We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Desiree Sirowy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Desiree below.
Desiree, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
Have you ever used toilet paper as a form of payment to your favorite place to eat? Well, many of our community members did in 2020. We wanted to find a way to get toilet paper out of people’s hands and into the hands of first responders’, elderly, and those who truly needed it. We didn’t think it was an issue of hoarding, but more so that people didn’t know how to get it into the hands of those in need. We received hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, but it went so much further than that. (To read the full story, go to Facebook and find the rubber duck image associated with Blackjack Pizza & Salads of Brighton- see the March 22, 2020 post “For Norma”) It started a TP4Pizza (Toilet Paper 4 Pizza) campaign in which we fed first responders and front line workers who were keeping the world running. People were thrilled to nominate businesses, donate money to help us give more, and share our posts.
One of our favorite stories that came of all this was a guy from Staples who brought in non-functional bottles of hand sanitizer- the dispensers were obsolete now, so the bottles wouldn’t work. Shortly after, we found a truck driver on Facebook who wasn’t ready to go back to work without PPE, so we coordinated with him to stop by and we were able to get him masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. The Staples guy came back in with more hand sanitizer, and we were able to tell him how and who he helped- he was touched that he helped someone. The truck driver vowed to pass it forward and when the Marshall Fires hit Colorado, he was the first one to show up to our supply drive for those who lost their homes, and he had 12 cases of water in tow!
We thought we bought a pizza store- but it is so much more than that. The seeds of giving that we have helped facilitate, the teenagers who were able to grow up with us, the business partners we have formed, and the community involvement we now have makes this all very worth while.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Desiree Sirowy, and I am a the Owner of Blackjack Pizza & Salads of Brighton, CO. I got into this business because I told my husband I was bored- haha!! He had worked for the three previous owners of this location and always had it in the back of his mind that it would be fun to own a pizza store one day. I had been at home with our kids for two years, and I REALLY craved adult interactions. Well, here we are- we have owned this location for over 10 years now. Yes, we are a franchised location, but we have the freedom of creativity in what we do- community wise. We try to be Community Champions by always being present, but in creative, fun ways. We support our first responders. We support our teachers. We give back how we can. But we also just sell pizza. We are reliable in all that we do. I was told by a customer the other day, “My mom has always told me- pizza is pizza- its all the same. You want to support the ones that give back and do more for the community.” That has stuck by me these last few days. We care. We live here. Our kids go to school with your kids. My husband was born here so now we get kids of his classmates. And at the end of the day, it’s still just about selling pizzas and knowing that you did good for your community that day.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
With Social Media, it’s all about being present. Are all of my reviews perfect and great? No. But what they are, is answered personally. What I mean by this is that I personally respond to almost all of our reviews (Google, Facebook, Yelp, emails). Our Corporate standard is 24 hours, but I do miss a few. I have actually had people come in just because they saw the Owner personally responding and engaged with our reviews. When they see ~Desiree after all of the responses, then they meet you, it shows accountability on your part. I actually had a guy give us a 5 star review on Google because of the response level we showed in our reviews (so 5 stars for the response level of reviews)- and he had never even had our pizza before!
I have received 1 star reviews that were song lyrics, then when I responded with the song and artist, it changed to a 5 star review.
It’s just about showing that you are present.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I know that it sounds backwards, but by giving away freebies of your food/product, it really helps. Use the National Day of… for a perfect example. We did a post on Inclusion Day- if you showed up in your yellow shirt that day, you received a free pizza voucher. The people on our Facebook page shared the post, liked it and we had a great turnout of supporters. We had families who have never ordered from us before coming in for their free pizza. Their pictures were shared on Facebook with their permission, and they enjoyed seeing themselves on our platform. Your customer might have had a bad experience with you or another location (for a franchise) but you have the ability to listen, care, and let them know they have been heard. That free pizza is maybe enough to turn that bad into good. Show up to a business with free lunch- they will remember your kindness.
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