Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 20

MVP 2012
MANAGEMENT
Are you in the franchising, real estate, or customer service
business? Why? I want a proven concept. There is a greater chance of success with a proven brand. I love the people in the restaurant industry. They are
special and interesting and usually outside the box.
As an operator, what are the two most important things you
rely on from your franchisor? Marketing plan and cost controls.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Got a lot to do.
What’s your passion in business? Seeing growth in the employees and
business.
Management method or style: Performance driven, balanced with caring
about people. I really like the new way some companies are giving employees
the latitude to accomplish objectives in their own way.
Greatest challenge: Get organized, stop doing things at the last minute
(like this).
How close are you to operations? I’m always looking from a customer
perspective. My partner does the day-to-day operations and can catch the tiniest

of details.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? In today’s economy there has to be a value message
along with any other marketing platform.
How is social media affecting your business operations? Get with
it or get left behind.
How do others describe you? Fun, driven, determined, nice—and
throw in a little overcommitted.
How do you hire and fire? We promote quite a bit from inside while still
making sure we hire from the outside so we don’t get too “inbred.” We try to
balance the two to create a strong team of brand experts and new ideas. Employees fire themselves by their nonperformance.
How do you train and retain? We have web-based training systems in
our restaurants that are really state of the art.
How do you deal with problem employees? Seriously. We give them
every opportunity first to be retrained and remotivated.

“In today’s economy there has to
be a value message along with
any other marketing platform.”
BOTTOM LINE
2012 goals: $30 million projected (total for all brands)
Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Same-store
sales against prior year first, but it is fun to see your total revenue grow from
adding additional units.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years?
Still in business and making a dollar. In 5 to 10 years, have some key people
in place so I’m still involved but not bolted down.
How has the most recent economic cycle affected you, your employees, your customers? We are all faced with rising costs that affect
our disposable income. We are all making buying decisions based on value and
not spending as much as we used to. The days of wanton spending are gone
and everyone is more cautious where and how they spend their money.
Are you experiencing economic growth/recovery in your market? We are lucky to be in San Antonio, Texas. We feel it, but not as badly as
many parts of the country.
What did you change or do differently in this economy that you
plan to continue doing? Evaluate risk on new locations and ventures more
closely. Nothing is a “gimme” anymore.
How do you forecast for your business in this economy? I really
read all the industry publications, as well as data sources, such as Sandelman’s.
It is also so important the franchisor is using their resources to keep us current
on how not only our category is performing but how we are performing relative
to the category.

16

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue III, 2012

Where do you find capital for expansion? Long-term solid banking
relationships.
Is capital getting easier to access? Why/why not? Because
of our 20 years in business with successful restaurants, we have been very
fortunate and not had lending issues. A big goal in the past has been to pay
down debt quickly so we look very good on our debt ratio. Individuals just
getting started are finding it tough to get initial lending or having enough
cash to put down.
Have you used private equity, local/national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? Local community banks are wonderful and
still consider service an important part of banking.
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? Thinking about
it.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? Opportunities for advancement, health care, vacation, sick leave, bonuses, awards, and a
place to work where they feel appreciated.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, healthcare, etc.)? Voting for politicians who are sensitive to the restaurant industry
needs. Someone pays somewhere. At the end of the day, rising costs have to
be passed down to consumers.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees?
Advancement, bonuses, performance raises based on measurable accomplishments, employee award programs.