2016 MVP AWARDS
Business philosophy : Stay focused on what you can control from the operations side of the business . You can ’ t control the weather or the economy , but you can control how you treat and compensate your employees . You can control expenses . You can control training and guest service . You can control fair pricing that reflects value . Don ’ t ever lose sight of what ’ s important : “ Cleanliness . Service . Product .”
Management method or style : Again , we ’ re in a people business . But it ’ s also become a more complex business . So I ’ ve focused on finding and hiring really good people at skilled positions . Then we make sure they ’ re well trained and coached , understand the vision of our company , and then empower them to do their job .
Greatest challenge : To be a better company today than yesterday , with the capability and attitude to quickly adapt to competitive challenges , the economic environment , prohibitive government regulations , employee hiring and retention , and staying ahead of consumer trends .
How do others describe you ? With humility being one of our core values , this question is a delicate one to answer . I ’ ve never been a fan of “ I ”; it is always about “ We .” So I ’ ll answer this question “ in all humility .” I think others would describe me as an effective leader , who listens . I ’ m also a product of my parents , who were empathetic , compassionate , and never forgot where they started out in life . I hope others would describe me as humble and grateful , with a strong desire to pay it forward professionally and personally .
MANAGEMENT
How do you hire and fire , train and retain ? Recruiting and hiring the best talent we can find has been our number-one goal . We ’ re always on the lookout for outstanding candidates . Given our growth , it ’ s important for us to promote from within first and foremost . Our district managers and directors are the key to hiring and recruiting talent in the restaurants . We have processes in place to select the best candidate for the job , but at the end of the day it comes down to the candidates who can truly meet and support our company values and standards . Progressive discipline has always been our preferred method of trying to afford all employees the opportunity to improve . While we make every effort to give opportunities to employees , we sometimes have to make tough decisions to let them go if they ’ re not meeting our expectations or following our policies or procedures .
In regard to training and retaining , employees are our number-one investment , our greatest asset . It ’ s not only our goal , it is our responsibility to give our employees every opportunity to succeed , and you do that with constant training , with content that is always relevant and up to date . We ’ ve made a big investment into the digital age with our training , deploying iPads to all locations for on-the-job and online training — and to assure that all of our employees are receiving identical training . Employee retention begins from the moment we say , “ You ’ re hired !” We ’ re training our leadership to have a servant ’ s heart , mentoring and coaching to help lift the crew person to the next level and beyond . We want to help create a career path for that new employee , and have established a process to provide consistent feedback to that employee to reach their goals . Retaining an employee is as important as retaining a guest , and a lot of the same service principles are involved . tion , is counting on that philosophy as an executive branch shuffle — the first since 1995 — takes shape .
In December 2014 , Davis moved from CEO to chair , and his brother John from president to CEO . Brett Pratt , hired in 1995 as chief financial officer , now serves as the company ’ s first nonfamily president . Jeff Davis ’ s son Bo , who started working for the company as a summer crew member , now guides company operations in the newly created post of chief operating officer .
But don ’ t expect Davis to retire anytime soon . In many ways , after 42 years he ’ s just getting started . A longtime board member and current vice chair of the National Restaurant Association , he is expected to take over as chair of the world ’ s largest foodservice trade association in the coming year . He also serves as chair of the Arby ’ s Franchise Association and is a board member of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association .
Throughout , he remains steadfast in his mission to invest in training and development , despite grappling with the wave of laws and governmental regulations affecting labor policy . For Davis — who prefers to call those who work for him “ family and friends ” rather than employees — providing possibilities for others to succeed , no matter what their education or background , still provides the greatest joy in an industry that is all Davis has ever known .
“ If you are willing to work hard you can still have the American Dream . That is why it is really exciting to me ,” he says . “ Everything we ’ ve done — my brother and I , and now my son — is about taking care of our people , trying to open up restaurants and give them the opportunity .”
Annual revenue : $ 350 million-plus .
2016 goals : Besides the robust construction and development plans for new restaurants , we also plan on honing our recruiting and retention skills , elevating our new employee training program , and developing more in-depth dashboard data , allowing us to monitor all restaurants on a daily basis and giving us the ability to react faster to struggling restaurants .
Vision meter : Where do you want to be in 5 years ? 10 years ? Add 70 new Arby ’ s restaurants between now and 2022 , while remodeling another 123 in the same period . I envision our growth to be steady and disciplined , relying on our experience , data , and technology to grow the brand in our territories , while always being open to smart and strategic acquisitions . I also see our training systems elevated to being the gold standard in the industry . Expanding our footprint is important , but not at the expense of quality and service .
What are you doing to take care of your employees ? Competition
BOTTOM LINE
for employees is intense . To hire and retain good people , we must have employee benefits and initiatives that make us an employer of choice in our markets . Some of the tangible benefits include a matching 401 ( k ), paid time off , health insurance , management incentive bonuses , and annual performance reviews . There ’ s also a connection between our rapid expansion and our aggressive training , creating unlimited opportunity for employees who express a desire to have a career with US Beef . I think people also appreciate and want to work for a company whose core values are “ Commitment , Humility , and Respect .” They can see that they ’ re not just empty words on a poster , but true top-down principles that we live every day for each other and our guests .
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place ? We ’ ve never underestimated the importance of succession planning . I ’ m very blessed to have talented family members engaged in the company , as well as very skilled and tenured people who have been by my side these past 25 to 30 years . We make it a point to always have a strong bench at all skilled positions .
22 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2016