Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 34

M U L

T

I

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B R A N D

By Debbie Selinsky

Family, Fun,
and Franchising

I

It all goes together for Gavin and Kim Hart

f there’s anything Gavin Hart enjoys
more than a vanilla cone at one of
his Dairy Queens, it’s handing one
over to a customer.
“That makes me glad to get up every
morning,” says the Indiana family man
and multi-brand franchisee. “I feel the
same way about my Dunkin’ Donuts
coffee. It’s incredible and addictive and
I have it every morning while I watch
everyone else enjoy theirs. We try to
create a family-type environment for
our customers in all our restaurants—
it makes them want to come back.”
Hart, an athlete and a criminal justice graduate of Indiana University,
strongly believes that a relaxing, fun,
upbeat work environment is largely
responsible for the success of his 9
Dairy Queens and 14 Dunkin’ Donuts.
“We believe good people equals good
profits. We treat every employee as
family, which creates loyalty and an
emotional connection and makes a lot
of things easier. We have no theft issues,
our retention is good, and we have good
employees taking care of our guests. We
find that when we treat our guests like
family, they return more often.”
This perspective took hold slowly
when Hart went from operating stores
in the smaller city of Fort Wayne to

opening units (and another office) in Indianapolis. “At first, I think some people
thought we were a little hokey when we
spoke about family, but I think time has
shown them that we’re sincere,” he says.
Undaunted by the economy, Hart says
he looks forward to being able to offer

more benefits to his team, such as a retirement plan and college scholarships
or tuition assistance.
With five more DQs and five more
DDs slated to open this year, Hart considers juggling two bra