BY DANIELLE BUENROSTRO
Channeling Dave ( Thomas ) JAE soars from 13 to 179 Wendy ’ s
Eddie Rodriguez , one of the 10 largest Wendy ’ s franchisees , says he has never worked a day in his life . After 43 years in franchising , Rodriguez continues his relentless dedication to growing a brand he believes in — and in expanding it beyond his company ’ s
179 Wendy ’ s locations in Florida , New Mexico , and Texas .
“ I always practice the philosophy that if you find something you love to do , you never work a day in your life ,” says Rodriguez , CEO of the JAE Restaurant Group in Boca Raton . “ What drives me is that every day is a new day , especially in fast food , and especially when you ’ re dealing with people ,” he says . “ The best thing I learned from Dave Thomas is , ‘ Take care of your business and your business will take care of you .’”
Rodriguez also believes in creating a culture that flows throughout the entire organization and its more than 5,400 employees . “ The DNA you create has to be one that can be sustained even when you ’ re not there . It creates commitment , rather than compliance ,” he says . “ Dave was a very simple man with five values : 1 ) Quality is our recipe ; 2 ) Treat people with respect ; 3 ) Give something back ; 4 ) Profit isn ’ t a dirty word ; and 5 ) Do the right thing . And we still live by them . It ’ s a team effort with a lot of moving parts , and it takes a lot of commitment .”
JAE , which opened its first Wendy ’ s in 1993 , has grown through merging with and acquiring Wendy ’ s restaurants from other operators and from corporate . In September JAE announced it had added 97 restaurants in South Florida through Wendy ’ s refranchising program .
“ I thought about where I wanted my
NAME : Eddie Rodriguez TITLE : CEO COMPANY : JAE Restaurant Group NO . OF UNITS : 179 Wendy ’ s AGE : 61
FAMILY : Wife Laurie , a son , a daughter , and four grandkids , 1½ to 5
YEARS IN FRANCHISING : 43
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION : 23 as a franchisee
20 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE I , 2017