Page 18 - BusinessWest August 7, 2023

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Tandem
Continued from page 7
“We’re under no pressure to grow. But if the opportunity
is there, we’ll definitely take advantage of it.”
was online — sandwiches, coffee; everyone still wanted their coffee. It’s a good to-go business, so it worked out, and we were able to withstand the pandemic.”
And as COVID eased somewhat, the company was able to continue on its course of expansion, he said, add- ing that the next landing spot was Florence in early 2021, specifically the site of the former Freckled Fox Café on North Main Street, a relatively easy move because the site was nearly turnkey, having been a café.
Later that year, the company expanded into West Springfield, another location has sparked greater vibrancy in an area that’s considered West Side’s downtown.
Indeed, Tandem has become one of the linchpins in the success of redevelopment of the former United Bank building on Elm Street into a mixed-use complex called Town Commons. It features a number of offices, but also another restaurant and several other tenants.
Zawacki said that location has worked out well, with many workers in City Hall, just around the corner, becom- ing regulars. And if he could do again, he would — he’d just try to take a little more space.
“I wish we’d made the space a little bigger,” he said with a laugh. “We could use more seating — it fills up quickly.”
By expanding to five locations and a centralized baking facility, the company has created some economies of scale, obviously, but also a larger operation and some logistical challenges — buying vans and hiring drivers among them — as well.
And hiring became increasingly challenging as the workforce crisis continued and talent became more scarce, he said, adding that, by and large, the company
has been able to weather that storm as well.
Moving forward, he said additional expansion is cer-
tainly in the business plan, with several communities and locations currently under consideration.
“We’re always looking,” he said, adding that, with oth- ers now handling most of the day-to-day operations of the various locations, he is free to focus on the proverbial big picture and especially what comes next for Tandem. “I’ve looked everywhere, from Westfield recently to Longmead- ow and Springfield; we’ve also looked at Greenfield. We’re just looking for the right space.”
Elaborating, he said that, unlike large, national chains — and, as noted, many people believe Tandem is one of those — the company relies more on instinct and what it can see and feel at its current locations, rather than ana- lytics and traffic flow, to determine where it could and should go next.
“We can map where our customers come from,” he explained. “So we know that a lot of customers come from Westfield and the Westfield area. We know the population of the city — we just have to find the right place with the right traffic flow and parking.”
As for downtown Springfield, Zawacki noted the pres- ence of Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, but said there is room for Tandem Bagel as well — if the right location can be found.
He has looked in Tower Square, the TD bank Build- ing, and other properties, and said the search is ongoing. “We’re under no pressure to grow,” he said in conclusion. “But if the opportunity is there, we’ll definitely take advan- tage of it.” BW
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