In our regular, quarterly profiles of multi-unit franchisees in our Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine, we ask them about employment-related issues: how they are handling rising employee costs, what they are doing to reward or recognize top performers, and what they are doing to take care of their employees. Here’s what three of them had to say in the Q4 issue of the magazine. Next month: three more!
1) Jiger Patel is the Futurist Officer at TIG (The Integritty Group). Its brands include 31 Qdoba Mexican Grill (7 in the pipeline to complete a 62-unit development agreement), 3 The Greene Turtle, 2 Checkers, and Dave’s Hot Chicken (8 units in the pipeline). At 42, he has been in franchising for 20 years and in his current position for 7.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)?
Our business model is focused on providing our team with fair wages and competitive benefits. This enables us to stay ahead of rising costs as it’s built into our business model.
What are you doing to take care of your employees?
We have instilled a culture where our people are respected and treated like extended family; we show that we truly care for their well-being and their families. Not only do we have a very competitive salary, we also have well-balanced benefit initiatives including paid vacation, 401(k), and aggressive health insurance coverage.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees?
The best motivator for our top performers is to provide them with a road map for their individual career growth with our company as we continue to expand aggressively. We also have a lucrative and achievable bonus program that incentivizes the best performers to distinguish themselves from average and low performers.
2) David E. Gronewoller is President & CEO of GC Partners and GRO Restaurant Group. The company operates 14 Golden Corrals. At 68, he has been in franchising and in his current position for 29 years.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)?
With great care. There are a lot of people specifically targeting our people.
What are you doing to take care of your employees?
I’d say the first responsibility to each employee is to give them outstanding employees to work with. We do what we need to do.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? There are countless ways. However, we believe the most important is to recognize top performance immediately and to let everyone else know. Our team knows!
3) Justin Sharbutt is the CEO of Conquer the Day. The company operates 54 Tide Cleaners with 12 new stores under development, 7 Dunkin’/Baskin-Robbins, 3 BurgerFi, and 1 Blo Dry Bar (owned by his wife, Hillary). At 38, he has been in franchising and his current position for 8 years.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? At the end of the day, as important as our P&Ls are, our employees are at the forefront of our minds on a daily basis. Just as every guest, customer, and region is different, so are our employees. We strive daily to figure out how to create the best work environment for everyone—and to create a culture that they want to attach themselves to.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? Raising our prices is one way, but we’re always trying to get creative on benefits for our people.