Photo courtesy of Kitchen Tune-Up
Sep. 13, 2023 By Ethan Marshall
Little Neck resident and entrepreneur Billy Wu has recently begun operating a mobile Kitchen Tune-Up business specializing in updating kitchens and cabinetry for Queens residents.
Photo courtesy of Kitchen Tune-Up
Wu said draws upon his past work experience to ensure the business is running smoothly. He previously spent 15 years working as an investment database analyst before opening and operating his own Subway franchise location. His business experience and background in entrepreneurship provided him with the foundation needed to grow Kitchen Tune-Up locally.
Photo courtesy of Kitchen Tune-Up
According to Wu, he decided to get involved with the business after speaking to a neighbor who was a franchisee of another brand under the same umbrella as Kitchen Tune-Up, Home Franchise Concepts. The neighbor ended up exposing Wu to the brands under Home Franchise Concepts.
“I saw kitchen as a great opportunity,” Wu said. “A kitchen is the heart of the home. People gather there. That’s the main social space and main value of the home.”
He underwent training for the business in July and in August, he established a mobile Kitchen Tune-Up to serve the residents of Queens.
Wu said the business offers five core services. One is tuning up cabinets in just one day, which was the original service offered. The other four services include changing the doors of cabinets, refacing, installing custom cabinets and painting cabinets.
“We’re really trying to push the brand and get people to understand what we do,” Wu said. “A majority of our business is cabinet refacing, which is something a lot of people in this area are not familiar with. We really want to educate people on that and show them the advantages of doing a refacing instead of getting a completely new kitchen.”
Wu said the business also takes great pride in providing excellent and easily accessible customer service. He noted the importance of earning people’s trust, constantly being in communication and making sure to follow up on all aspects of people’s projects.
“I have some background working in business and starting my own business,” Wu said. “It’s definitely helped me when it comes to understanding the operational and business side of this. Being an entrepreneur is also about having an open mind, learning and discovering. That’s something that I strive to do.”
The business was founded in 1988 by David and Cindy Haglund in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 2017, their eldest daughter, Heidi Morrissey, became president of the franchise system. Kitchen Tune-Up joined the Home Franchise Concepts family in 2021. Franchise locations are independently owned and operated.