Spring 2014 — Quad Cities Builders & Remodelers Association
7
Y
ou would think the restaurant
business and the real estate business
don’t have much in common…but,
you might be wrong!
We recently visited with QCBR member, Nick
Fazliu of Budget Homes, Inc., the owner of
West Davenport’s Hickory Garden Family
Restaurant, and the adjacent Garden Meadows
subdivision – which Nick recently developed.
For the past 21 years, Nick has been a
resident of NW Davenport. He is married
to Sofi, and is the father of two grown
daughters. High energy and tireless
workers, the Fazliu family has little time for
rest and relaxation. Life consists of cooking
and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to
over 2,100 loyal customers weekly. Then
there is mowing platted lots, planting trees,
and consulting with Garden Meadows home
builder J.P. Condon Inc. on construction
plans and marketing. Still, Nick always
finds time to enjoy friendly conversation
with his restaurant customers and new
Garden Meadow neighbors. Nick took a few
moments to share his story with us.
Nick smiled, “we like to get to know our
customers – it’s important! We’ve learned
that our restaurant clients and our Garden
Meadows home shoppers have similar
expectations and are driven by similar
motives when selecting a restaurant or
selecting a home and neighborhood.”
While drinking a cup of hot coffee that was
never allowed to go empty, Nick explained
that planning a restaurant menu….and
planning a neighborhood…..require similar
ingredients. Nick adds, “for starters, ya
gotta be in the right location. People gotta
be able to find you! Folks are busy – they
multi-task all day – every day. They want
to grab a meal close to where they live,
work, and shop. They don’t want to drive
miles from home for banks, exercise, or
household goods. People are also making
better choices for healthy living. Both our
restaurant and home site locations meet
their needs. And for exercise, we’re just one
block to the Duck Creek bike path!”
Nick is convinced his diverse menu
selections are key to Hickory Gardens
loyal customer base. Nick says, “People
want variety and selection – if you don’t
have what they want, they go somewhere
else. We’re not just a burger or pizza joint.
And, at Garden Meadows our builder J.P.
Condon, Inc. has cooked up some original
recipes for success. Pat does NOT design and
build look-a-like homes. Our streetscape
welcomes residents with a variety of home
designs including Ranch, 1/2 - Level, and 2
story homes featuring 2, 3, 4, or 5 bedrooms;
all including a variety of charming roof lines,
friendly front porches, and a harmony of
color, textures, stone, and brick.”
Like a fine dining experience…the
presentation is just as important as the
preparation. We don’t serve food on paper
plates with plastic forks, and likewise we
don’t cut corners on our home exterior or
interior details.
When a restaurant guy, turned developer,
talks about value….he talks about portions.
States Nick, “we love it when our customers
request a ‘take home box.’ It means we
delivered more than they expected, and
they liked what we served! I think home
buyers compare value based on a cost per
sq. ft., and custom features at no added
cost…(Like our free dessert). We explain
to customers, our home value starts with
affordable dirt and efficient land planning,
no wasted space floor plans…and value
concludes with our customer friendly
pricing structure. We think our restaurant
return customers are comparable to our
Garden Meadows referred customers-
satisfaction is what brings them here.”
So, who’s building and buying homes in
Garden Meadows? Our neighbors include
engineers, police officers, bankers, business
owners, contractors, and a variety of
family structures including singles, and
retirees. And, homes in Garden Meadows
have demonstrated proven resale value in
minimal marketing time.
Nick has a concept plan for land he owns
immediately west of his Garden Meadows
neighborhood that could offer ‘Active Senior
Adults’ a "new concept" in affordable condo
living. Nick interjects, “we could even deliver
meals.” Nick would welcome a builder/
investor partner for this development.
Garden Meadows is somewhat unique to our
market for several reasons. An ‘infill’ project,
the community successfully transitions
commercial, industrial, multi-family and
residential zoning. We discovered on our
tour that Garden Meadows resembles an “old-
fashioned” neighborhood, but without alleys.
Typical lot widths are about 45 ft., and have 5 ft.
side yards. Generous rear yards provide ample
room for recreation. This concept promotes
a sense of community – and encourages neo-
traditional design features. The neighborhood
is fenced at its perimeter offering privacy
and screening. And, the single public street
entrance ends in a cul-de-sac, reduces traffic to
residents and welcome guests.
Nick summed up our conversation saying,
“It’s important to know your customer
audience, and it’s important to know
yourself. We’re not Johnny’s Steak House
or Red Crow Grill. Likewise, we’re not
Crow Valley or Jersey Farms housing
developments…but, we know who we are
and we try to be the best at what we do.”
+
A
RECIPE
FOR
SUCCESS
by Pat Condon, QCBR Past President
QCBR NEWS
Nick and his daughter Dona at the
family restaurant Hickory Gardens.
