Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2013 | Page 52

M U L T I - B R A N D
“The secret to success is to make a common thing,
uncommonly well.”
PERSONAL
First job: Investment broker at Prudential Securities.
Formative influences/events: My parents always told me to do whatever I’m comfortable doing, but do it with passion.
Key accomplishments: Working hard so that my daughters can go to the
college of their choice.
Biggest mistake: Growing the Papa John’s business in 2006 at the beginning of the real estate and economic crisis. I was building a business in an area
that was dependent on the growth of homes. I went out and did stores in other,
smaller areas in Florida and they were all hit really hard with the economic and
real estate turmoil, and the growth didn’t happen.
Smartest mistake: Constantly taking chances in business. Some chances
work and some don’t. But as long as you come out ahead and don’t hurt anyone along the way, it is a smart mistake.
Work week: I try to visit stores every week. We have 850 employees and
I’m always very much available and open to them.
How do you spend a typical day? I go to the office after I exercise. I
look at the sales and compare them against last year for all of our restaurants.
I look for the percentage of orders, and all the details: food, labor costs, and so
on. I analyze data for all the stores and then I get in touch with the people who
report to me. I get briefed on what we are doing that day, go to meetings, and
participate in several conference calls. I visit the restaurants as frequently as I
can. I like to talk to employees and customers.

Favorite fun activities: Playing lots of tennis.
Exercise/workout: Playing tennis with a coach so I can be pushed till I am
really tired.
Favorite tech toys: iPhone, iPad.
What are you reading? Magazines, all kinds.
Do you have a favorite quote? “The secret to success is to make a common thing, uncommonly well.”
Best advice you ever got: Be patient and think things through whenever
possible.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? I love the work I do.
What’s your passion in business? To be successful and to see everyone
on my team grow and be successful as well. I am involved in businesses where
the customer wants and desires my product. It is a good position to be in.
How do you balance life and work? Both my wife and I work very
hard 6 days a week, and we both make sure we spend time together on a
daily basis. We see each other during the day for a few minutes and we almost
always eat dinner together, even if it is late. Our kids are away in college and
we talk to them daily and visit them often. We are a very close family, so I also
constantly talk to and see my dad, brothers, and sister and their families.
Last vacation: A cruise with all my extended family in the Caribbean.
Person I’d most like to have lunch with: My brothers.

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: In running a multi-unit business, whether it’s
the same company or different restaurants, you have to be very organized
and able to give clear responsibilities to everyone and expect everyone to
implement them. The team needs to respond in the same manner with their
people. I believe I’ve created a culture that does that very well. Delegating is
crucial so you can have good time management. Accountability is then easily
measured.
Management method or style: I have a list of things I want to accomplish in a day. I delegate to the appropriate people depending on what task it
is. I follow up by the end of the day, the following day, or the week.
Greatest challenge: The restaurant business has many challenges, as other
businesses do. However, in this business, it all starts all over again with every
customer, as they expect and rightfully deserve, a perfect experience no matter
what challenges we have in the restaurant. So whether employees show up to
work or not, we have to make it smooth and perfect for them.
How do others describe you? As very fair and available to reach in
person.
One thing I’m looking to do better: I need to become stricter.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: My
restaurant managers run their restaurant as if it was theirs. We share the full
income statement so that they can see how everything they do benefits and/or
affects the business. This way, they come up with suggestions as to how they
can help the business do better.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2013

How close are you to operations? I am very close to my operations. I
am at work every day.
What are the two most important things you rely on from your
franchisor? Advertising and quality of the food.
What I need from vendors: Consistency delivering the contracted product.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? I have not, but the franchisor has at a national level. That, in turn,
changes what I do locally.
How is social media affecting your business? It is mostly very good,
as we have the best product in the market and word of mouth says so.
How do you hire and fire? That I don’t do personally. I have human resources people and my managers are in charge of their own people. Fortunately, I’ve been able to do it right the first time, and I don’t have many changes.
I’ve had the same management people for the last five years, and right below
them for seven years.
How do you train and retain? We have a training program run by the
vice president of operations. We are constantly training.
How do you deal with problem employees? Lots of additional training, writing them up, and measuring their improvement. If they don’t improve,
we need to hire those who do want to follow our team culture.
Fastest way into my doghouse: Someone’s lack of common sense.