Operations

Goodcents celebrating 35th birthday by 'adapting to change'

Goodcents has survived by embracing the latest in industry technology while staying deeply connected to its roots.

Photo: Goodcents

February 28, 2024 by Rebecca Murray — VP of Marketing, Goodcents

There will be a lot to celebrate when Goodcents Founder Joe Bisogno blows out the candles on the company's birthday cake; the concept began as Mr. Goodcents Subs and Pastas celebrates and is celebrating its 35th this week.

A lot has changed in those 35 years. Now known simply as Goodcents, the franchise brand is headquartered in De Soto, Kansas, and has amassed nearly 70 locations in 10 states with dozens more in development.

We aren't just a corner sandwich shop anymore. We have locations in Walmart and TA Express Travel Center, and in the future, we will debut a stand-alone concept. Our restaurants also offer more options like online ordering, dine-in, carry-out, drive-thru and delivery of sub sandwiches, soups, innovative catering and Goodcents To Go meals.

Goodcents is also embracing the latest in industry technology while staying deeply connected to our roots.

We are thrilled to be growing the Goodcents brand in new markets and new states and look forward to expanding even more in the next 35 years. But to know where we are headed, we need to take stock of our past and the foundation we are built upon.

Beginning with a lemonade stand

Long before Goodcents, Joseph Bisogno's entrepreneurial dreams began at a young age with a lemonade stand.

He didn't stop there. At 18, he purchased his first ice cream truck. Then came a gas station and a used car dealership before he found a career with McDonald's Corp.

But he still dreamed of owning his own restaurant.

After 10 years with the McDonald's Corp., Bisogno started Mr. Goodcents Subs and Pastas in Lenexa, Kansas, in 1989. The new concept started with the basics — perfecting its signature pillowy soft bread that would be the foundation of its sandwiches — along with a variety of the freshest meats and cheeses, hand-sliced to order, and toppings to complete sandwiches just the way guests like them.

While many franchise concepts have come and gone over the last four decades, Goodcents remains, including six of the brand's original 10 stores. Part of that has to do with the relationships Bisogno builds with Goodcents owners. The other part is testimony to how incredible and different Goodcents' bread is — it's truly next level.

Adapting to market changes

Thriving for more than three decades in the restaurant industry doesn't come without some necessary adaptation to changing market demands.

That meant making significant changes to the franchise's business model during the pandemic with the debut in early 2020 of Goodcents To Go meals, which include hearty pasta and other packaged dinner entrees.

The rollout of the meals was expedited to meet the demands of customers when other restaurants were shutting down. The Goodcents To Go meals quickly became a customer favorite. Our size allowed us to be agile as we adapted to meet the needs of customers and help franchisees by adding curbside pickup service and, when grocery stores were struggling with supply chain issues, selling meats and cheeses by the pound.

In 2021, the restaurant launched the Goodcents Certified Clean Program, which included a temperature check device by the door of every location and electrostatic sprayers with Shield Disinfectant Sanitizer for the safety of guests and crew members.

In recent years, we've also increasingly leaned into adopting new technology.

Technology is used to assist in site selection of new stores and the company has a new app and a refreshed rewards program that places new tech at its core of reaching new customers.

Earlier this year, our marketing team was selected from among 275 brands to be named Rookie of the Year by Par Tech Inc. for its "impressive customization, data utilization and direct communication capabilities through their app."

Goodcents expansion

Last year, Goodcents opened the first two of 10 locations anticipated in Southeast Pennsylvania. A Texas area representative agreement will build 10 restaurants in the Houston metro area, and another area representative will bring nine new restaurants to Omaha, Neb.

The future is brighter than ever for Goodcents and more deals for new locations are in the making.

As part of our 35th birthday celebration, Goodcents is also expanding its local charity presence. Bisogno, who also founded the Goodcents Foundation, is a longtime supporter of Habitat for Humanity, The Children's Miracle Network and the Leukemia Society of America.

In 2023, we partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to help raise awareness and funds through the Goodcents Foundation. Since that time, Goodcents has donated more than $26,000 to help fund Alzheimer's research and care and support for families. Later this year, the Goodcents Foundation will be the presenting sponsor, and Joe and Laurie Bisogno will serve as co-chairs, for the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's in Kansas City.

It's been an amazing 35 years for the company, and we appreciate the support we have received from our franchisees and the community. We look forward to celebrating another 35 years of pillowy-soft bread, freshly sliced meats and cheeses, warm, out-of-the-oven cookies, and innovative catering meals for our long-time customers. We'll be celebrating our 70th anniversary in no time.

About Rebecca Murray

---

In addition to leading Goodcents as VP of Marketing, Rebecca Murray has led marketing initiatives for Pryor Learning, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and more. She and her team rely on data-forward insights derived from A/B testing to drive strategy and predict each campaign's impact on customer behavior. Goodcents is experiencing record growth under her marketing leadership.

Connect with Rebecca: