|
Owner Fred Kent is now eyeing national expansion and wants
to raise about $1 million from investors to pull it off. Chilldisc
is currently in bars in four states, including Pennsylvania
and Virginia, but Kent said he wants to expand along the East
Coast and into the south.
Kent said he has raised a total of $200,000 so far from private
investors.
"I believe our company will be huge," Kent said. "We
haven't yet tapped the warm states."
Chilldisc is an offshoot of Kent's 8-year-old metal fabrication
company, Monster Metal Werkes LLC, where the patented disc
was invented. Chilldisc employs eight while Monster Metal Werkes
employs 10.
Kent said he believes his product's greatest opportunity is
with chain restaurants, such as Chili's or Applebee's. So far,
the chains have been reticent to sign up for the product. But
now that the company has signed up several bars, chain restaurants
could follow, Kent said.
Kent also is targeting yacht cubs, golf courses and country
clubs.
"Cold beer sells. Nobody wants warm beer," Kent
said.
The operators of Max's Taphouse are happy they poured $12,000
into Chilldisc about six months ago.
The lights on the steel discs change from red to yellow to
green, so customers see it as a novelty and talk about it with
other customers, Max's manager Bob Simko said. On Baltimore
Ravens game days, the light's color can be changed to purple.
"Are people going to come to our place just because you
have it?" said Max's Owner Ron Furman. Probably not, he
said. But once people come, it keeps them coming back, Furman
said.
Furman said he has seen a rival product -- an ice rail that
goes across a bar top. But he said he did not like it because
condensation formed around the glass.
back to Chilldisc
News
|
