A. Treacher's Fish & Chips
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips
1111 Marcus Avenue
Suite M27
Lake Success
NY 11042-1034
Telephone: +1 (516) 918 3300
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A. Treacher's Fish & Chips
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About Arthur Treacher's
Founded in 1969, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips thrived in the 70's and into the
80's as an alternative to the usual burgers, chicken, pizza and hot dogs that
make up most fast-food offerings.
Founded in 1969, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips thrived in the 70's and into the
80's as an alternative to the usual burgers, chicken, pizza and hot dogs that
make up most fast-food offerings. The seafood chain grew fast and in the 90s was
bought by Bruce Galloway, a turnaround specialist and Internet entrepreneur in
Manhattan.
Jeffrey Bernstein, the president and chief executive of Arthur Treacher's was,
at the time, a food broker and executive of the Cooky's Steak Pub chain, eyeing
turnaround opportunities of his own. In June 1998, Mr. Bernstein said he
happened to overhear a conversation in bankruptcy court in White Plains between
two lawyers who were talking about Pudgie's Famous Chicken. Founded 20 years ago
in Bethpage, the Pudgie's chain specialized in skinless fried chicken that was
promoted as having 25 percent less fat and cholesterol. After expanding rapidly,
the chain found itself undercapitalized and in financial duress.
He bought the chain and in 2000 Bruce Galloway approached Jeffrey Bernstein with
an idea for a partnership: Arthur Treacher's restaurants would offer Pudgie's
items on their menus, and vice versa in a strategy known as co-branding. The two
chain merged into Arthur Treacher's Inc. under the umbrella of the Digital
Creative Development Corporation, Mr. Galloway's investment company.
Jeffrey Bernstein quickly closed about 20 underperforming Arthur Treacher's
locations. He culled unpopular items from the menu, then introduced new items,
like fried mozzarella sticks and jalapeńo poppers, that veered from the chain's
English seafood motif but seemed to appeal to younger customers.
Thanks to co-branding, Arthur Treacher's is not just seafood and Pudgie's is not
just fried chicken. While individual franchisees can choose whether to offer
both brands, most chose to offer both.
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