All language subtitles for the.profit.s06e08.720p.hdtv.x264-w4f[eztv]

Lemonis:
Tonight on "The Profit"...

You ever had shaved cream?

A young entrepreneur dreamed
up a fresh take

on an Asian-inspired dessert.

Tony: It's a very unique flavor.
Lemonis: It's really good.

Eventually bringing it to
four shops across New York City.

East Village did $329,000,

down from $600,000
the year before that.

It's down almost 50%.

But four years in,
Snowdays is melting.

Owner Tony Quach
grew his business so fast,

he failed to figure out
the fundamentals.

So, the mold's plastic.

Tony: Mold's plastic.
Michael: You can't do that.

With the new FDA laws,
you'd have to test

that those chemicals aren't
breaking down the plastic,

which they probably are.

Lemonis: Now he's letting down
his customers...

Carolyn: There would be
like five flavors out.

Lemonis: That'd be like going
to Baskin Robbins

or 31 Flavors
and them saying,

"Sorry, we only have 20."

...he's letting down
his employees...

Ovie: It'd be nice if my own
opinion mattered.

Lemonis: It'll be
a giant [bleep]show

unless you guys are
on the same page.

...and with a new baby at home,

he feels like
he's letting down his family.

Tony: My wife, Steph,
is an absolutely trouper.

She's so understanding, but I
know she deserves so much more.

Lemonis: If I can't help him see
what he's done wrong...

Tony: I guess I just had
visions of grandeur.

Lemonis: ...and where
he needs to go next...

I want to literally start new.

...this business will evaporate.

Tony: This is a little --
can we get off camera for this?

This is, like, crazy.

Lemonis: My name
is Marcus Lemonis,

and I risk my own money
to save struggling businesses.

We're not going to wake up
every morning

wondering if we have a job.

We're going to wake up
every morning

wondering how many jobs
we have to do.

It's not always pretty.

Everything's going to change.
Everything.

But I do it to save jobs,
and I do it to make money.

This...
Let's go to work.

...is "The Profit."

♪♪

The dessert market is one of
the most cut-throat markets

in all of the food industry.

What I like most about Snowdays
and its shaved cream

is that it's unique,

and I've never seen
anything like it.

[ Bell dings ]

Good morning.
Tony: Hi, Marcus.

How are you doing?
Lemonis: Are you Tony?

Tony: Yes, I'm Tony.
Lemonis: Nice to meet you.

I'm Marcus.
Ovie: Hello. My name's Ovie.

Nice meeting you.
Lemonis: Ovie, how are you?

Nice to meet you.
Ovie: I'm doing alright.

Lemonis: How many locations
do you have?

Tony: We have four locations.

Lemonis: Four? Okay.
Tony: Yeah.

Tony: This is
our first location.

We have one in the West Village.
Lemonis: Okay.

Tony: We have one in Brooklyn
by the Barclays Center,

and one in Forest Hills
on Austin Street.

Lemonis: The concept's
interesting.

Is that your mascot?

Tony: Yeah, that's our mascot.
That's Eddie the Yeti.

A yeti's like a mythological
creature, kind of like a Bigfoot

that lives
in the Himalayas in the snow.

Lemonis: How'd you come up
with the idea?

Tony: It's really kind of
based off

a more traditional
Asian dessert.

In Taiwan, they kind of do it
with like a milk-powder base.

Lemonis: And it's not
the Hawaiian shave ice?

Tony: No, it's not.

We actually do something
called shaved cream.

We kind of have our own play
on it.

It's a dairy base.
Lemonis: Oh, it is?

Tony: So it comes out
and the texture's

just very light and fluffy,
but it's very creamy in taste.

Lemonis: And how long have you
had this store?

Tony: So,
we're going on our fourth year.

Lemonis: Oh, wow.
High-five on that.

Most people don't
make it that long.

Tony: Yeah.
Lemonis: What I want to do

is I actually want to try it.

Tony: Yeah, sure.
I have some gloves for you.

Lemonis: Walk me through
the board and how it works.

Tony: Sure.

So, the first step
is choosing your size.

Lemonis: Okay.
Then we go to choose our flavor.

Which one is the most popular?

Tony: Yeti Tracks and Green Tea

are our two
most popular flavors.

Lemonis: What is in Yeti Tracks?

Tony: Yeti Tracks
is the blueberries and Oreos.

Lemonis: Oreos and blueberries,
that's interesting.

Carolyn: Hi.
Tony: This is Carolyn.

This is one of our other GMs.

Lemonis: Oh, how are you?
Carolyn: Hi.

Lemonis: Nice to meet you.

The two of you oversee
the four stores?

Tony: Yep.

Lemonis: Okay,
so you're not just here?

Ovie: I'm pretty much
at all the stores every day.

I also do maintenance work.

There are things that
I'm not really good at

that Tony's good at.

Tony is more familiar with
orders and scheduling as well.

Lemonis: Okay.

So, we're going to make
three sizes and three flavors.

Tony: All of our shaved cream
is made into these blocks.

Lemonis: This is actually
ice cream?

Tony: Correct,
but there's lower butterfat.

It's much lower in calories too.

Lemonis: So that block sits
on there

and that machine shaves it?

Tony: Yes.

So, next would be drizzle
and the toppings.

We still make
everything by hand.

We're mixing
everything ourselves --

I develop all the recipes.

Lemonis: Oh, really?
Tony: Yeah.

Lemonis: Okay, this was...?

Carolyn: Cookies and Milk.
Lemonis: Cookies and Milk.

So is this mostly an Asian food?

Is that how
I should think about it?

Tony: My inspiration was
definitely more

of a traditional Asian dessert,

but I felt like
a lot of green tea,

black sesame, red bean --

they were a little bit
too traditional.

I felt like this concept
had a lot of legs

to reach a bigger demographic

if we did more
Western-flavor profiles.

That's why, you know,

New York Cheesecake
and the Mint Chocolate.

Lemonis: But it's like
we're Asian,

but we really don't want
to be Asian.

We want to be somebody else.

Why don't you just
own the Asian thing?

Tony: I don't say that.

I mean, I guess I just
had visions of grandeur.

I wanted to tap into markets
that were untapped.

Lemonis: If you go
to a gelato place, right,

it has an Italian feel to it
in the flavors and the spumoni.

They embrace their culture,
and so the Asian community

is one of the most powerful
communities in the world.

You should embrace it
and not run the other way.

My single biggest investment
in the dessert space

is Mr. Green Tea,
and it is a monster.

And they're an Asian --
as you know --

they're an Asian-influenced
dessert business.

The Asian community is our base.

When Tony says he wants to reach
a wider demographic

by going towards
a more Western angle,

what he means is Americanized,
and I'm not really sure

how he's going to reach
a wider part of the market

when he's doing
what everybody else is doing.

You want to reach a broader base
of the market,

you go to things that are unique

that are going to attract
people to you.

Okay, Yeti Tracks,

with blueberries
and waffle cone added.

Tony: It's a very unique flavor.

It's kind of our spin
on classic cookies and cream.

Lemonis: It's really good.
Tony: Thank you.

Lemonis: It's really light.

It's funny
'cause when I think shave ice,

I think literally shaved ice.

Tony: Yeah, we try not to say
"shaved ice" in here.

We call it shaved cream.

Lemonis: Oh, it says
shaved cream, okay.

Tony: 'Cause
we don't use any water.

Ovie: Customers tell me
they thought it was

snowcones because of Snowdays.

You can actually see it
on our combos.

It still says snow cream.

Tony: Thanks
for pointing that out, Ovie.

Lemonis: Huh?

Tony: I said, "Thanks for
pointing that out, Ovie."

Lemonis: No, it's okay.

So, Tony,
what I would love to do --

and I know this is like the
uncomfortable part of the day --

I'm going to ask you
to take a walk.

Tony: Sure.
Lemonis: Just go out,

and I want to just spend
some time with them.

Tony: Okay.

Lemonis: So, if you had to list
out issues, what are they?

Ovie: I feel like, for us,
we know our staff.

Like, we know how to communicate
and, like,

how we should go about
giving them direction,

whereas Tony, since he's
the owner, he's very direct.

Like, if they don't do it,
you know...

Carolyn: He'll say
they're a bad worker,

but they're actually
pretty good.

It's just like there's other
things happening,

like, during the time, yeah.

Lemonis: The owner walks in
and is like, "Why is it..."

People freeze.
Carolyn: Basically.

Lemonis: Do you guys
always have supplies,

or do you ever
run out of supplies?

Ovie: Yeah. Toppings.
Carolyn: Flavors.

Lemonis: How many different
flavors are there?

Ovie: 10 different flavors.

Carolyn: But there would be like
five flavors out sometimes.

Lemonis: Really?
Carolyn: Yeah.

Lemonis: That'd be like going to
Baskin Robbins or 31 Flavors

and them saying,
"Sorry, we only have 20."

Carolyn: Yeah.
Ovie: Exactly.

And we only have one truck
that we deliver out of.

Carolyn: It's not big enough.

Ovie: It can't hold everything
for that one day.

It's a pick-up truck, and even
that needs a bit of maintenance.

A lot of the processes
we implemented in the past --

they kind of just got buried.

Carolyn: And no one uses it,
even though it's there.

Lemonis: What do you mean
"the processes?"

Ovie: At the end of the day,
we give him,

like, things we want to try out.

Lemonis: Yeah.
Carolyn: But there's no change.

Lemonis: Nobody listens
to you guys.

Ovie: Yeah.

Lemonis: So I went on Yelp --
"The last time I came in,

they were out of bananas
and blueberry puree."

Ovie: There you go.
Yeah.

Lemonis: By the way, guys,
this is a couple days ago.

Carolyn: Tony would read
the reviews,

and then he'll come to us
and, like, yell at us.

Lemonis: But what are you
going to yell at the staff for?

There's no ice cream.
What do you want me to?

Ovie: Exactly.
Mm-hmm.

Carolyn: Someone actually
just quit like last week.

Lemonis: Over?

Carolyn: Because they were
fed up with Tony

expecting too much of them.

Ovie: Yeah.

Lemonis: The frustration
that Ovie and Carolyn have,

as the frontline people
in the store,

that they're constantly
running out of flavors

means that there's
a supply-chain problem.

They're not to blame,
Tony's to blame.

And so him taking out
his frustration

on them kills the morale.

How much revenue
will this store do?

Tony: First full year in 2015,
we did almost $600,000,

and then like $450,000
the next year,

and it's $350,000,

and then this year
it's down about 20%.

Lemonis: From last year?
Tony: Yeah.

Lemonis: And so the four
locations that you own --

do any of them make money?

Tony: No.

Lemonis: Can we go see
West Village?

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.
Lemonis: Alright.

Woman: Let me try
the condensed milk.

Tony: Awesome.
Lemonis: Hi.

How are you?

So this store's
a lot different, right?

Tony: Right.

Lemonis: Tony, why is this menu
board different

than the one
at the original store?

As I walk into
the second location,

it feels completely different

than the first location
I just came from.

The menu's different,
the sign's different --

it's a totally
different experience.

Tony: So, the original store --
we did kind of bootstrap it.

I did some of
the construction myself.

Like, we built it out,
like, you know...

Lemonis: But as you came up
with this idea,

why didn't you go back
and fix that one?

Tony: We just didn't have
the money to go back and...

Lemonis: But you had the money
to go open up another store?

Tony: Yeah.
Lemonis: Okay.

Tony made the common mistake
of every entrepreneur

that he expanded too quickly.

Now what he's left with is
a half-baked business concept

with inconsistent branding.

Do people ever ask you

if there's any other products
besides this?

Tony: It just happened.
Lemonis: What did they ask for?

Tony: They were asking for
some Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Lemonis: Tony has a very limited
product offering,

except he's got a huge space.

It seems like
an easy opportunity.

Look at every corner
of the shop.

You really want to think
to yourself,

"Where is the opportunity here?"

Tony: Right.
Absolutely.

Lemonis: Do you think
you could sell mochi here?

Tony: I don't know if people are
going to be lining up for it.

Lemonis: Have you tested it?
Tony: No, I haven't.

It's just not, you know --
it never crossed my mind.

Other products I would
definitely consider,

like brownies,
other baked goods.

Lemonis: I have nothing
against brownies,

but the problem is
I can find them anywhere,

on every street corner.

What you won't find is mochi,

and he's already selling
a very unique Asian dessert.

Why not just capitalize on that?

Frequency of visits
is determined largely

by diversity of offering.

Tony: Okay.

Lemonis: And so if you want
people to come in more often,

how do I need to increase
the frequency of my visit,

and how do I improve my margins?
Tony: Sure.

Lemonis: Can we go see
the commissary?

Tony: I would love for you
to go see that one.

Lemonis: Why don't we head
over there.

Tony: Thank you, Marcus.
Thank you.

Lemonis: As I drove an hour
and a half from New York City

to his distribution facility,

it dawned on me that, yeah,
this is one of the problems.

You're not in the business
of delivering food,

and you're spending 3,
4 hours a day driving.

Tony: Can you just rinse
this out real quick?

Hey, Marcus.
Lemonis: Oh, hey.

Tony: So, this is Bill.

This is actually my wife,
Stephanie.

Lemonis: Oh, hi.

Tony: She's transitioning jobs,
so she's helping us out.

Lemonis: You mean
she's saving your ass?

Tony: I mean, yeah.

Lemonis: Okay.
As wives normally do, right?

Tony: Absolutely.
She's the boss.

Lemonis: And so what
is this area?

Tony: This is where
our deep freezers are.

So this is like...

Lemonis: And all they do
is get made in here?

Tony: Yep.

Lemonis: And then they pop out
and go into the bag?

Tony: Correct.

All these hold
different flavors.

So this is the Yeti Tracks,

and this is what they're
pulling from for delivery.

Lemonis: What's in this one?
Tony: It should be Green Tea,

but we're making
Green Tea right now.

Lemonis: Empty.

Tony: There's nothing
in here yet.

Lemonis: And then...

Green Tea, nothing in here.
Tony: Nothing in here.

Lemonis: So you're out
of Green Tea.

Tony: This summer's been --

we've had a lot
of production issues.

So, our schedule is Monday --
Green Tea,

Yeti Tracks, full day of it,
and then we do

a smaller run of it today,
this would be Thursday.

Lemonis: So, you need to be
producing all the time.

I'm starting to understand
that Tony's drops in revenue

could, in large part,
be blamed on the fact

that he doesn't have
the manufacturing process right,

which ultimately leads to a lack
of product in the stores,

which ultimately leads
to a customer

walking in and turning
right back around and leaving.

Let's make some Green Tea.

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.

So, the cream is getting
whipped,

to aerate and create
that volume.

Lemonis: When was the last time
you did this?

Tony: Saturday.

When there's nobody else
for production,

I'm the only person
who knows the recipes.

Lemonis: It's very warm in here,
and I will tell you

it's not an appropriate
environment to make ice cream.

Look, I know a lot about ice
cream manufacturing facilities.

I'm heavily invested in one.

This particular facility
in no way passes any standard

that I'm comfortable with.

And, obviously, this factory

isn't even efficient
enough to keep up

with the demand
that they do have.

Instead of Tony spending time
in each one of his locations,

improving the actual results
of the business,

he ends up spending all of
his time in the factory

trying to produce shaved cream.

Why couldn't a traditional
ice cream manufacturer

just make this for you and take
out some of the butterfat?

Tony: It's not quite
mixed the same.

You know, the process
is very unique, and --

Lemonis: But is it made
the same way ice cream

is made in the vats?
Tony: It's not.

It's not like
traditional ice cream

where you can just go find
a recipe on it,

so I developed
all these recipes myself.

It's proprietary, you know,

so I really kind of kept
that close to the chest.

It's been definitely
a labor of love.

Lemonis: A labor of love
starts as a hobby,

and then the love
has to come out of it

and it has to turn into a labor
of execution and precision.

Love only gets you so far.

Look, I understand that business
owners want to have control

of their product,
and that makes sense to me.

But based on his reaction
to everything that I've told him

and what I've learned
from Carolyn and Ovie,

he doesn't take
feedback very well.

And if we're going to work
together,

well, that's going to change.

So, what is this neighborhood?

Tony: So, this is considered
Flushing.

My parents actually own
this building.

Lemonis: Oh, they do?

Tony: They came over here
as refugees from Vietnam.

They were, like, Chinese people
that were kind of persecuted

by the Communist movement.

My dad was in an internment camp
for four years.

Lemonis: Really?

Tony: Actually, he got
the family over here intact.

They saved up their money,
and they got an opportunity

to open up a laundromat
up in Connecticut,

so you know we grew up
more Westernized,

more exposure
to that type of lifestyle.

Lemonis: And what does owning
this business mean to you?

Tony: I mean,
it's been everything.

It's been a roller coaster
up and down.

It's probably some of
the happiest times of my life

and some of the most
stressful times in my life.

You know, my wife
and I had a baby.

She's gorgeous, she's great,
but, you know,

because I'm not taking
an income, my wife

Steph is an absolute trouper.

She's basically been supporting
the family,

and, you know, I just feel like
she's so understanding,

but I know she deserves
so much more.

And with the baby, it just...

to be able to afford, you know,
like, childcare,

it's just not in the cards
with one income.

Lemonis: While I don't
necessarily like all

the decisions
that Tony has made,

I do like the fact

that I feel like he's fully
immersed in his business,

and he's fully committed
to seeing it succeed.

Tomorrow, I want to meet with
you at the Brooklyn location.

Tony: Absolutely.
Lemonis: Okay.

Tony: I appreciate it, Marcus.

Lemonis: You keep your head up,
okay?

We'll go back.
Tony: Alright.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Bell dings ]

Lemonis: Well,
this looks different.

Tony: A little bit, right?

Lemonis: I'm now seeing
the third different sign

and the third different
store design.

Does he have an identity crisis?

So let's go through
the financial statements.

East Village did $329,000
in revenue,

down from $445,000
the year before,

which is down from $600,000
the year before that.

It's down almost 50%.

West Village --

$260,000 of revenue,
which is shocking,

'cause it's a pretty
good location.

Tony: Yeah.

Sales have dropped significantly
over across the board.

It's so dead in the winter time
that we actually close down.

Lemonis: It looks like it's dead
in the summer, too.

That's not good.

And then Brooklyn --
$100,000 loss.

Tony: Um...

I mean...

Lemonis: All the stores
combined --

East Village, West Village,
Forest Hills, and Brooklyn --

lost $198,000.

Of that, half of it
came from Brooklyn.

So the challenge I have is that
the stores all lose money.

But I think deep down,
amidst all the chaos

that you've created,
you're very talented,

you're very smart.
Tony: I appreciate that.

Lemonis: And it's still a pretty
freaking cool idea,

and so that's a good formula.
Tony: Yeah.

Lemonis: So I'm willing to do
a deal with you.

Tony: Okay.
Lemonis: Okay?

But it's going to be
a deal that...

it's not going to be great.

Tony: Okay.
Lemonis: Okay?

So I'm willing to invest
300 grand

for 50% of the business.

Tony: Would you be willing
to maybe lower your equity

just a little bit,
maybe down to 40%?

Lemonis: The $300,000 offer
is for 50%.

I'm offering you $300,000
for 50%.

We got a deal?

♪♪

Ovie: There are times
when you give us direction

and it can be kind of vague.

Lemonis: But you guys got
to get better

at this communication
because it will be

a giant [bleep]show

unless you guys
are on the same page.

Tony: Wo

just a little bit,
maybe down to 40%?

Lemonis: The $300,000 offer
is for 50%.

I'm offering you $300,000
for 50%.

We got a deal?

Tony: I think we have a deal.

Lemonis: Okay.

Tony: Appreciate it, Marcus.
Lemonis: Okay. We did it!

Tony: I'm really excited.

Lemonis: Okay, so a lot's
going to change.

Tony: Absolutely.

Lemonis: And then next time
I see you,

we're going to get to work?

Sound good?
Tony: Sounds good.

Lemonis: Good morning.
Carolyn: Good morning.

Lemonis: You know,
I made a deal with Tony

to invest in the business.

You know, I love the idea
of the shaved cream,

and I think you guys
have built something

that's got some real potential.

I don't like the idea that this
isn't something special

that embraces your culture.

It's just an idea
that just got off the rails.

Tony: Absolutely.

Lemonis: And you started
opening up shops

and didn't even get
the first one right.

I don't like the fact
that there's just not

a lot of options for people.

I think you need to press
the reset button

and literally wipe it out
and start over.

What I'd like to do is remodel
the East Village store,

and we're going to shut
the other ones down

and start over with a concept
that has the right product,

the embracing of the culture,
it's different,

something you've never seen
anywhere before.

This is supposed to be
exciting times.

Tony: I mean, I'm nervous about
all the changes

and what's going
to be happening.

We're going to close down
and tear everything down,

like, that's a lot to take in.

Lemonis: Draconian changes
is the only way

this business
is going to survive.

I'm not just going to sprinkle
fairy dust

and keep all these stores open.

I want to get to one concept,
and I want it to work.

Every store you have
is different.

Tony: Right.

Lemonis: So there is
no actual concept.

The East Village loses
the least amount of money,

so Brooklyn needs to close,

Forest Hills needs to close,
this needs to close.

Tony: That makes sense.

Lemonis: Over the next 60 days,
we're going to begin

winding down the three
poor-performing locations,

and we're going to focus
on the people, the process,

and the product.

I like the people, but we
definitely have to improve

the communication
between Tony and his staff.

He needs to listen
to their feedback,

and they need to feel
comfortable offering it.

We need to streamline
the ordering process

so that Snowdays never runs
out of supplies or product.

And we need to fix
the manufacturing process

of the shaved cream.

The product we have is great,

but we need to diversify
the offering

and add more products
to actually increase

the revenue and make a profit.

If you look at what's happened
in the marketplace,

especially in New York,

it's a melting pot
of a lot of different cultures,

and millennials like culture.

Tony: I think bringing you
on board is, like --

we obviously need changes
in the company.

But, to be fair,
saying an "Asian culture"

is just so broad and so big.

Lemonis: It is.
Tony: You know, it's like,

this isn't just Taiwanese,
it's not just Korean,

it's not just Chinese.
Lemonis: Exactly.

Do they have desserts
in other parts of Asia?

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.
Lemonis: Great.

I want to know what those are,
and I want to find them.

Tony: Right.
Sure.

Lemonis: And I want to make
this place different

so that people want to come here

and people are fascinated, like,
"You can go to this place

and you can have
these unbelievable desserts,

like, things
I've never seen before."

My idea is to have a curated
Asian treat shop

with a selection
of exotic candies and snacks

from an array of Asian cultures.

We need to try new products,
we need to test them

and focus group them
to find out

what products will actually
make a new store successful.

We're going to take one location

and we're going to make it
a perfect model.

I want to literally start new.
Tony: Right.

♪♪

Lemonis: Oh, my goodness!

Today I'm bringing Tony, Ovie,
and Carolyn

to one of the coolest

Asian grocery stores
in the entire country.

I'm going to get
a shopping cart.

And all I want them to do is go
in there with an open mind,

have fun, and pick products
that they find to be interesting

and they think people will like.

Tony: Ovie, get another cart.

Lemonis: What are shrimp sticks?

Jessica: Like,
seafood kind of --

Lemonis: Is it good?

Jessica: Yeah.
Lemonis: Try those pea crackers.

♪♪

This bottle's awesome.
We have to get two.

These are kind of cool looking.

No, that's weird.

Everybody grab something.
Let's have fun.

Jessica: We have some
very popular, um, herbal drinks.

Lemonis: What about this one?

Jessica: It's like a vegetable
yogurt drink.

Lemonis: We'll get a couple.
Get the orange one, too.

Jessica: Melonas
are really popular.

Lemonis: It's a green bean
ice cream bar?

Jessica: Uh-huh.

Lemonis: You ever had this?
Is it just plum juice?

Jessica: It's so good.
Lemonis: It is good?

Jessica: Yeah,
it's a little sour.

Lemonis: If I was a consumer
and I walked into a store

that had shaved cream and mochi

and all these drinks,
I would be like,

"This place is..."
Wouldn't you think?

Ovie: That's exactly
what I thought when I saw these.

I was like, "Wow.
This is cool."

Lemonis: Ovie and Carolyn
seem open-minded

and excited about adding
all these products to the store,

but Tony not so much.

And what really concerns me
is how the three of them

are actually going
to get along going forward

when they don't agree
on something.

I want to understand
how you guys work

together a little bit better.

When somebody has an idea
and the other person

doesn't like it,
how do you communicate it?

Ovie: Usually I voice my opinion
about it and then, you know,

usually me and Tony would have
our little disagreements.

And then, you know,
I'll get chewed out for it.

It'd be nice to know if, like,

if my own opinion mattered
in those situations.

There are times when you
give us direction

that can be kind of vague.

Carolyn: We usually, like,
discuss with each other

to try to figure out,
like, what exactly you want.

Tony: I don't think it's fair
for you guys to be, like,

you know, I'm not explaining it.

Lemonis: You guys have got to
get better at this communication

because it'll be
a giant [bleep]show

unless you guys are
on the same page.

You made this mold, right?
Richard: Yeah.

So the mold's plastic?
Tony: The mold's plastic.

Richard: So you re-use the mold?

Tony: I re-use the mold.
We clean it and we wash it.

Michael: You can't do that.

With the new FDA laws,
you'd have to test

that those chemicals aren't
breaking down the plastic,

which they probably are.

♪♪

Lemonis: You guys have got to
get better at this communication

because it'll be
a giant [bleep]show

unless you guys are
on the same page.

Ovie: I don't know, man.

I feel like somewhere
down the line

I just ended up taking over.

I feel like it should have
always been you.

Tony: You never communicate
to me

that you're having issues
with it

or that these responsibilities
are falling onto your lap

and that you can't handle it
or you don't want to handle it.

Ovie: It's been
two-and-a-half years.

Tony: I think moving forward,
there's going to be

very clear responsibilities
for everybody --

for the three of us, right?

Ovie: Right.
Tony: You good?

Lemonis: While I'm not convinced
that Tony and Ovie have solved

all their communication issues,
I am happy about the fact

that they're at least
dialoguing about it.

Hi, guys.
How we feeling?

Before we move forward
with the new concept,

I want to get
some customer feedback

about all these new ideas.

But more importantly, I want
to see how Tony's going to react

if there is positive feedback.

Is he going to be able
to implement these new changes

and move the business forward?

If he doesn't buy into this --
I've got to be honest --

I'm kind of out of ideas.

Ovie and Carolyn, if you guys
could come over here

and just take notes on what
they like or didn't like.

Let's get some people
in here.

Let's have some fun.

You guys want to come in
and taste some stuff?

Woman: Like what?

Lemonis: You ever had
shaved cream?

Do you like Asian desserts?

Come on in.
Come on in.

We're going to have you guys
help us do some testing.

Carolyn: How do you like it?
Woman: I like it.

Lemonis: Oh, those are good.
Woman: Right?

It's like a really hearty
potato chip without the oil.

Woman #2: This is
really interesting.

Ovie: So if we had both of these
on our shelves,

you would go for this one?

Woman: Well, I've seen
that one in stores.

But I think most people
would go with this

'cause it just looks
more familiar

and you can tell that
it's, like, watermelon flavored.

Ovie: Alright, thank you guys
for the feedback.

Carolyn: So this is
the original flavor.

Ovie: So what's your opinion
on the passion fruit?

Man: I don't like the texture
of this drink to be honest.

Ovie: How would you describe
this one's flavor?

Woman: It's definitely stronger.
Carolyn: Lychee.

Okay, do you want to go
check out some snacks, maybe?

Lemonis: Their biggest complaint
is that they just didn't feel

like you were giving them
enough direction.

Look how included they feel now.

Like, this is becoming
their project too.

Tony: Yeah.
Lemonis: Look how excited he is.

Ovie: Would you
come back for more?

Man: Yeah.
Ovie: That's great.

Lemonis: Ovie and Carolyn
were engaging

and they were enthusiastic about
what it is that we're doing.

They were talking to people,
getting good feedback.

Are you guys having fun?
Woman: Yes.

Lemonis: Would you come in
and buy something walking by?

Woman #2: I would, yeah.

So I can have it in class
or something.

Lemonis: And while Tony started
out a little skeptical,

he has warmed up --

especially once he noticed
the customers really liked it.

Tony: We just picked these up.

I thought they looked
pretty cool.

It's like a watermelon soda.

You ever have cucumber
flavored Lay's?

Man: Very good.
Tony: Very good, right?

Man: This is very good, yeah.

Tony: They really like the mango
crepe cake.

Lemonis: And I don't know
if he's completely there yet,

but I do like the progress.

This is the Asian version
of Pop Rocks.

Tony: Yes.

Ovie: Thanks for, you know,
all the feedback.

It's really
going to help us out.

Lemonis: I'm going to have Tony
start to work

with Precise Graphix,

one of the companies
inside my portfolio.

And I want them to work
on a whole-new concept

for the East Village location.

Tony: So I was thinking, like,
this area over here we would do

some kind of bleacher seating,
or tiered seating.

Keith: We're thinking
a whole-new design --

new colors and everything.

Lemonis: Precise is designing
a whole-new concept

that will incorporate coolers
for drinks and display spaces

for snacks with cool,

new design elements that
really tie into the concept.

Tony is responsible to supervise
the demolition and construction.

♪♪

Tony: You can take this all off.

♪♪

Lemonis: Because Tony's
really struggled with

keeping things in stock,
I've tasked Ovie with coming up

with an inventory
management system

that ensures that
the supply chain works

and we're never out of anything.

What's this?

Tony: "Sold out" magnet
for the menu.

Lemonis: This is crazy-town.

And finally, there's one
more step we need to take

to get this company
back on track.

For me, you need to survive.
Tony: Yeah.

Lemonis: Right?
And you need to be able

to provide some stability
for you and your family.

Tony: Absolutely,
and I totally agree.

Lemonis: I think part of it
is you got to fix

that production facility.

You should not be in the
manufacturing business.

We've got to figure that out.

Going forward, I want to show
Tony a different way

to get his shaved cream
manufactured --

a way that doesn't involve his
current, sub-standard facility.

I'm going to have to
convince him that not only

is it a smart thing to do,

but in my book, it's essential
for him to stay in business.

♪♪

The Emanuele family,
Richard and Michael,

are the owners of Mr. Green Tea,

a business that I invested in
several years ago.

And they are the leader
in manufacturing

Asian-inspired ice creams
and Asian-inspired Mochi.

Michael: Nice to meet you, Tony.

Lemonis: I wanted Tony
to meet them

so that he could see
the possibilities

of having somebody
manufacture his product.

So I had his shaver and some
cream sent over so Tony

can show them
his unique dessert.

The goal would be to get you out
of the expense of production...

Tony: Sure.
Lemonis: ...and the expense

of logistics
and the expense of staff.

Tony: Yeah, I mean, listen.

I'm open to suggestions
and I'm not just going to say,

"No, I don't like that idea"
without thinking about it first.

Lemonis: This isn't an attack
on Tony's ability,

this is a way
to make Tony's life easier.

Tony: It's less than
150 calories for this cup.

Richard: Really?
Tony: Yeah.

Michael: It's very good.

Tony: Yeah, we use
ceremonial-grade matcha

imported from Japan.
Richard: Okay.

Lemonis: I would want the flavor
if we're manufacturing here

to match exactly
what we're doing.

You made this mold, right?

Tony: I didn't make the mold,
but yeah.

Lemonis: You just use,
like, a tub?

Tony: Yes.
Lemonis: But there can be

a more efficient way
to make an actual mold.

Michael: Oh, yeah.

A more food-safe way.

Richard: So the mold's plastic?
Tony: Mold's plastic.

Richard: So you re-use the mold?

Tony: I re-use the mold.
We clean it and we wash it.

Michael: So that -- so that's,
like -- you can't do that.

Because the correct chemicals
you have to use now

with the new FDA laws,

you'd have to test that those
chemicals aren't breaking down

the plastic,
which they probably are.

Ovie: Three years of work I put
in and there's no appreciation.

I think I owe it to myself to,

you know,
look for other opportunities.

Tony: Can we get off-camera
for this?

This is, like, crazy.

Richard: So the mold's plastic?
Tony: Mold's plastic.

Richard: So you re-use the mold?

Tony: I re-use the mold.
We clean it and we wash it.

Michael: So that -- so that's,
like -- you can't do that.

Because the correct chemicals
you have to use now

with the new FDA laws,

you'd have to test that those
chemicals aren't breaking down

the plastic,
which they probably are.

Lemonis: The fact that Michael
just told him

that he is violating
FDA regulations in the way

he's manufacturing food
should stun Tony.

Because I've got to be
honest with you, I'm stunned.

Lemonis: Get out of
the nightmare of production

right now.
Tony: I just --

I can't wrap my mind around

just getting rid
of our production facilities.

Michael: Well, here's
another big part of it.

When you now go to franchises,
you're going to have to come

to the table and show them,
"The facility we make this at

is SQF certified,
it's GMSI certified."

And, you know,
these certifications cost

hundreds of thousands
of dollars...

Tony: Sure.
Michael: ...a year --

every year.

Lemonis: And then
we're in trouble.

Michael: Yeah,
that's big trouble.

Lemonis: You opened up
in New York City,

you had great success,
people love it,

but it needs an evolution
or it'll die.

Tony: I agree.

Lemonis: And relationships like
this will be like gold to you.

Richard: Tony, you have
to evolve, you know?

And you can't be afraid
to do that.

I'm telling you from experience,
you can't be afraid to do that.

Lemonis: What they don't know is
the business took a lot of heat

for being out of flavors,
out of stock.

Tony: That's true.
Lemonis: Close your commissary,

get out of the nightmare
of production.

It's just, like --
what are we doing?

Michael: Yeah.
Richard: Yeah.

Tony: I think that makes sense.

That's fair.
Lemonis: Let's get going.

Michael: Let's make some, uh...
Lemonis: Money.

Michael: ...some snow bunnies.

Tony: Thank you, Michael.
Lemonis: To say that I'm happy

that Tony is handing over
the logistical process

of making his product
is an understatement.

And I know it's a huge hurdle,

but there's a lot more work
to be done.

♪♪

While Ovie is putting
in extra hours

making sure the store
is ready to open,

Tony is scouring the city
looking for more Asian desserts

to add to his location.

Now, because of everybody's
hard work,

the East Village location
is just about a week

away from opening.

♪♪

Ovie: For some reason,
it's a lot smaller than before.

Tony: Than before?
Ovie: Yeah.

Tony: Yeah, so,
did you get everything

I asked you to get done?

All of the inventory's in,
sorted out, getting people

scheduled to get them coming
back into the space this week?

Ovie: I couldn't get
everything done.

I did schedule the movers,

and I'm still working on
the catalog for the inventory.

Tony: You know, we're restarting
with everything

and it's a new --
you know, a new concept

and there's a lot more
that goes into it.

Ovie: Yeah.
I get that.

It's just that you give me
a task

and I'm forced
to go at it alone.

You know, we're kind of
spread thin and Carolyn's

out of town, as well.

If [bleep] hits the fan, like,

I don't know
how much more I can give.

It's getting harder and harder,
you know?

Tony: There's no room
for the negativity.

I need you to be on board

and just focus
on getting this shop open.

Ovie: I've pretty much
given everything.

Tony: I get it.
Listen, Ovie,

I've got an 18-month-year-old
daughter at home.

Ovie: Yeah.
Tony: I've got a wife

that's, like, supporting me
right now

while we're going
through this process.

I need you
to be less negative.

Ovie: It just shows me, like,
three years of work I've put in

and, like, there's
no appreciation for it.

Like, everything I did
just crumbled

and I had to think about,
like,

what I want to do going forward
with my life.

I think I owe it to myself to,
you know,

look for other opportunities.

Tony: Uh, I...

I'm sorry this is --
this is a little --

Can we get off camera for this?

This is, like, crazy.

♪♪

Ovie: I think I owe it
to myself to, you know,

look for other opportunities.

Tony: O-Ovie, like, I --
I'm sorry this is --

this is a little --
Can we get off camera for this?

This is, like, crazy.

The last thing I want you
is to make an abrupt decision

because, you know,
you're emotional right now

and, like,
it seems really stressful.

Ovie: It is.
Like, it is.

Tony: No, I know it is.
Look at everything.

Look what we're
in the middle of.

And, like, you know, you're just
going to potentially leave?

Ovie: I just don't know
how much more I can sacrifice.

Tony: I just closed
down three shops --

four shops with this one
under construction.

There's no room
for the negativity.

Like, and I'm handling most
of the work

with development
with Mr. Green Tea,

figuring out the rest of
the design work for Precise.

Hey, Marcus, how are you doing?

Lemonis: What's happening?

How's everybody doing?

I wanted to stop
by the East Village location

to meet with Tony and Ovie
to find out what's happening

with the construction
and the whole process.

But it's clear to me that I
walked into something else.

Ovie, how are you?

Ovie: Um...

we just had a talk about,
like, the issues

where Tony's management style
was non-existent.

And he can be kind of a dick
sometimes.

Tony: Yeah, to a certain extent.

But, like, it's a lot going on
right now.

We're all stressed.

Ovie: At some point
I had to realize,

like, we can't keep going.

Lemonis: Look, I knew there were
problems between Ovie and Tony,

but I am surprised to find out
that Ovie is so frustrated

that he's considering leaving.

Losing such an experienced,
dedicated person right before

the opening would be
a massive death blow to Tony.

Tony: We're at a crossroads
right now, you know,

and we're going
to get through it.

Like, that's all I've got
to tell you.

Like, we're going
to get through it.

Ovie: I get you're saying that,
but I don't know, man.

Tony: This is going to be
a good opportunity for us.

It'll be like --
I promise I'll do right by you.

I don't want you for a second
to feel like I don't appreciate

all the work that you've done
'cause I really do.

And I really can't do it
without you,

and I really do think that
this is going to be a success.

♪♪

Ovie: I do take your word on it.

Tony: You've done a great job,
Ovie.

And thanks for standing by me
all these years.

Ovie: Of course.
Tony: I appreciate it.

Give me a hug, man.

Ovie: I kind of needed that.

Lemonis: Look, for people to
stay and want to work somewhere,

they have to feel appreciated.

And I'm finally happy to see
that Tony is recognizing

that he needs Ovie
to be successful.

It's not a one-man band.

It's almost like a new chapter.

Tony: Right.

♪♪

♪♪

Lemonis: Today is the day
that the store

is finally going to open.

Tony is totally committed
to the changes and the concept.

Carolyn: Oh, they look good.

Lemonis: Partnering with
Mr. Green Tea has allowed him

to focus on the important things
like the store redesign

and sourcing new products.
Michael: One of the things

we wanted to get rid
of was plastic.

Right, single-use plastics
are, like, really bad right now.

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.

Michael: So what we have here
is 100% cardboard,

paper-based packaging
for your shaved creams.

And the packaging's
100% recyclable, as well.

Tony: That looks beautiful.
Michael: There we go!

Tony: A little drizzle.

Michael: Ready for Instagram.
Tony: Yes, seriously.

Lemonis: I know that Tony,
Carolyn,

and Ovie have been
working around the clock.

Tony: You're going to make
the peanut butter sauce,

right, Ovie?

Ovie: Yeah, let me just
wipe that area down.

Lemonis: There is a lot riding
on this for Tony,

and I know
he's feeling the pressure.

Tony: Hey, Ovie?
Ovie: Yeah?

Tony: Do you know why
this freezer's not running?

Did you unplug it?

Ovie: No.
Tony: So weird.

Ovie: Yeah,
it was on last night.

Tony: Is it defrosting?

Ovie: Oh, most likely.

Carolyn: They're kind of soft
in there.

Tony: It's not on.

Ovie: We should check
everything inside.

Carolyn: Oh, my God.

Tony: Definitely not on.

Lemonis: If your business is
in trouble and you need my help,

log on to
TheProfitCasting.com.

Tony: It's not on.

Carolyn: Oh, my God.

Tony: It's definitely not on.

Ovie: I'm going to press
the reset button.

♪♪

Tony: Oh, there it goes.
Ovie: Did that do anything?

Tony: Yep, it's working.

Ovie: We should check
everything inside.

Tony: Good work.
Thanks for figuring that out.

That would have been really bad.

Lemonis: While I've seen
prototypes and drawings,

it never truly encapsulates

what's actually going to happen
in the store.

What?

But as I go inside,
I almost didn't recognize it.

Holy Moses,
it looks totally different!

Carolyn: Hi, Marcus!

Lemonis: Really good to see you.

Look at you with your outfit on.

Tony: You like it?
Lemonis: How are you?

Carolyn: Hey.
Ovie: Hey, Marcus.

Lemonis: You guys look like
you're a team.

It's like a new business.

It looks kind of amazing.

Can you give me
kind of a walk around?

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.

Essentially you follow
the footsteps through the store.

Lemonis: Okay.

Tony: So it brings you
to some of the stuff from, like,

the bakery that we, you know,
kind of private labeled.

And then footprints go up,

so they lead you
to the menu.

Lemonis: It looks
totally different.

Tony: It looks
totally different.

I'm so excited.

This is the Yeti Outpost.

Lemonis: This is cool.
People are going to love this.

Tony: Yeah, we have
the grass jelly drinks.

These are more like, you know,

some of the Japanese
coffee drinks.

We have our Pocky shelf,
Japanese and Korean candy.

Lemonis:
Can I try a black sesame?

Carolyn: A black sesame, yeah.

Lemonis: So in addition
to shaved cream,

Tony also added mochi,

which is another unique
Asian dessert, to the lineup,

and a real differentiator
in the market.

Not something you see on
every street corner in New York.

Tony: Hey, guys, come on in.
How you doing?

Woman: Oh, I love Pocky!

♪♪

Ovie: And what would you like?

Carolyn: We also have
a peanut butter sauce here.

Man: This is really good.

Lemonis: You ready to take,
like, a deep breath?

Tony: I am.

I mean, Carolyn and Ovie
have really stuck by my side.

It just, uh -- it makes me
really happy because we just --

the three of us have put in
so much work and it's a --

a relief to, you know,
really show you

and have you be proud of this.

Lemonis: I, honestly,
no BS,

I don't think
you missed a trick.

Tony: Thank you so much, Marcus.

Lemonis: Tony now has multiple
streams of revenue

for 365 days of success.

While this location did
do $600,000 in its best year,

with the new products
and the new feel,

this location can get close
to a $1 million.

Tony can now have some balance
in his life.

He can get one concept right.

And now he can make money
and spend time with his family.

Over time,
if this concept works,

then the possibilities
of opening up two

or three -- no problem.

Let's see if people want
to come try some mochi.

Tony: Yeah.
Lemonis: These folks --

talk to them.

♪♪