2020 The SCORE, Issue 2

THE

THE MAGAZINE OF FRANCHISE BUSINESS SERVICES

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2 020 ISSUE 2

What Attracted

Brian Carmody and his JK&T Wings partners to BWW?

Find out inside this issue’s spicy Franchisee Spotlight. PAGE 16

BWW Leaders Manage Teams Through Coronavirus Challenge PAGE 18

All of us at McLane Foodservice would like to extend our well wishes to the entire BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchise community, their businesses, and especially their families during these trying times. We look forward to coming through COVID-19 and building on our strong partnership for the future.

Š2020 McLane Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2020 Issue 2

FBS Board of Directors Wray Hutchinson Chairman Mark Jones Vice Chairman Jenny Beaudoin Director James Bitzonis Director Brian Carmody Director Steve Grube Director Roz Mallet Director Bobby Pancake Director Larry Podlogar Director Christy Williams Executive Director

FBS Editorial Board Jessica Loeding Editor-in-Chief jessical@myfbsonline.org Sean Ireland Managing Editor seani@myfbsonline.org Rachel Jackson Associate Editor rachelj@myfbsonline.org

Advertising Sales Jeff Reynolds Director of Business Partner Relations jeffr@myfbsonline.org 678-797-5163 Montserrat Almaraz Sales & Development Manager montserrata@myfbsonline.org 678-439-2284

Design and Layout Kristen Thomas KT Graphic Design ktgraphicdesign@gmail.com

ON THE COVER Brian Carmody, far right, counts family and friends among his partners at JK&T Wings. Turn to page 16 to learn how this fun-loving and successful group came together as Carmody steps into the Franchisee Spotlight.

COLUMNS 2

Chairman’s Column

DEPARTMENTS 4 FBS Member News

10 Recognitions

10 Event Calendar

16 Franchisee Spotlight

34 One Topic: 10 Facts

35 Look, Listen, Read

FEATURES 12 13 14 18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

Boys & Girls Clubs Serving Local Communities During Pandemic Spotlight on the 116th Congress: Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) In Memoriam: Tom Renfro BWW Leaders Manage Teams Through Coronavirus Challenge

By Sean Ireland, FBS associate director of communications Pandemic Increases Reliance on Sound Practices to Control Food Costs

by Sean Ireland Communications Take On Added Importance in Wake of COVID-19 and Civil Unrest

by Douglas Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson, LLP Making the Most of Your Business’s Risk Management

by Lockton Affinity Balance the Opposites

by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co. Six Employee Communication Strategies During Times of Crisis

by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc. Productive Worry Versus Unproductive Worry: Six Ways to Make Worrying Work for You

by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro® Optimally Manage Cash Flow With a Financial Team

by Charlie Koch, Prism Financial Group, a related company of Mize Restaurant Group

DIRECTORIES 11 Associate Member Listing 36 Advertisers Guide and Editorial Calendar

Headquarters 1701 Barrett Lakes Blvd. NW Suite 180 Kennesaw, GA 30144 Phone: 678-797-5161 Fax: 678-797-5171

In keeping with our commitment to the environment, this publication is printed on certified, environmentally-friendly recycled paper using eco-friendly inks.

Franchise Business Services publishes The SCORE. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, of the contents of this publication is prohibited without prior written consent of Franchise Business Services. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright© 2020

Printed in the U.S.A.

www.myfbsonline.org

From the Chairman

I

n May, the FBS board met and unanimously agreed to retain Trinity Capital, a highly respected financial advisory and brokerage firm, to conduct a confidential survey of the

franchise system’s financial health and to consolidate those results into a presentation for the franchise system as well as Buffalo Wild Wings® brand leadership.

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This survey is the first of its kind for the franchisee association and is possible because of franchisee support over time.

An analysis of this magnitude is a benefit of being part of FBS. We are working diligently to help guide future decisionmaking that impacts each of us and our businesses. The survey is just one of FBS’s efforts that make the association so important to our brand.

Much like sports teams and athletes, Buffalo Wild Wings tracks our stats to evaluate the overall health of one restaurant, our company and even the brand. We consider same-store sales, traffic counts, sales by channel, product mix and related food costs, labor and pay rates, and delivery charges. What about our debt obligations? Without these figures and statistics, how do we gauge the health of our individual businesses or BWW®? And how do we determine what decisions are best for our brand?

When the pandemic hit, our sports bars, like the sports world, stopped – or at least slowed down drastically. Without sports and with restrictions in place, our

dining rooms were empty. Finding our way forward involves careful analysis of how Buffalo Wild Wings was performing for the year prior to COVID-19 and how the pandemic impacted our P&Ls. Beyond our individual companies, it is equally important to understand the long-term toll this crisis has had – and will continue to have – on the franchisee community. Reconciling the use of funds from your Paycheck Protection Program loan, if you were fortunate enough to obtain one, and managing cash flow to pay down your deferred obligations with reduced capacity and reduced consumer confidence are but two issues we will all be dealing with for the remainder of 2020.

The FBS board of directors accepted doing this work on behalf of the system as our responsibility.

We need your help, however. FBS reached out to the franchisee community in early July regarding the process and requesting completion of two documents – a release allowing Buffalo Wild Wings International to provide Trinity Capital with sales data for each of your locations

and a document listing each location your company operates. It is imperative that these documents be completed and returned by July 20. If you need those re-sent to you, please contact the FBS office.

The events of 2020 also forced FBS to reschedule our largest networking and educational event: the annual Summit.

Although we did not get to be together this year, I look forward to seeing you all May 5-7 at the Bellagio for the 2021 FBS Summit.

At a time when so much seems uncertain, remember that together we will get through this. I look forward to brighter days ahead, and I hope to see each of you in Las Vegas in 2021!

Wray Hutchinson

Your businesses are facing challenges in uncharted territory. To help, Elevanta Health deferred April health insurance premiums—estimated at $1.7 million—and provided annual participation refunds of over $300,000 to our members. That’s a combined total of $2 million we put back into the hands of members during a time when they needed it the most.

We care about your wellbeing. Contact us today for a custom quote.

memberservices@elevanta.com I elevantahealth.com/fbs I www.elevanta.com

= $1k in Refunds = $1k in Deferred Premium

MEMBER NEWS

Ashland Buffalo Wild Wings Teams Up With Church to Feed Community J

DM Restaurants’ Buffalo Wild Wings® in Ashland, Ohio, owned by Ken Brown and Dave Kajganich, recently received a request to help contribute to feeding the community. Christ United Methodist Church, where Brown is a member, received an anonymous donation to help feed people in Ashland facing hard times.

The church wanted to help feed the community, but also show support for its members. Church leaders asked BWW® and one other restaurant with family ties to the church if they could place bulk orders. BWW sold 100 meals, each with a chicken wrap, tortilla chips, salsa, boneless wings and ranch sauce.

On May 17, the church set up a drive-thru on its campus for members of

Left: Laura White, pastor at Christ United Methodist Church, picked up the meals from the Ashland BWW and took them to the church for distribution.

Above: Cars lined up outside of the church to pick up a meal on May 17.

the community to pick up meals. Pastor Laura White picked up the food from the Ashland restaurant and volunteers helped distribute it to the members of the community who were lined up in the drive-thru.

BWW was honored that the church picked the restaurant for the drive-thru.

“We appreciate the church’s ministry in reaching out to not only the community, but to our business as well,” said Brown. S

Zellmer LLC Hosts ‘Feed the Team’ Event for Team Members W

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hen the coronavirus pandemic forced the seven Buffalo Wild Wings® locations of Zellmer LLC/Z&G Group to close dining rooms and scale back operations to delivery and takeout, company officials looked outward for ways to serve rather than pulling back on charitable activities.

“As we were looking for ways to help in our communities, we quickly realized that our own B-Dubs® community was where we needed to begin our efforts,” said Regional Manager Becky Johnson.

The result was an event called Feed the Team. On April 13 and 15, at any of the company’s seven BWW® locations, team members were invited to pick up meals and drinks to go for themselves and up to three family members anytime during the day. A second Feed the Team meal giveaway was May 4 and 6. More than 200 employees and their families were served over 800 meals during the

four days.

“We treat all of our team members like family,” Johnson said. “We have team members celebrating 10- and 15-year anniversaries with our company.

Our family always comes first, especially during a crisis. We wouldn’t be successful without them, and there was no question that we needed to take care of [them] during this time.”

Team members are also being fed during their shifts while dining rooms are still closed. “We understand that the hours are limited and they aren’t making the same amount of money they did, so we are helping them out for continuing to be a dedicated team member and working through this pandemic,” Johnson said.

Zellmer LLC/Z&G Group also started a new wellness program for managers to help them deal with the extra strain caused by the changes

required to mitigate COVID-19. “As I visited our sports bars, I began to realize how the change in our business model was affecting the overall wellness of some of our managers,” Johnson said. “They were really missing their team members, their regular guests, the excitement of day-to-day operations, sports, all of it.

Not to mention, they were now essentially stuck at home quarantining when they weren’t at work.”

To help, the company instituted wellness days or wellness pay for all managers to show that they were appreciated. Managers could choose between a one-time pay incentive or an extra day off during May. Managers are also working fewer hours during their shifts.

“All our managers have been so grateful for the small gestures, and it continues to draw our B-Dubs family closer,” Johnson said. S

MEMBER NEWS

JK&T Wings Provides Food to Essential Workers During Pandemic

O

ver the course of five weeks, JK&T Wings showed support for essential workers who were working tirelessly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that shocked the United States. Each week, Buffalo Wild Wings® teams focused on a different group of essential workers to donate meals to, including those at hospitals, urgent care facilities and doctors’ offices. They also did meal drops for emergency medical services and local fire and police departments, totaling 420 meals.

Team members made the meal drops on Mondays throughout April and May. Although the teams were not always allowed into the facilities, they still added special touches to the deliveries, giving gift cards, swag items and bottles of sauce.

JK&T Wings thought it was important to show support for its local communities throughout the Midwest and say thank you to all the essential workers who are risking their lives through the pandemic.

“We are grateful that our teams were able to provide food for essential workers within their communities,” said Lisa Bissett, senior marketing manager for JK&T Wings.

“Now, more than ever, it is time that we all come together and do our part.” S

H

igh 5 Hospitality, owned by franchisee Bobby Pancake, has been working hard throughout the spring to support its community. BWW® team members at locations across Delaware have been collecting donations from customers and vendors to be used to supply meals to front-line workers through its Feed the Frontline Program.

The High 5 Hospitality team has used the money to provide meals to first responders and made several deliveries to local health care facilities. Team members have visited Christiana Care Hospital and Bayhealth Hospital and delivered meals to various departments, including COVID-19 floors, outpatient services and neurocritical care units. In addition, most recently they provided wings to about 100 Delaware state troopers.

“Providing meals to these health care heroes is an absolute honor,” said Ewald.

“Many have had to sacrifice their time with loved ones because of the care they are giving others. These folks are heroes for the simple fact that putting others first seems to be at the very core of their being.” S

High 5 Hospitality created flyers featuring a local nurse to inform people of its Feed the Frontline Program.

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High 5 Hospitality team members made deliveries to the staff at Christiana Care Hospital and Bayhealth Hospital.

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Donations can be made through the company website, www.high5hospitality.com, or customers can add an additional donation amount to their BWW takeout order. The program has been promoted through email blasts, social media posts and restaurant signage.

Despite many people being financially pinched during the coronavirus crisis, to date, the High 5 Hospitality team has collected over $15,000 in donations and is thankful to all the donors who are helping make a difference in their community.

“These have been some very challenging times, but at the end of the day, this program has certainly reminded us how much good there is in people,” said Lori Ewald, marketing manager for High 5 Hospitality. “From the individual donors to companies who have donated, people have found a way to help others and show appreciation and gratitude.”

THE

Many of JK&T Wings’ teams made deliveries of meals, which included boneless wings and fries, to essential workers in their communities.

High 5 Hospitality Feeds Delaware’s Front-Line Workers

MEMBER NEWS

Michigan Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurants Participate in Statewide Campaign for the American Red Cross

I

n April, 57 BWW® restaurants across Michigan partnered with the American Red Cross to support its virtual fundraiser “Mission Possible.”

Fifty locations of the 57 that participated in the fundraiser are owned by JK&T Wings.

Mission Possible was centered around raising funds for the American Red Cross during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money would be donated to the Red Cross’s COVID response efforts across the state of Michigan.

The restaurants hosted two Eat Wings Raise Funds nights on April 15 and April 22, donating 10% of all proceeds to the cause. JK&T staff spread the word about the event through social media and public relations. They conducted interviews and a Facebook Live session with the Red Cross. Among the 57 locations, nearly $55,000 was raised for the cause.

“Partnering with the American Red Cross has been a wonderful experience

Michigan BWW restaurants used flyers to spread the word about their partnership with Mission Possible, letting customers know that delivery orders were eligible for the fundraiser.

from beginning to end,” said Lisa Bissett, senior marketing manager for JK&T Wings. “It is such an amazing feeling knowing that what we do in our communities helps change lives.”

JK&T Wings is proud to support the communities that its Buffalo Wild Wings® sports bars are located in. They are continuing to show support for their communities throughout this uncertain time. S

Cleveland Co-Op Partners With Local Sports Teams to Donate Meals to Front Lines T

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he Cleveland Co-Op thank-you notes on each box. of Buffalo Wild Wings® When it came time for the teams restaurants, made up of several to deliver the meals, Indians FBS members in the Cleveland, pitcher Adam Plutko coordinated Ohio, area, recently showed its a video conference call with the support for people in need in its medical workers to thank them. community. The co-op is made “I know I could always use up of restaurants that belong to a little bit of comfort food when several franchisees, including Bob life gets hard,” Plutko said, via Senkar, Dave Kajganich, Dick MLB.com. He hopes that the Andrews, Gerald Franklin Jr., meals provided by Buffalo Wild Ken Brown and Matt Pipoly.

Wings can go a long way for The co-op partnered with the these essential workers.

Cleveland Indians and Cleveland The Cleveland Co-Op’s BWW restaurants delivered many “It’s very important for us to Browns to assist front-line workers meals to essential workers to show their support during the do things like this,” Senkar said.

COVID-19 pandemic. in northeast Ohio. Restaurants “People come to us and trust us donated over 1,500 meals to area to give them quality food, great hospitals along with over 3,000 service and a clean atmosphere.

BWW® packaged the meals for 12 local Buffalo Wild Wings gift cards.

When we have the opportunity, we enjoy hospitals and prepared them for delivery.

Over the span of about 10 days, giving back however we can.” S Team members even wrote encouraging

MEMBER NEWS

Four M Restaurants Honor Health Care Heroes in Their Communities

EMTs show off their wing delivery from the team at BWW Riverdale.

F

our M, owned by franchisee James Bitzonis, has Buffalo Wild Wings® restaurants on the East Coast. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants stepped up to feed workers on the front lines and thank them for their heroic efforts.

Several restaurants in New York City made contributions to local medical staffs. The team at BWW® Times Square delivered meals to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Vendor partner Samuel Adams generously covered some of the food costs for the delivery, which

Nurses and doctors smile with their wing deliveries from their local BWW restaurants.

included traditional wings, boneless wings, French fries, chips and queso, garden salad, wraps, cheesecake bites and a party appetizer sampler.

“It felt great to be able to celebrate these heroes in a small way,” said Mike Abrams, general manager of the Times Square location. “One of our core values at BWW is community, and we frequently look at ways we can partner with our neighbors and this opportunity certainly afforded us that.”

O’Neil Washington, general manager at the restaurant in Valley

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O’Neil Washington, general manager at BWW Valley Stream, drops off wings to Elmhurst Hospital.

Stream, New York, also made a delivery to the nurses at Elmhurst Hospital. The delivery included 120 wings, an appetizer platter and a salad platter. Elmhurst and New York City experienced an extreme number of cases of the coronavirus, leading nurses and doctors to work around the clock. Washington was able to speak to Camorine, the managing nurse, and her team, who were ecstatic and very thankful for the delivery.

The Riverdale team showed its appreciation for EMTs in the city and delivered meals to one of their stations in the Bronx.

Charlie Kittleman, general manager of the BWW in North Haven, Connecticut, delivered lunch to nurses at Yale New Haven Hospital. All the nurses and staff from each delivery expressed their gratitude and appreciation for BWW’s efforts. Justin Lopes, an employee at Yale New Haven, expressed his gratitude through a thank-you email to Kittleman.

“It feels great to be a part of a company that cares about our front-line workers,” said Washington. “Giving back was the least we could have done.

They are the ones in the field battling an enemy we cannot see, and for that, we are thankful.” S

MEMBER NEWS

High 5 Hospitality Surprises Loyal Guest During Stay-at-Home Order Bozeman Buffalo Wild Wings to Host Montana State University Cat Chat Show

B

Will has been visiting the Christiana BWW since it opened. The team made a surprise visit to deliver his favorite meal and a BWW swag bag during the Delaware stay-at-home order.

D

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uring its dining room closure, High 5 Hospitality’s Buffalo Wild Wings® in Christiana, Delaware, missed all its regular guests. However, one member of the staff’s BWW® family, Will, was dearly missed.

Will and his family have been visiting the Christiana restaurant since it opened. Before that, they used to visit BWW at the previous location in Limestone. Despite the restaurant being closed for dine-in, Will’s mom came in to get takeout almost every day for the family. She expressed how much Will missed coming in the restaurant.

The BWW team decided they wanted to give back to Will since he is a loyal guest. They put together a swag bag with branded items and delivered it with his favorite lunch: wild boneless wings. The team members made a sign to greet him from a distance with encouraging messages. Jester, the mascot, even came along to say hello.

Will was in shock when he saw the team members. Due to the stay-at-home orders, he had not had a visitor in over two months and was very excited to see friends and get his favorite meal personally delivered.

“The High 5 Hospitality team believes that their guests should be appreciated because without them none of our success would be possible,” said Marketing Manager Lori Ewald. “To the High 5 Hospitality team, guests like Will are part of their family.”

“Being able to visit and connect with Will and let him know we missed him was the least we could do,” said Brittany McCardle, general manager for BWW. “His visits make each of us happy and brings a smile to our faces.” S

uffalo Wild Wings® in Bozeman, Montana, owned by Anderson Management, has had a longtime partnership with Montana State University (MSU). Over the years, the restaurant has supported MSU at tailgate events and basketball games. Brad Anderson, president of Anderson Management Group, is also an MSU alumnus.

The group wanted to explore more ways to partner with the university. MSU’s Cat Chat show was suggested to Anderson Management Group by a marketing company that thought it would be a great fit. The weekly radio show features MSU head football coach Jeff Choate and other program representatives and gives fans the opportunity to interact with Bobcat coaches and athletics representatives.

The restaurant will be hosting the show each week for the fall 2020 season.

“Cat Chat is a great tradition,” said Coach Choate in a statement for MSU Athletics. “We’re looking forward to our new partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings. There is already anticipation for the new football season, and this venue change adds to the excitement.”

MSU had been looking for a fresh new look for the show and Anderson Management’s BWW® had just relocated and built a new restaurant, which proved to be perfect timing for this partnership. The new Center Stage design includes a more dominant bar, all new fixtures and flooring, and free-flowing and flexible seating areas with stadium-like A/V. The restaurant is confident that the show will bring MSU boosters, fans and students in each week to show their support. The staff is excited to increase their customer base and attract Bobcat fans from all over the state.

“We are very excited for this partnership and can’t wait to see where it takes us,” said Anderson. “Our hope is that this partnership could act as a springboard to more opportunities as time goes on!” S

MEMBER NEWS

Minot Buffalo Wild Wings Partners With Local Dentist to Feed Hundreds of Families T

Wings of Minot was the first restaurant to participate in the 14 days of meals program, providing 200 family packs of wings to its community.

Each meal included 20 traditional wings, 20 boneless wings, fries and dipping sauces, providing a total of 4,000 traditional and 4,000 boneless wings plus 200 family orders of fries in an hour and a half.

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support through hard times. “The most remarkable thing about our community has been the incredible support from all,” said Reichenberger. “From gift card purchases to takeout or drive-up from restaurants and retail stores, the love and support has been nothing short of amazing.”

Wings of Minot was glad to be involved in the partnership with Dakota Kids Dentistry. The practice’s generosity helped keep restaurant team members busy and motivated while providing security to families wondering where their next hot meal would come from. S

THE

he Buffalo Wild Wings® in Minot, North Dakota, was the first restaurant to participate in Dakota Kids Dentistry’s 14 days of meals for families to feed those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Lance Behm, owner of Dakota Kids Dentistry, is a Minot native and wanted to help struggling families as well as businesses that were losing customers. The Wings of Minot restaurant, owned by franchisees Ken, Janelle and Samantha Herslip and Dani Reichenberger, was excited to host the first day and feed Minot families.

The program consisted of 14 days where Behm purchased 200 family meals from a different locally owned restaurant each day and gave them to Minot families in need. Families could pick up the meals on a first-come, first-served basis outside the restaurant. BWW® kicked off the first day, and it was wildly successful with the meals all picked up within two hours.

“Behm chose Buffalo Wild Wings as his first location because we are patients of his,” said Reichenberger. “He knew we could assist in working out any kinks they may have in getting the meals out quickly and effectively.”

Dakota Kids Dentistry posted a Facebook Live video about an hour before the event to give details, and soon the parking lot was flooded with cars. “We did not anticipate how quickly people would show up, so we did have a small challenge of getting 200 family meals out 30 minutes earlier than we had planned,” said Reichenberger.

Fortunately, the restaurant has a large parking lot for cars to wait, and between the BWW team and the Dakota Kids Dentistry volunteers, 200 meals were given to families in addition to the normal takeout business for the restaurant. Each meal included 20 traditional wings, 20 boneless wings, fries and dipping sauces, providing a total of 4,000 traditional and 4,000 boneless wings plus 200 family orders of fries in an hour and a half.

North Dakota was hit not only by COVID-19, but also by the economic losses suffered by the oil industry. Most families have been affected by the virus, the economic hardship or both.

Wings of Minot is thankful that its community has still shown

RECOGNITIONS Congratulations to the following World Wide Wings employees …

Tina Oliver has been promoted from department manager to assistant general manager at the Buffalo Wild Wings® in Peoria, Illinois. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for 14 years, she began her career in hospitality and joined the BWW® team in February 2019.

Chris Runion has been hired as general manager of the Greenwood, Indiana, Buffalo Wild Wings.

He has worked in the food industry for over 20 years and previously worked for Red Robin, TGI Fridays and QDOBA.

Michael Bryant has been promoted to assistant general manager at the Mira Loma, California, BWW. After beginning his career in the restaurant industry 11 years ago, he worked at restaurants such as The Greenhouse, Arby’s and Applebee’s and began his journey with Buffalo Wild Wings as a restaurant support manager in May 2018.

Congratulations to the following Franklin’s Management employees …

Congratulations to the following High 5 Hospitality employees …

Sara Reusching is celebrating her five-year anniversary as a server at the BWW in Newark, Delaware.

David Wheedleton recently celebrated his five-year anniversary with Buffalo Wild Wings. He currently works as the assistant manager of the Salisbury, Maryland, restaurant.

Charlie Marhevka is celebrating 15 years as a manager with Franklin’s Management. He currently works as the general manager of the Buffalo Wild Wings in Warrensville Heights, Ohio.

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Darin Foster has been with Franklin’s Management for 16 years. After starting at the Medina, Ohio, location, he has managed every Franklin’s location and is currently working in Strongsville, Ohio.

His two daughters also work in the BWW system as greeters.

We want to highlight your company’s achievements (employee promotions, new hires, employee or restaurant anniversaries, and sales records). To submit information for Recognitions, complete the online submission form at www.myfbsonline.org/submissions, email communications@myfbsonline.org or call 678-797-5161.

Patrick Zediker has been working as a general manager at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Middletown, Delaware, for five years.

Raymond Anderson is a cook at the BWW in Newark, Delaware, and is celebrating 10 years with the company.

EVENT CALENDAR FBS Summit May 5-7, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada

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Boys & Girls Clubs Serving Local Communities During Pandemic

Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants across the country stepped up to provide food to people in need during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.

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eeping kids active and motivated is of the utmost importance, especially during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative for both physical health as well as social emotional health that youths engage in a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

With kids being at home and many parks and playgrounds closed, being active for 60 minutes becomes that much harder for some, especially those who are disadvantaged. Coupled with the lack of team sports, many kids are missing the camaraderie by not being able to connect with their friends, teammates and coaches.

Through financial support from Buffalo Wild Wings®, Boys & Girls Clubs

of America and the ALL STARS program have been supplying local Boys and Girls Clubs with sports-specific resources that help them keep youth moving and active while at home. Additionally, ALL STARS plans to give out 20,000 sports balls for youth to have the equipment needed to continue practicing and fine-tuning their sports skills while at home.

“Through our partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings, we have helped more than 1 million kids belong to an organized sports team. As sports leagues make a comeback, we expect club families and kids will appreciate these organized activities even more than before,” said Heather Campbell, senior director of youth development, sports and recreation.

Beyond Buffalo Wild Wings’ continued commitment to youth sports, local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in multiple communities have donated meals to local Boys & Girls Club youth and families during these unprecedented times. “The long-term impact of COVID-19 is hard to predict, and the economic downturn may impact each Boys & Girls Club differently. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the entire Buffalo Wild Wings family,” said Campbell. S To learn more about what Boys & Girls Clubs of America is doing to support youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://bgca.org/covid-19.

Spotlight on the 116th Congress:

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) Q

the trillions of dollars spent during the coronavirus response, including funds to small businesses to ensure funding was properly spent and that small businesses that need funding receive it accordingly.

During your time working with the Texas attorney general, what qualities or skills did you develop that you utilize as a representative?

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First, I was responsible for managing for the attorney general an organization of over 4,000 employees, with 700 lawyers managing 28,000 lawsuits, which gave me a firm understanding of the responsibility of the executive branch to carry out the laws and administration of government.

But, most of all, it gave me a firm appreciation for the importance of defending the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law for the ability of free enterprise to flourish.

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How is relief legislation, similar to what was passed during the pandemic, important to small-business owners?

The state and local response to COVID-19, right or wrong, crippled small businesses. Because it was the government response that prevented business owners from keeping their doors open, it was incumbent upon government to compensate for the loss. Relief legislation like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and my PPP Flexibility Act provided the necessary cash flow to bridge this gap so small-business owners could pay their bills and keep their employees.

I’ve learned throughout my experience on the Oversight Committee that the committee can be a good venue for reviewing legislation and the implementation of such policies, but I wish the committee would exercise that role more often.

For example, there is plenty of oversight we could be doing over

I listened to small-business owners in my district and incorporated their feedback in drafting the PPP Flexibility Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation I introduced with my friend Dean Phillips of Minnesota. This bill, which passed the House and Senate almost unanimously and was recently signed into law by President Trump, provides smallbusiness owners needed flexibility in the use of PPP funds. It helps them adapt to governmentimposed lockdowns that have lasted longer than originally anticipated and gives small-business owners a greater chance of having their PPP loans forgiven.

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In what ways are you seeking feedback from small businesses in Texas and using that information in Washington, D.C.?

During the pandemic, I have met one-on-one with dozens, if not hundreds, of small-business owners in my district to understand what they need to survive. I worked with local trade organizations like the Texas Restaurant Association, the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association, and other local and national trade groups to ensure the legislation I draft and support in Congress addresses their needs during this unprecedented time. I will continue to seek their feedback as we reopen the economy so that we in D.C. understand the continuing challenges they face and adapt our policy solutions to meet those challenges. S

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How has your role on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform influenced your opinions on the impact of legislation on small business?

What challenges have you helped small businesses in your district overcome?

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IN MEMORIAM

Tom Renfro K

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nown for being a hard-working, trustworthy businessman who treated employees like family, Buffalo Wild Wings® franchisee Tom Renfro died May 8 while preparing his restaurants to reopen after the coronavirus shutdown.

Renfro owned three Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars with his wife, Debbie, and brother-in-law, Ted Church, in Bloomington, Columbus and Seymour, Indiana. The venture also includes the Renfros’ daughter, Sarah Noakes. While theirs is a family company, even team members who are not part of the family often feel treated as though they are. It’s a characteristic of the way Tom Renfro and his partners operated each location.

“Tom’s management style was very hands-on,” said Debbie Renfro. “He worked in the restaurants along with the rest of the crew and never asked anybody to do anything that he would not

do himself. He spent many, many hours in any capacity needed.

He had a big heart for his team.”

After Renfro’s sudden death, his wife received a note from a former employee whose first job was at one of the Renfros’ BWW® sports bars. “I have so many positive things to say about Tom and the impact both of you have had on my life,” wrote the man, named Gary Smith. “Tom was the first person that greeted a young 16-year-old who had wandered into the temporary trailer that was set up outside the BWW building looking for a job. I connected with his outgoing personality immediately and knew it would be a great fit. Tom would always help me out with meals when I was struggling financially in college. These things I will never forget.”

Smith added more. “I learned that business owners should

be kind and generous to their employees, and these lessons I have taken with me into the business world and apply to my own staff,” he wrote.

Smith is now a certified public accountant, and his experience was typical of many who worked with Renfro at BWW. “He was a very giving person and was always quick to offer help or assistance to anyone that needed it,” Debbie Renfro said.

“Tom and Debbie operated their restaurants like family. I’m sure his employees appreciated his commitment to them as friends as well as employees.”

– Gene Stauffer

Tom Renfro, right, with brother-in-law, Ted Church, and daughter, Sarah Noakes, at a Buffalo Wild Wings conference.

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“He was my brother-in-law, but more like my brother,” Church said. “We talked every day. We still feel lost. I know that we’ll carry on with the restaurants in the way that he would’ve wanted.

“He was a great man that helped many people over the years.”

A service for the celebration of Renfro’s life will be planned later due to the nation’s health emergency. Online condolences may be given at website of Voss & Sons Funeral Service at www.vossfuneralservice.com. S

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The Renfros and Church began their Buffalo Wild Wings journey in 2004 after Tom Renfro left his job as an engineer for Howmet, an industrial casting company. With previous experience in the restaurant industry, “we were really interested in Buffalo Wild Wings and started visiting restaurants all over,” said Mrs. Renfro. “We decided on BWW and then began the process of becoming franchisees of the brand.”

After qualifying, they bought the rights for two restaurants, successfully developed them and then opened a third two years later. Church said the partners loved the B-Dubs® concept and were willing to put the time and effort into their business. “He loved the brand, and he worked every day for it,” Church said.

With their growth, they soon became involved with the franchise system and met other B-Dubs owners who appreciated their experience and insight. “I met Tom and Debbie many years ago at one of the BWW conventions,” said another franchisee, Gene Stauffer. “We often sat together and talked about our similar businesses as we both had Indiana franchises and about the same number of restaurants.

“Tom was quiet, thoughtful but very friendly. I always considered him a friend and as one I could talk to about our similar businesses,” Stauffer added. “Tom and Debbie operated their restaurants like family. I’m sure his employees appreciated his commitment to them as friends as well as employees.”

“I met the Renfros when I became a BWW franchisee in 2007,” said Kevin O’Laughlin. “Tom, from the beginning, was very welcoming and open to help and assist on any issues or questions that arose. Tom always presented a professional and calm approach when dealing with issues. He would wait to present his thoughts until he understood the issue and then he would clearly contribute.”

Franchisee Robert Kelsey of The Jones Group may have known Renfro better outside of the system. They met during Renfro’s engineering career when Kelsey’s company was a client of Renfro’s company. “He was always very fair to our company

and a truthful, trustworthy person to work with,” Kelsey said. “In manufacturing companies, there are some people you can trust and some you cannot. I could trust Tom.” While he often joked with employees, he was also a very hard worker. “Tom always put work ahead of everything he wanted to do,” Debbie Renfro said. “He spent countless hours in the restaurants, and then would come home and work on mowing the yard. He has always worked more than one job from the time he first began working. He had a passion for the bar and restaurant industry and worked a second job for others before getting his own bar.”

That work ethic put Renfro at one of his BWW locations moving tables and working out floor plans when he passed away.

It was just a few days before Indiana allowed restaurant dining rooms to reopen following the state’s pandemic shutdown.

Typically, he’d been putting in 16-hour days, seven days a week, to get ready, his wife said.

BWW franchisee Brandon Jones also noted Renfro’s passion and work ethic as well as his kind personality and care for team members and guests. “Tom was the same man as he was running his businesses,” Jones said. “Very compassionate, always great to chat with, and I always looked forward to seeing he, Deb and Ted at the B-Dubs conferences.”

“Tom was very family-oriented and loyal to staff and friends,” Debbie Renfro added. “I have had so many guests pay tribute to how he treated them in the restaurant and how much they were going to miss him. He always went the extra mile to treat people well.”

FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT

Brian Carmody Partner(s): Jim Carmody, Kent Ward, Jeff Carmody,

Mike Bailey, Tim and Mona Ward, and ICV Partners Year Became a BWW® Franchisee: 1994 Total Number of BWW Locations: 84 Total Number of Team Members: 4,377

How did you and your partner(s) meet? My younger brother and I grew

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up playing hockey in the Detroit area.

He became good friends with one of his teammates, Caleb Ward. Travel hockey meant just that … a lot of traveling throughout metro Detroit, the Midwest and Canada. Caleb’s dad, Kent Ward, and their family became very good friends with our family. Over the years (and after many beers), Kent and my dad, Jim, discussed how they would like to invest in a restaurant.

Kent’s son, Caleb, was playing in a

hockey game in Cleveland, Ohio, back in the early ’90s, and Kent happened to go into the Parma Heights, Ohio, BW-3 – Jerry Franklin’s store – and really liked the concept. He brought back the menu that advertised “Now Franchising” and called Art Bowman for more information. At the time, I was in my senior year at Ferris State University and was managing a restaurant and bar and getting ready to graduate. Kent and my dad asked me to go look at the BW-3 in East Lansing. It was love at first sight.

I graduated in May 1994, and we opened

The leaders of JK&T Wings are, from left, Kent Ward, Jeff Carmody, Tim Ward, Jim Carmody and Brian Carmody.

our first BW-3 in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, in December of that year. Twenty-six years later, here we are today.

What drew you to the brand? The

brand was very attractive in the early ’90s as it was unique. It was basically a QSR with a bar. You ordered your wings at the front counter and we called your name out when your order was ready, and you came back up to the counter to pick up your food. If you wanted a beer, you went to the bar. Simple. This was unique to the guest and a very attractive business model.

What is your favorite thing about the brand? I would say the people

it has brought into my life. I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with a lot of amazing people over the years who have influenced me in so many positive ways. I have always been a sports enthusiast and extremely connected to the team concept, but the restaurant business takes the team concept to another level.

In the hospitality business, the restaurant’s success depends on how every team member executes at their job at any given time, so it creates a lot of pressure and becomes very competitive. It is the closest thing to playing a team sport. Through all the successes and failures you share with your team, you form a bond or connection – your team becomes your family.

The brand means family to me; that is what I love about it.

What other concepts do you own?

I’m a minority partner in Black Rock Bar & Grill.

What are your current top three business goals?

1. COVID-19. Figure out how to

not only reopen our sports bars but also to be stronger and more profitable on the back side of the pandemic in the new “normal.” As a brand, we need to leverage our strengths and address our weaknesses to gain more market share. We need to be looking for the opportunities that will be in our industry and go get them faster and more efficiently than our competitors.

“Our business revolves around our ability to deliver outstanding hospitality to every guest on every shift.”

“If you are going to be successful in life, you need to uphold your values and goals and perform your job to the best of your ability.”

3. Daily focus on continuous improvement on our company’s “blocking and tackling.” Stick to the basics and do them better than our competition. Our business revolves around our ability to deliver outstanding hospitality to every guest on every shift. We need to continue to stay disciplined on our approach to improving our fundamentals each day.

Describe your best recent business decision. It’s not recent, but

the best decision in my career was not quitting during my manager training at the Vine Street location in Cincinnati, Ohio, in June 1994. My training was a shit show, and I was very close to giving up on the brand. I am very thankful that I stuck it out!

What is the best business advice you have received? My father

instilled in me at a young age that nothing worthwhile comes easy. If you are going to be successful in life, you need to uphold your values and goals and perform your job to the best of your ability. It’s simple: Work harder than the next guy.

Describe the biggest industry change since you started.

Government regulations. As the brand grew over the years and the business evolved, so did the state and federal regulations. Whether it is minimum wage, tip credit, joint employer or any other regulation that is passed down to the restaurant sector, it has added a level of complexity that didn’t exist back in the early ’90s.

Describe your current biggest challenge as a franchisee. This

answer is easy: COVID-19 and what its long-term effects will be on our business and how we will have to change our business model to adapt to the new “norm.”

What is your favorite BWW wing sauce? All-time favorite is Spicy Garlic,

but I go in spurts. I’ve been on a Buffalo Dry Rub kick since COVID-19 started. I put that shit on everything!

If I wasn’t a franchisee, I would be … A coach. I am attracted to the

concept of competition and team.

A CleAn You CAn Count on.

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Ecolab is here with expertise and resources to help keep your staff, kitchen and guests safe.

Training on heightened procedures

Support for overall food safety and public health ecolab.com/coronavirus ©2020 Ecolab USA Inc. All rights reserved.

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Innovative programs and disinfecting solutions

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2. Focus on growth opportunity. I pledge to my team to always be focused on how we can grow our business and create opportunities for all of the team members who have worked so hard to get our company to where it is today.

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BWW LEADERS MANAGE TEAMS THROUGH CORONAVIRUS CHALLENGE

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n the six months since the calendar turned from 2019 to 2020, the world has experienced unprecedented change. The novel coronavirus pandemic disrupted economies and social institutions across the world on a scale that was unimaginable at the dawn of the new year.

For the restaurant industry, the challenges – and pains – of COVID-19 have been especially acute. Orders to close dining rooms and socially distance were meant to slow the spread of the virus, but a side effect was the complete upheaval of industry operations. For quick-serve restaurants, where much of the business is conducted by drive-thru, the effects were not as severe as they were for fast-casual concepts, many of which had no easy means to quickly switch to serving customers suddenly not allowed or simply afraid to walk through their doors.

At Buffalo Wild Wings®, the formula of food plus drink plus sports is meant to bring people together in the sports bar for extended periods of time. It’s a great business plan. Unfortunately, according to community health experts, it also creates an environment conducive to the spread of COVID-19. The upheaval wrought by the virus left BWW® managers scrambling to adopt new ways to provide food to customers and to prepare for a raft of new operating procedures designed to keep team members and customers safe as dining rooms were allowed to reopen.

The weeks after the pandemic’s arrival were filled with challenges. The experience was “ever changing. Each hour, day and week there were changes that were made to both provide

by Sean Ireland

a safer environment for our guests and to execute takeout on a much higher level,” said Anthony Bourne, director of marketing and development for Montana-based Anderson Management Group and its seven BWW locations. “I personally had to become more flexible. Each day brought a new challenge, and we all had to adapt to that.”

For Juan Feliciano, area director for Four M Franchising, based in New York, the changes the coronavirus brought to the restaurant industry provided company managers with an opportunity to look at operations through a new lens. “At first we really dug in and assisted in hourly positions. This allowed us to see our operations from the view of our teams, almost like they do on the TV show, ‘Undercover Boss,’” he said. “It was pretty interesting to see the trials and tribulations [our team members] go through each day. To put ourselves in their viewpoint gave us a new perspective in execution and standards.”

That viewpoint was an important consideration as those managers led implementation of the new health and safety guidelines and operations procedures needed – and, in many cases, required – for restaurant dining rooms to reopen. Knowing that significant changes were coming, keeping team members top of mind was an important step toward easing the anxieties they faced and getting buy-in as they returned to work.

“A lot of policies and procedures were implemented from

communications. You may reach Ireland at 678-797-5165 or seani@myfbsonline.org.

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SEAN IRELAND is the FBS associate director of

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state and/or local regulations. It is also fair to say we had to create several of our own out of necessity,” Bourne said.

Among the steps taken by the Anderson Management Group were the development of a reporting system that requires employees to verify before beginning a shift that they are not ill and the use of new cleaning products effective against the virus at tables between guest visits and on various high touch-point areas throughout the day. Of course, spacing for takeout and dine-in seating operations also had to be rearranged so socialdistancing standards were kept.

“We created systems from a tracking sheet for our illness policy, brought in floor decals to help guests see spacing standards, posted cleaning requirements for our team and tracked their performance,” Bourne said. “Each day it became very important to get our team together to review any changes and the expectations for the day.”

In addition to the new safety procedures, the company added delivery services to its arsenal and began using technology that helped guests maintain social distancing when they came to the restaurant to pick up food. “We decided to bring delivery services into each of our markets as well as a new wait-list app for our team out front. Having an app that allows guests to wait in their cars became essential early on,” Bourne added. “Having the ability to deliver in each market really gave us the increase in sales that we needed.”

Four M Franchising likewise had new procedures to develop, model and then require team members to adopt and

practice. “Frequent handwashing has gone to an exponential version,” Feliciano said. “Wearing protective masks during shifts and high touch-point adherence were procedures that also went to an elevated level. Discussing these with our teams and going over them daily were very important to get this going in the right direction. Store visits included leading by example to help create the practices.”

Feliciano noted the importance of contributions from Buffalo Wild Wings and Inspire Brands to help Four M Franchising set a steady course. “In a time of uncertainty and not knowing apples from oranges with different information, it was important to have some level of consistent information. Thanks to Inspire Brands and our own leadership, we were able to drive home one message,” he said.

Employees have responded well to that message. Honest, open and clear communications keep everyone on the same page and reduce anxiety, and in uncertain times, one of the biggest challenges can be keeping everyone calm and level-headed.

Managing emotions is every bit as important as managing operations.

“The teams have done well accepting change.

Many have changed their mindsets and are overcoming adversity,” Feliciano said. “Understanding that we have to adapt to the new normal right now is key. When people don’t understand what is happening around them, it is difficult to move forward. As our teams continue to educate themselves, they learn more and more that we can overcome this.”

Bourne said Anderson Management Group’s teams have also done well changing the routines required to get them to the new normal that has the sports bars up and running at full speed again. “We have been lucky to have some amazing team members who made the transition easier than we anticipated,” he said. “I believe the biggest challenge has been keeping our team on task day in and day out. With all the changes that have happened, we find that we spend most of our time working on the basics.”

Managing through the crisis has been difficult, but as an old saying credited to John Adams, the second U.S. president, holds, “A problem is an opportunity in disguise.” In various forms, this maxim has been used by leaders ever since to illuminate the difficulties their enterprises face in an optimistic light. Adams probably never conceived of the havoc that the novel coronavirus would create more than 200 years later, but these BWW leaders have at least embraced his sentiment.

“Although each day brought its own challenges, I feel that we were able to learn and grow throughout,” Bourne said. “I am grateful that we were able to stay open and be there for our friends and family during this time of need.”

“It has been a humbling and challenging experience,” Feliciano added. “It has taught me and our teams an appreciation for our staff, for each other and for our guests that choose us as their moment of normalcy with great food.” S

Pandemic Increases Reliance on Sound Practices to Control Food Costs

by Sean Ireland

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restaurant manager’s day was usually busy enough before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic late this winter. Now, as more and more of the nation’s restaurants are allowed to reopen their dining rooms and have guests back inside, the tasks on the typical manager’s plate have multiplied thanks to new operating procedures established to ensure the health and safety of team members and customers alike.

That doesn’t mean their old tasks are any less important and necessary, however. Restaurant management still needs to monitor and manage the profit and loss statements, schedule employees,

run inventories and track food costs. In some ways, these old tasks have taken on new importance in the wake of the pandemic.

The use of best practices in these areas can provide more efficient operations and unlock savings that are needed now more than ever. They can help managers maximize their assets in the face of many uncertainties, such as whether consumers will be comfortable returning to dine-in services or more shutdowns will be required if viral infections flare again – as some health experts have predicted they might – in the fall.

In this world of unknowns, food

costs have been a hard-to-predict variable. For Buffalo Wild Wings®, it’s been a particularly vexing topic. First, with the cancellation of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament less than a week before it was to start, reports suggested there was a surplus of chicken wings at restaurants like BWW® that stocked up to feed the large crowds drawn by March Madness. Then, weeks later, there were reported shortages of chicken, beef and pork in the United States’ supply chain as meat production

numbers will improve.”

“During this pandemic, it’s important to keep food affordable so all can enjoy it, so it is even more important to watch waste of food and hone in on errors in-house,” Feliciano said. “The less food you waste, the bigger impact you will have on the bottom line in a time where prices are high.” A tight grip on food prep procedures, such as checking daily that proper portions are used, food is rotated well and storage is optimal, ensures that waste is kept to a minimum.

“During this pandemic, it’s important to keep food affordable so all can enjoy it, so it is even more important to watch waste of food and hone in on errors in-house,” – Juan Feliciano, Four M Franchising area director

SEAN IRELAND is the FBS associate director of communications. You may reach Ireland at 678-797-5165 or seani@myfbsonline.org.

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Industry experts are suggesting another way for restaurants to lower their food costs and, by extension, labor costs: menu simplification. As many restaurants pivoted to takeout and delivery operations exclusively when their dining rooms closed, managers took less popular dishes off menus and focused on making and selling the most popular items – the so-called comfort foods with which their brands are most associated.

Keeping the top 80% of a restaurant’s best-selling items, combined with reducing the number of ingredients required to make dishes, has a significant impact, said industry consultants Bruce Reinstein and Tim Hand in a story for FSR magazine. Simplification leads to less kitchen staff and less time needed to produce the food in addition to the inventory savings.

“I think menu optimization and minimizing SKUs (stock-keeping units) on menus is something that needs to be looked into,” Carmody said. In addition

to lowering the number of ingredients needed to prepare meals, “this also gives us opportunities to lower labor costs because we’ll have to pay less for training because of fewer items to prepare and train for with ease of execution. Simple is sometimes better.”

While tight order controls, wastereduction steps and menu simplification keep food costs as low as possible on the front end, pricing adjustments are a way to make up for rising costs on the back end.

“Small price changes can make a big impact on cost. However, it is very important to consider how raising prices would influence the guest traffic,” Garrity said.

“It’s important that we don’t price ourselves out of what we are viewed as, which is a casual-dining sports bar,” Carmody added. “We have to adjust menu pricing of items where there is demand but be cautious enough that we don’t turn away consumers. It’s a lot easier said than done, but losing foot traffic is something you can ill afford.”

In the post-pandemic world, it’s difficult to predict what life will be like months or even just a few weeks into the future. Schools and colleges remain unsure of what their fall semesters will look like. Professional and college sports leagues are blindly feeling their way forward toward practices and games, with no guarantees that either will be able to happen. A patchwork of shelter-in-place orders remained in effect into June, and many more could be reinstituted if hotspots of infection develop.

With so much uncertainty, keeping a close watch and tight grip on costs can be critical to survival. Making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to that concept is crucial.

“Talk about it with your teams on a continual basis. Every manager and team member should know each week what the store’s costs were,” Garrity said. “Set goals and targets each week for the management team, and again, share those with the team. The more you share with them the more involved they feel.” S

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plants were temporarily shuttered because of COVID-19 outbreaks among their workforces.

“We continue to see the roller coaster in food costs,” said Juan Feliciano, area director of Four M Franchising, in early June. “Wings are up, and then they are down again. This trend continues every month.”

Jeff Carmody is a district manager for JK&T Wings and its 84 BWW sports bars. He’s noticed a small increase in wing pricing over the past 12 months. With an increase in wing sales due to the brand’s national buy-one-get-one campaign, selling them at a discount while their cost has increased has had an amplified effect on the bottom line.

“We are hoping that the demand for items such as wings decreases, and we see a bit of a break with a lowering of the cost per pound,” Carmody said. “That said, with the rising cost of beef, it may cause more restaurants to move to chicken, which could raise the pricing due to demand.”

Predictions on what the future holds for food costs may be difficult due to the volatility that the pandemic has inflicted on the nation, but franchisees are doing their best to manage around the uncertainties by focusing more than ever on the fundamentals in their kitchens.

JK&T Wings District Manager Michael Woodworth said the company is monitoring the higher-use items more closely to minimize cost. “We always want to keep inventory tight and right,” said Jason Garrity, another JK&T Wings district manager. “We may do more spot checks on items that are big movers to keep a closer eye on them, but we never really shy away from this regardless of the costs.”

“The key is to order to volume and adjust with usage,” Carmody added.

“The less money on the shelves, the more dollars to use as cash flow for the business. Tightening inventory based on usage is always the best practice. That goes for all items, including dry goods.

Daily counts on meats and high-cost items is key to keeping those inventories under control. We track these items very closely.”

“Keep inventory [in the house] tight and organized,” Garrity also suggested.

“It allows for easy counts and better management of product. Always keep the teams heavily involved in it, too, and the

Communications Take On Added Importance in Wake of COVID-19 and Civil Unrest

by Douglas H. Duerr

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s I write this article in June 2020, employers throughout the United States are all struggling with how to work in a pandemic, with rules and regulations that seem to change just as soon as you learn them and that can differ from those in the next town, as well as how to respond to civil unrest seeking changes to end racial injustice.

It can all seem overwhelming and as if there is no safe course of action, with every decision fraught with potential landmines from just some bad publicity to perhaps loss of life. Sometimes, it can even seem like a choice we make, or a word we choose, will be deemed a political statement when all you are trying to do is save your business. While I would like to tell you that this article will have all the answers, it will not. You can count on that at least. But it does contain reminders of employment principles that will hopefully get you through most of these turbulent times.

As regular readers of this column will know, I place a strong emphasis on communicating with all employees, from the lowest to the highest. Generally, those prior columns have focused on communications for setting forth clear and consistent expectations and providing employees with feedback regarding

performance relative to those expectations.

None of the current events change this fundamental principle of a good working environment that is less likely to result in a legal claim. However, while communications remain important, it is also necessary on the part of the communicator to be aware of the needs and wants of the target audience. While the communicator (i.e., you) need not agree with those needs and wants, it is important to be sensitive to them when communicating expectations and providing feedback. For example, simply acknowledging the fears and concerns of employees as they themselves navigate through the pandemic and the unrest can go a long way toward diffusing a potentially confrontational situation if the expectation or feedback is “bad news� to the employee.

We all get bad news of one form or another during the week, and the way in which it is delivered makes a world of difference.

Keep that in mind as you communicate with employees, and do not hesitate to overcommunicate not only your expectations but also how things are going for the business and what your plans are for keeping the business going.

As you are communicating and making decisions, it is important to remember that the laws governing workplace relations remain fully in effect. While perhaps there has been loosening of some aspects of the disability laws prohibiting medical inquiries, very little (if anything) has loosened up in the areas of employee and labor relations. So here are a couple of key reminders:

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Although you can take employee temperatures and make COVID-19specific inquiries, privacy of medical information (including those daily temperature readings if you keep them for some reason) continues. Keep confidential as much as you can, limiting those who are informed of any medical information.

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In addition to the regular requirements regarding leave (e.g., Family and Medical Leave Act or leave under the Americans with Disabilities Act), the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) and Expanded Medical Leave Act (EFMLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act are still out there and remain in effect until Dec. 31. On April 1 when these leaves went into effect and businesses were scaling back and furloughing employees, you may not have had to comply with any of those requirements, so remind yourself of the requirements. It may be that when your employee says he or she does not want return to work yet you need to know why so that you can decide whether EPSL or EFMLA applies.

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Remember that labor laws apply to situations when employees, either collectively or on behalf of co-workers, speak out on or act on (e.g., withholding labor) their workplace terms and conditions. Thus, like the strikes and picketing a few years ago in connection with demands for a $15/hour minimum wage, employees should not be disciplined or suffer an adverse employment action because, for example, they raise issues regarding safety or alleged systemic racism in their workplace.

6

Try to keep politics (including your politics) out of your workplace conversations and communications. Although your business is an extension of yourself, your employees expect you to be focused on the business, including your customers and your employees. Keeping politics out of your workplace communication demonstrates that focus and, perhaps also importantly, allows you (particularly with the November elections) to instruct your employees to keep their politics\disputes out of the workplace too.

These are trying times for you and your employees. While there is always the potential for missteps and, even in the absence of a misstep, for employment claims, sticking to the basics helps minimize the risk and allows everyone to focus on keeping the business going until we get to the “new normal.� S

DOUGLAS H. DUERR is partner at Elarbee Thompson, a national labor and employment law firm with an industry practice area focused on franchises. Learn more at www.elarbeethompson.com.

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Make sure you comply with workplace safety requirements.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued guidance on measures to take, including assessing the potential for exposure to the virus and engineering and administrative controls that can be implemented to prevent employee exposure. The steps you take here not only reduce the likelihood of an OSHA violation but may also be central to whether an employee is awarded unemployment compensation for refusing to come to work. Also, labor unions are actively recruiting (and employees are reaching out to unions) over the issue of workplace safety, and there is no need to add that headache to your list.

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Wage and hour laws still apply to those times when an employee is required to be on the premises or is performing work. Here, if you require an employee to undergo a temperature check or answer questions when showing up for work, the best course of action is to treat that time (including while waiting in line if necessary) as work time. This is a fact-specific inquiry under the wage and hour laws, but the trend (particularly under state law) even before the pandemic was to find similar pre-work activities compensable.

Making the Most of Your Business’s Risk Management

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key component of running a business is managing risk. By evaluating, updating and maintaining your risk management program, you can help ensure the safety of customers and employees and reduce the chances of your business experiencing a serious accident or a liability lawsuit.

Developing a Risk Management Program for Your Business A successful risk management program can protect your employees and customers from harm and your

organization from associated costs.

Because of the program’s importance, your organization’s leadership should hold the responsibility of the risk management program planning.

When implementing a risk management program, consider the following fundamentals: • State the reasons for having the program. These objectives will determine the depth and scope of the program’s development.

• Write a policy statement and explain it to all employees. It should clearly outline the objectives and

demonstrate the intentions in achieving an effective program.

• Assign responsibilities to all employees, as everyone should have some responsibility and involvement in the program.

• Implement an efficient communication system, allowing quick contact to organization leadership, as employees likely have valuable insight. A review of the program’s results will also help identify areas that need modification.

Completing these four fundamentals will establish a supportive foundation for other elements of your risk management

program. Keep in mind that all elements of the program cannot be carried out at once. Building a successful program takes time and planning. The success of one phase will often lead to the initiation of the next logical phase.

Recommended

risk management program elements: • Proper selection and personnel placement: Ensure the most qualified person is assigned.

• Establishing safety rules and procedures: Implement guidelines that employees are expected to follow. General and specific rules should be developed.

• Accident reporting, investigating and analyzing: Make provisions to ensure all accidents and injuries are reported immediately. Prompt investigation to uncover the real causes will allow for analysis and corrective action.

• Training: Develop a program to provide initial and continuous training for all employees.

• Inspections: Establish procedures to check regularly for unsafe conditions and unsafe acts within your organization.

• Emergency procedures: Implement procedures to follow, including first-aid treatment and handling serious injuries, fires or other natural disasters.

• Motivation: Keep your employees interested and continually involved in risk management efforts. This can include a safety committee, posters, handouts, incentive programs, etc.

cords to walls, regularly inspecting chairs and stools for damage, positioning furniture to have a clear traffic area, eliminating furniture with wheels and using wet floor signs.

Implement driver guidelines. If your business owns a vehicle, implement policies and guidelines around acceptable drivers and behaviors while driving.

Tips: All drivers should have a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record and should be banned from using their phone while driving.

Prepare for Mother Nature.

Implement severe weather plans so you can act quickly in the event of a storm.

Tips: For winter weather, obtain proof of insurance from the snow removal company and have your contract reviewed by legal counsel. Treat walkways and parking lots with salt or sand before, during and after a winter storm. Always inspect your building and lot after severe weather. Remove any debris, such as tree limbs or trash. As snow or rain is tracked into your building, keep floors clean and dry, and place wet floor signs where necessary.

Assess safety signage. Your business may already have safety signage that helps keep customers and employees safe.

Tips: Make sure signs are located at point of use and related directly to the hazard at hand. Reduce visual clutter and distraction by reducing the number of signs in a single area. Take down safety signs that are no longer needed. Replace any signage that is out-of-date, damaged or missing. S

For more risk management tips and information about available coverage to protect your business, contact Lockton Affinity, the co-broker of the Elevanta insurance program. Lockton offers key coverage designed with your insurance requirements in mind. Learn more at Elevanta.LocktonAffinity.com or contact the Lockton Affinity team at Elevanta@LocktonAffinity.com or 844-403-4947.

The Elevanta Insurance Program is administered by Lockton Affinity, LLC d/b/a Lockton Affinity Insurance Brokers LLC in California #0795478. Coverage is subject to actual policy terms and conditions. Policy benefits are the sole responsibility of the issuing insurance company. Coverage may be provided by an excess/surplus lines insurer which is not licensed by or subject to the supervision of the insurance department of your state of residence. Policy coverage forms and rates are not subject to regulation by the insurance department of your state of residence. Excess/Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and therefore insureds are not protected by such funds in the event of the insurer’s insolvency. Elevanta will receive a royalty fee for the licensing of its name and trademarks as part of the insurance program offered to the extent permitted by applicable law.

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Don’t rush hiring. A thorough hiring process will ensure the employee is a good fit for your business and will likely reduce turnover in the long run.

Tips: Pre-screen potential employees and hold one or even two interviews with the same person before hiring them.

Minimize trips and falls. Slips, trips and falls make up most of all general industry accidents and cause approximately 15% of accidental deaths, second only to auto accidents.

Tips: To prevent slips, trips or falls, remember to remove and reduce: • Remove hazards by picking items off the floor, cleaning up any spilled liquids and avoiding extension cord use.

• Reduce risks by securing electrical

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OPPOSITES

by Dan Coughlin

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LEADERSHIP IS SUCH MEANINGFUL WORK

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ou are truly trying to influence how other people think so they make decisions to improve results in a sustainable way. In trying to be a leader you are aspiring to be on the same level with Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Mother Teresa and Gandhi. They all worked to be leaders.

One of the great challenges of leadership is deciding what topics to emphasize, what to say and what to do.

What topics do you emphasize? What behaviors do you invest most of your time doing? Where do you place your energy?

These are very difficult questions to answer. It comes down to figuring out how to balance opposites.

11 OPPOSITES TO CONSIDER BALANCING Here are 11 opposites you might have to make a decision on.

How much of each do you think you should emphasize in your leadership situation?

ORIGINALITY VS.

SUSTAINABILITY

How much time do you put into doing something different than anyone else has done, and how much time do you put into doing a common task over and over for the long term?

OPERATIONS VS.

INNOVATION

Do you emphasize getting the work done or coming up with new ways to add value to other people?

STRATEGY VS.

EXECUTION

Do you focus on deciding what the organization needs to do to achieve its desired outcomes, or do you focus on doing the planned actions as well as you can do them?

LASER-LIKE FOCUS VS.

BROAD INTERESTS

Is it more effective for you to concentrate solely on the value you want your organization to be known for delivering, or is it better to travel widely, read broadly and talk with people from all walks of life?

ASKING QUESTIONS VS.

TELLING STORIES

TIME AT WORK VS.

TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY VS.

TIME BY YOURSELF

Is it a better use of your time to work 70 hours a week, to sign up to coach four youth basketball teams or to train for a marathon?

EXERCISE VS.

RELAXATION

Is it healthier for you to get up at 5 a.m. and put in five miles on the treadmill every morning, or is it healthier to curl up with a good book and then take a nap?

CONCLUSION I don’t think the answer to any of those questions lies in choosing one or the other of the opposites, but rather in consciously deciding how much of each of them you want to emphasize or invest yourself in at a particular time. It’s like a painter going around the palette and deciding how much of each color to use in the painting at different places.

No one ever said leadership was going to be easy, but it can be incredibly meaningful as you make these choices and move them into action. S DAN COUGHLIN is president of The Coughlin Company Inc., a management consulting firm focused on improving executive effectiveness and significance. He serves as a thinking partner for executives, managers and business owners toward improving their most important desired business outcomes. He does this through executive coaching for individuals and small groups. He also provides keynote speeches and seminars on effectiveness and leadership.

Do you think you are more effective as a leader in listening to a person’s ideas or in telling stories to large audiences?

RAISING THE LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION VS. MEETING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL Is it better for you to sit in your office and focus on developing a companywide professional development program or to invest those two hours in meeting with one individual to better understand the person’s purpose, values, passions and talents, and help guide the person to a role where he or she can be more effective?

PUBLIC SPEAKING VS.

PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS

It is a more effective use of your time to go around your organization giving public speeches at town hall meetings or to meet with individuals over a cup of coffee?

VISION VS.

DETAILS

EXCELLENCE

Is it better to always focus on growing revenue and adding sales people and adding new customers, or is it better to focus on improving day-to-day performance in every part of your organization?

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GROWTH VS.

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Do you think you should keep talking about your organization’s vision or about the details of an upcoming meeting?

Six Employee Communication Strategies During Times of Crisis

by Dennis Snow

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ommunication with our teams is always important, but in today’s environment, effective communication is vital. I know all aspects of our lives and the world have been affected.

From a business perspective, we have some businesses that are doing well, and we have some that are struggling to just hang on and everything in between.

But regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, my guess is that your relationships with customers and employees

have been impacted.

Now, obviously, the role of a leader has changed significantly – almost overnight – due to the challenges that the world is facing following the coronavirus pandemic. Just the way leaders interact with their employees is changing for most organizations. Effective leadership has probably never been more important than it is right now. But even in these strange times, we can take comfort in knowing that sound leadership principles

are still effective.

The execution of those principles might be changing, but foundational principles don’t change.

When I reflect on my 20 years working at Walt Disney World, one of the leadership principles at the heart of my Disney experience was this: Be relentless in communicating your vision with the team.

interaction with their leader. Just morning and afternoon Zoom check-ins can provide the connections that people crave during uncertain times. Err on the side of too much communication rather than too little. People naturally fill in communication gaps with their own speculation or information from the rumor mill.

2. Be a storyteller.

Stories provide a wonderful way of engaging the hearts of your people.

Share stories that you’re hearing about team members that have gone above and beyond. Share customer success stories. Or, even better, have your people share stories.

One way or another, be a storyteller.

3. Be upbeat, but realistic.

People appreciate optimism. They want to hear good things that might be happening, but at the same time, they want to know that you understand the challenges, which leads to point No. 4.

4. Be transparent.

Not all news might be good, and you might not have all the answers. But people appreciate honesty. It’s OK to say, “This is the best information I have right now, but it could change tomorrow.” What really frustrates employees, especially during tough times, is when they have no idea what’s going on.

6. Be appreciative.

Always, always, always let your folks know how much you appreciate their hard work during this difficult time. They are likely dealing with highly stressed and frustrated customers, and those customers are taking their frustrations out on your people.

Let them know that you know that. Everyone loves to feel appreciated, especially now.

Are you communicating with your employees in a way that builds their trust in you as a leader during these extra challenging times? S

DENNIS SNOW is the president of Snow & Associates Inc. Dennis worked with The Walt Disney Co. for 20 years and now consults with organizations around the world, helping them achieve their customer service goals. He is the author of “Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service” and “Lessons From the Mouse: A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Your Life.” You can reach Snow at 407-294-1855 or visit his website at www.snowassociates.com.

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Great alternative to sodas or soft drinks, and you’ll profit from selling this beverage due to its premium high-quality price point.

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There is a photo of Walt Disney at a storyboard that is one of my favorites.

He always made sure everyone knew the vision. Communication with our teams is always important, but in today’s environment, communication is vital. In this time of uncertainty, your people are hungry for information. I’m sure you’re all staying in touch with your people. I think we’ve learned more about Zoom in the last few months than we ever wanted to know.

Here are six communication strategies that might be helpful for you right now. that might be helpful for you right now.

1. Communicate with your team regularly.

Make sure you are communicating with your team regularly, at least twice a day, if not more. Whether it’s through virtual or in-person team huddles – socially distanced, of course – or any other approach, employees appreciate regular

5. Be empathetic.

Your folks might be worried about their jobs, and they are definitely worried about their families. If people need to vent or express their concerns, let them do it. Again, you might not have all the answers to their issues, but at least demonstrate that you care.

Productive WorryVS.

Unproductive Worry: Six Ways to Make Worrying Work for You

by Laura Stack

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e all worry sometimes. Most dictionaries define worry as unrelenting, repetitive and unresolved thoughts about the same topic. But as any deep thinker knows, worrying can sometimes prove productive – especially if you come at a topic from different directions, one at a time, and can actually do something about it. The difficulty often lies in worrying constructively rather than allowing yourself to fall into a spiral of negativity.

To avoid the latter, keep two things in mind: the famous Serenity Prayer, and the difference between productive worry and its unproductive counterpart.

You may recall the Serenity Prayer, which sees use in

many contexts, including motivational and productivity events. In fact, you may have heard it so often it’s become a cliché, but this makes it no less helpful if you really consider it carefully: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

Productive worry involves finding ways to change the things you can. Among other things, it is:

1

6

2

–––––––––––––––––

Proactive. Some might call this term another business cliché, but again, it’s a cliché because it works. If you are worried about something you can get up and start working on, then your worry is productive. If the worrying leaves you inactive because you feel you can do nothing about whatever you are worried about, then it’s useless. Fretting about the weather is unproductive, but if you can move forward and do something about it – say, by combatting climate change – then maybe it’s worth it. Your contribution might seem miniscule, but it is a contribution. On a more realistic scale, worrying about your next beta test may prompt you to work harder to hit your deadline, just as worrying about your health may get you to the gym.

Realistic. Save your worry time for things you can actually accomplish. You’re not going to find a way to erect a space elevator by next week, but you can contribute to the engineering of one that’s going up in 20 years, or to the code for the systems that will control its carriages.

––––––––––––––––– 3

Limited. You can’t let worry stop you dead in your tracks for very long. So, if necessary, give yourself a brief time every day to worry, especially about things you can’t change. Fifteen minutes is good. You may find, however, that in time, your worry becomes productive – even for some things you thought you couldn’t change.

4

Problem-based. Anxiety doesn’t dominate productive worry; problem solving is its focus. Unproductive worry is anxiety-based.

LAURA STACK, MBA, CSP, CPAE, aka The Productivity Pro®, gives speeches and seminars on sales and leadership productivity. For over 25 years, she’s worked with Fortune 1000 clients to reduce inefficiencies, execute more quickly, improve output and increase profitability. Laura is the author of seven books, including “Doing the Right Things Right: How the Effective Executive Spends Time.” To invite Laura to speak at your next event, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com.

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Walk on Faith Productive worry is about accepting what you can’t change and moving on, while taking steps to change what you can. It guides you toward productive actions you can take to end or limit your worry. Now, you’ll always worry about some things you can’t do anything about, like family and friends. But work isn’t something to worry yourself to a frazzle over.

It takes a leap of faith to move on from worrying about what you can’t change, but even if such worry can motivate you in a negative sense, you can’t dwell on it without damaging your performance (and sanity). Instead, use productive worry to help you do what you must – prep for a beta, get training, hit a deadline, work toward promotion – while letting worry about the weekend’s weather or the state of the world float by. If you can do something to change the situation, do it. If you can’t, don’t worry about it, or at least don’t let the worry eat up your productive time. S

THE

Informed. Early European settlers in the New World wasted centuries of worry on the toxicity of tomatoes, partly due to their familiarity with the “black sheep” of its extended family – deadly nightshade. Plus, they’d heard reliable reports of aristocrats dropping dead after eating tomatoes. This deprived the general populace of a wonderfully versatile crop for 200 years. But once settlers took native lore seriously and tried them, they realized tomatoes were just peachy. Recent theories about the poisonings point to pewter plates used by the aristocrats.

The acids in the tomatoes apparently leached out the alloy’s lead content. (Most people didn’t take lead toxicity seriously until the 1970s.)

Focused. Productive worry concentrates on one thing at a time. You require this for planning and preparation, or your planning will devolve into a time-wasting mess. Time management and to-do lists, therefore, are crucial for true productivity.

Optimally Manage Cash Flow With a Financial Team

by Charlie Koch

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s a franchise owner, you’re constantly juggling priorities ranging from backfilling employees who call off their shift to thinking about your exit plan (someday, right?). If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it takes a team to keep your business surviving and hopefully thriving.

Accountants, payroll specialists, bankers and attorneys might be part of your team and hopefully were invaluable in helping you secure funding from the various COVID-19 relief packages.

Another member who should be part of your team is a financial adviser who is experienced in working with franchise owners.

A financial adviser qualified in this way is uniquely positioned to not only help you manage the liquid assets of your

business but also efficiently build wealth and enhance the overall financial security of you and your family.

Cash is King?

When your accountant collaborates with an experienced financial adviser, a whole new world of possibilities opens. For example, your accountant evaluates your short- and long-term cash flow to identify how much cash your business needs and when it will be needed. A financial adviser can then manage the business’s cash using investment strategies that align with the timing of those cash

The virus and the measures to control it presented business owners with challenges they never thought they’d face.

needs, then explore using excess cash to build personal wealth for you as part of a broad financial plan.

Working with franchise owners, I often find that a significant amount of cash is held in the business checking account or some type of interest-bearing account. They often tell me that they like having an abundance of liquidity in the business or that they simply are not sure what else to do with it.

Holding a significant amount of cash isn’t a great idea. First, holding excess cash in accounts under your business’s corporate name leaves it exposed to potential liabilities like lawsuits filed against the business. In addition, the balance of these accounts often exceeds the FDIC limit of $250,000 by a significant margin. What’s possibly the biggest drawback, however, is that excessive funds aren’t doing much to advance your own goals such as retirement, leaving a legacy or simply building personal wealth outside the value of your business.

A Better Way to Use Cash for the Future

Why Worry? What Can We Learn from the Recent Pandemic?

COVID-19 came out of nowhere and blindsided most of the world. I don’t think anyone ever thought that shutting down the economy to control the spread of a virus, or any other reason for that matter, was a real possibility. The virus and the measures to control it presented business owners with challenges they never thought they’d face.

However, those who had a sound plan going into the pandemic found themselves with far more options than those who didn’t. In the conversations that I’ve had with clients since the start of the pandemic, we’ve discussed questions like: “What’s the best strategy to get money back into the business if we need to? How does this situation change our long-term plan? How can we best position to take advantage of any opportunities that may result from this?” Without a strategic plan and the security that it provides, it’s far easier to fall victim to panic and fear instead of logically thinking through the best way through the situation.

CHARLIE KOCH, CFP®, CPWA®, MBA, is a wealth manager at Prism Financial Group LLC, a related company of Mize Restaurant Group that serves franchisees across the country. Mize Restaurant Group provides accounting, consulting and payroll services to FBS members. He can be reached at charlie@prismfg.com.

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The collaboration between your financial adviser and your CPA results in a timeline of cash expenditures outside of day-to-day expenses. This, coupled with cash-flow trends, will create a clear picture of how cash levels are likely to change over time and how those levels compare with the needs of the business.

Cash needed in the short term should stay in the corporate checking account so that it can be quickly deployed to pay upcoming expenses. Cash that will be needed for longer-term business expenses can be moved to an investment account, titled in the business name, where it can access a larger universe of investments, allowing your financial adviser to tailor a portfolio that strives for a better return on those funds within the timeframe that they’ll be needed. The investment portfolios in these types of accounts are usually more conservative to limit fluctuations in value from the ups and downs of the stock market.

The cash that this analysis indicates will not be needed for business purposes in the short or long term is what we call “excess cash” and, with the business’s needs carefully accounted for, can be allocated to building the business owner’s personal wealth as part of a broad financial plan.

Some of the areas addressed by a broad financial plan include retirement, ensuring that your estate plan is up to date, philanthropic activity, review of insurance coverage, etc. In

simple terms, the plan facilitates the building of wealth strategically and efficiently to help you realize your future aspirations and enhance overall financial security.

One topic: 10 facts Social Media and the Restaurant Industry

1

6

There are 3.03 billion active social media users, while approximately 91% of retail brands use two or more social media channels.

Out of all brand mentions on Twitter, food and drink brands are mentioned the most, accounting for 32% of tweets.

2

7

Of the more than 1 million mentions on social media sites about the restaurant, food and beverage industry, 57% of these were about quick-service restaurants.

The best times for a restaurant to post on Instagram are when people are eating and looking at pictures on their phones: 9 a.m., between 12 and 1 p.m., and 8 p.m.

3 Seventy-one percent of customers say they’re more likely to recommend a company that responds quickly to them on social media.

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4 When choosing a restaurant, Gen Z and Millennials are 99% more likely to rely on social media and online reviews than are Gen X and Boomers.

5 Nearly 72% have used Facebook to make restaurant or retail decisions based on comments and images that have been shared by other users.

8 More than 33% of diners will not choose to eat in a restaurant with less than a 4-star rating on online review sites like Yelp, Google and TripAdvisor.

9 One in eight diners will post a restaurant review after their meal.

10 Seventy-five percent of consumers will not visit or patronize a restaurant with negative reviews about its cleanliness.

Source: Review Trackers

LOOK LISTEN READ

4

All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort and is within reach of everyone. Whether you are a painter, musician, businessperson or simply an individual yearning to put your creativity to use, “The Creative Habit” provides you with 32 practical exercises based on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned in her remarkable 35-year career.

5

L

ook, Listen, Read is a quarterly compilation of some of the most highly rated and reviewed apps, podcasts, books, websites and other resources. FBS does not support or endorse the use of these tools, which merely serve as a guide to exploring a new level of knowledge and productivity for your business.

1

The Entrepreneurship Elevated Podcast, led by author of “Profit First” Mike Michalowicz, is a show for entrepreneurs who want to increase their profits. Since when did talking about money need to be boring?! The Profit First Podcast gets serious about money by having the most fun possible.

2

7

Your notes.

Organized. Effortless.

Take notes anywhere and find information faster with Evernote. Share ideas with anyone as well as meeting notes, web pages, projects, to-do lists. With Evernote as your note-taking app, nothing falls through the cracks.

8

If you are a service-based business, FreshBooks is designed for you. If you create value for your customers by applying your time and expertise to other people’s problems, FreshBooks is built specifically for you. FreshBooks uses a web-based software as a service model, whereby instead of installing and maintaining software locally, the software is accessed through a desktop or mobile device. S

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3

The SmallBizChat Podcast is dedicated to helping you live your best life as a small-business owner. The mission is to end small-business failure.

6

We’ve all known the “naturals” – people who can get up to speak in any business situation and make something happen. They get the budget approved, win the big account, get the group’s support at the weekly staff meeting. When the “naturals” finish speaking people believe – and act.

Now fully revised and updated, ”Speak and Get Results” helps you to be a natural and helps you to get the results you want.

THE

“Built to Last,” the defining management study of the ’90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? Using tough benchmarks, Jim Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least 15 years. In ”Good to Great: Why Some Companies Take the Leap and Others Don’t,” Collins outlines his findings from the good to great research.

High-quality writing is more than just mechanics. Grammarly Business goes deeper with real-time suggestions for improving readability, word choice, writing style and tone. More than 20 million people around the world use this AI-powered product every day to strengthen their writing and say what they really mean. Grammarly Business’s writing assistant supports clean, mistake-free writing while offering suggestions that go way beyond grammar.

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732-618-8578 www.pepsico.com Quad

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CALL FOR FRANCHISEE NEWS

414-566-4815 upress.qg.com/buffalowildwings The Wasserstrom Co.

27

800-888-9963 www.wasserstrom.com TraitSet Hire

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239-877-0110 dan@hrgems.com * CS=Cover Sheet, IF=Inside Front, IB=Inside Back, BC=Back Cover

2020 Issue 2 |

THE

SCORE

36

THE

Issue 3 is due out October 2020. As always, we want to highlight any news or events associated with our members. If you have ideas for potential stories, please submit online at www.myfbsonline.org, email communications@myfbsonline.org or call 678-797-5161

by Aug. 26. Our editorial staff can assist in writing the article.

THE

Important coverage tailored for Elevanta members As a business owner, you face a multitude of risks and protecting against those risks can be difficult. With coverage from co-brokers, Elevanta and Lockton Affinity, it’s easy.

We offer three core insurance products—General Liability, Property and Workers’ Compensation—and additional products, including: Cyber Liability • Employment Practices Liability • Alcohol Liability Commercial Auto • Professional Liability • Umbrella

Key program benefits Along with comprehensive coverage, you have access to: Complimentary policy reviews Concerned you don’t have the right protection? Email Lockton Affinity your current insurance policies and we will review them free of charge to ensure your franchise has the right coverage and limits in place.

Risk management tools We offer risk management tools like loss prevention plans, risk management articles and webinars to help you mitigate risk—and lower your insurance premiums—over time.

Efficient interactions Apply for coverage with a quick, downloadable application. In the event of an incident, we work to settle claims fast so that you can get back to business.

Quick price indication We developed a simple price indication tool that takes less than five minutes to complete. We will review your submission and respond with an indication, allowing you to make a financially informed decision about your insurance.

Visit Elevanta.LocktonAffinity.com to get started.

(844) 403-4947 or Elevanta@LocktonAffinity.com.

The Elevanta Insurance Program is administered by Lockton Affinity, LLC d/b/a Lockton Affinity Insurance Brokers LLC in California #0795478. Coverage is subject to actual policy terms and conditions. Policy benefits are the sole responsibility of the issuing insurance company. Coverage may be provided by an excess/surplus lines insurer which is not licensed by or subject to the supervision of the insurance department of your state of residence. Policy coverage forms and rates are not subject to regulation by the insurance department of your state of residence. Excess/Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and therefore insureds are not protected by such funds in the event of the insurer’s insolvency. Elevanta will receive a royalty fee for the licensing of its name and trademarks as part of the insurance program offered to the extent permitted by applicable law.

OFFENSE MEETS DEFENSE CHILL WITH A PEPSI. HEAT UP WITH WINGS.

PEPSI and the Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc.