QuickChek is placing a focus on fresh food at its new store in Brick. DAVID P. WILLIS
Dunkin' Donuts, now located at the Aberdeen Plaza at Cliffwood Avenue and Route 35, is moving to a former bank branch nearby. DAVID P. WILLIS
Sierra Trading Post sells outdoor apparel and other goods. DAVID P. WILLIS
Goldfish Swim School is expected to open in November at Union Square in Middletown. DAVID P. WILLIS
Started in 2008 in Point Pleasant, Bubbakoo's Burritos is expanding at a quick pace. David P. Willis
The TJX Companies is bringing its new home decor chain, Homesense, to New Jersey. DAVID P. WILLIS
Immediate Care is opening up two urgent care centers on different sides of Marlboro. Wochit
The Chelsea at Shrewsbury will be built at the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Patterson Avenue in Shrewsbury. DAVID P. WILLIS
Shopping center developers are filling up former A&P and Pathmark stores with new tenants. DAVID P. WILLIS
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant is planned for Route 36 in Hazlet. David P. Willis
Cheeburger Cheeburger will open a restaurant in Aldrich Plaza in Howell this year. David P. Willis
A Chase bank branch will be constructed at Crossroads Center in Toms River. David P. Willis
The president of tech firm ForeFront explains why his company is spending $4 million to build their headquarters in Fair Haven. Michael L. Diamond
Workers are constructing an 8,070-square-foot addition to the supermarket. Here's what will be inside. DAVID P. WILLIS
Ripco Real Estate has been hired to find tenants for a proposed shopping center on Route 35 in Holmdel. DAVID P. WILLIS
Bed Bath & Beyond's new store in Middletown is the company's latest with many updated features. DAVID P. WILLIS
Wawa is building a new store with fuel pumps on Dover Road in South Toms River. DAVID P. WILLIS
Jersey Mike's is opening a sub shop on June 30 on Route 71 in Neptune. DAVID P. WILLIS
Livoti's Old World Market opens in Middletown, it's third store. Here's some of what customers can expect. DAVID P. WILLIS | WOCHIT
Hobby Lobby is renovating a store in Holmdel, it's third location at the Jersey Shore. Video by David P. Willis Wochit | David P. Willis
An AutoZone store is under construction on Route 35 in Wall. Video by David P. Willis Wochit | David P. Willis
Michaels Stores will move into part of the former A&P building at Brick Plaza. Video by David P. Willis Wochit | David P. Willis
Starbucks is opening a cafe on Route 34 in Aberdeen. Video by David P. Willis Wochit
Walmart will begin renovating its store in Neptune in August and recently finished a project in Stafford. Here's what you'll see. Video by David P. Willis Wochit
Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity ReStore will move into the former Bob Kislin's Outdoor Sports store in August. Video by David P. Willis Wochit
LA Fitness plans to open a fitness center at Greenleaf at Howell. Video by David P. Willis Wochit
Demolition of the old Levitz store on Route 35 in Wall and construction of Wall Promenade, a new shopping center, has begun. Wochit
A new McDonald's is rising on Route 35. In this video supplied by McDonald's of Aberdeen, workers start pouring the foundation. Wochit
A Sickles market will soon find a home in Red Bank's old Anderson building. Wochit
Changes are happening again at Seaview Square Shopping Center. Here's a bit of history about Ocean Township's largest shopping center. Staff Video by David P. Willis Wochit | David P. Willis
TINTON FALLS - Moving to New Jersey from Armenia with his family when he was 7 years old and growing up in Marlboro, Mihran Sirekan exhibited quite the entrepreneurial streak.
“I was always an ‘opportunist’ and had different jobs – from selling insurance to working at a construction company and doing some personal training,” the 28-year-old Old Bridge resident said of his various professions.
More: Jersey Shore's Playa Bowls grows fast with acai berries
More: Bubbakoo's Burritos founders aim for 500 restaurants in five years
More: Hard work produces great food at Tuscany Italian Market
He also regularly invested in stocks, saving his money so that he’d be ready when the right business opportunity came along. Happily, the concept he was waiting for unexpectedly presented itself two years ago and halfway around the world.
“My wife Jessica and I took a two-month backpacking trip through Thailand in November 2015 and found ourselves eating a lot of smoothies and crepes, which are as popular there as hot dogs are here,” Sirekan said. “We ate crepes every day and loved them. I was ready to move onto a new venture anyway and we realized that no one was offering crepes here, so it seemed like the perfect fit.”
With Jessica’s delicious family recipe for crepes in their possession, the couple began by developing a business plan and assessing different location options.
“I started calling all of the local malls where I thought we’d succeed and Jersey Shore Premium Outlets in Tinton Falls presented the best package,” said Sirekan, whose venture, Planet Of The Crepes, opened in September 2016.
More: All about comfort food at Taylor Sam's in Brick and Red Bank
More: Happy Day Farm in Manalapan grows pumpkins, berries and memories
More: Young owner creates future for historic Colts Neck General Store
Great crepes, super smoothies
At their 100-square-foot kiosk located in the mall’s food court, visitors can enjoy colorful crepes in a range of sweet or vegetable varieties. Among their sweet flavors, “our top sellers are our Strawberry Nutella and Strawberry Banana Nutella, which are classic, great-tasting crepes,” said Sirekan, noting the popularity of their s’mores flavor as well.
“Among our veggie crepes, which use a batter made with organic, gluten-free buckwheat flour, one of our most popular items is our Presto Pesto crepe, which features mozzarella, tomato, avocado, and pesto,” Sirekan said. Priced between $6.99 to $8.99 depending on the ingredients, “our crepes are 14 inches in diameter and will definitely fill you up,” he said.
Smoothies are another specialty at Planet Of The Crepes and Sirekan is proud of his outlet’s healthy approach. “Other places cut costs by using as little fresh fruit as possible, but our smoothies contain only fresh fruit, filtered water and filtered ice, with no added sugar or dairy,” he said of their 16-ounce confections, which are priced from $5.99 to $6.99.
“Our biggest sellers are our Fruit Lovers Smoothie, made with strawberries, organic banana, and organic honey, our Tropical Bliss, featuring pineapple and mango, our Green Smoothie, made with a whole apple, spinach, avocado, pineapple, and organic honey, and our Protein Power, which features organic banana, peanut butter, and high-quality chocolate protein powder,” Sirekan said.
“Customers are always telling us how great our crepes and smoothies are and they’ll often stop other people walking by to tell them too,” Sirekan said.
Marlboro resident Markos Rutty is among the outlet’s most outspoken fans. “I’d never tried a crepe before but after I tried theirs, my whole life changed,” said Rutty, a trucking company owner who sampled Planet Of The Crepes’ products a year ago while on a shopping excursion with his wife and kids.
Since then, he said, “my kids love them too and we go out of our way to go to Jersey Shore Premium Outlets just for the crepes – it’s become a family event every few weeks and my wife even craved them during her last pregnancy.”
For Rutty, whose favorite menu item is the Breakfast Club crepe with sriracha sauce, “I love the freshness, healthfulness, and quality of their ingredients and rave about them to everyone. I don’t think that people from France have even had crepes this good!” he laughed.
Right on trend
While Sirekan acknowledges that finding good employees can be challenging, he said that Planet Of The Crepes’ products are right on trend. In addition to meeting the growing demand for simple, healthy and fresh (not frozen) ingredients, “we use many organic ingredients and our crepes fall into the popular new category of iconic ‘big foods’ with unique presentations,’” he said.
With all of their plates and utensils made of eco-friendly palm tree leaves and wood, the company prides itself on its sustainable practices, and in a give-back to the country where their venture was first inspired, Planet Of The Crepes is an official sponsor of the Gift of Happiness Foundation, a charity in Thailand which provides essential educational and medical supplies as well as entertainment for children in need.
Looking ahead, Sirekan and his wife are excited about several new flavors they’re launching, including a seasonal Pumpkin Pie crepe and a traditional Jian Bing Chinese street food crepe, as well as the potential for several new locations.
“Our second location is currently underway at Freehold Raceway Mall and we’re hoping to become a franchise – we’d love to see Planet Of The Crepes outlets nationwide and customers taking selfies with our crepes and special crepe holders,” he said.
With Sirekan in charge of financials, marketing and sales, Jessica handling scheduling, payroll and food procurement, and the two jointly overseeing a staff of four to 10 employees depending on the season, “we work a lot of hours but we’re all about keeping the business fun for our customers and employees and we love what we do,” Sirekan confirmed.
For Sirekan, the creation process has delivered infinite rewards. “I love the marketing side of the business – it’s fun to come up with ideas for our growth and expansion and implement them – and I also love to hear from customers, who go out of their way to tell us how much they love our products,” he said. “When we see people genuinely enjoying our food, that makes us happy.”
PLANET OF THE CREPES
Location: Food court at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, Tinton Falls
Phone: 732-708-6742
Opened: September 2016
Owners: Mihran and Jessica Sirekan
Website: www.planetofthecrepesnj.com
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "How backpacking in Thailand led to Planet Of The Crepes in Tinton Falls"
Post a Comment