Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 25

went to the system and said, “This is what we are going to do
and, specifically, why.”
4) Simplify and consolidate. A few years ago, Helen
Johnson, who founded Sizzler with her husband Del more
than 50 years ago, commented, “They’ve got too much on the
menu these days. There’s too much going on in the kitchen.
They’ve gotten away from the original Sizzler concept.” She
was right. As part of the transformation, Sizzler removed
nearly a quarter of its products, worked to improve the quality
of those it kept on the menu, and streamlined kitchen operations. Extra emphasis also was put on Sizzler’s salad bar, its
core value accelerator.
5) Send sacred cows out to pasture. A proud, 50-year
history comes with more than a few sacred cows, some of
which needed to b