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The Neubauers Carry on a 55-Year Legacy With BK

In 2022, franchisee John Neubauer is celebrating his 55-year anniversary with BURGER KING®. It all started March 6, 1967, when he was hired as part of the opening team of BURGER KING Restaurant No. 279 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The owner of the restaurant sent Neubauer to a 30-day course at Whopper College in Miami, Florida. Neubauer learned best practices and strategies that helped him launch his BK® career. One of the most prominent pieces of advice he received was from the 1967 Dean of Whopper College, Jim Pittman, who told students to “Just take care of the pennies, and let the dollars take care of themselves.” He passed this tip – and many others acquired through the years – to his children and grandchildren.

Neubauer grew from a Whopper board worker to a manager of a new restaurant in Moline, Illinois, to a supervisor who helped open two more restaurants in Illinois and Iowa.

He opened his very own BURGER KING franchise in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on Feb. 22, 1977. He never imagined that over 50 years and three generations later, his family would still be carrying on the legacy that he started.

John Neubauer has owned as many as 14 restaurants in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Currently, he operates two restaurants that bring in average annual sales of $1.6 million.

John’s children, Joe Neubauer and Kathy Thomas, have very early memories growing up in their father’s restaurants.

“My earliest memory was when I was about 5 years old. I would go with my dad to the BURGER KING in Moline, Illinois, on Sunday mornings,” said Thomas. “I would sit at the table playing with the BURGER KING hand puppets while dad was behind the counter checking on his crew.” Her brother reminisces about washing windows as a preteen at the Davenport, Iowa, restaurant.

The siblings both began careers in their father’s restaurants as crew members. As John built more BURGER KINGs, they moved into restaurant management and then became area supervisors. Then in 1992, Kathy and Joe heard about two BK restaurants in Muskogee, Oklahoma, that were for sale. They decided to purchase both locations, launching their careers as franchisees.

by SAVANNAH DALY

Over several decades in the industry, the Neubauers have seen lots of changes in the fast-food world. “The biggest industry change I have seen is the computer technologies,” explained John Neubauer. “We started out with those heavy, metal coin changers with all those buttons and now we have high-tech registers with touch screens and reports processed with a single touch.” Neubauer still has the original coin counter from his first restaurant.

Another industry change that Thomas has witnessed is the increase in competition. Customers have more restaurant options to choose from – both dine-in and quick-service, and BK owners must keep up with this change.

After 30 years of experience as franchisees and buying 11 restaurants, Joe Neubauer and Thomas decided to sell 10 restaurants to Joe’s sons, Joseph and Johnny Neubauer. They still have ownership in one restaurant. “I love being a franchisee and working with everyone,” said Thomas. “It is in my blood, and it’s what has shaped me into the person I am today.”

The Neubauer grandsons both have fond memories of visiting the drive-thru at BK No. 2696 and getting breakfast croissants and cini-minis before going to elementary school. They are thankful that they get the opportunity to carry on the family legacy.

“We feel we are blessed with this tremendous opportunity to continue representing the brand and helping drive the business forward,” said Joseph Neubauer. “For Johnny and me, we

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Neubauers

Continued from page 23 don’t lend much credence to the three-generation succession. We want to highlight and celebrate all the long-term people who were instrumental in driving and building this legacy as a team.”

That team is made up of several different employees who aren’t related to the Neubauers but have become family over the years. Several of them have worked with the company for over 25 years, including:

• Loretta Dotson, office manager, 42 years

• Roberta Burns, restaurant manager, 39 years

• Kimberly Smith, accounts payable clerk, 36 years

• John Jennings, director of operations, 32 years

• Roberta Clark, crew member, 28 years

• Marshall Thomas, maintenance manager, 27 years

• Tracy Trujillo, crew member, 26 years

• Audra Sargent, accountant, 26 years

When asked about their favorite family memories, the Neubauers agreed that traveling to annual BKC Conventions holds a special place in their hearts. When the convention was held in Orlando, Florida, the family was able to see the new initiatives of the brand and visit Walt Disney World. “It was the perfect mixture of business and pleasure,” said Joe Neubauer.

“I always enjoyed traveling with our families and having some fun together,” said Thomas. “It was a time we could reflect and set goals for our business. We had confidence in our employees to keep operations running smoothly while we were at conventions.”

John, Joe and Kathy are excited to see Joseph and Johnny growing the business and carrying on the family legacy. The brothers have three goals they are focusing on for their BK restaurants: driving sales and traffic, creating a culture of celebrating the guests, and recruiting, incentivizing and retaining individuals who will help drive the brand forward.

It is important, particularly in the QSR industry, to keep an open mind and strive for the positives. “There are talented people in all these stores across the country, and it’s up to individuals in leadership roles to validate confidence, optimism and belief in them,” they said.

“Life is work,” said Joe Neubauer. “It’s always best to be with people you love to work with.” When they aren’t working, though, the family loves to spend time together exploring their home state of Arkansas. They love to hike, fish and canoe in the lakes and rivers across the state.

“Having a family business has its pros and cons, but Joe, Kathy and I have worked together to grow it into a great company,” said John Neubauer. “I’m blessed to get to see my grandsons start to take over and do the same. Maybe someday the next generation will do the same and continue growing.” n