Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2014 | Page 34

MEGA PERSONAL First job: Restaurant GM of a KFC in Little Rock. in the business. Formative influences/events: My former partner Dick Pendleton was a significant influence in my career and gave me the opportunities I needed to become who I am today. Exercise/workout: I have an exercise room in the office that I never use. Key accomplishments: Working my way up in the company and acquiring ownership along the way. This ultimately allowed me to purchase the business and become my own boss. Biggest mistake: Not doing adequate research into site selection for restaurants. Smartest mistake: Investing more than most thought was wise in the relocation of a KFC in New York. That investment resulted in the store becoming the highest-volume, revenue-generating KFC I own. Decision I wish I could do over: I wish I had created a concept to compete with a well-established brand. Work week: Six days. I try to take half a day off on Saturday and Sunday, but this business is 24/7. How do you spend a typical day? I typically spend Monday in the office, then travel to spend time in restaurants the rest of the week. Favorite fun activities: Peacock bass fishing in the Amazon and working Favorite tech toys: iPhone and iPad. What are you reading? All trade journals related to the restaurant industry and The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. Do you have a favorite quote? I always say, “We are thrifty, not cheap.” Best advice you ever got: Never give up. In our business you will always have highs and lows, so you better understand that and never give up! What gets you out of bed in the morning? I really enjoy what I do. This is not work to me, this is something I have been blessed to do. What’s your passion in business? I enjoy seeing those on our team grow and succeed. How do you balance life and work? It’s pretty easy. I love what I do and feel like I am on vacation every day. Last vacation: Alaskan cruise. Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Warren Buffet. MANAGEMENT Business philosophy: To encourage my team to always think like entrepreneurs while working within the franchise guidelines. getting more for their dollar. We have responded by focusing more on the value of the menu items that we offer. Management method or style: I am pretty easygoing. My passion is to be in the restaurants coaching and encouraging the teams. How is social media affecting your business? Social media has and will continue to have an impact on the business. Consumers and employees can quickly and easily report both good and bad experiences. It is vital for any company to stay on top of what is changing in the realm of social media from both the consumer aspect and also the employee relations aspect. Greatest challenge: Finding, hiring, and retaining great employees, and labor and food costs. How do others describe you? Fair, caring, and easygoing, as well as firm and direct regarding standards and protocols. One thing I’m looking to do better: Operate better restaurants; be the best we can be at what we do. How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: I give my team autonomy and empower them to make the decisions necessary to run the business. How close are you to operations? Very close. I am in my restaurants almost every week. What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Strong leadership and solid marketing of the brands. How do you hire and fire? We have recently adopted a culture of “Everyone’s a recruiter.” This means that every member of the team should be looking for individuals who are genuine, motivated, and committed to serving our guests with pride and inviting them to join our team. We strive to ensure fair and consistent treatment of all employees. As a company we do not fire employees. Employees make poor choices that are not aligned with our policies and procedures resulting in employees essentially firing themselves. How do you train and retain? We use several different methods, such as The Learning Zone (provided by KFCC), in-person classroom settings, and onthe-job training to train and retrain our team members. We ensure that we stay compliant with the standards of the brands I have chosen to represent. What I need from vendors: Our vendors are our partners, so I need them to be honest, timely, and fair in our dealings. Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Because of the soft economy, consumers are focused on 32 How do you deal with problem employees? We address issues headon, first with coaching, and if the behaviors do not show sustained and significant improvement, we move to progressive discipline as warranted. Fastest way into my doghouse: Being dishonest and demonstrating a complete lack of care for others and the company. Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue I, 2014