes the best economic sense for our future. I can do so knowing that our hardworking and loyal staff are ready to continue the traditions we have all worked so hard to build.

Hope this helps!

I'm sorry, but it seems their business model cannot support the owners- I keep reading the above and keep trying to rationalize why they bother.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

I'm sorry, but it seems their business model cannot support the owners- I keep reading the above and keep trying to rationalize why they bother.

Why do they bother? Maybe because they are hard working individuals doing everything in their power to run a successful business? Maybe because they don't like to take handouts? Maybe because they aren't quitters? Too bad there weren't more folks around like them. Because if there were, the USA wouldn't be on track to becoming a mirror image of France.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by secondcurve

Why do they bother? Maybe because they are hard working individuals doing everything in their power to run a successful business? Maybe because they don't like to take handouts? Maybe because they aren't quitters? Too bad there weren't more folks around like them. Because if there were, the USA wouldn't be on track to becoming a mirror image of France.

It is not a matter of "quitting", it is a matter of knowing when to move on. They are not taking handouts- they are working their @sses off working multiple jobs to keep some people employed. Over the past 2 decades there has been this desire on the part of many to be self employed- the grass is always greener. Unfortunately the majority of those people end up with relatively low paying jobs. By the time they pay their bills, employees, taxes, insurance, they take home a modest paycheck at best. That is what I mean by a business model that does not work. Read pepper's post a few times and really do the math.

I've been to France- nice country, some nice people, some not so nice- quite frankly, not much different than the US.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

It is not a matter of "quitting", it is a matter of knowing when to move on. They are not taking handouts- they are working their @sses off working multiple jobs to keep some people employed. Over the past 2 decades there has been this desire on the part of many to be self employed- the grass is always greener. Unfortunately the majority of those people end up with relatively low paying jobs. By the time they pay their bills, employees, taxes, insurance, they take home a modest paycheck at best. That is what I mean by a business model that does not work. Read pepper's post a few times and really do the math.

I've been to France- nice country, some nice people, some not so nice- quite frankly, not much different than the US.

You are assuming that the only revenue the business makes goes to payroll. I have to assume the business is profitable above the payroll and operational needs, or at least it has the potential after some reasonable time. Now as far as why Pepper and Waldo don't work there - it could be a simple matter of they make more at Lowe's and car repair then what they need to pay for the people that replace them at the restaurant, particularly if you take benefits into effect.

I'm not seeing this as hard to understand as you are.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by Steveo

You are assuming that the only revenue the business makes goes to payroll. I have to assume the business is profitable above the payroll and operational needs, or at least it has the potential after some reasonable time. Now as far as why Pepper and Waldo don't work there - it could be a simple matter of they make more at Lowe's and car repair then what they need to pay for the people that replace them at the restaurant, particularly if you take benefits into effect.

I'm not seeing this as hard to understand as you are.

Steve, please read my previous post- I am not making the assumption that their revenue goes to solely to payroll. By bills I refer to rent, food cost, heat electricity, advertising, maintenance, etc. It is a brutal business to be in and quite frankly, it is even tougher when you are an absentee owner.

I really don't want to be using WPs as an economic example- it is just the thought that entered my head when I read the post about them working other places. From what I have heard, they are nice folks. I have eaten at the old location on more than one occasion and enjoyed some great Lobstah rolls.

The only way time will help them become profitable or more profitable is if they build the business up or if costs go down. Unless they own the real estate and are about to pay it off, costs will not go down significantly.

IMO, there are few businesses that can cut costs to become profitable anyway. So they have to build business- in their industry through advertising, both paid and word of mouth (again IMO, this is more important ie. this forum). I went to the website http://www.waldopeppers.net/ that had a temporary menu and directions posted earlier this summer (see post by Don in other thread) but that is now just showing a parked notice and even advertising Chilis restaurant.

Help me understand- if I had a business that was profitable enough to pay me as much as a job at Lowes along with benefits, I sure would be working at my own place, building that up, not toiling at Lowes. This is only my opinion and I only posted originally because I kept reading it and scratching my head.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

Help me understand- if I had a business that was profitable enough to pay me as much as a job at Lowes along with benefits, I sure would be working at my own place, building that up, not toiling at Lowes. This is only my opinion and I only posted originally because I kept reading it and scratching my head.

My point was that their business could be profitable now and I am assuming it wouldn't be any more profitable if they worked there themselves versus hiring trusted employees. So if they can make more at Lowe's then what they pay the "trusted employees" then they are increasing overall personal profit. Why should they need to work there if the above is true.

[upthesaukee]

I'm sure that if you talked to Waldo & Pepper, it is not just the wages. As we all get older, there are thoughts towards our later years...retirement, health insurance, disability insurance; which are things that as a business owner we are not necessarily able to afford.

It is not just enough to live and make a living...you have to plan for your future, and it would appear that that is what they are doing, while still maintaining the restaurant.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by Steveo

My point was that their business could be profitable now and I am assuming it wouldn't be any more profitable if they worked there themselves versus hiring trusted employees. So if they can make more at Lowe's then what they pay the "trusted employees" then they are increasing overall personal profit. Why should they need to work there if the above is true.

Ok, I will cease but with one final comment- I have never seen a business operate more smoothly or profitably when the owners are not there-trusted employees or not.

[pats fan]

I know I started a lot of this controversy when I posted about Waldo and Pepper not working at the restaurant. The people I talked to at Fratellos said that Waldo and Pepper are not actually the only owners. I was "told" they are now partners with a couple, I think the name was Hutchins or Hutshinson? I did not bring this up because I wanted to see if anyone knew about it to reinforce the story before I told something untrue. Since that time I have done some sniffing around and found out that indeed Waldo and Pepper are not the only owners. That must be the reason they have alternate jobs. It is tough enough to make a living in the restaurant business but if it is split between two couples it must be near impossible. I wish them all the best of luck in making it work. I have not eaten there in a while but my latest experience was good.

[sa meredith]

If you look back at the thread where it was announced they were leaving the Weirs location, Pepper did indeed post that they now were partners with another couple.

[White Rook]

The wife and I ate dinner at Waldo Pepper's yesterday on our way home. As always, the place was very clean. We we're the only folks in the place but I overheard that we just missed the 'afternoon rush'. I ordered the single stuffed lobster roll and the wife ordered the 1/2 sandwich chicken parm.

Both meals were excellent! My lobster roll was packed with claws and tail meat with a few thin strands of leg meat to hold it all together. The fries and cole slaw were also very good. The wife's sandwich was also 'stuffed' and was quite tasty as well.

The service was excellent and the waitress checked with us often. All in all it was a delicious meal and enjoyable visit. We bought a $25.00 gift certificate for our son who is going up next week for Bike Week.

Best Wishes,
Stevie