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Recognitions 13 Look, Listen, Read
MEMBER NEWS
High 5 Hospitality Implements Employee Referral Program
High 5 Hospitality team members show off their $100 cash bonuses for referring new job candidates.
In the spring, High 5 Hospitality, operated by franchisee Bobby Pancake, created a new initiative to attract candidates to work at its restaurants. The company operates eight Buffalo Wild Wings® sports bars across Maryland and Delaware, as well as several other restaurant concepts.
Candidates are encouraged to fill out an application on www.High5Hospitality.com and to put the name of the person who referred them on their application under the “referral” section. Once the new person has been employed for 100 days at any of High 5 Hospitality’s sports bars, the team member earns $100 cash.
“We value team member input when it comes to who they want to work with. There’s no better way to ensure co-workers will enjoy their time at work than by having people refer their friends or family to the same job,” said Samantha Jenkins, social media specialist for High 5 Hospitality.
The company spreads the word about the referral program through emails, social media and word of mouth. The details and physical flyers are sent to general managers, who then distribute the information and flyers to their team members. High 5 Hospitality also posts about the referral bonus on its social media outlets and mentions it in the monthly company newsletter.
After the success of the initial program launch, the company decided to expand the program at certain locations until the end of 2021. It is offering an even larger incentive of $1,000 for candidates that get hired and stay on board for one year. Not only does the referring team member get $1,000 throughout the course of the year, but so does the candidate.
The company also created a program specific to managers – referring team members will earn $3,000 for any referred management candidate that gets hired as a manager and stays for a year, while the management candidate will receive $2,000 for staying on for a year.
Since its creation in April, the program has 197 referrals. It has been a great way for High 5 Hospitality to attract new candidates while also giving a voice to current team members.
“When we hire folks, it’s because we see something great in them,” said Jenkins. “There is some truth to the old saying ‘birds of a feather flock together.’ So, if you hire one great team member, there is potential for them to bring along other great team members.”
Four M Franchising Team Member Donates Kidney to Brother
Besnik (Bes) Krasniqi began his career with Four M Franchising at the Buffalo Wild Wings® in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2010 as an hourly employee. He exceled in every department, working his way up to assistant manager of the Milford restaurant before being promoted to general manager at his home store in Stamford.
In January of 2020, Krasniqi’s youngest brother, Besim, went to a walk-in health clinic with dizziness, blurred vision and flu-like symptoms. The doctor took his vitals and immediately noticed something wrong. Besim was transported by ambulance to Yale Hospital and spent three weeks in the intensive care unit. It was determined that his kidneys had failed, and he would need a transplant to survive.
Bes immediately started the testing process in hopes that he could donate one of his kidneys to his brother. After a grueling four months of testing, it was determined that Bes was a match. The lifesaving surgery took place last spring, and both brothers have made a full recovery.
“Bes is an incredibly unselfish person. He is always willing to help in any situation,” said Four M Franchising President Jim Bitzonis. “Bes has been with us for over 10 years, and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. I’m amazed by his generosity, work ethic and commitment to his team, his family and our company. We are very fortunate and grateful to have him.”
Krasniqi has been back to work and continues to excel daily.
