Why I love My CEO

By Carly Levison What makes a good boss? As the economic crisis in the United States continues, this question often arises. Now more than ever,  employees rely on strong leadership from their corporate executives to make sure the business is on the right track. This is particularly important for a franchise brand because the CEO has the opportunity to set the tone for the entire company. Dan Dizio, CEO of Philly Pretzel Factory manages over 100 locations and was recently featured on the hit CBS TV series “Undercover Boss.”   We interviewed five different Philly Pretzel Factory franchise owners to find out what makes Dan Dizio such a great boss. Steve Miele – Philly Pretzel Factory on Armingo Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1. Dedicated – Dan is completely dedicated to the Philly Pretzel Factory brand. When you speak with Dan, you can see that he is always trying to find ways to improve and move the company forward.
2. Approachable – Dan is a personable and approachable CEO. At some companies you don’t get the chance to know or interact with your corporate executives, but Dan is very accessible. I would never hesitate to call Dan if I had a problem.
3. Involved – Dan is involved in all aspects of the business, not just the corporate work.  He is not afraid to “get his hands dirty” at any location and help out from the floor level.
4. Family Orientated – I like that Dan is a family oriented businessman. I think this is reflected in his work because he understands the concerns of franchise owners (like myself) who run a business and also have as family.
5. Committed – Dan is truly committed to his business and is not afraid to work hard to work around the clock to make sure each location succeeds. It is not uncommon for Dan to work at night or on the weekends. In fact, when I was trying to secure my location, there was an issue and Dan came to pick me up at 8AM on a Sunday morning to go meet with our landlord.

Michael Gabbett, Philly Pretzel Factory – Bensalem, Pennsylvania

1. Passionate – I have worked with Dan for many years. He is very passionate about his business and makes every decision for the best interest of the company. He wants to be sure the product is the highest quality and secured at the best price from the vendors.
2. Aggressive – Dan is very aggressive with every vendor and wants to ensure that he secures the highest quality products at the best price.
3. Hard working - He is extremely hard working and is always making connections to help grow the business.
4. “No-Nonsense” – Dan has a great attitude and doesn’t waste anyone’s time when it comes to making business decisions. Dan is a very driven individual. He knows exactly what he wants and will do what it takes to help the company succeed.
5. Successful – Dan wants what is best each franchisee and he makes sure he goes out of his way for everyone to help them succeed.

Don Moiso – Philly Pretzel Factory in Somers Point and Ocean City,  New Jersey

1. Supportive – Dan has been supportive and helpful with both of our Philly Pretzel locations. We knew right from the start that we wanted to open an additional location on the boardwalk and he made it happen for us. He went out of his way to inspect our location to be sure it would be a great fit for our store
2. Dedicated- Dan comes to visit our store almost every weekend. It is a rarity that we don’t see Dan at one of our locations during the week.
3. Accessible – We know that we can call Dan if we ever had a question or needed his advice about our business.
4. Creative – Dan is an entrepreneur and he is constantly coming up with great, innovative ideas to help the business succeed. Philly Pretzel is our first franchise experience and Dan made this transition very easy for us. We used to manage our own business and we weren’t sure what to expect with a franchise, but Dan gives us enough latitude with in the business to make it our own.
5. Hands on – Dan didn’t create this brand overnight by sitting in an office. Dan created this incredible business model through years of research, hard work and planning.

Megan Burke – Philly Pretzel Factory on Naaman’s Road in Wilmington, Delaware.

1. Passionate – Dan is very passionate about the Philly Pretzel Factory. His passion is echoed in everything he does and it was particularly evident when he was featured on “Undercover Boss”.
2. Creative – Dan is innovative and creative thinker who is always looking for different ways to grow the brand. For example, the “World's Largest Chicken Egg Hunt” featured on ESPN to help promote the new Buffalo Chicken Pretzel was a fun way to promote the brand.
3. Gritty- Dan understands the value of a dollar. He is very aggressive and honest with our vendors, to be sure he gets the best price possible for our products. As a business owner in this economy, I think it is very important to make every dollar stretch in order to maximize our process.
4. Young and fun – Dan is really just a fun guy to work for. He is able to keep up on any important trends and always finds a way to incorporate the Philly Pretzel brand.
5. Successful- Not every person can walk down the street and say that they manage 100 plus franchise locations. Dan is very proud of his work and is very successful with his business.

Marques Chandler, Elkton, Maryland

1. Changed my life – I love Dan Dizio because he changed my life. Dan offered me my own Philly Pretzel location after seeing my hard work on Undercover Boss.  It was a turning point in my life and I can’t thank him enough for the opportunity to support my family.
2. Honorable – Dan will always honor his word and follows through with everything he sets out to do. Dan is not afraid to admit his mistakes, which is something many corporate officers have trouble doing.
3. Family orientated – Dan is not a “corporate machine” because he understands what is important to business owners, such as saving money for their child’s college education. This makes Dan a very approachable and friendly CEO.
4. Driven – Dan wants to make sure each location succeeds and will go out of his way for any of his employees to make sure they are on the right track.
5. Successful – Dan has been incredibly successful building the Philly Pretzel brand because is determined to help every location succeed.