Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 6:00AM Are Felony Franks bad for people?
This story has it all--you'll likely be intrigued if you consider yourself [a] politically correct, [b] committed to corporate social action, or [c] having a good nose for down-right smart marketing. Better yet, if you have an opinion about all three parts you'll love this story! It's about a small business enterprise that's recently got underway in the run-down, hard-scrabble west-side of Chicago where a man recently opened a street level hot-dog stand called Felony Franks.
And, simply put, that's the problem: That a place is called Felony Franks. Well maybe there's a little more, but you'll be able to decide very shortly what the problem really is.
The proprietor of Felony Franks, hires ex-convicts to run his operation...a class of people who he says are looking for work yet who are routinely shunned by other businesses in the hiring process, especially in these dark days of unemployment. He does this, he says, in part to be a good guy--to give released ex-prisoners a "second chance" at life--and, partly because, he says, ex-cons are also are more trustworthy than most employees to leave his business in the care of.
The name stems from a social commitment to hiring worthy employees--albeit those with a "record." The name--Felony Franks--is an obvious play on words, but also provides opportunity and clever intrigue to name items on the menu in very unusual and humorous ways: hotdogs are portrayed in striped penitentiary garb, there's a prison theme throughout the establishment, side-orders are called "Accomplices," one item on the order board is called the Misdemeanor Weiner, another, french fries, are named Freedom Fries!
And the best part? Business couldn't be going better.
What's the problem you ask? Well, some people are not amused at all. They say they are offended by the name, Felony Franks--that the name, theme, and decor glamorize crime--presumably making it, I suppose, more...how should I put this, appealing? And, too, all of this attention to prison life glorifies--again, in some people's view--a life of criminal activity.
To tell you the truth, I don't really see the problem--but apparently others do. Here's a guy willing to employ individuals who others--for whatever justifiable reason or not--won't, providing ex-convicts with a job and the ability to earn their way back in to normal society. Here's a guy bringing a business operation to a neighborhood in great need of and without much enterprise in the first place. Here's a guy who, I presume, sells a product and provides a service that others in the vicinity find attractive.
Yeah, I suppose if one parses the words and the terms--and the decor's theme--it seems a little gritty; it is by no means hifalutin! However, after all--it's a damned hotdog stand, not exactly pretending to be a five-star destination restaurant! Whatever the real problem the refined, socially respectable, politically correct see here...I'm at at loss to say.
To tell you the truth, I'm suspecting that the owner of Felony Franks is not at all disappointed at the protests--after all look at what he's got from it all: Widespread, free--indeed, national--publicity from one end of the country to the other. And if I were in the neighborhood--even I'd make it a point to check it out...and I don't even eat hotdogs!
So what might really offends the politically correct in the case of Felony Franks? Critiques say that it stigmatizes ex-prisoners. But I say, hey, it does just the opposite! It's all about a success story! We love to hear the tales of those with inner-city origins who become international celebrities, the grade school dropout who becomes a millionaire, the girl who couldn't get a date in high school becoming an world-famous model, the geeky computer guy who all thought odd becoming the world richest man--there are no end of stories like this we love to learn of. Why not glorify those who've turned their lives around in very dramatic fundamental ways--and who themselves are proud of their return to working society?
Who are the good guys in all of this? The ex-cons who go to work each day at a business that's very successful? The arm-chair judges who are critical of the branding strategy? The proprietor who wants to help people who can't get jobs, all the while providing a valued service? It's easy for me to figure out who the good guys are. How about you?
[You can listen to a brief, 3 and 1/2 minute, excerpted story about Felony Franks from the current issue of The Wall Street Journal's Small Business audio podcast. [For a full version of the WSJs current 9 minute Small Business podcast, this link will do the job.]. Also, there a great write up on this from Slashfood.com you can check out.]
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Reader Comments (2)
this is an interesting case where 'marketing' idea can be controversial, but my personal view is positive. since they are 'ex-prisoners', playing on words sounds okay to me (yes i teach marketing:)
There is good such a place...no matter what business owner has
when out of prison you need a job....you are desperate...and if you do not have a job can create more troubles