Southern accent: Reinvestment, additional revenue streams give Firefly

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The recipe was a hit. Firefly’s revenue went to $7.7 milliob last year from $6.8 milliob in 2007, and Uliss’ goal is to hit $8 million this But Firefly’s is definitelyt feeling the dimming effects of the Uliss said the average check size at his restaurante is down byabout $3 to $4 per And while Uliss has taken some steps to reducre operational costs and lure more diners through the door, one thingh that is helping Firefly’s weather the downtur n has been Uliss’ efforts to expanfd his business model over the years. “In this econom y right now, it is very difficultf for restaurants to bejust restaurants.
Profit margins have shrunk so much, it helps to have other revenue the 46-year-old entrepreneur said. Five yearsz ago, he added Dante’s, an in-house blues club and sports bar featuring live acts everg Friday andSaturday night, to his 8,700-square-foot, 287-seat location in When he opened his third location a 7,500-square-foot, 243-seat spot in Quincy in 2007, he also included a Dante’s club component.
Ulissa says Dante’s has boosted his food and beverage sales annuall y byabout $300,000 in Marlborough and $200,000 in Additional growth has come from Firefly’s catering which serves about 1,200 clientes and represents about $1 million of Firefly’as total revenue. With competition coming from both traditional cateringv firms and other Ulisssays he’s emphasizing customization with his orders and providing both semi- and full-service catering, as well as drop-ofd deliveries. “They’re all so professionao and fun towork with,” said catering client Shaileen Santoro, marketing managert for JAM’N 94.5 at Clear Channel Radipo Boston.
“You don’t have to worry abou anything.” A key investment for Firefly’es was its food production commissary, which Ulisxs opened in Marlborough in March 2008 at a cost ofabout $150,000p — the financing for which he obtainef from Marlborough Savings Bank. The commissary, whicn operates under a separated corporation, Firefly’s Management Co. LLC, providexs prepared foods for thethree Firefly’ s restaurants. “The commissary has definitely improver the quality and consistencyt ofour food,” Uliss said.
Firefly’s is also selling its own line ofproductds (the manufacturing for which is done in Chicago) — currently, three different sauces and one dry-rub — in about 25 retail venues in Massachusetts, including Shaw’d Supermarkets. Those products currently generateabouyt $70,000 annually in sales, Uliss said. A veterab of the Boston restaurant scene, Uliss launched the first Firefly’d location in Marlborough in 2001 for about $800,000 (he has a business partner, Miles in all three locations). A 168-seat location in Framingham followed in followed by the Quincy locationj fouryears later, for which he took on two privater financial investors.
With a strong team behind him, Uliss says he firmlyt believes in staying in close contact withhis customers: “You must be visible withij your business,” he said. He’a planning to open a fourth location — a 20- to 50-seay venue, tentatively titled Firefly’s on the Fly at the end of this year or early next Uliss is currently researching locationzs inthe Worcester/Central Mass. area, as well as the 128 “Steve gets it: He understandsx you have to have agreatg product,” said industry colleague Jim owner of four Fuddruckers New England franchisesa in Massachusetts. “You have to have grear service.
And you have to have good In a sign of theeconomicd times, Uliss has made some cost-saving moves. Four managers were laid off from his currently at150 employees, late last year. The number of menu itemss has been reduced by about 20percent (items rangr in price from $3.99 to $21.99). And, he’s cut the cost to producd the menus themselves by replacinglarge spiral-bound books with a two-sided Firefly’s is also providing speciales to help drive traffic to the restaurants: On kids eat free. On Tuesdays, all platters are $10. On diners get two meal s for $20. And on Thursdays, he’ws offering three-meat combos for $14.99.
“We’ree all going at it the same way — we’rse trying to deliver great value to the consume r and get the bodies in the he said.