Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 36

D OM I N A T O R S
Haney considers himself a motivator
and visionary and makes no apologies for
doing things his way. “I get advice from
lawyers and accountants and am willing
to pay people that know more than I do,
but at the end of the day I’m going to go
with my instincts,” he says. “I march to
my own beat.”
That’s also his advice for would-be
franchisees. “Big risk, big rewards,” he says,
admitting that he makes some people—
especially his in-laws—nervous with his
approach to business and life. “Once they
see there’s a method to my madness, most

His fondest wish is
to someday work
with his children.
“That would be the
ultimate reward.”
people relax.”
The family man says his fondest wish is
to someday work with his children. “That
would be the ultimate reward. They already
know what I do. I bring one of them with

me for manager’s meetings sometimes,”
he says.
That wish just could come true. One
of Haney’s proudest moments came when
his son Adam was graduating from kindergarten. During the ceremony, Adam
stepped forward on his tiptoes, as instructed,
to the microphone to say his name and
what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“Most of the kids said things like policeman or superhero,” Haney says. “Adam
said, ‘I’m Adam Haney and when I grow
up I want to work with my daddy at The
Melting Pot.’”

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Have passion for what you are doing and show appreciation to your team. Think big and live large.
Management method or style: I do it with humor, all while being serious.
Greatest challenge: Aligning myself with others who share my same level of
passion to grow.
How do others describe you? Fun and direct.
One thing I’m looking to do better: To be a better coach, father, and
husband.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: I constantly tell them I will give my advice but the decision is ultimately on them, so
they should make it count.
How close are you to operations? I receive daily reports from every
manager and meet with them weekly.
What are the two most important things you rely on from
your franchisor? Moral support and fun annual reunions.

What I need from vendors: To look at our relationship as a partnership
and treat it so.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? Yes, we’ve gotten more involved in the community and
focused on grassroots marketing along with traditional media.
How is social media affecting your business? I believe it is something you need to be on top of but don’t think it is a key driver.
How do you hire and fire? We hire team members who display genuine
hospitality and never drag our feet when it’s necessary to fire someone.
How do you train and retain? We have daily team member meetings
and ongoing training for employees. We stay strict with brand standards and maintain the quality of the brands I have chosen.
How do you deal with problem employees? Coach first, then fire.
Fastest way into my doghouse: Lack of integrity.

BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue: $8 million.
2013 goals: To open more businesses and to get on the cover of a magazine.
Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Every day,
I get reports that show guest numbers, sales for the day, labor costs for the
day, and whether we’re up or down both in guests and sales. We also look
at the same day, year over year.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10
years? I’d like to have 15 more businesses in 5 years.
How is the economy affecting you, your employees, your customers? It hasn’t.
Are you experiencing economic growth or recovery in your
market? Yes. Our business continues to grow since opening up The Melting
Pot in 2007.
What did you change or do differently in this economy that
you plan to continue doing? More marketing—it is the backbone of
every business.
How do you forecast for your business in this economy? We
look at our numbers daily and know that we will grow.

34

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue IV, 2013

Is capital getting easier to access? Why/why not? Yes. Cape
Bank in New Jersey has become a great partner and shares my vision for
growth.
Where do you find capital for expansion? See above.
Have you used private equity, local banks, national banks,
other institutions? Why/why not? I believe local relationships are
better. Cape Bank has been a great partner.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? We offer
annual parties and incentives. And just saying “Thank-you” goes a long way.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, healthcare, etc.)? My payroll’s not up. I manage my business the same way,
with the same percentages on payroll line that I did when I first opened. The
same is true of all of my controllables. Of course, we don’t know how the
new healthcare laws will affect us yet.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees?
With trips, money, a day at the spa. You have to understand what makes
people tick and use that to your advantage to move mountains together.
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? Nothing yet.
I’m having too much fun.