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Dagwood's Lays Off Employees

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By RICHARD MULLINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

The Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppe chain has laid off the bulk of its corporate headquarters employees amid a restructuring, but plans to keep open its restaurant locations, according to a company official.

The chain of sandwich stores opened about a year ago, with support from Dean Young, author of the "Blondie" comic strip, and opened 13 locations in Florida, Louisiana and several other states - all themed around the Dagwood character and his love of sandwiches.

The layoffs occurred last week, according to Bob Hartford, a consultant who says he was hired by the Dagwood chain to help sort through the company's plans.

"This has not affected the shops, just the headquarters," Hartford said Friday. The corporate headquarters probably employed fewer than 100 people, Hartford said, and now four employees remain.

The company's board of directors will likely meet next week to make more decisions about the direction of the company.

The job cuts mark an abrupt shift in the course of the sandwich chain - part of which was reflected in the "Blondie" comic itself, which runs in 2,300 newspapers in 55 countries.

Dean Young and restaurant executive Lamar Berry kicked off their franchising concept on May 11, 2006, in Clearwater, near Young's studio, hoping to sell about 100 U.S. territories for between $200,000 and $300,000 each. In turn, those marketing partners would seek franchisees to pay a $20,000 fee and another $200,000 to build out and start a location.

Two days after the public debut, the "Blondie" comic strip featured Dagwood telling his wife, Blondie, "Honey, I have finally decided to start that sandwich shop I've been dreaming about." A few days later, Dagwood goes behind the counter of a sandwich shop to start making his lunch.

In November 2006, the first location opened in Palm Harbor, with its specialty, a 1 1/2 -pound, double-decker, 24-ingredient behemoth called "The Dagwood," priced at $8.90. The company's Web site lists 20 locations built or under development.
Hartford declined to elaborate on why the organization was laying off employees now, and said the ultimate decision about the chain would rest with the board of directors.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at rmullins@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7919.

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