Peppo’s Subs Offers Turnkey Franchise Opportunities

Matt Ginnetti grew up in Joliet and had never heard of Peppo’s Subs until his friend and partner Nick Roupas came to him with a franchise opportunity. Ginnetti stopped into the Palos Hills location and ordered a sandwich. With his first taste, “instantly, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of,” Ginnetti says.

Soon after, Ginnetti brought his then-fiance Rachel to the restaurant. “I didn’t tell her about the franchise opportunity. I told her ‘Just try this. I just want you to try it.’ (Name) took a bite and said, “Woah. What is this? This is unbelievable.” We both just fell in love with the product, so it [made the franchise decision] a no-brainer.”

Ginnetti also had the perfect business partner in mind, his life-long friend Matt Giermala.

Hungry Hippies

Founder Jim Peplowski, Mr. Peppo, opened Peppo’s Subs when he was 28, after serving in the U.S. Army. He and his friends were “simply hungry hippies” who created the shop’s signature, punchy sandwich topping called “GUTS”, a taste-bud-exploding blend of tomatoes, onions, and diced pickles with Peppo’s proprietary seasoning blend and dressing. That flavor, along with a deep commitment to outstanding customer service and service to the community, has built generations of loyal customers who’ve been enjoying Peppo’s Subs at 103rd and Roberts Road for over 48 years.

Robert Peplowski, Jim’s son, also served in the Army. When he joined his dad in the restaurant, he began to think, “What about Peppo Jr.? What is in our future?” Peppo’s Subs had saturated the Palos area and some of their team members had been working at the shop for five to ten years. “I realized we needed to expand to do what’s right for everyone on our team. With franchising, we could promote from within; we could create a real career path where employees could progress from entry level to management to a franchise owner.”

Creating A Method for Success

An avid reader and life-long learner, Peplowski ate up everything he could about successful franchises and also about those who couldn’t stick the landing. “I wanted to learn about the good, the bad and all the hiccups. Who expanded but kept it good?” and in some cases, “Why are they not in love with you anymore?” Peplowski, determined to keep Peppo’s “mom and pop” feeling while expanding, had a thorough template planned by the time he reached out to an experienced lawyer who specialized in franchises. “Franchising is nuanced and niched. It’s important to have a really good, specialty attorney. They know the particulars and you get their experience. It’s also important to be as prepared as possible going in, because even when you are prepared, it’s a long, arduous process.”

In franchising, Peplowski notes, “It should be good for both parties. It should give everyone protection. Our agreement was built to be robust. It was a very tedious, cumbersome process, and it took about three to four times longer than I thought it would, but it’s about three to four times better too. It’s more complete and it checks all the boxes. I would never do it differently.”

The new partners in the Orland Park Peppo’s Subs location agree. Roupas & Associates accounting firm has worked with Peppo’s Subs for generations. “My dad was Peppo’s accountant from the very beginning, and now Robert and I work together,” says Nick Roupas, CPA with the firm. Roupas brought Peppo’s Subs to Ginnetti and Giermala’s attention, spearheading what would be the restaurant’s very first franchise. “Matt, Matt and I have worked together and I know these guys are energetic, ambitious and hardworking. It was the perfect storm; people and product I believe in. I know how Robert runs the business, and it’s the best sub you’ll ever have,” says Roupas.

Veterans and First Responders

What makes this combination especially dynamic is their collective backgrounds. Peplowski served in the military and both Giermala and Ginnetti are firefighters. Structure, processes, goals, and ethics are first and foremost with the team. “I’ve found that if you lead with greed,” says Giermala, “you will always get burned. The ownership team at Peppo’s blew me away. I met Robert in January and I feel like I’ve known him for 20 years. Our values, our work ethic and our investment in people are totally aligned. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and a real passion for hard work. I am just a motivated person and have been looking for the right thing to do. I believe it’s really important to put people and processes first, and profits will come. Robert agrees with this and lives by it.”

Hiring and promoting service members is a key part of that ethic. Service-owned and service-operated isn’t just an empty motto. In fact, Malcolm Ward joined Peplowski’s restaurant team after serving with him in the Army and was instrumental in establishing the foundation of the new Orland Park location. Giermala says, “The cherry on the top is that it’s true – it’s veterans and first responders owning and operating these restaurants.”

Ginnetti says, “We’re also able to hire several of Robert’s current employees, so we’ll have ‘Aces in Places’ immediately, which takes the stress off hiring. I know the word ‘opportunity’ is used a lot, but rewards happen here. People start in entry level, can move up the chain into management and could be a future franchise owner. Robert has all the processes lined up; they are easy to understand – all the why and how. They are easy to pick up, read and implement. People are ready for whatever happens and know they will be rewarded.”

Peplowski calls it the Blueprint to Success. “It’s a proven model, turnkey and sustainable. We give them exactly what they need to succeed.”

“Finding a profitable, sound business is easy,” Giermala continues. “Finding one with core values that you can trust is a lot more difficult. There’s no one else but Matt that I would do this with. We are there day-to-day, each other’s right-hand man. We are super confident in this.”

A chance encounter while working in Peppo’s Subs new food truck really sealed the deal for Giermala. “We were at Orland Summerfest and a woman couldn’t decide which sandwich she wanted to try – and then we were waiting for a restock on some ingredients for the sandwich she did choose. I told her to come back and we’d have it for her. Well, the ingredients came, I made the sandwich and I found her and gave it to her. She came back to the truck and told me it was the best sub she’d ever eaten and she was so glad she waited. She gave me a big hug. It made me so excited about what we’re doing here in Orland Park. We are so happy to bring Peppo’s Subs here.”

The first-ever Peppo’s Subs franchise is located at 9386 W 159th Street in Orland Park, on the northeast corner of 159th Street and 94th Avenue. Since celebrating their grand opening in October, the Peppo’s team has thrown itself supporting local causes, including High School District 230, with fundraisers and giveaways, establishing the shop as a committed contributor to the quality of life in the surrounding community.

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