Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 63

ers who are well-trained and tenured, and
your team associates are well-trained, it’s
a very easy business.”
Culture begins at home

Like most successful multi-unit franchisees,
these operators also have a strong commitment to contributing to their communities.
Last year, says Doherty, 100 restaurants participated in 700 events, donating
money and food to local charities. “We ask
managers and crew people to go into the
community at least twice a year. We provide the food and the money. We get PR
on that, and lots of thank-you notes,” he
says. “Young people today like to be part of
an organization that gives back.”
That attitude applies internally as well.
The company’s Wow a Friend Foundation collects contributions from employees—matched by Doherty and his wife
Judy—to help employees who are having
a hard time. “Everybody at some time has
a personal crisis,” he says. Employees contribute—voluntarily—to the foundation,
which is run by crew members and staff,
not the executives. Anyone working for the

company can apply for financial assistance,
whether they’ve contributed or not.
Following Hurricane Sandy, the foundation helped 194 people with a total of
$275,000. To date, he says, 432 people
have been helped, receiving a total of more
$600,000. The money is a gift, not a loan,
and recipients are chosen by the committee.
“People really appreciate it,” says Doherty,
adding that it not only helps people get
through a bad patch, but “also builds loyalty
and respect for the company.”
When Helton was at Burger King,
involving the entire company in the community—in a big way—was also a par Ё