Expansion Opportunity

Food & Drink

As S&W has haughtily turned its back on Texas, we look to our Cousins Across The Pond for future investment in the Lone Star State:

Greggs today warned supply issues were pushing up the cost it pays for food and labour – presenting the risk of future price rises – as it promised sausage rolls are safe despite the UK’s pork crisis…
…
The Newcastle-based chain is also looking into opening overseas locations for the first time.

For my Murkin Readers who may have forgotten about this fabulous company and its most excellent wares:

From the top:  sausage roll, steak bake, cheese & onion.

And there are more, oh so much more.

[takes moment to wipe up drool]

I know that you folks at Greggs have probably employed vast armies of Bainies and McKinzies to ascertain where your best opportunities lie here in Murka — and if their suggestions don’t include the US, fire them — but I can save you a ton of money simply by suggesting the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.

  • Fourth-largest metro area in the U.S. (7.65 million)
  • One of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S.
  • We have a large expat community, including not only Brits and Aussies, but Seffricans as well, for whom sossies and steak pies are comfort foods like few others.
  • The DFW-London air travel route is always full, not just of the aforesaid, but Texans going there for vacations and business purposes.  They will know about Greggs.

Now I know that a bunch of Californians are going to say the same kind of thing about their state — but compare the time and cost in getting a food business operating license (hint:  months and thousands of dollars in CA vs. days and scores of dollars in TX) and we haven’t even talked about the tax benefits (TX: low vs. CA: astronomical) and cost of land/rents (TX: low vs. CA: don’t even ask).  And most Californians eat fucking salads more than pastries anyway, whereas we Texans loves us our fried pies and baked anything.

And by the way, I scored 7/11 on your quiz, and I haven’t been Over There in nearly four years.  If that’s not a Greggs fan, I don’t know what is.

So waddya say, Greggs?

10 comments

  2. Maybe they could get a running start by adding a Greg’s section at HEB and/or Whataburgers.

  3. I keep looking at those sausage rolls and thinking that they look like smaller versions of the pasties I had up in the U.P. Not trying to start a flame war here. I loved the pasties, and based on that, I’d love to try the sausage roll.

  4. They look wonderful, better than any of the other café chains’ baked/fried stuff. (Though I will admit that although overpriced, Starbucks’ bacon and gouda egg bites are one of my comfort foods.) And that from someone who is allergic to wheat, so baked stuff tends to not look as appealing as it might.

    I think I’d probably risk eating the innards of the steak bake anyway.

  5. Avoid California and you won’t have to worry about bureaucratic certifications that the pigs get X amount of space to play in each day before they meat their fate of being processed into gastric delights.

    JQ

  6. Would now be a good time to mention that we have 12 Greggs in my home town and one more within 5 miles? A bakers dozen you might say.

    I prefer proper Cornish Pasties – eaten scalding hot, standing on a windswept beach, watching the surfers battle the swell in driving rain. Or summer, as we call it.

      1. Ah yes, well you have me there. Whilst I know your penchant for Greggs, I’m afraid it’s regarded as (more than a bit) chavvy, Kim. It’s always popular with tradesmen, as their pies, sausage rolls and bacon rolls etc are available both early in the day, and all day. And they do a decent cup of tea as well.

        In a town where you can pay nearly four quid for a fancy coffee, it’s 99p at Greggs.

        As for the vegan stuff, I take it you mean swede and carrots, lol. Blooming tasty pastry tho – especially if you get the puff or rough puff versions (spit the vegan stuff out, it’s what Mr True Brit does)

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