03/05/2026
Hello Everyone, I have been reading your posts since the Feb. 28 sale. I wish I could comment to everyone however in my position, impossible. So, I will discuss the ones that were most requested. Beginning with shipping to homes: In the past we have had other companies handle this for us. One was a major TV merchandise seller, name we cannot reveal, who sent the product out without proper freezing methods. The result was hundreds of complaints about thawed soggy product. The next was an independant gentleman of Phila. He was also putting together food trucks associated with us and how he did not like to pay us on time. We also tried to ship ourselves and put a ton of time into it. The bottom line was, after putting the system together, A WASTE of our time and efforts on our part. 95% of the folks declined because of the price. Here is the breakdown, price of product for six-$28.00. Price for the insulated cooler $40.00. Dry ice if shipped ground- 10 to 25 dollars. Overnight air Fedex $150 to $350. Ground was less but limited to 2/3 days due to the dry ice dissipation. So most orders were overnight air. And , this was only for a bag of six large Panzarotti. Get more, then the weight goes up and so does the price. Add it all up guys. NO SALE. We have been unable to find a company with ties to nationwide cheaper distribution. So, in response to this we started to ship product to Restaurants nationwide, via Frozen Foods Freight, since we cannot get our main outside distributor to do it. We had to stop shipping to the West Coast due to shipping costs which the customer has to pay. WE ARE SHIPPING TO FLORIDA AND TENNESSEE. Other operators in Virginia, N. Carolina California, Colorado HAVE gone out of business or chose not to buy them anymore due to shipping costs. Information on who is selling our product is on our Sales News page on the website. If you investigate you will find the prices are higher due to shipping costs. Let me know your thoughts. Now on to the next item, HOT ONES HERE. During the Pandemic, we could not sell them and it was a loss financially even before that time, so we closed it up. After discussing this with Leo again, we have this under consideration since times have changed dramatically. We would have to extend our hours which I am sure many of you would be happy to see. The main question is can we afford to do it?? We have not made a profit in this business since we moved here in 2003. With payroll at a staggering 49% of our gross sales, which should be 28%, this is part of the reason we have our quarterly sale, helps pay the bills. Having the sale on a Saturday helps us because we don't have the time during weekdays. So, I have given you a touch of our situation. We are seriously considering opening the retail back up, one person operation. Maybe a three day a week thing, with a Hot sale involved possibly once a month. Your Thoughts? Dean Hahn (GM) for Leo Tarantini
