Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2013 | Page 33

MEGA

Name: Tony Lutfi
Title: CEO/President
Company: MarLu Investment

Group
No. of units by brand: 43
Arby’s, 46 Church’s Chicken, 21
Jack in the Box, 5 Little Caesars,
5 Sizzler, 8 Sears Appliance
Showrooms, 6 Sears Hardware &
Appliance
Age: 52
Family: Married 28 years, 3

children: Metri 27, director of
operations with Jack in the Box;
Stephen, 25, civil engineer with
plans to join the family business;
Ramsey, 20, Fresno State
accounting student, also with plans
to join the business.
Years in franchising: 21
Years in current position: 15

goes off to avoid waking my wife Anna. She does
not like waking up early.
What’s your passion in business? People
and helping others reach their dreams. Our business is about people. The money is nice, but the
people are nicer, especially when we can make a
difference in their lives.
How do you balance life and work? That
is a hard one for sure. I do not make an attempt
to balance it, I do what I can when I can. I know
when my wife Anna is serious about me attending
a personal event. I listen and attend without putting up a fight. I really leave the balancing act to
her. She seems to do it pretty well.

and, he says, that has been the driving
factor behind their cost controls and
the real engine for their growth. “No
organization can survive without great
unit managers, especially in a multiunit, multi-brand, multi-state setting.”
Lutfi likes to promote from within
and realizes that he must be committed to his teams’ personal and profes-

sional development. “Our managers are
our greatest assets. Our management
turnover is among the lowest in our
segment, and it is mostly due to the
culture that we operate within. Our
biggest challenge as we get larger and
more spread out is how to maintain
this culture of a family atmosphere
and continue the collaboration that

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Focus on the pillars of the business. For us it is customers, employees, the
brands we own, and the profits. When we make decisions about the business, we must address each of
the pillars almost equally and never sacrifice one for the other.
Management method or style: Tell the truth, treat people with respect, and ask for their help in a
genuine manner. They always respond with respect, will always work hard, and always appreciate the truth no
matter how hard it may be.
Greatest challenge: Saying no to a deal when it does not feel right. We are often approached to
become franchisees or to acquire more units, but we cannot do everything. Staying the course and not be
influenced by opportunities is a constant challenge for me.
How do others describe you? Honest and always willing to help.
One thing I’m looking to do better: Handle an email or a piece of paper only once to eliminate
the time-wasters.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: We allow our key people to have
real autonomy in making decisions, and when making mistakes we ask only that they learn from it. We
encourage people to run the business as if they own it.
How close are you to operations? I have always been real close to operations, but lately I have
been pulled away. My goal for 2013 is to return to the units and work as many positions as I can so I
know what our teams have to deal with.
What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Marketing
information and material. It is especially hard to create things from scratch since we operate many brands
and in various states. We need the franchisor to be active in creating product and marketing programs that
we can trust and use.
What I need from vendors: To be honest, care for our interest, and care for our business as partners.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? We
focused our marketing efforts to promote value and increase frequency.
How is social media affecting your business? Depending on the brand, some are actively working to promote by using social media while others are still behind the curve. We believe that social media
is here to stay and those who participate early and often will lead the way.
How do you hire and fire? Mainly by word of mouth. When we have a great employee, we ask if
they know others who may be looking. Most of our managers are promoted from within.

Last vacation: Barcelona, Spain. Next one
either to the Middle East or China.

How do you train and retain? A gain depending on the brand, we follow the training programs
provided by the franchisor.

Person I’d most like to have lunch with:
My wife. We love to go to San Francisco and eat a
shawerma or falafel sandwich at one of the delis.

How do you deal with problem employees? We eliminate them after giving them a chance to
improve.
Fastest way into my doghouse: If you lie and then lie again to cover the first lie.

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s u e I, 2013



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