1. Alfred Pizzamento
The Horseshoe Pub
Joseph Jackson
Nichols College
Management 100-08
I have been an employee of this
company since 2008.

2. Company
 The Horseshoe Pub was a partnership, both Al
and his partner had felt that this was the easiest
structure to make the most money.
 Pub and Restaurant / Food
 The Horseshoe Pub has been in business for 30
years all together. About 15 years in Al partner no
longer wanted the business. The Horseshoe is
now run by Al with the help of his son and
daughter.

3. Background
 In 1983, Al and his partner Jack bought property in
Hudson, Ma. They hired people to build their restaurant
 Al’s partner was very interested in horses. He had many
of them that he would sell and enter into races. He
received a lot of money from them, they used that
money and some of Al’s savings to start the business
 Al and his partners dream was to both own their own
small business one day. That dream became more of a
reality when they decided to work together.
 Al has a degree in Management and Hospitality
 When the company first started it was small and bringing
in just enough money. Now they have done many
renovations and add-ons and the company could not be
doing any better

4. Successes
 Al’s biggest success is never giving up. He
said when his partner quit he thought about
walking away until his kids stepped in.
 The most rewarding part Al said is being able
to see how much your business has turned
into from when it started. It makes you
appreciate the decisions you have made
 The Horseshoe has made several
commercials and been featured on the
Phantom Gourmet

5. Challenges
 The biggest challenge was getting the company going,
once that happened Al felt more confident. There are still
minor challenges that occur, but we overcome them
 The most challenging aspect of running a business is
making sure all of your money is in order. In the food
industry you have to order products weekly which calls
for assertive money management
 Al overcomes this by hiring people who work with him on
making sure the company is spending its money
properly
 The most fatal flaw in this type of business is under
ordering food. If you cant predict how much of a product
you will need for the week you could have unhappy
customers

6. Competition
 Two of Al’s closest competitors are two
breakfast places at the end of the street. For a
period of time the Horseshoe served
breakfast, but because of these restaurants
they had to stop
 The Horseshoe is known for their beers. We
have 80 beers on draft, because of that we
gain a competitive edge.
 The Horseshoe offers special promotions
such as 15% off all guests that stay at the
Holiday Inn hotel located in Hudson

7. Marketing/Staffing
 During Christmas time the Horseshoe sets
up a booth in the local mall where they
sell gift certificates, t-shirts and other
merchandise. Also with the purchase of a
gift certificate you receive a 15% off card
 Al looks for experience and background in
the restaurant business when hiring new
employees

8. Future
 Al plans on remodeling at the end of this
year. His long term plan is running the
business until his late 60’s and then
passing it down to his son and daughter.
They both have been an avid part of the
business for the last couple of years and
will have plenty expirence when they need
to step in

9. Questions
 What was your biggest fear about your
business at the beginning?
Al feared that no one would show
interest in his restaurant. He thought
that he was going to fail and loose all
of his money.
 How long was it before things started
running smoothly and you made back
your money?

10. Questions
(continued..)
Al said it took about a year for all of
his finances to come into place and
for everyone to get the hang of things
 What is your favorite part of the restaurant
business?
Al said the best part is being able to
please the customers with good food, good
atmosphere and a good time.

11. Summary
 Al’s advice for all young business students
is to never give up on your dreams. He
says owning your own business is a lot of
work, you need to be very committed to it
 I learned that owing a business is not an
easy thing to do and requires a lot of
focus. I have learned this from working for
Al the past 4 ½ years