Flame 2021, Issue 4

FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT:

Kevin Newell Kevin Newell

focuses on people in the wake of tornado

FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT: focuses on people in the wake of tornado

PAGE 18

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Pandemic consequences complicate development decisions

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NFA Editorial Board

Matt Herridge

Executive Editor mherridge@charton.biz

304-865-2222

Sean Ireland

Editor-in-Chief seani@nfabk.org

Rachel Jackson Managing Editor rachelj@nfabk.org

Savannah Daly Associate Editor savannahd@nfabk.org

Advertising Sales

Jeff Reynolds Director of Business Partner Relations jeffr@nfabk.org

678-797-5163

NFA Officers

Dan Fitzpatrick Chair

Jim Froio

Vice Chair

Matt Herridge Secretary

Steve Keith Treasurer

Anthony Josephson

Second Vice President

Russ Lo Bello

Second Vice President

Andrew Schory

Second Vice President

Christy Williams

CEO

NFA Board of Directors

CANADIAN FRANCHISEE ASSOCIATION

Mike Kitchingman

FLORIDA/CARIBBEAN

Glenn Levins

GREAT MIDWEST

Matt Carpenter

Henry Delouvrier

Mark Peterson

GREAT WESTERN

Nasser Aliabadi

Gary Geiger

INTERNATIONAL HISPANIC FRANCHISEE ASSOCIATION

Guillermo Perales

LARGE FRANCHISEE GROUP

Patrick Sidhu

METRO NEW YORK

Amir Syed

MID-ATLANTIC

Gary Andrzejewski

MID SOUTH

Kevin Newell

Mike Callahan

Larry Stokes II

MINORITY FRANCHISEE ASSOCIATION

Camille Lee-Johnson

MOUNTAIN

Amir Allison

NEW ENGLAND

Brek Kohler

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Shirley Humerian

SOUTHWEST

Michael Laird

OHIO RIVER

C.J. Timoney

Andrew Schory

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2021 Issue 4

ON THE COVER

Development Decisions by Sean Ireland, NFA director of communications

28 BURGER KING Franchisees Honored at BKC Convention

31 Four Key Attributes of Operators Using Technology to Achieve a Tenfold Return on Investment contributed by Envysion Inc.

32 2021 NFA Annual Meeting Provides Association Updates for Members

34 NFA Recognizes Franchisees Receiving Service Awards in 2021

35 Providing Employees Financial Flexibility Through On-Demand Pay contributed by Tapcheck

36 Longtime Partnership Between BK Franchisees, VFW Remains Strong by Sean Ireland

38 A Letter of Gratitude from the BURGER KING Foundation contributed by BURGER KINGSM Foundation

40 Paying All Employees Electronically How and When They Like contributed by rapid!

41 Trust Is the Critical Element by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co.

42 Slips, Trips and Falls: Three Injury Hazard Prevent Tips contributed by Lockton Cos.

44 Are You Prepared for Year-End Payroll Adjustments? by Stacy Smith, Mize CPAs Inc.

46 Make a Thoughtful Response to Employee Labor Activity by Douglas H. Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson LLP

48 I Think What You Meant to Say Was ‘Thank You’ by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc.

50 As COVID-19 Went, So Went the Nation: The Results of the 2020 American Time Use Survey by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®

Look Forward to 2022 With Hope and Optimism

As the calendar turns, we bid farewell to 2021 and say hello to 2022. I find this time of year always provides for moments of self-reflection and contemplation. Depending on life’s activities, this engenders feelings that reflect professional success or challenge, family joy or sadness. What is always true, however, is that the historical events of yesterday are finished, today is a new day where we can do our best and tomorrow holds a promise of things yet to come.

I am drafting this article for Flame following our convention in Las Vegas. It was good to see everyone and to refresh old acquaintances with my fellow franchisees, our vendor community and our franchisor.

they lacked the execution necessary to succeed. Execution must first come from our franchisor and then execution must be a part of our daily activities to provide a high-quality guest experience. This has never been more true and necessary for our system.

The convention gave our attendees the opportunity to hear firsthand from BURGER KING® President of U.S. and Canada Tom Curtis and his team. I think it was important that Tom acknowledged the current challenges we face as opposed to ignoring or glossing over them. The plans he and his team shared were straightforward and basic. However, they are a solid first step for the system. Hopefully, they will manifest with the intended changes and will be felt in a positive way for our businesses and our teams.

During my remarks at the convention, I highlighted an issue that was mentioned to me by several franchisees following my talk from the convention stage. It is something that I hope we remember –our businesses, by and large, are family businesses, family-owned and operated, for the benefit of our families. I also want to emphasize that our families include all our team members and their respective families. It is their individual families who have cast their lots with our organizations, and they too are counting on the success of this brand to benefit them.

by DAN FITZPATRICK

that the new leadership at BKC will help our respective businesses flourish in 2022. Clearly there are any number of headwinds we will need to face, including continued effects of the virus (I thought this was going to be over by now.), disruptive governmental policies and more.

2021 was clearly a challenging time. The year had a great first half with a significantly challenging second half. Hopefully, the convention gave us an opportunity to see that the challenges we face are at least clear, and that there is the beginning of a plan to move our respective businesses forward.

The conventions always yield potentially successful plans. These plans generally have never lacked for prospects of being successful, but far too many times

I repeat my definition of a family business. The result of our business performance directly impacts the livelihood of our families – for good or for bad. That is why we should all care so very much about our performance – in many respects, if not all respects, all of us take this personally.

Calendar year 2021 saw significant changes for our system: a change in the head of our brand and a change in our marketing leadership. It is our fervent hope

As business owners and entrepreneurs, I think it is most helpful that we look forward with confidence, enthusiasm and optimism. Life doesn’t always reciprocate, but I am going to trust that this brand of ours will rebound, that we will address the challenges we confront and that 2022 will be one of our best years yet. It is hard not to be concerned, but it is that time of year when we should look forward with anticipation in the belief that 2022 will be a resounding success.

My wish for you and your families is that you enjoy a prosperous, healthy and peaceful 2022. n

Our businesses, by and large, are family businesses, family-owned and operated, for the benefit of our families.

Moving Forward After a Year of Challenge and Accomplishment

The close of 2021 brought an end to a remarkable year unlike any other before it.

Of course, we said the same thing at this time last year while hoping that the end of the coronavirus pandemic – and a return to normalcy – were near.

Instead, 2021 presented a new set of challenges, not the least being the continued ebb and flow of the COVID-19 caseload around the world. Other difficulties, including a continuing labor shortage and supply chain pressures caused by the pandemic, were obstacles that your BURGER KING® businesses are still contending with at the start of 2022.

Even so, the National Franchisee Association (NFA) marked some notable milestones in 2021 as we sought to continue the mission to serve you and grow your association.

Among the achievements:

• The 2021 NFA LEAD Conference was the first large in-person conference held in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic. The NFA blazed the trail for a safe return to valuable conferences and conventions providing much-needed information, education and networking opportunities.

• Employers using Elevanta Health and property and casualty insurance services received $300,000 in participation refunds.

• In a continued effort to focus on doing our best for members, employers participating in Elevanta Health benefitted from the program’s all-time low average of a 1% rate increase, while 64% of employers received a flat, 0% renewal increase.

• Through a partnership with Hall Financial Advisors, NFA and Elevanta are offering a new retirement program to

members under what is called a Multiple Employer Aggregation Program (MEAP), which allows employers to develop customized 401(k) plans for key employees.

• 2021 saw the culmination of a yearlong process in which Elevanta earned accreditation from the Association Management Company Institute (AMCI). This prestigious certification signifies that the management services Elevanta provides to all its clients meet the highest standards in the association management industry.

• Elevanta added two new association clients in the last year. We now provide services to the Studio Salon Franchisee Association and the Salon Owners Franchisee Association.

• Our quarterly magazine, Flame, was once again recognized with an APEX Award of Excellence. This is in great measure due to all of you who contribute stories, information and expertise that allow us to create outstanding content. We expect no less of ourselves in the year to come. Our focus for 2022 is the development of a property and casualty insurance captive that will provide a much-needed mechanism to eliminate the impact of the insurance industry’s hard market rate practices over time. Our goal is to provide a program that any size employer can join that will provide a long-term solution for your property and casualty insurance needs. With any captive program, the premiums will not decrease substantially day one, and, in fact, will be similar to what business owners pay now in the traditional marketplace. However, over time, the goal is to reach a stable level of premium and mitigate against large rate increases year to year, which is exactly what our health program has achieved and delivered for the past decade.

by CHRISTY WILLIAMS

No recap of significant NFA events in 2021 would be complete without the acknowledgement of the sudden passing of longtime BK® franchisee and association leader Rod Martin of North Carolina in March. Rod’s contributions to Elevanta and to RSI during 40-plus years as a franchisee will benefit those organizations for years to come. But to many of us, his loss was felt on a deep, personal level. Rod served as a mentor, confidant, adviser, and as Michael DiSeveria put it in our story about him, “one hell of a friend.”

The influence of Rod’s character gave us the motivation to keep moving forward through the trials of the last year, always seeking to do great things for our members. At the start of this new year, we’ll keep looking toward his example to light the path ahead and keep us focused on doing what is right for all of you and for growing this great organization. n

GPS Hospitality Celebrates Reopening of BURGER KING in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

On Oct. 25, GPS Hospitality hosted a grand reopening event for its restaurant in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The restaurant underwent a complete scrape and rebuild beginning in the spring.

“Typically, a remodel like this would take about four months,” said Lisa Grier, GPS Hospitality’s director of communications. “However, this one took us six months due to lack of building materials, solid rock that had to be excavated and other COVID-19-related delays.”

The wait was worthwhile, though. The new restaurant has a double drive-thru with digital menu boards, as well as new furniture in the dining room. The restaurant was also repositioned to improve traffic flow into the parking lot and drive-thru.

GPS Hospitality is #GPSProud to bring a refreshed restaurant experience to the Chambersburg community. n

Metro New York Franchisee Association Raises Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars for Multiple Charities in 2021

TheMetro New York Franchisee Association (MNYFA) continued its longstanding commitment to charities fighting pediatric cancer in 2021, and despite the nation’s economic difficulties, MNYFA franchisees were part of efforts that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Peg Canniff, chairperson of the Children’s Charities Committee for MNYFA, reported that from three separate efforts, one in partnership with the New England Franchisee Association (NEFA), about $465,000 was raised for the three organizations the association supports.

“About 25 years ago, Bob Wallstein and Norm Lichtman, franchisees in New Jersey and New York and the leaders of the MNYFA, made a decision that the MNYFA would support one mission – the fight against pediatric cancer,” Caniff said. Three organizations were chosen for support: The Valerie Fund, Hope & Heroes at New York Presbyterian Hospital and The Jimmy Fund.

Every year, the MNYFA has a coupon campaign and sells coupon books with four free drink coupons in area restaurants for $1. The Valerie Fund manages the program and splits the proceeds with Hope & Heroes. This was the 10th year for the campaign, and it brought in $80,000. The Valerie Fund is also the beneficiary of an annual golf tournament at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park, New Jersey. Franchisees and vendors support the event and enjoy a day of golf and a dinner. Rackson Restaurants franchisee Christopher Johnson and his BURGER KING® team were honored at this year’s dinner, which raised $85,000. More than $1 million has been raised by BK® franchisees for The Valerie Fund over the past 20 years.

For The Jimmy Fund, MNYFA teams up with the NEFA for a

fundraising campaign every August to sell scratch-off cards for $1. Some cards are winners of food prizes, and some prizes are larger, depending on the sponsors the Jimmy Fund has engaged that year. This year more than $300,000 was raised.

“The MNYFA has been committed to these three charities for the past 25 years. It is an honor to serve as the chairperson of the Children’s Charities Committee and assist these three groups with their fundraising goals,” Canniff said. “With the help of many franchisees, including Amir Syed, Chris Johnson, Debbie Sena, Jay Della Monica and recently retired Drew Paterno and Nathan Blau, we work together to gain support for these fundraising campaigns.”

The new BK in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, features a double drive-thru. GPS Hospitality team members smile for a photo behind their new restaurant counter.

Chris Johnson of Rackson Restaurants, far left, was honored at this year’s dinner and golf outing for The Valerie Fund. He is pictured with John Connell, Rackson Restaurants area coach, Barry Kirschner, director of The Valerie Fund, and Bunny Flanders, director of marketing for The Valerie Fund.

Community Comes Together to Purchase Car for Beloved BURGER KING Employee

Lisa Bateman has been a team leader at the BURGER KING® in Tappahannock, Virginia, owned by Carrols Corp., since 1987. At the restaurant, Bateman is responsible for running operations on the drive-thru five days a week. For the past seven years, she has walked almost a mile each way to get to and from work.

She told local news station WTVR that she planned on walking to work “as long as her little legs would take her.” But now, thanks to a generous community, she has her own car to get her there.

The idea started from a Facebook post praising Bateman for her great customer service, which transformed into a GoFundMe page that raised over $4,200 to buy her a car. After a Monday shift, Jaki Vazquez, a regular guest in the drive-thru, presented Bateman with the keys to her new ride, as well as an envelope with cash that was left from the fundraiser.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed through tears of joy as she hugged Vazquez and other regular guests. “I really enjoy what I do,” Bateman told WTVR. “When I make them happy, I’m happy!”

Bateman was very surprised by the gesture, calling it extraordinary and “an incredible act of kindness.” But both her community

and the rest of the team at Carrols Corp. know that her positive attitude and smile are deserving of this gift. The community also honored Bateman by designating her to be the grand marshal in Tappahannock’s annual Christmas parade on Dec. 12.

To thank Bateman for the impact she has had on the town, Carrols Corp. donated $1,000 in gas cards to Lisa to support her commute to work. B.J. Robinson, human resources manager for Carrols, presented Bateman with the gas cards as well as a letter of appreciation from Vice President of Human Resources Jerry DiGenova.

When giving the gift cards to Bateman, she showed the Carrols Corp. team her new car and told them about the experience of receiving it, expressing her gratitude. “Lisa is truly a sweet and kind soul that is very deserving of the gifts she has received, yet she is so humble and grateful in receiving them,” said Robinson. n

BK Team Leader Lisa Bateman and her car, donated to her by the community of Tappahannock, Virginia.

Cave Enterprises Celebrates Longtime Employee’s Retirement

Dorothy Holmbeck has been working at the BURGER KING® in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for nearly 40 years. Since 1983, Holmbeck has been serving guests at the restaurant owned by franchisee Cave Enterprises, many of them regulars she knows by name. Her co-workers describe her as “reliable, positive and consistent.” She always showed up early for her opening shift at 5 a.m.

A special retirement celebration was held for Holmbeck on Oct. 27, after her last morning shift. About 50 people, including family, friends, regular guests, former/current co-workers and local media outlets, came to show their appreciation for Holmbeck. Representatives from Cave Enterprises, including Jeff Oliver, David Perrin, Mark Smith, Mike Sorenson and Chad York, were there, and Holmbeck’s children drove from out of town to attend along with her husband, Mel. Former BK® franchisees Tom Walsh Jr. and Tom Walsh Sr. also made an appearance.

During the celebration, guests enjoyed

RECOGNITIONS

Congratulations to the following TOMS King employees:

Katherine Cordero, manager at the BK® in Youngstown, Ohio, recently executed a perfect drive-thru experience and was recognized with a Burger King Star for hospitality, accuracy, speed, clean exterior/interior and perfect food quality.

cake and ice cream and shared fond memories of working with Holmbeck over the years. She received a plaque recognizing her dedication to the brand. Holmbeck was surprised by the turnout for her celebration. “I just thought it was going to be a few people here. I didn’t know it was going to be like this, but I’m glad. [It] makes the day special,” she told a local reporter.

One of Holmbeck’s favorite memories was her opening shifts with Chad Streyle, another team member who has been at

the Sioux Falls restaurant for over 30 years. In 2014, Streyle competed in the WHOPPER® Championship at the BKC Convention in Las Vegas. He was awarded $10,000 in addition to a free trip for being crowned the WHOPPER Champion – and still shows up each day to open the restaurant.

“Dorothy has won a place in our hearts and in the hearts of our guests. Her cheerful service has been an example for our people, and we are fortunate to have quality people like Dorothy so committed to our guests,” said Regional Director of Operations Mike Leslie. “Thank you, Dorothy, for your exceptional service –your decades of service leave a true legacy of positivity in our community.” n

Congratulations to the following Carolina Franchise Holdings employees:

Dustin Oehler recently joined the Carolina Franchise Holdings team as a multiunit manager. Oehler has over 20 years of experience as a multiunit operator ranging from five to 13 units with a sales volume spanning $3 million to $25 million annually.

Congratulations to the following GPS Hospitality employees:

Chantell Bernard was recently promoted from district leader to director of operations at GPS Hospitality.

District Manager Rich Doyle was recognized as the District Manager of the Year. He was awarded with a brand new Camaro LT1 for his exceptional scores in several service categories.

Charles Colbert was recently promoted from district leader to director of operations at GPS Hospitality.

Kent Freeman is celebrating his fifth anniversary with GPS Hospitality this year. Kent is a restaurant general manager at the Midland, Michigan, restaurant.

Brooke Vaughn was promoted earlier this year to Top Right Training Manager at the BURGER KING® in Edmore, Michigan.

Holmbeck and Aaseng on the day of her retirement.

Dorothy Holmbeck, former franchisee Tom Walsh, and Restaurant Leader Lee Aaseng are pictured when Holmbeck first joined Cave Enterprises.

Humerian Highlights NFA Legislative Priorities During Busy Month

National Franchisee Association (NFA) Government Relations Committee member Shirley Humerian of California had a busy November working with government officials on issues important to BURGER KING® franchise owners.

Humerian, who operates S&M Restaurants Inc., in Grover Beach, California, and serves as the president of the Southern California BURGER KING Franchisee Association, spoke with both state and federal officials during the month.

First, before Thanksgiving, she was on a panel with representatives of organizations, including the Coalition of Franchisee Associations and the International Franchise Association, and another California-based franchisee speaking with members of the California legislature about franchising and specifically the Fast Food Accountability

and Standards (FAST) Recovery Act. The FAST Recovery Act was introduced in the California legislature early in 2021. It establishes an 11-member council of political appointees empowered to set wages and workplace standards, including restrictive scheduling mandates and wage and hour rules, for restaurant companies with 30 or more stores nationwide. The bill also changes the franchisor-franchisee relationship to make franchisees more

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likely to be employees of the franchisor.

The bill was defeated by three votes in the California Assembly in June, but because 2021 is a “carryover” year, the bill is still alive through the end of 2022 and is likely to resurface after the new year.

Later in November, as part of the Bring D.C. to your BK initiative, Humerian invited Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) to her BURGER KING to discuss some of NFA’s legislative priorities. Carbajal, a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, is also vice chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over many issues of importance to NFA. Humerian thanked Rep. Carbajal for supporting the DRIVE Safe Act while also discussing the labor shortage and government COVID-19 relief policies. n

Shirley Humerian met with Rep. Salud Carbajal at her BURGER KING restaurant.

Mid-Atlantic Franchisees Hold Two-Day Session in Baltimore

Southern California BK Franchisees Gather for Session in Los Angeles

The Southern California BURGER KING® Franchisee Association (SCBKFA) had a one-day gathering, Nov. 10, at Maggiano’s Little Italy at the Grove in Los Angeles, for attendees to get critical business and association updates from brand and National Franchisee Association (NFA) representatives.

Region President Shirley Humerian led the meeting, which opened with an address from NFA Chair Dan Fitzpatrick. He was followed by Burger King Corp. leaders Gus Staknevicius, Chris Turpin, Evelyn Wilson, Ofelia Cruthirds and Garrett Craig, who provided brand information and took questions from the franchisees.

The SCBKFA treasurer’s report was presented, and Humerian presided over the regional association’s election before the group broke for lunch with several sponsor partners.

The afternoon session included a presentation from RSI CEO and President Joel Neikirk and reports from representatives of the NFA Government Relations Council, the Restaurant Operations Council and the Marketing Advisory Council, and the meeting concluded with a franchisee roundtable discussion.

Members of the Mid-Atlantic Franchisee Association gathered in Baltimore, Maryland, in October for their yearly meeting, and they heard from National Franchisee Association (NFA), brand and RSI leaders over the course of two days.

Twenty vendors supported the meeting and had the opportunity to meet and network with the franchisees and their guests. Atmosphere TV, Tapcheck and The Coca-Cola Co. each made presentations.

Region President Gary Andrzejewski led the meeting, which featured Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-01) as the guest speaker as well as presentations on labor and employment issues from Laura Rubenstein of Wright, Constable and Skeen in Maryland and on President Biden’s tax plan from Tommy Lee, a partner with Aprio.

Other speakers included RSI President and CEO Joel Neikirk, NFA Marketing Advisory Council Chair Jim Froio, NFA Restaurant Council member Jim Backes, NFA CEO Christy Williams and NFA Vice President of Legislative Affairs Misty Chally. Franchisee Matt Carpenter of TOMS King, an NFA board member, made a presentation about the partnership between BURGER KING® franchisees and Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Unmet Needs fundraising campaign.

Burger King Corp.’s Vice President of Franchise Operations for North America Katerina Glyptis led a group of corporate speakers at the meeting as she discussed operational updates. Also on hand were Claire Thompson, who provided an RBI Training Update, and Chris Mott and Jay Ceyhun Uzak, who spoke about issues regarding new restaurant development and remodels.

Attendees enjoyed several meals together, including a special dinner at Bluestone Restaurant in Baltimore. n

Sponsors for the meeting included Freund Baking Co., Keurig Dr Pepper, Veg Fresh Farms, The Coca-Cola Co., One More Time Inc., UPshow and Workstream. n

Regional Events

Jan. 9-11

Mid South Franchisee Association Regional Meeting

New Orleans, Louisiana

Feb. 6-8

Great Western Franchisee Association Regional Meeting

Scottsdale, Arizona

April 6

Southwest Franchisee Association Regional Meeting

April 20

Mountain Franchisee Association Regional Meeting

Denver, Colorado

National Events

Feb. 15-17

Elevanta Board Meeting

San Diego, California

Feb. 23-24

RSI Board Meeting

Miami, Florida

March 29-31

NFA Day on the Hill

Washington, D.C.

March 31-April 1

NFA Board Meeting

Washington, D.C.

Burger King Corp.’s Vice President of Franchise Operations for North America Katerina Glyptis spoke to members of the Mid-Atlantic Franchisee Association in October.

MNYFA Meets at Connecticut Resort

Members of the Metro New York Franchisee Association (MNYFA) held their first in-person meeting since 2019 on Oct. 6-7, at the Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut.

Led by MNYFA Region President Amir Syed, the association hosted officials from Burger King Corp. (BKC), RSI and the National Franchisee Association (NFA) for business updates and met with some of its valuable vendor partners over the two days.

Syed’s opening address focused on the operational and business changes that the pandemic has forced for operators in the region, including implementation of new safety measures, staffing problems, increased wages and costs, limited hours and menus with indoor dining restrictions, supply shortages and delivery challenges, government vaccination requirements and more. He also discussed the work of the association’s New York City Profitability Subcommittee, which has sought to create dialogue with BKC leadership on ways to improve business conditions for restaurants in the area.

BURGER KING President of U.S. and Canada Tom Curtis introduced members of the brand’s leadership team at the Metro New York Franchisee Association meeting in October.

Franchisee Peg Caniff’s report on the MNYFA Children’s Charities Committee, which raised about $465,000 for three organizations during the year, was a highlight of the committee reports that followed.

Next, NFA Government Relations Committee Chair Matt Herridge discussed the NFA’s national priorities, and he was followed by RSI President and CEO Joel Neikirk, who presented information about sales, traffic, distribution, a food cost outlook and more. Later, BURGER KING® President of U.S. and Canada Tom Curtis and his leadership team, including Vice President of Franchise Operations for North America Katerina Glyptis, BURGER KINGSM Foundation Co-Chair Liz Greenberg and others provided an overall brand update.

The next day, NFA Chair Dan Fitzpatrick, Restaurant Council Chair Shane Jacobs and Marketing Advisory Council Chair Jim Froio updated the meeting attendees about the association’s activities. Franchisee Matt Carpenter of TOMS King made a presentation about the partnership between BURGER KING franchisees and Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Unmet Needs fundraising campaign. Vendor presentations from Comcast Business, Keurig Dr Pepper, The Coca-Cola Co., Restaurant Technologies Inc., Atmosphere TV, and Xenial were scheduled throughout the general sessions over the two days, which also featured several meals and a reception. Nearly two dozen business partners attended the meeting to take part in the trade show and the other opportunities to network with the franchisees and above-restaurant leaders who attended. n

Support the Vendors

That Support Your Association

Tyson Foods is proud to partner with Burger King® for menu breakthroughs like the new Hand-Breaded Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Chicken Fries. As one of the world’s largest protein producers, it’s an honor to team up with the Burger King® system supplying products made with clean ingredients including tacos, chicken, tortillas and more plus innovation along the way.

Robotic Takeover: Automation in the Restaurant Industry

1The National Restaurant Association recently reported that four in five operators are understaffed.

2 This includes 81% of full-service operators and 75% of limited-service operators. Robotics can help ease the staffing challenges and speed up operations.

3 Forty-seven percent of full-service operators and 37% of quick-service operators feel new technology is key for their businesses.

4 Restaurants are also warming up to the idea of using automation technology to fill labor gaps, with 50% of U.S. operators planning to deploy this technology in the next two to three years.

5 It’s becoming crucial for restaurants to deploy technological solutions that ease labor pressure. The quit rate among hospitality workers has reached 6.8%, more than double the national average, and full-service restaurants are operating with 6.2 fewer kitchen employees than they were in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

6 Miso said its Flippy 2 robot can fill a tough role in kitchens — the fry station. The robot can cost up to $3,000 a month.

7The bot, which retails for up to $20,000, has been tested at restaurants including California Pizza Kitchen.

8 Along with making food in restaurant kitchens, expect to see more robots rolling food out to tables. As of May, Keenon Robotics said it had 6,000 of its server robots already working in hotel and restaurant industry locations around the world.

9 Economic data suggests that the shift to automation has been underway for months now. Productivity surged 5.4% in the first three months of 2021...

10 … its fastest rate of improvement in more than 20 years.

Sources: CNBC, The Spoon, Business Insider, Restaurant Dive

Spotlight on the 117th Congress: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05)

QWhat skills or perspectives from your background do you apply as a public official?

ADuring my time working for President Clinton, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Speaker Thomas Foley, I learned that it’s possible to find a bipartisan path forward without compromising your core values. I firmly believe that it doesn’t matter if an idea comes from the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle – only whether it will help my constituents in New Jersey’s fifth district.

My experiences working in the private sector, at Microsoft and Ford, taught me the importance of understanding the needs of the business community. This has been invaluable as I work with my colleagues to support local businesses and ensure our local economies can recover from the pandemic.

QYou are co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress. How do groups like this benefit the business community and the nation?

AThe Problem Solvers Caucus, which I’m proud to co-chair with my Republican colleague, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA01), is focused every day on fixing the most pressing issues facing our country.

For instance, in late 2020, when we were negotiating the bipartisan emergency COVID-19 relief package, the Problem Solvers Caucus fought to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and invest in COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution. We also helped get bipartisan legislation passed, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, to make PPP more accessible for more businesses looking to weather the COVID-19 economic storm.

QWhat do you see as the current biggest threat to smallbusiness owners? What challenges have you helped small businesses in your district overcome?

ASmall businesses are the bedrock of the communities I represent in north Jersey. They’re our job creators and the backbone of our economy. I’m dedicated to working across the aisle to lower taxes, cut outdated and unnecessarily burdensome red tape, improve access to capital, unleash more economic opportunity and create jobs – to continue making my district a great place to live and do business.

Right now, many businesses are facing supply chain issues, shipping delays and rising costs. I’m working in Congress and back at home in New Jersey to do everything I can to resolve our nation’s supply chain crisis – to cut costs for our families to make life more affordable and support our local businesses.

Earlier this fall, I convened the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Federal Maritime Commission and shipping stakeholders at the port in Newark, New Jersey, and announced steps to combat supply chain issues, including critical congressional oversight, dedicated federal action from the Federal Maritime Commission and relevant authorities to investigate the practices of major ocean carriers for any collusion or anti-competitive practices, modernization of how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracks and clears ship traffic, and passing key bipartisan ocean shipping reform legislation – the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021.

QIn what ways are you seeking feedback from small businesses in your state/district and using that information in Washington, D.C.?

AI’m always going around my district to meet with business owners and workers to learn from the different industries that make up north Jersey’s local economies and to hear about any issues they may be facing. I take all of what I learn from my constituents back to Washington to inform what I’m doing in Congress, because it’s my job to fight for them.

QHow has your role on the House Financial Services Committee allowed you to affect legislation affecting small businesses?

AI work with my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee to help cut burdensome regulations for large and small businesses alike, to expand access to capital while protecting consumers and to help make life more affordable in north Jersey.

When legislation is moving through the Financial Services Committee and through Congress, I’m focused on ensuring small-business provisions help in the short term, especially as we continue recovering from the pandemic, and help build long-term growth. n

Colleen Meyers

Colleen Marie Meyers, a longtime and beloved BURGER KING® franchisee, died Sept. 9. She was 64.

Meyers had a long career with BURGER KING, including time spent as a franchise manager before she became a franchisee herself in the late 1990s in Indiana. She was lauded for expertise in restaurant operations during her career, and she gave back to the franchisee community through service to her regional organization, the Ohio River Coalition. Meyers closed on the sales of her final two stores in the month before her passing, ending a nearly 50-year professional association with the BK® brand.

Meyers began working at a BURGER KING restaurant as a crew member at 16. She fell in love with the brand and quickly progressed through the ranks. By the mid-1980s she was a franchise manager, working with franchisees to help them start and operate restaurants before opening her own franchise locations.

BURGER KING had the OPI ranking for performance, and Colleen was always one of the top performers throughout her tenure.”

Meyers was part of a close-knit community of franchisees in Indiana. “There were about eight of us there,” Haas said. “Everybody here is close, and we have developed relationships that go well beyond business.”

Haas and fellow franchisee Steve Dankert each helped Meyers by purchasing her restaurants as she battled cancer over the last months of her life, and Haas quickly recognized the special bond she had with her teams. “All her people loved her. As we were doing meetings with her managers and crew, it was easy to see that it was not your normal relationship,” he noted. “They cared about her, and she cared about them. With us buying that store, we have some big shoes to fill.”

Meyers was very active in the Ohio River Coalition, a regional group for BK franchisees in her area. She served as the secretary for several years, helping to organize its annual meetings. “It was the interaction with franchisees,” Haas said of her commitment to the BURGER KING community. “You are teaching and learning at the same time, and it was very important to her to have the outlet to sit and talk about issues and be able to share problems and solutions.”

Meyers is survived by a son, RJ, and siblings and their families, including Rick, Julie, Lorrie and Ellen. She was known as her family’s biggest cheerleader for her involvement in their lives and regular attendance at the events of nieces and nephews. She was active in her church and Tri Kappa, a service organization for women in Indiana supporting projects for charity, culture and education.

Her experience made a her a valued adviser in the BK system – someone others looked to and consulted for guidance on their own locations. “She was great at operations. She was a leader,” said franchisee Kevin Haas of K&JK Enterprises Inc. “She started as a crew member, and it was something you saw in both of her stores.

“You would not find one person who would say that she wasn’t a good person,” Haas said. “She was nice and kind, the type of person who always returned phone calls. She showed interest in other people. She was just a good person and a lot of people saw that same quality.” n

“All her people loved her. As we were doing meetings with her managers and crew, it was easy to see that it was not your normal relationship. They cared about her, and she cared about them."

– Kevin Haas, franchisee of K&JK Enterprises Inc.

FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT

Kevin Newell

Company Name: Supreme Foods

Year You Became a BK® Franchisee: 2010

Number of Restaurants: 21 BURGER KING® restaurants

State(s) Your Restaurants Operate In: Kentucky and Tennessee

Tell us a little about yourself and the company’s background. The restaurant industry and especially the BURGER KING brand are ideal for me because I’m ADHD, so I can get bored doing the same things. I had a car lot for 20 years, and then started buying rental houses. I would buy one, fix it up and rent it out, then buy another and do it again. Forty-one houses later, I got tired of that. I was going on a cruise and had a friend on it who had a BURGER KING in Mayfield, Kentucky. We met for dinner every night, and one night he asked me how much money I make. Later, back home, he called me and asked if I remembered him asking me that question. He said he was sizing

me up to see if I could buy the restaurant, because he wanted to retire.

BURGER KING turned down my application to buy it three times because I had no restaurant experience. Finally I went to Miami, Florida, for an interview, and they accepted me in 2010. By 2012, I bought four stores from corporate, and from there signed several development agreements and built more stores. They gave me the Developer of the Year award in 2015, and Alex Macedo helped me get in the Popeyes brand. I built seven Popeyes restaurants and have 14 in the pipeline.

If you are ADHD, it works well. One day you are working on financing, one day you are working on operations, one day you are working in real estate. Every day is a different day, and that works well for me.

Earlier this year, you had restaurants affected by flooding in Tennessee, and on Dec. 11, your office was destroyed by a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky. How are you and your teams? We have a lot of displaced people living in hotels and living with family members. We also had a fire that started in an air conditioning unit that damaged

Kevin Newell discusses the Elevanta Health programs at the NFA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in December.

a restaurant two weeks ago. Despite these disasters, we were very blessed not to have lost anyone.

How do you rally yourself and your team when confronted by difficult circumstances like these? I have a great office staff that’s committed and a great operations team that is committed. It’s because of them. When it happens, our first priority is getting them shelter, food and clothing. They’ve taken care of me through the years, and now it’s my turn. That’s the mentality we have right now. I’m surrounded by good people, and that’s become more and more evident through all of this.

In your opinion, what stands out about the BURGER KING brand? The flame-broiled WHOPPER® is a great sandwich. BURGER KING is a strong brand with a great image, and I’m proud to be a franchisee and proud to wear a BURGER KING symbol. It means a lot to me. I’m thankful they finally took a chance on me. It’s provided a lot for my family.

Going forward, what are your top three business goals for your company? Today, with a little reflection over the flood, the fire and the tornado, I would say that we want to improve the lives of our 750 employees between both brands. I’ve seen what these teams have gone through, and I need to make that the top of my focus.

What is the best piece of business advice you have received? Love your team, love your guests and everything works out.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge currently facing franchisees? It’s the people – finding people that want a career. The key to this business is people, and the people challenges are harder than we’ve seen in the past. Our company has gone pretty extreme to find ways and angles of retention and culture that we’ve never tried before. We’re going to try to make this even more of a people business. We’re now doing retention bonuses for managers. If you are a new employee, and you make it 30 days, my general manager makes a cash bonus. So when we get a new employee, [their managers] love and care for them from the beginning. We had a problem with people making it through the first 30 days. If they make it that long, they are likely to stay for a year, so we’re putting the emphasis on keeping new employees.

What is the biggest industry change since you started? The difficulty of getting labor showing up on time, and the supply chain for equipment. RSI does an amazing job because they are really in a tough spot in today’s environment.

Tell us about your family. My wife, Indya, and I have been married 26 years. We have three children, Trevor, who is 15, Kelley, who is 19, and Morgan, who is 23 and just got her MBA.

Tell us about your personal interests. I love all sports, especially Murray State basketball and Michigan football. I will be in the Orange Bowl Dec. 31 to watch Michigan beat Georgia.

If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be … Dan Fitzpatrick’s boss. n

LOOK LISTEN READ

Look, Listen, Read is a quarterly compilation of some of the most highly rated and reviewed apps, podcasts, books, websites and other resources. NFA 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.

1With the near-constant change occurring in the startup and tech space, it can be tough to keep up.

“Product Hunt Radio,” hosted by Ryan Hoover, is your answer to staying current with all things tech through interviews with world-famous investors and entrepreneurs and the reporters covering them. Whether you want to learn about tech that could affect your business, keep up with trends or apply lessons to your enterprise, this small-business podcast will be useful.

2Zoho Creator, a low-code app-development platform, helps you build tools to streamline and automate your business’ mundane tasks. It gives you the power to consolidate all your data management, workflow automation and business intelligence needs in one place.

3Originally published in 1983, “Guerilla Marketing” is filled with a wealth of real-world tips and tricks small-business owners can use to take their marketing game to the next level. Whereas traditional marketing wisdom used to suggest that big budgets and lots of resources are requisites for success, author Jay Conrad Levinson thinks otherwise: Every time your small business interacts with anyone outside of your company is an opportunity to market your products and services.

4

Unifi helps you manage multiple processes, projects and client communications using an intuitive, integrated cloud-based platform.

5

Wave is one of the only truly free accounting software systems – allowing you to use its online-based platform, mobile invoicing app and mobile receipts app without paying anything for a subscription. The Wave accounting app is great for small-business owners, and it offers payments and payroll paid add-ons to give you the opportunity to extend your functionality within a single application.

6

Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a time-tested classic that’s sold more than 30 million copies since it was released in 1936 – making it one of the bestselling books of all time. Once a successful salesman, Carnegie eventually left his sales career and took up public speaking, and the advice from his seminars is compiled into this book. Learn how to get people to like you, how to convince others that your reasoning is the right way of looking at an issue and how to change folks without them hating you for it.

7

Designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works in social media marketing, the “Social Media Marketing” podcast runs about an hour as Michael Stelzner interviews social media experts and explores various social media tools. Some of his best business podcasts are those featuring small-business owners sharing how they found success via social media.

8

“Business Casual” is the new podcast from Morning Brew brought to listeners by host Kinsey Grant. The episodes focus on a range of topics in the news like breaking up big tech and interviewing CEOs and other executives on hot business topics. The podcast is available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, and the newsletter is also free. 9

With Delivrd, you can access an online-based inventory management application for free. Using Delivrd, you can create a product catalog; count, receive and issue stock; enable stock level alerts and access your inventory transaction history. n

A Fresh Take on Frying

What makes the ultimate chicken sandwich? For an unbeatable texture and flavor experience, frying from fresh, rather than frozen, is fast becoming a menu must-have, but frying breaded chicken has its challenges. To get to that perfectly satisfying bite, fryers must contend with loose breading and sediment, meaning more frequent filtering and higher costs. Enter Frymaster FilterQuick® fryers.

The leading Welbilt brand for commercial fryers is tried and proven –and powered by innovation. Engineered with simplicity, speed and safety in mind, operators know they can rely on FilterQuick fryers to deliver great flavor at lower costs. Frymaster was also the first to introduce BURGER KING® to a game-changing automated fryer with an integrated oil quality sensor (OQS), which increased efficiency, safety and profits. Now that’s a win-win-win!

To keep operators ahead of the curve in 2021, Frymaster has added functions to its flagship product that deliver the perfect Ch’King Sandwich, every time.

With the challenge of a new product on the menu, it’s time to meet the latest generation of FilterQuick fryers. Building on experience gained through designing solutions carefully tailored to high sediment products, Frymaster has the equipment to make delivering the ultimate crispy breaded sandwich a cinch for even the busiest crew.

The key to serving up that best-in-class sandwich is taking a new approach to oil management. Breaded chicken generates an increase in sediment, causing faster oil degradation, which in turn makes frequent filtering more important than ever. That’s why Frymaster has made filtration easier

and safer for a multitasking kitchen staff, thanks to the world’s most advanced oil-conserving technology.

Auto Top Off (ATO) keeps oil fresher for longer to maximize oil life. A higher fresh-to-used oil ratio significantly improves food quality and, in turn, delivers great-tasting food that satisfies customers. Make guesswork a thing of the past with an OQS – the unit monitors oil and alerts the crew to the optimal moment for oil disposal. Changing oil too early increases food expense, cutting into margins and profits. But changing too late means decreased food quality with taste, color and texture impacted. Automatic filtration ensures your team gets the balance right without a second thought.

Traditional manual filtration fryers are labor intensive and risk exposure to hot oil. As a result, most users will only filter once or twice a day. FilterQuick fryers make filtration easy – and safer. With the push of a button, the closed-cabinet automatic filtration system filters the oil and is back at temperature, ready to cook, in only four minutes. Filtering and returning the oil to the fry pot takes a mere four minutes. In a busy kitchen every moment counts, so the team can focus on other tasks during filtration, saving time and boosting efficiency.

You can count on FilterQuick to be a team player, thanks to labor-saving technology that helps to boost your crew’s performance. With our smart-filtration technology, the Frymaster touchscreen fryer only prompts for filtration during inactivity. This significantly improves filter compliance, increasing oil life and reducing oil expense.

It’s not just the filtration process that’s

easier – maintenance is a breeze too. The Frymaster open pot design provides easy access to all surfaces for easy cleaning. Additionally, oil is returned in the back of the fry pot and drained from the front, providing a superior flushing action that effectively removes all sediment from the fry pot during filtration events.

Crew-friendly controls also offer enhanced digital functionality. The touchscreen controller uses guided and automated processes for the user, making new hires feel confident operating the fryer in minutes.

A further challenge: How do you filter more often without hitting your bottom line? FilterQuick fryers simplify the management of the two key costs in the frying process: oil and energy. The line’s 30-pound optimized fry pot uses 40% less oil than a 50-pound fryer, resulting in lower operating costs. What’s more, this latest model boosts profitability with reduced oil usage (cut from 35.8 pounds to 31.7 pounds) and lower gas bills – saving approximately $500 annually thanks to a lower idle energy usage.

Frymaster keeps the operator in mind throughout the design process. The result? Industry-leading equipment that is simple and intuitive to use in a format that’s customizable to your needs.

Serve up the perfect chicken sandwich and protect your bottom line with the new generation of FilterQuick fryers.

Discover more at www.frymaster.com. n

Welbilt is a Sapphire partner member of the National Franchisee Association. The company may be reached at 813-504-9262 or www.welbilt.com.

Franchisee to Franchisee Forum

The challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have certainly proven broad in effect. The concomitant challenges around labor participation and production lapses are now hitting supply chain efficiencies downstream. Our company has managed this almost daily change with clear and regular communication with our providers. They typically appreciate these efforts as they are often unaware of what the restaurant experience is like. We have found that immediate reports of missed or inaccurate orders along with flexibility of delivery modes/times results in better outcomes.

- Matt Herridge

To say that supply chain issues have been challenging would be an understatement, but they are an unfortunate reality we’ve all had to deal with. Here are a few things we’ve been doing:

Development

• First and foremost, we are doing our best to monitor conditions closely by communicating regularly with BKC, RSI, individual vendors (especially our KES) and our general contractors.

• We are doing our best to keep up on any written communications – emails, articles, blogs, etc. – available to us. This is helping us to better plan new construction and remodels.

• We are proceeding cautiously with all new ground-up and remodel projects to ensure that we are developing wisely. Waiting for costs to come back down is a consideration, but we also know that some may rise while others fall, so that can’t be the only consideration. Knowing lead times, however, is an example of a critical area. Knowing that we can keep a project moving once it starts is as beneficial in controlling costs as lower commodity pricing can be. We are revisiting our development schedule at least every two weeks to make sure we are balancing the “need for speed” with efficiency.

• When possible, we are ordering materials and equipment well ahead of when we may need them. Items that were a 10-week lead time two weeks ago may suddenly turn into 14-week lead times, so we can’t count on forecasting alone. We have the benefit of a warehouse where we can store equipment and materials, but offsite storage is sometimes an option as well.

• As transportation is one of the critical supply chain challenges, we are also ensuring that we are putting as much on a truck as we can. In most cases, we would rather that things not ship with some items on backorder. The more trucks needed, the greater likelihood of issues. It’s also important to note that even if we are not paying for the shipping of back-ordered items directly, those costs will eventually be passed on to us and the system.

How are you overcoming challenges in the supply chain?

• We are shopping vendors more than we ever have in the past. Most of the time, sticking with our usual vendors makes sense. Cost is a consideration, but performance history and relationships typically drive our decisions more than cost. Today, however, one vendor may be able to supply materials or equipment in four weeks while another takes eight to 10 weeks. We do our best to know where a vendor’s materials are sourced and why they think they can deliver faster than others, but if they can, we are willing to use that vendor instead of the usual.

• Especially for kitchen equipment and décor, we are putting deposits down much sooner than we typically would. Depending on the vendor, this gets us a spot in line to ensure that equipment will be ready when we need it. (It’s important to confirm with vendors how they handle that. Some will “give away” equipment intended for one store to another simply because they need it sooner. If the vendor does that, putting the deposit in earlier doesn’t help, in which case we hang onto our money.)

• Knowing that this is a nationwide problem, we do our best to be understanding with suppliers and maintain good relationships. Human nature will be to help the reasonable people first.

Operations

• We have upped our “build-to” requirements for inventory. While we try not to order ridiculously (and exacerbate the very supply chain issues we’re all fighting), we want to make sure we have extra inventory on hand for when unexpected shortages occur. We’re trying to carry an extra three days of inventory compared to our usual one day.

• We rely heavily on our LDC (Local Distribution Committee), in partnership with RSI, to stay aware of current trends.

• We’re having frequent conversations/communications with our distribution company (e.g., Shamrock Foods) and working to ensure we do anything that helps them with their challenges (e.g., night drops, palletized deliveries, deliveries outside of agreed upon windows, etc.).

• As with other suppliers, we are working to maintain good relationships with distribution center staff and especially drivers.

• We are carrying more operational equipment and parts in our warehouse to ensure as little interruption to operations as possible.

• ARLs are emphasizing inventory monitoring during store visits.

– Brad Flahiff

plicate m Co

Development Decisions

Entrepreneurs are perceived to be risk-takers at their core –people willing to step forward where others fear to tread and gamble on themselves and their plans for new ventures.

There’s some truth to that. Entrepreneurs don’t fear mistakes or failure, and they don’t back away from the road less travelled. They will take risks, but not foolish ones. Most are very well versed in their fields, take what they do seriously and learn as much as they can about the journeys they are taking to be prepared for the twists and turns of the road ahead. Few jump into a venture without first understanding not only where they want it to go, but also where it could go wrong.

That’s what makes the current environment such a tricky one for entrepreneurs, including BURGER KING® franchisees. The coronavirus pandemic, now stretching toward completion of its second year, injected a great deal of uncertainty into the business environment. The pandemic is a root cause of the ongoing labor shortage and supply chain crisis that continue to roil the economic waters and make planning for restaurant development – whether through acquisition or expansion – complicated.

“It’s difficult to evaluate companies in this environment. As we look at expanding and acquiring others, you don’t know what number to pay. It creates instability in assessing value on a case-by-case basis,” said Robert Rodriguez, a BK® franchisee with Tasty Restaurant Group LLC, which has 75 restaurants in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. “The other component is the cost of development has skyrocketed. Lumber prices are through the roof, and on equipment there is an 18- to 30-week delay. Fryers are a huge problem.”

Instability in the labor market is also a factor to be considered in any development or growth decision. Recruiting and training

costs have increased dramatically, and starting wages are also higher than ever. “Whatever the minimum wage ends up being will be irrelevant,” Rodriguez said. “We are way above the minimum wage.”

There is also reason to worry on the consumer side of the equation, Rodriguez noted. “Commodity costs are also going through the roof. You can’t go to menu pricing to get 40% of the costs you have incurred. The climate overall is very difficult. The people who figure this thing out and go into cash preservation and staff with the right people and train them well will be winners,” he said. “Those who weather the storm and manage cash through the process will be in a very strong position on the back end of this.”

Beyond those factors, there are other concerns when considering development that are factors under any economic conditions. “Availability of the right site, with drive-thru use permitted by the municipality, in the right trade area, at the right price, that doesn’t negatively impact a neighboring BURGER KING, is certainly the biggest challenge,” said Luke Pisors, CEO of Ambrosia QSR, which operates 137 BURGER KING locations in Oregon and Washington. “With a nationally penetrated brand, increasing drive-thru restrictions, shifting trade areas and traffic patterns, and rising real estate prices, getting a site through all those filters can be difficult.”

Yet even with all the challenges, those with a long-term view of the business willing to evolve with the changes caused by the pandemic see opportunity.

NEW YEAR, NEW SOLUTIONS

At Restaurant Technologies, our team is 100% dedicated to supporting Burger King franchisees in achieving your business goals with our back-of-house solutions. Whether automating oil management or hood cleaning, together we work to help you improve operational efficiency, assist with labor challenges, while delivering better restaurant productivity and safety.

Development Plans

Continued from page 25

“We’re still optimistic about the future of quick-service restaurants (QSR), especially as the pandemic has accelerated trends toward both drive-thru and digital experiences,” Pisors said. “The primary challenge is that as the unit economics of development have evolved the past two years, increased top-line sales are required to achieve volumes. Opening carefully to provide guests the best experience possible is going to be key to profitable organic growth.”

With demand in drive-thru and digital expected to remain high going forward no matter when the pandemic abates completely, companies will put emphasis on ensuring they are ready for it. Those that execute and thrive in those sales channels will likely be ready for growth sooner and on a larger scale.

“In the near-term, drive-thru execution is vital, and guests expect ease of ordering, a friendly experience and quality food in a compressed time frame,” Pisors said. “I’m excited about our investment in outdoor digital menu boards, and we’ve also worked to upgrade headsets and DT systems, since our ability to smoothly communicate with that ‘smile in our voice’ is key to the drive-thru experience.

“Digital ordering and third-party delivery are here to stay,” he

out a loan with us. We deliver.

continued. “It’s likely that third-party delivery will evolve significantly over the next few years, but it’s here to stay in some form. Digital ordering has benefits for our team and guests in order accuracy, customization, quick interactions and enhanced average check, as well.”

“Delivery and drive-thru will be a major success,” Rodriguez agreed. “Having said that, we’ll come back to normalcy. The dining rooms are critical. I don’t think any particular channel will be a majority. Our pick-up service is growing huge, especially for breakfast. All our stores right now have dining rooms open, and play places are a point of destination. We believe that there’s 10% of sales to be gained when it’s safe to open. Delivery/pick-up and drive-thru will still be growing, not due to the pandemic, but because of convenience. People have gotten used to it.”

Companies will open wider growth possibilities because of their ability to meet demand where it occurs. But how do they do that? And how do they maintain their success as they grow? The organizations that strive to build good core cultures with their teams have the advantage in operating optimally and creating great guest experiences, ultimately building brand loyalty and better sales volumes, positioning themselves for long-term growth. Companies like Tasty King, Ambrosia QSR and JSC Management Group, with 60 restaurants in the northeastern U.S. led by franchisees James and Sarah Cammilleri, see that a focus on their employees provides a clearer path for their organizations to move forward with development.

“We have a solid development plan and recruitment and employee experience division focusing on employee health and well-being,” said James Cammilleri. “I could go on for days about culture, but we have invested significantly into our people to build and sustain culture.”

“I think that maintaining culture during expansion is very similar to sustaining it with a smaller company. It must be clearly stated and intentional, and then it depends on the people with whom we surround ourselves,” Pisors said. “As we grow, we need more leaders, more broadly dispersed. However, the commitment of those leaders to nurture and sustain the intended cultural foundations of the organization is vital.”

The commitment to culture at these companies goes from the top all the way through each organization. At Tasty King, leaders keep people focused on the company mission by seeking to establish a family environment in each restaurant. Team members who make extraordinary efforts are identified and celebrated monthly. At staff meetings, teams talk about what’s going well and times when they helped the community and each other as a way of creating a family bond. District managers make regular visits for the specific purpose of acknowledging and celebrating team and individual accomplishments. The company is also working on initiatives to provide more flexible work schedules and other

"We're still optimistic about the future of quick-service restaurants (QSR), especially as the pandemic has accelerated trends toward both drive-thru and digital experiences."

– Luke Pisors, CEO of Ambrosia QSR

benefits that team members, particularly younger ones, desire. “It’s getting back to being focused on the employees and finding what their needs are and doing what we can to meet those needs,” Rodriguez said.

“It takes solid team planning,” Cammilleri said about establishing and maintaining culture through growth. “We invest heavily into teaching and training our staff before a location opens so it is a well-operated store right from the start. There is no point in expanding if you cannot handle the growth.”

When the decision is made to move forward with development, be it early in 2022 or when there is a bit more certainty in the labor market and supply chain environment, the entrepreneurs who thrive will have done so with a clear plan for their organizations – both in how growth will affect open locations and what new ones will need to match the established standards.

“Analyze where you are at and where you want to be as a company,” Cammilleri said. “The company needs a clear vision and planning, and the team needs to believe in the vision to carry out significant growth.”

“You must understand if the organization is able to absorb what it’s about to do. If you eat with your eye, you will indulge too much,” Rodriguez noted. “Today, if you have a strong cash

position, there will be a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of hidden gems, but they have warts on them. We want to improve the asset base and improve the experience for the guests. We don’t want to maintain restaurants, we want to grow them, so you have to invest the time and money to make sure the business is successful.” n

"We invest heavily into teaching and training our staff before a location opens so it is a well-operated store right from the start. There is no point in expanding if you cannot handle the growth."

– James Cammilleri, JSC Management Group franchisee

BURGER KING Franchisees at BKC Convention Honored

After the annual Burger King Corp. convention went virtual in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event returned to its traditional in-person format in Las Vegas in December. BURGER KING® franchisees gathered at The Venetian Resort on Dec. 7-9.

At every convention, BK® franchisees of excellence are recognized and honored for their hard work and success. In 2021, franchisees were divided into four groups based on the sizes of their franchise organizations with awards given for first, second and third place in each.

For the 1-5 restaurant division, Marisa and Brian Jollymore of

Franchisee of the Year, 1-5 Restaurants:

Marisa and Brian Jollymore

Second place: Jamie Naill

Third place: Tom Cardarelli

Brian Jollymore

Company Name: 1307309

Ontario Ltd.

Year You Became a BK

Franchisee: 1998

Number of Restaurants: 2

Where Your Restaurants Operate: Ontario, Canada

What drew you to the BURGER KING brand? I don’t know if I was necessarily drawn to the brand so much as I was born into it. I remember tagging along to meetings with my mom and keeping myself busy coloring and reading as a young child. I started helping a bit in the restaurant in 1998 when she became a franchisee and worked frequently through high school and college. After graduating, I left the brand to start a career as an accountant, but honestly, the allure of having to use so many different skill sets to effectively run a restaurant was too much, and I “came home” five years later.

What sets the brand and your organization apart? We have a great team at RBI managing the brand here in Canada. We’ve had a successful marketing calendar the last few years, which has helped build average check and traffic. I think the LTO scheduling in Canada has helped differentiate us as a brand, bringing new options to guests who may be bored of having the same meal every time.

What is your typical day like? Every day is different, but generally, before I start my day, I’ll review ops and sales metrics from the

1307309 Ontario Ltd., with two Canadian locations, were chosen for the first-place honor.

For the 6-19 restaurant division, the Laslows of Monarch Restaurant Group were recognized with the top honor. The company has six locations in Ohio.

For the 20-49 restaurant division, the first-place winner was Sanjay Patel of Devs Foods LLC, which has restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

For the 50-plus restaurant division, Ken Otto and Redberry Restaurants, located in Canada, took first-place honors.

prior day at my desk. I usually use this time to triage my ongoing to-do list. I try to be in a restaurant for at least some time every day to get some face time with my guests and check in with my team.

What is the best decision you have ever made in business? Realizing I can’t do it all. Empowering subordinates and delegating tasks is just about the most important thing you can do as a leader to stay detached. It’s hard to effectively run a business when you’re in the weeds every day and not focusing on the big picture.

What is the biggest mistake you have ever made in business? Not trusting my gut.

How do you measure growth? We measure growth in a few different ways: quantitative growth [SSS/SST, GP, labor percentage, and operational performance (OPI)] and growth within our people. We’ve found that to grow the former, we need to grow the latter. Leadership is an important resource in our market and developing that skill set within our team is one of the biggest challenges we have, and certainly the most important thing we do to maintain the health of the business.

What are your goals for 2022? Our primary focus in 2022 is opening our long-delayed third site in the first half of the year. The pandemic has really affected our expansion plans, so it will be good to get a much-needed win under our belts and get back on track with development plans.

What positive developments for the brand do you see coming out of the coronavirus pandemic? In Canada, the pandemic forced the brand to improve on our delivery and mobile platforms. Delivery integration and mobile order and pay have simplified operations and reduced the overall stress on our front line while allowing us to increase our traffic during a difficult time.

Brian and Marisa Jollymore accept their award on stage with brand leaders at the Burger King Corp. Convention in December.

Franchisee of the Year, 6-19 Restaurants:

David Laslow

Second place: Terry Piotrowski

Third place: Gary Edwards

David Laslow

What is the biggest mistake you have ever made in business? Too many to list.

How do you measure growth? Sales and traffic year-over-year gain.

Company Name: Monarch Restaurant Group

Year You Became a BK

Franchisee: Dave Laslow, 1986; David Laslow 2013

Number of Restaurants: 6

Where Your Restaurants Operate: Ohio

What drew you to the BURGER KING brand? The ability to serve great hot fresh food quickly to guests with great customer service.

What sets the brand and your organization apart? We treat our managers and employees like family. The BURGER KING brand is one big family.

What is your typical day like? Review previous day metrics, store visits, maintenance review and, hopefully, looking at candidates for positions.

What are your goals for 2022? To simplify the menu and allow for easier operations, which will hopefully result in a more profitable business.

What positive developments for the brand do you see coming out of the coronavirus pandemic? A different viewpoint of dining rooms.

Franchisee of the Year, 20-49 Restaurants:

Sanjay Patel

Second place: John and Jeff Froccaro

Third place: Larry and Brek Kohler

Company Name: Devs Foods LLC

Year You Became a BK Franchisee: 2007

Number of Restaurants: 56

Continued on page 30

Shortly after being honored at the BKC Convention are, from left, Kyle Pagel, general manager, Midwest division; David Laslow, franchisee; Dave Laslow, franchisee; and David Strimple, franchise business partner, Midwest division, of Monarch Restaurant Group.

Sanjay Patel

Sanjay Patel of Devs Foods at a recent Burger King Corp. convention.

BKC Awards

Continued from page 29

Where Your Restaurants Operate: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut

Number of Restaurants Your Company Opened in the Past Year: 4 new and 7 acquired

What drew you to the BURGER KING brand? I started out as an hourly employee in 1996 and fell in love with the brand, worked my way up from hourly employee to hourly manager, restaurant general manager and district manager, eventually becoming a franchisee in 2007.

What sets the brand and your organization apart? OUR OUTSTANDING TEAM MEMBERS!

What is your typical day like? Our team works 24/7 trying to make a difference in business and operations.

What is the best decision you have ever made in business? Buying the first four bankrupt BURGER KING restaurants and making them not only profitable, but also commenced to create an enterprise that now has over 900 employees and managers.

What is the biggest mistake you have ever made in business? Sometimes acting too quickly or too slowly upon an opportunity. However, the mistakes have always been a blessing and an educational lesson.

How do you measure growth? I view our success by measuring the progress among our team members. When I see a crew member being promoted as a manager or restaurant general manager and wanting more growth – like wanting to be a district manager or a franchisee – I feel self-rewarded and inner growth. I felt these same feelings on my own way up.

What are your goals for 2022? We would like to see continued development of our rhythm, which makes a difference in our team members’ lives and the communities that we operate within.

What positive developments for the brand do you see coming out of the coronavirus pandemic? I love the energy I am seeing coming from the leadership team on double drive-thru focus. I was truly excited and energized after hearing the leadership team talk about the long- and short-term goals and the necessary fixes to the business.

Franchisee of the Year, 50-plus

Restaurants:

Ken Otto, Redberry Restaurants

Second place: James and Sarah Cammilleri

Third place: Sunny and Harsh Ghai

Four Key Attributes of Operators Using Technology to Achieve a Tenfold Return On Investment

An open letter from CEO Matt Umscheid of Envysion:

This summer my team and I had the privilege of working with a leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) ownership group. After three months of implementing Envysion’s EnVR software, the QSR group generated a profit improvement of over $1,400 per restaurant per month. The 44-site test achieved more than a tenfold return on investment. I observed four common key attributes that drove this success.

1Strong Leaders Drive Innovation – The QSR industry is at an inflection point where a group of exceptional leaders will drive growth through innovation and customer experience. A successful combination of strong operating skills and innovative technology will position those leaders on a path to leave others behind.

Listening to the speakers at the National Franchisee Association LEAD Conference in Las Vegas this year, it was clear that BURGER KING® franchisees are taking steps to reach above current AUVs and take the brand to the next level. Leadership and great tools, like the Envysion software, are crucial in building a positive culture and improving customer engagement and satisfaction.

committed to a five- to 10-minute review via its mobile device at the start of each day. In addition, daily email alerts highlighted both known and unknown operational issues that kept them engaged and maintained their focus.

4 Consistent Follow-Through Drove Results –

Immediate access to highly actionable information is critical for busy operators. Every week, the group met for about 30 minutes to review any outliers in the data. Members surfaced issues and determined the follow-up action.

Using technology in an organized and consistent manner quickly identified the outliers where operational practices were not performing to a level of expected standards. After addressing the issues and operational outliers, there was a noticeable improvement in each location’s internal culture.

The Results

At the end of the three months, the data from the locations using the Envysion software compared with the control group (those not using the Envysion software) showed a significant difference. The Envysion users saw an improved food cost, an average $1,230 growth in recorded drink transactions and fewer employee meals, which drove a significant increase in overall ROI.

2Layers of Accountability Promote Cultural Change

–Accountability starts from the top down. Every layer of the organization played a part in the execution of the technology, from regional management to store-level leadership. We saw organizational team effort and accountability lead to improved operational performance, driving a positive shift in overall culture.

Conversations with BURGER KING’s leadership at LEAD highlighted efforts to drive optimal top-line success. These discussions were focused on culture as a compass and moving the needle toward growth. We hear and see the changes in the QSR industry today. Labor shortages are not going away but improving the overall culture will guide a positive shift in operational measures such as reducing shrink, increasing margins and an overall rise in profitability.

3 Engagement and Focus is the Differentiator – Ease

and convenience are hot topics: Leadership, operations and management teams do not have time for complex systems or the desire for extra work. Time is valuable, and easy-to-manage software is a necessity.

Before the launch, the quick-service group attended a two-hour training on Envysion’s intuitive technology. Leveraging Envysion’s industry expertise, the group was able to build actionable reports. The team understood how to access the reports and analytics and

Average Savings Per Location/Month

Number of Locations = 44

Talk With Us

If you have not talked with us at Envysion recently, we would love to tell you about what we have learned working with some of the world’s leading franchisees and how they use our tools to drive results. n

Envysion Inc. is a Sapphire partner member of the National Franchisee Association. The company may be reached at 303-725-1751 or www.envysion.com.

2021 NFA Annual Meeting Provides Association Updates for Members

On Dec. 7-9, BURGER KING® owners and operators from across the U.S. met in Las Vegas for the annual Burger King Corp. Convention at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

During the convention, members of the National Franchisee Association (NFA) gathered for NFA’s annual meeting on the morning of Dec. 9. NFA leadership presented updates about the brand and the association’s work. Members heard reports from the Government Relations Committee, Marketing Council, Image Committee and Restaurant Committee.

NFA Chair Dan Fitzpatrick welcomed members and noted that the association is in good shape. Treasurer Steve Keith reviewed NFA finances, and Glenn Levins delivered the chair’s address on behalf of the Elevanta Board of Directors. NFA Vice Chair Jim Froio and Secretary Matt Herridge honored NFA members who celebrated milestone anniversaries with the BK® brand in 2021. n

1 NFA Chair Dan Fitzpatrick welcomes members to the 2021 NFA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas during BKC’s annual convention. 2 Government Relations Committee Chair Matt Herridge updates NFA members about the issues on which the committee is focused. 3 During the meeting, Jim Froio, chair of the Marketing Council, briefs NFA members on council updates.

4 NFA members listen intently to important updates that were provided during the annual meeting.

Shane Jacobs, chair of the Restaurant Committee, gives critical information about changes coming to BK operations.

Attendees listen intently as NFA leaders present information about the association and its work.

NFA Treasurer Steve Keith presents the financial and membership reports about the organization during the meeting.

Kevin Newell takes the stage during the Elevanta address.

Elevanta Chair Glenn Levins discusses the growth of the NFA-owned company over the past year.

NFA Chair Dan Fitzpatrick talks with Tom Garrett of GPS Hospitality during free time at the annual meeting.

NFA Annual Meeting attendees enjoy a hot breakfast early in the morning in Las Vegas.

NFA Recognizes Franchisees Receiving Service Awards in 2021

The National Franchisee Association (NFA) is pleased to honor our members who celebrated a milestone anniversary with BURGER KING® in 2021. Through their time and effort, these franchisees invested in helping the brand succeed. The recipients were recognized Dec. 9, during the NFA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. We congratulate those celebrating milestone anniversaries for their continued hard work and dedication.

Celebrating Years 5

Celebrating 25

Years

Gary Geiger, HG Foods LLC

Jennifer Geiger, HG Foods LLC

Jack Doyle, Valley King of Wisconsin

Celebrating 30 Years

Rick Cowley, Campus King

Celebrating 35

Joel Aaseby, Viking Restaurants LLC

John Kruchten, Viking Restaurants LLC

L-R: John Kruchten, Joel Aaseby, Jim Froio and Matt Herridge.

Celebrating Years 15

Years

Years

Nasser Aliabadi, QSR West

Kevin Haas, K & JK Enterprises Inc.

Kathlene Haas, K & JK Enterprises Inc.

L-R: Jim Froio, Kevin Haas and Matt Herridge.

Celebrating 40 Years

Jerry Fitzpatrick, Quality Dining Inc.

Stanley Paulauskas, F.P.S. Inc.

Andrew Schory, JPL Management

L-R: Jim Froio, Andrew Schory and Matt Herridge.

L-R: Jim Froio, Jennifer Geiger, Gary Geiger, Jack Doyle and Matt Herridge.

Providing Employees Financial Flexibility Through On-Demand Pay

Today’s labor shortage is significantly affecting the fast-food restaurant industry with franchises struggling to hire amid a shrinking talent pool. Many businesses could benefit from rethinking their recruitment strategies and employee benefits programs to attract and retain the right talent.

Businesses should consider ways they can help support workers by addressing one of the key challenges in the workforce today – financial wellness. Offering a financial wellness benefit that provides greater financial freedom and flexibility can be a cost-effective way for franchises to recruit and retain their workforce.

On-Demand Pay Offers Increased Financial Flexibility

One of the best ways to start incorporating financial wellness into employee benefits is to offer on-demand pay. Tapcheck is an innovative financial technology platform focused on improving employee financial wellness by revolutionizing the way employers support employees through offering unique financial wellness benefits and guidance that effectively helps them take control of their financial future.

By having access to their wages as they earn them versus waiting for the traditional two-week pay cycle, Tapcheck’s on-demand pay solution helps workers living paycheck-to-paycheck pay their bills on time and address urgent and unexpected financial needs – such as groceries or car repairs – preventing them from turning to costly payday loans or incurring overdraft fees.

Tapcheck enables the same level of swiftness and ease to improve the payroll process and minimize the time between shifts worked and wages earned. Leveraging deep HR and tech expertise, Tapcheck is designed to easily and seamlessly integrate into the numerous independent systems like human resources and benefits enrollment so that companies can input their employee data into a single system that populates the various features they need.

Tapcheck’s seamless integration with existing payroll programs helps employers distinguish themselves from competitors, reduce turnover rates and provide the financial flexibility that employees want. It’s convenient and easy for employees to access. Once employees register and download the Tapcheck app, they can access their earned wages ahead of payday with the push of a button. When payday rolls around, the wages employees have already taken are automatically deducted from the paycheck, creating a

frictionless experience for both employers and employees.

For employers, earned wage access has reduced absenteeism by 74% and employee turnover by 50%. On the other hand, 89% of employees shared that they would work longer for a company that offers on-demand pay and 78% of employees pay bills on time with on-demand pay, according to Visa Insights. Not only is on-demand pay an effective recruiting tool, it also encourages employees to pick up more shifts because they can enjoy the benefit of an instant payday. This factor is critical during the labor shortage, helping restaurant managers quickly find a backup if one employee unexpectedly calls out sick. Ultimately, on-demand pay is a key component of building a work culture that prioritizes financial freedom and empowerment.

Financial Education Resources Prioritize Holistic Wellness

Another way to support employees along their financial wellness journey is to offer financial education resources.

To complement its on-demand pay solution, Tapcheck offers free financial education tools that give workers expert-verified guidance to achieve various financial goals for a financially healthier life. These tools offer insights and in-depth resources like self-paced educational courses, specialized financial calculators and informational articles all within easy access of the Tapcheck app. Employees can start by taking a financial check-up quiz, and the platform will generate a personalized plan to help them achieve their individual financial goals.

As financial literacy is not often taught in schools, Tapcheck believes that providing these resources to employees is critical to helping them better manage their financial stress and boost overall work productivity. Offering financial educational resources is an important step for Tapcheck in its mission to ensure that American workers are equipped with the right resources to help guide them in leading financially healthy lives and will help restaurants build a positive employee culture by supporting holistic well-being through inclusive benefit programs. n

Longtime Partnership Between BK Franchisees, VFW Remains Strong

For nearly 15 years, BURGER KING® franchisees have worked with Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) on yearly fundraising campaigns that benefit the VFW’s Unmet Needs program, which provides emergency grants to military vets and their families in times of financial need.

Over that time, BK® franchisees have raised over $6.6 million for the program, including $290,000 from the latest two fundraising efforts, in November 2020 and July 2021.

“This campaign has assisted over 10,900 military families facing financial hardships,” said Richard Potter, VFW Foundation director. “Since the Unmet Needs program began in 2004, over $5.4 million in grants have covered housing costs for struggling military families, and 3,721 military families have avoided homelessness after receiving assistance from the VFW Unmet Needs program.”

The partnership began in 2007 when former Wisconsin-based BURGER KING franchisee Michael DeRosa learned about the Unmet Needs program. “He thought that this program and BURGER KING restaurants would make a good fit,” Potter said. “He contacted the VFW national headquarters offices and spoke with leadership about how he could help raise funds for qualified

veterans and military families.”

In a bit of divine providence, the VFW was looking for a replacement sponsor for the program, and the relationship was born. “In a short time span, Mike recruited BURGER KING franchisees for the initial campaign in November of that year. Those initial participants raised nearly $110,000,” Potter said.

by SEAN IRELAND

The campaign continues today. In July and November of each year, participating BK franchisees invite their customers to donate $1 for military families as they pay for their food. Any franchisee interested in participating can contact the VFW Foundation offices and sign up. Point-of-purchase materials are produced by the VFW and shipped directly to the franchisee’s stores. Counter signs, display flags, drive-thru window clings and real estate signs are provided free-of-charge.

DeRosa has served on the VFW Foundation Board of Directors since 2011. After selling his BURGER KING franchise, he worked with VFW Foundation leadership to invite Matt Carpenter, CEO of TOMS King LLC, to join the board. Carpenter accepted the invitation in March, and now he has taken up the

Photo courtesy of Mary Anne Greier, Salem News

The BURGER KING restaurants of TOMS King LLC raised $75,000 for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Unmet Needs program in July. It was presented to VFW officials at the BK restaurant in Salem, Ohio, in October.

charge to recruit BK franchisees to join the campaign, which averages participation of about 30-35 franchisees representing 800-1,100 restaurants.

Carpenter has become a dedicated backer of the program.

“Every day I wake up and am thankful for the opportunities I have as an American,” he said. “I know these freedoms came with a cost. I didn’t serve in uniform, but I will be eternally grateful to all those who did, some who sacrificed all. My service now is to serve those

combat veterans who have preserved the freedoms of this great nation. This is my time to serve.”

He visited several regional association meetings in 2021 to recognize franchisees participating in the program and explain how the Unmet Needs program and fundraisers work and encourage franchisees to participate. He noted that the VFW program has become second in fundraising totals for the BK system to only the BURGER KINGSM Foundation efforts each year.

TOMS King LLC has backed Carpenter’s advocacy by contributing $75,000 from its July fundraising effort, and in October, he and members of the VFW traveled to TOMS King store No. 9511 in Salem, Ohio, to recognize General Manager Holly Workman and the team at the restaurant, which alone raised more than $6,000 for Unmet Needs. He also introduced general managers from other BK restaurants in the area, including Colleen Sebastian, Jessica Rivera, Christine Danks, Kyle Coleman and Arielle Barnes, along with District Manager Stefanie Seither, noting that the restaurants in the market outraised the company’s other districts.

“Long-lasting relationships have developed between the BURGER KING stores and their local VFW Posts, along with the communities they serve,” Potter said.

“One of core values at TOMS King is ‘To be charitable,’” Carpenter said. “We take seriously our commitment to give back to the communities in which we operate our businesses. In every location, we have a VFW Post, and its members are our customers.” n

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

Photo courtesy of Mary Anne Greier, Salem News TOMS King CEO Matt Carpenter, from left, joined Salem, Ohio, BK General Manager Holly Workman and District Manager Stefanie Seither for the presentation. The Salem BK raised more than $6,000 for Unmet Needs in July.

A Letter of Gratitude from the BURGER KING Foundation

What an exciting year 2021 was for the BURGER KINGSM Foundation – and it is all thanks to your support! The foundation started the year strong, hitting the $50 million mark in scholarships awarded, and continued the momentum during the year with its two signature events and activating in-restaurant campaigns across multiple countries, and finished by raising over $1 million at the Burger King Convention in Las Vegas!

To our franchise partners across the globe, thank you for bringing the mission of the foundation to your restaurants and their communities. With your support, we raised over $4 million in the U.S. through the donation box program, Round-Up and the fall fundraiser. Canada activated a campaign allowing guests to donate $1 and receive a coupon to use on their next visit, raising over $85,000. Our franchise partners in EMEA, APAC and LAC raised over $550,000 through various in-restaurant fundraising campaigns.

A special congratulations to Redberry Restaurants on being named the BURGER KINGSM Foundation’s 2021 King of Giving award winner. Your dedication to the foundation and to spearheading fundraising efforts across Canada is inspiring!

To our vendor partners, thank you for your continued partnership. From sponsoring our events to in-kind support for our auctions to media support during our in-restaurant campaigns, your help allows us to continue growing and raising funds for our education and emergency relief programs.

To our board of directors, thank you for your constant guidance and leadership. As advocates for the foundation, you embody Jim McLamore’s spirit of giving and philanthropy, and this spirit drives the foundation forward. Encouraging the foundation to grow in new and exciting ways, the milestones we hit this year would not be possible without your support.

From the entire foundation team, thank you! Thank you for supporting the foundation as we continue our mission of creating brighter futures by empowering individuals and feeding potential through education and emergency relief.

We look forward to what 2022 has in store for the foundation and partnering with the BURGER KING® system to award more scholarships, bring literacy to more students globally and provide hope to BURGER KING employees during times of unexpected need and hardship. n

BURGER KING Foundation and brand leaders including Vaishali Gala, Chris Padoan, Clayton Lawrence, Shambrika Saunders, Matt Wright, Kyle Pagel, Katerina Glytpis, Augustus Staknevicius and Elizabeth Greenberg saw more than $1 million raised for the foundation at the Burger King Convention.

Paying All Employees Electronically How and When They Like

Rapid! now offers the OnDemand earned wage access solution in addition to PayCard. Both are built on a proprietary payment platform. OnDemand extends the capability for real-time payments to all employee accounts, not just PayCard. Coupled with OnDemand, the rapid! PayCard program provides the most comprehensive paycard program for employers to convert to 100% electronic delivery of payroll.

The rapid! PayCard team brings you a full range of payment solutions to help reduce costs and streamline payroll administration.

• rapid! OnDemand works seamlessly with any existing payroll system to enable any company to go 100% electronic with payroll. OnDemand empowers your employees to get paid how they like and when they like with a wide range of payment options that fit the needs of an evolving workforce. Make something you already do even better with rapid! OnDemand.

• rapid! PayCard provides the most comprehensive paycard program for employers converting to electronic payroll delivery at zero cost, while providing the benefits of a robust paycard solution to employees. We provide industry-leading features like automated inventory control, cash-back rewards, interest-bearing savings and mobile onboarding.

What You Get

• Technology: We are a leading financial technology company with deep mobile banking expertise, multiple award-winning products and key mobile patents.

• More accessible employee pay: rapid! PayCard offers more convenient purchase options and more security than carrying cash. The rapid! PayCard requires no credit check because this is not a credit card and can be used wherever debit MasterCards are accepted.

• Leading neobank: Green Dot owns a Durbin-exempt Federal Reserve member state bank, serving America’s leading retailers and most innovative financial technology companies.

• Greater cardholder benefits: The rapid! PayCard helps employees eliminate check-cashing fees and lost or stolen checks. Cardholders also have free access to monitor transactions online, earn rewards and receive text alerts. While rapid! PayCard does not charge for this feature and service, standard text messaging, data and cellular rates may apply. Recipients should check with their cellphone carriers and inquire about fees their carrier may associate with these services.

• Scale: Green Dot has over 100,000 retail distribution

locations, selling more than 45 million products annually, billions in annual deposits and more than 3,000 corporate paycard clients.

How It Works

Because it’s people who keep your business running, paying them on time, every time, is essential. That’s why restaurant groups partner with rapid! PayCard to offer employees an alternative to issuing traditional payroll checks: paperless paycards.

Customers leveraging current payroll solutions and rapid! PayCard together benefit from increased efficiency, savings and convenience for not only HR and payroll teams, but for all employees.

With OnDemand and rapid! PayCard you can:

• Stay one step ahead of the rest of the industry with a solution enabling digital payments for faster payment deliveries and greater choice to support paperless pay for unbanked employees.

• Have a single source, cost-conscious solution integrating with existing systems that is simple to use and scalable for new tools in the future.

• Offer additional options for allocation of all or some of employees’ pay.

• Partner with a platform that has working functionality and is ready to be utilized.

• Ease reconciliation efforts.

• Support quick and easy payout upon termination or in the case of immediate corrections.

• Support cashless real-time tip payout to any bank account, rapid! PayCard or retail pick-up.

Pardon the Disruption

Imagine being able to know you can pay employees in real time how they like and when they like. Win the war for talent when your competitors are still handing out paper checks and telling employees they must wait until next payday to get those hours that were missed. Imagine being able to pay an employee in real-time – tip payout, termination pay and corrections – immediately, anytime you need.

Green Dot OnDemand and rapid! PayCard are rewriting the way employers can pay their employees. We have done it for several companies, including Uber. Let us introduce you to a better way to pay. n

rapid! PayCard is a Sapphire partner of the National Franchisee Association. The company may be reached at (813) 340-3276 or scole@greendotcorp.com.

Trust Critical Element IS T HE

To sustain a personal relationship, team or organization, the most crucial element is trust.

WHAT IS TRUST?

Trust means that I know you will be honest with me, and you know I will be honest with you. Trust means I know you won’t say one thing to my face and say or do the opposite thing behind my back, and you know I won’t say one thing to your face and then say or do the opposite thing behind your back. Trust means I know and you know that we won’t operate in secret to undermine each other or to get our own way.

Trust doesn’t mean we are always going to agree on everything. Trust doesn’t mean we won’t ever argue opposing points of view. It just means that our disagreements are out in the open, and if we are both working to support different objectives that we do so in a way that we all know what is happening.

THREE WAYS TO RUIN TRUST

The three most effective ways to ruin trust that I know of are:

1. Tell lies about a person.

2. Lie to a person or a group of people.

3. Operate in secrecy.

LYING ABOUT A PERSON

If you really want to ruin a personal or work relationship with an individual or group, make up lies about the person and tell those lies to other people. This is an amazingly effective way to destroy long-term relationships.

There’s an old saying about the one thing all people who cheat in a marriage have in common: They always get caught. The same is true when people lie about another person or a group of people. Eventually, they get caught. And then the person who is being lied to loses all trust in the liar. Once a relationship goes through this devastating impact it is very, very, very difficult to ever regain that trust.

LYING TO A PERSON

Another super effective way to ruin trust is to lie to a person. You can choose almost any topic (travel expenses, your résumé, your meeting with a client, your conversation with the other person’s boss or employees, etc.), and then you can damage the relationship greatly by lying about it. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a big lie or a little lie, whatever the heck that means. Once you lie to the other person, then the other person will always wonder if you are telling the truth in every subsequent conversation. Just one lie. It seems so small in the moment. It seems that it’s hardly even worth being bothered by. It seems that it could never inflict any real damage. And yet it lingers. It stays in the other person’s mind, and that other person now always wonders if you are telling the truth.

OPERATE IN SECRECY

When people in a team or in an organization start having secret gatherings, it’s almost like creating a devastating, invisible virus that sucks the life out of an organization.

When people within a team or within an organization have secret meetings where it is not shared who is in the group or what they are talking about, other people start to wonder. They wonder why certain people are in the group, and other people are not. They wonder what is being discussed and what is being decided. They wonder why this is all being kept secret.

by DAN COUGHLIN

Just like lies are always eventually heard, secret gatherings are always discovered. And when people find out that other people they work with have been meeting in secret, the trust disappears. It doesn’t matter if there are no deceitful acts within the secret group. When one group tries to keep their organized discussions secret from other groups, then the trust between the groups is dissolved.

It’s one thing to say, “Our group is meeting in private, and we will let you know what we’ve come up with.” People understand that other people need to have private conversations to discuss topics and then decide what to do. That’s understandable.

What’s not understandable is when groups have secret meetings to drive their agenda forward and never share with anyone else that they are having the meetings or what they have decided to do. When other people find this out, they stop trusting that a conversation with people in this secret group won’t be used in some way that they don’t know about.

Groups of people can disagree with other groups in an organization. The different groups can have their own meetings in private. That happens all the time. When other people find out about these kinds of meetings, then they stop trusting those people.

Once trust is gone, the personal relationship, the team and the organization are effectively done. People might stay, but the trust and the effectiveness of the relationship are very likely over.

CONCLUSION

Work to build trust every day. Build trust by being honest and upfront, even if you disagree with the other person. Avoid lying about people, lying to people and operating in secret. You can have some real disagreements and arguments and still have a strong relationship. But if you ruin trust, you likely have lost your opportunity to be effective with that individual or group. n

DAN COUGHLIN provides both individual and executive coaching and group coaching programs on management, leadership and teamwork. To visit his free Business Performance Idea Center, go to www.thecoughlincompany.com.

SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS:

Three Injury Hazard and Prevention Tips

Slips, trips and falls are a leading cause of injury for both workers and customers, resulting in thousands of workers’ compensation and general liability claims for businesses every year. Studies show such injury claims can be expensive. Workers’ compensation claims for a slip, trip or fall cost an average of more than $45,000 to settle, while general liability claims can total $20,000.

Every slip, trip or fall has the potential to result in a serious injury or even death, making the stakes too high to ignore. Thankfully, most slip, trip and fall accidents can be prevented with proper awareness of the hazards and the right safety precautions. With these tips, protecting your business from slips, trips and falls is as easy as one-two-three.

1. Watch out for slip, trip and fall hazards.

When it comes to restaurants like yours, slip, trip and fall hazards are everywhere, from the parking lot into the dining room and kitchen, along the floor and even up off the ground. While some hazards are obvious, others can easily be overlooked. Make sure to watch out for these hazards:

Slip hazards

• Spilled beverages

• Floor dirt and grime

• Cleaners and wax

• Water condensation

• Clogged floor drains

• Rain, snow and ice

Trip hazards

• Mats and carpets

• Damaged floor tiles

• Uneven concrete

• Wires and cords

• Damaged stairs

• Entryway doorstops

Other hazards

• Floor signage

• Walkway clutter

• Left-open drawers

• Holiday decor

• Potted plants

• Damaged handrails

• Poor lighting

• Broken seating

2. Take action to prevent slips, trips and falls. Serious injuries can follow when these hazards are present, so it’s important to take action to prevent slips, trips and falls and protect your workers as well as your customers. Be sure to:

Keep floors clean, dry and tidy. Always clean up spills and wet spots promptly, display wet floor signs as needed, remove excess clutter, create clear paths for walking, and clear away snow, ice and debris from parking lots and walkways.

Improve lighting and visibility. Ensure good lighting inside and out; add task lighting for work areas; illuminate parking lots, paths and walkways; replace burned-out bulbs promptly; and ensure good floor and walkway visibility throughout.

Invest in safety features. Replace damaged and missing handrails, add grab bars in restrooms, repair damaged flooring and pavement, and install non-slip rubber mats or rugs around sinks, beverage stations and other accident-prone areas.

Manage employee risks. Require slip-resistant footwear, stipulate frequent breaks from repetitive tasks, divide up repetitive tasks such as food prep among several workers and encourage a culture of safety in the workplace.

3. Protect your business from slip, trip and fall claims. If a slip, trip or fall accident occurs at your business, you could be held liable and face a claim for damages. Make sure you protect yourself by securing the right insurance coverage.

Along with slip, trip and fall risk management tips, Lockton Affinity and Elevanta offer franchisees customized insurance policies to protect against the costs associated with slip, trip and fall accidents. The most common policies needed to protect your business from these claims are workers’ compensation insurance and general liability.

Elevanta and Lockton Affinity also offer the following products to fully protect Elevanta franchisees:

• Property

• Commercial Auto

• Cyber Liability

• Employment Practices Liability

• Professional Liability

• Alcohol Liability

• Umbrella

Additional benefits of Lockton Affinity and Elevanta

Along with comprehensive coverage, members will have access to:

• Complimentary policy reviews – Concerned you don’t have the right protection for your franchise? Email Lockton Affinity at elevanta@locktonaffinity.com with your current insurance policies, and we will review them for free to ensure your business has the right policies and limits in place.

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

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

About Lockton Affinity

Lockton Affinity is the co-broker of the Elevanta Insurance Program. Since 1987, Lockton Affinity has met the dynamic, specialized insurance needs of small to mid-sized businesses, affinity groups, nonprofits, associations and franchises. Today, Lockton Affinity is one of the nation’s leading program administrators, focused on providing comprehensive coverage and best-in-class customer service. n

Learn more at elevanta.locktonaffinity.com. Questions? 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 may not be 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.

Are You Prepared for Year-End Payroll Adjustments?

Each year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration announce the changes to limits, benefits and taxes for the upcoming year. It’s important to be aware of these changes and share them with your accounting, human resources and payroll staff.

Changes to Social Security Benefits

Perhaps the most significant change heading into 2022 is the increase in Social Security benefits that will be paid to recipients. The Social Security Administration evaluates the Consumer Price Index annually to ensure that the purchasing power of benefits is not eroded by inflation, modifying the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) as needed.

For 2022, the COLA will be 5.9%. To give some perspective, the COLA for 2021 was 1.3% and for 2020, it was 1.6%.

The chart below shows the estimated average monthly Social Security Benefits for 2022.

The Social Security Wage Base Will Also Increase

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) imposes two taxes on employers, employees and self-employed workers – one for hospital insurance, which is commonly known as the Medicare tax, and the other for Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI), commonly known as the Social Security tax.

by STACY SMITH

There’s a maximum amount of compensation subject to the Social Security tax, but no maximum for Medicare tax. In 2021, the first $142,800 of wages was taxed at 6.2% for Social Security, capping the tax at $8,854. Starting in 2022, the wage base increases to $147,000, equating to a maximum tax of $9,114.

For 2022, an employee will pay:

• 6.2% Social Security tax on the first $147,000 of wages (equating to a maximum tax of $9,114), plus

• 1.45% Medicare tax on the first $200,000 of wages ($250,000 for joint returns; $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return), plus

• 2.35% Medicare tax (regular 1.45% Medicare tax plus 0.9% additional Medicare tax) on all wages exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 for joint returns; $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return).

For 2022, the self-employment tax imposed on self-employed taxpayers is:

• 12.4% OASDI on the first $147,000 of self-employment income (maximum tax of $18,228); plus

• 2.9% Medicare tax on the first $200,000 of self-employment income ($250,000 of combined self-employment income on a joint return, $125,000 on a return of a married individual filing separately), plus

• 3.8% (2.9% regular Medicare tax plus 0.9% additional Medicare tax) on all self-employment income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 of combined self-employment income on a joint return, $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return).

If an employee works for your business and has a second job, each employer must withhold Social Security taxes from the individual’s wages. Unfortunately, the employee cannot ask one employer to stop withholding Social Security tax once he or she reaches the wage base threshold for his or her combined income. The good news is the employee will get a credit on his or her tax return for any excess withheld.

Other adjustments for 2022

401(k) Contribution

Increases to $20,500

401 (k) Catch-up Contribution

Remains at $6,500

IRA – Roth & Traditional IRA Catch-up

Remains at $6,000

Simple IRA

Increases to $14,000

Remains at $1,000

Simple IRA Catch-up

Remains at $3,000

Health Savings Account (HSA) HSA Catch-up

- Increases to $3,650 for self coverage under HDHP

- Increases to $7,300 for family coverage under HDHP

Remains at $1,000

Flex Spending Account (FSA) Highly Compensated Employee

- Remains at $2,750 for self coverage

- Remains at $5,000 for family coverage

Increases to $305,000

Talk with your accountant if you have questions about these amounts or your payroll tax filings or payments. They can help ensure you stay in compliance. n

STACY SMITH, CPA, is a shareholder of Mize CPAs Inc. – a full-service accounting firm that has provided the Elevanta Accounting & Payroll Solution for NFA members since 2003.

Make a Thoughtful Response to Employee Labor Activity

The ongoing worker shortage, with little to no end in sight as of the end of 2021, is fueling a wave of employee and labor union activism. Indeed, the month of October 2021 has been labeled “Striketober” by many, with strikes continuing into December as union members reject contracts proposed by their leaders.

Labor unions are relishing the moment and the potential for an increase in membership and power, with one labor leader commenting that his union (the Teamsters) expects that more strikes are likely. If you are a smaller operation and (as a reader of this magazine) not in transportation or logistics, you might think you have nothing to fear from this increased activism, but in December, Starbucks, for the first time in its 50-year history, lost a union election at one of its locations.

Unfortunately, it is not only employees and unions that are becoming more active. The federal government, in response to President Biden’s campaign promise to be the “most pro-union president ever,” has gotten into the game as well. In a throwback to the Obama administration, not only are we seeing more prounion initiatives, but there is also a forthcoming and coordinated, multiagency effort to enhance the rights of whistleblowers.

While most (shouldn’t that be everyone?) would agree that

whistleblowers bringing forward legitimate concerns regarding legal compliance should be protected from unlawful retaliation, this means that you as a business owner and/or manager need to be extra vigilant in recognizing when an employee is a whistleblower and when an employment action (or inaction) might be considered retaliation.

by DOUGLAS H. DUERR

In this context, although the focus of the messaging is on “whistleblowers,” in fact, the federal government’s efforts are directed at all employees who engage in federally protected activity. Thus, while you might think of a whistleblower as someone who complains about workplace safety or issues of food safety, federally protected rights also include things such as complaining about the failure to pay correct wages or about inappropriate jokes of a sexual or other nature, advocating for higher wages (when done with others or on behalf of others) or advocating for collective bargaining rights.

It is not all that long ago that employees of franchise businesses, such as BURGER KING® and McDonald’s, were walking off the job and picketing for $15-an-hour wages. A significant number of business owners learned the hard way that some

responses to that activity (e.g., terminating employment, warning against such disruptive conduct or prohibiting off-duty employees from soliciting customers to join their effort to improve wages) can result in significant monetary liability (as well as an order to reinstate employees to their former positions).

Thus, because of increased union activism and renewed focus by the federal government on the rights of whistleblowers, here are a few common points of potential exposure:

1. If employees are circulating a petition to change the conditions of the workplace, such as wages, standby/on call, permissible attire and so forth, that is a form of protected, concerted activity. That means you should not act against the instigators (or signers) of the petition and should tread carefully in the types of things you say or ask those employees so that you do not accidentally create liability.

2. If instead of a petition, employees communicate with customers about their workplace grievances (e.g., low pay, unfair work hours, etc.), whether that communication is by picketing outside your business or directly speaking with them, this too can be protected activity, although not always. Make sure your supervisors and managers know when they can intervene and when they cannot.

3. If an employee raises a workplace safety complaint, whether internally or to a governmental agency, even if the employee is wrong, the conduct is likely protected. Thus, be cautious before taking an adverse employment action against an employee for raising such concerns, and, if you are contacted by a governmental agency about an anonymous safety complaint, resist the temptation to figure out who the complainant is.

4. Complaints/questions about whether work time has been

correctly recorded and paid, pay checks are on time and the like are also generally protected from retaliation.

5. Complaints of sexual (or other unlawful) harassment, whether by co-workers or customers, can often result in anger against the complainant, particularly from the supervisor or co-worker accused of the conduct. Most everyone should know that retaliation is unlawful in this situation, but, sometimes, the alleged harasser will approach the complainant, apologize and then tell the complainant that s/he should have come to them first on the issue. Is that retaliation? It certainly can be as the complainant is essentially being chastised for having utilized the complaint procedure.

While I could continue with other obvious and perhaps less obvious instances when employee conduct could give rise to a right to protection against adverse consequences from their employer, use these examples of when employers have responded unlawfully to employee action to serve as a helpful guide.

You should make sure that your supervisors and managers are sensitive to this issue. If confronted with protected activity, they should take a moment to reflect on whether the conduct might be protected and seek guidance on how best to respond before taking an action that could result in liability. n

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

I Think What You Meant to Say Was ‘Thank You’

As a customer service consultant, I am constantly stressing the importance of the little things to my clients. I believe people and organizations that focus on the details (big or small) are ultimately the ones that stand out from other businesses. That’s why I am a big believer in the importance of saying thank you.

People appreciate being thanked for their actions. It doesn’t matter if it was for purchasing something, holding a door open for somebody, going above and beyond at work, etc. That small “thank you” (or lack thereof) from a customer, a random stranger or a boss can go a long way in determining how you behave moving forward.

Obviously, saying thank you to someone who is paying you for a product or service is just good business (though it gets missed a lot more often than it should). This also applies to people who hold a door open for you or let you in while driving. Maybe saying thank you from the car isn’t practical, but a wave of thanks should be common practice (though it’s not and it drives me crazy).

I also believe that thanking your employees for a job well done, or for demonstrating the right behaviors, is something management should always be doing.

Retaining excellent employees is a strong concern for all organizations in today's

workplace. Many studies have confirmed that an employee’s direct boss has the greatest impact on retention.

Connected to this is the abundance of employee exit interviews that indicate a lack of recognition or appreciation as one of the top reasons for quitting a company. Therefore, it makes sense that the most effective recognition comes from the employee’s direct manager.

by DENNIS SNOW

The Importance of Saying Thank You

Organizations are always on the lookout for the reward/recognition program that will maximize employee performance. While these programs can be effective, it’s important to know that a program can never take the place of a sincere thank you from the boss.

If you want employees to exceed the expectations of your customers, it’s vital that you recognize them when they perform in a manner that exceeds expectations. If you want employees to perform in a manner consistent with your service standards, it’s vital that you notice when they do so and recognize their performance.

Employee Communication Strategies

Communication with our teams is always important, but in today’s environment, effective communication is essential. There are a number of communication strategies any leader can implement.

As we continue to deal with COVID-19 and the impact it has on our daily lives, leaders should be on the lookout to recognize those employee behaviors they desire. Something as small as expressing gratitude for the employee who goes the extra mile can go a long way toward job satisfaction and even building your employees’ self-esteem.

There is a very real phenomenon called “extinction.” This occurs when we ignore performance of a desired behavior. If you desire responsiveness from employees, yet ignore them when they demonstrate excellent responsiveness, the behavior will eventually become extinct and performance will revert to previous levels (not necessarily bad, but not at the desired, higher level).

Other studies have demonstrated that recognition has its greatest impact when it takes place immediately after the behavior. When an employee does something special for a customer (external or internal), his or her emotions are elevated because they know they did something good. If the leader recognizes the employee while the emotion is still high, it dramatically increases the likelihood the behavior will be repeated.

The more time that passes, the less impact the recognition will have (although it may still be appreciated). The point is, don’t lose the magic of the moment when it comes to recognizing performance. I’ve always enjoyed the quote by Gertrude Stein: “Silent gratitude isn’t of much use to anyone.” If someone does something good, tell them and reinforce the behavior.

The Importance of Storytelling

Another important aspect of recognition is storytelling. Effective storytelling “locks in” recognition. As a leader, if you have recognized an individual for excellent performance, tell the story at the next staff meeting. And really tell the story.

Let everyone know what the person did and the impact it had. Better yet, depending on the situation, let the employee tell the story. This not only makes the employee feel good, it allows his/her co-workers to join in the celebration. This type of storytelling helps perpetuate a commitment to service excellence.

The word “recognition,” in fact, comes from the Latin “to know again.” Effective recognition allows the employee to know again the feeling of performing at a high level or reaching a significant milestone. n

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.

ELEVATE THE BURGER KING BRAND KEEP CUSTOMERS ENGAGED WITHOUT THE COST OF CABLE

As COVID-19 Went, So Went the Nation:

The Results of the 2020 American Time Use Survey

Since 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released the results of the previous year’s American Time Use Study (ATUS) during the following June or July. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic was time’s greatest thief in 2020. In addition to stealing time from American workers, the pandemic affected ATUS interviews all year long. None took place from March 19 to mid-May. As a result, the 2020 ATUS is missing data for two months … but that doesn’t mean the data collected were useless. Far from it.

Homework

The most obvious difference this year isn’t any real surprise. The number of people working at home nearly doubled in 2020, as COVID-19 forced employers to either shut down or allow their workers to telework using technology and methodologies they had previously avoided or underutilized. New technology and increased familiarity with Zoom, Skype and other programs

made “homework” a greater success than ever before. Sometimes, when there’s no other choice, Americans step up and not just make something work, but excel at it. This was one of those times.

In the 10 months surveyed in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people working from home on days they worked shot up from 22% to 42%. Men spent an average of 36% of worktime working from home, up from 20% in 2019, while women pulled off a whopping 49%, rising from 26% in 2019. Meanwhile, commuting and other travel time (store visits, vacations, etc.) dropped significantly across all demographic groups, including both workers and non-workers. As a reminder – or if you’ve never reviewed ATUS data – ATUS samples all demographic groups aged 15 and above. This includes full-time students, most of whom don’t work, as well as the retired, the homeless and

by LAURA STACK

those who choose not to work, including homemakers and full-time parents. That said, millions of citizens were also out of work due to the risk of contagion and the need to maintain social distancing. An average of 39% of the population worked in 2020, as opposed to 43% in 2019.

This sharp increase in the jobless rate resulted in the average time spent at work on workdays dropping by about 17 minutes, from 7.7 hours in 2019 to 7.6 hours in 2020. Some might find it odd that these numbers don’t quite reach the standard eight hours per day but keep this in mind: “employed persons” includes both full-time workers and part-time workers. Some individuals worked more than eight hours on most days, some less. Average time worked at home per day rose from 3.6 hours in 2019 to 5.8 hours a day in 2020. Part of the disparity in the numbers between those previously recorded was that the 7.6 hours were for the average workday, while the 5.8 hours were for all days, whether workdays or not, including weekends and holidays.

Those Americans able to work in 2020 worked as hard as ever, though their numbers were down significantly. The number of full-time workers was 130,087,000 in 2019; in 2020, the number fell to 120,949,000, a drop of 9,138,000 workers. Over 9 million willing full-time workers were unemployed during the pandemic. The number of part-time workers decreased by 2,034,000, from 36,823,000 to 34,789,000. Therefore, at least 11,172,000 workers were out of work in 2020.

Taking It Easy

We all know what we did with our leisure time in 2020: We stayed home. Still, home-based leisure activities were up only slightly. We spent about 32 minutes more per day on leisure

activities in 2020 than we did in 2019, likely reflecting the 26 minutes per day no longer spent commuting to work, the decrease in daily worktime and the fact that leisure activities are easier to access at home. Most of us preferred to watch TV and play computer games.

Many of us had no choice but to increase our leisure-time activities, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and, in many cases, lack of work. While some trades enjoyed more work, and many made the transition to home-based work, some could not, as they required work outside the home (for example, retail stores and construction). The stats that show us working less last year while playing a bit more result entirely from the pandemic and the measures taken to slow it. I suspect most workers would much rather have been working than staying home, trying to find things to do. n

LAURA STACK, MBA, CSP, CPAE, is an award-winning keynote speaker, bestselling author, and noted authority on employee and team productivity. She is the president of The Productivity Pro Inc., a company dedicated to helping leaders increase workplace performance in high-stress environments. Stack has authored eight books, including “FASTER TOGETHER: Accelerating Your Team’s Productivity.” She is a past president of the National Speakers Association, and a member of its exclusive Speaker Hall of Fame (with fewer than 175 members worldwide). Stack’s clients include Cisco Systems, Walmart and Bank of America, and she has been featured on the CBS Early Show and CNN and in The New York Times. To have her speak at an upcoming meeting or event, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com.

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2022 Editorial Calendar

Call for Franchisee News

FLAME, Issue 1 is due out March 2022. We want to highlight any news or events associated with our members. If you have ideas for potential stories, please contact communications@nfabk.org or 678-797-5165 by Feb. 2. Our editorial staff can assist in writing the story for you.