How 3 Multi-Unit Food Franchisees Are Responding to Covid
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How 3 Multi-Unit Food Franchisees Are Responding to Covid

How 3 Multi-Unit Food Franchisees Are Responding to Covid

We asked a wide range of multi-unit franchisees about the biggest impacts Covid-19 has had on their business, how they’ve responded, and which changes they think will be permanent. This week we hear from three multi-unit food franchisees whose brands include Smoothie King, Dunkin’, Arby’s, Chicken Salad Chick, Wayback Burgers, Dairy Queen, Captain D’s, Golden Chicks, Papa John’s, and Schlotzsky’s.

Yonas Hagos is a multi-brand franchisee with 25 Smoothie Kings, 7 Dunkin’ (4 combined with Baskin-Robbins), 1 Arby’s (with plans for a couple more), and 1 Chicken Salad Chick. At 38, he’s been in franchising for 12 years.

What are the biggest impacts of Covid-19 on your business?

Mandating masks and making sure your employees are constantly wearing them is very difficult, especially when you’re a multi-unit operator. You can’t be in every store at the same time so you have to rely on your management team. It’s the constant reminders, and reminding them to be safe. It’s not knowing where things are going to end up that can be very difficult to stomach.

How have you responded?

We shifted to limited hours so we had more time to clean and less exposure for our employees. Operating under those emergency hours has worked fine. The other is just pushing more of the on-the-go curbside pickups, third-party delivery. We want our guests to know we have those capabilities to still offer convenience. 

What changes do you think will be permanent?

I think the masks are going to be around for quite some time. I’m very optimistic: they’re saying the vaccines are 90% effective. I think come summer, we’ll start to see some kind of normality. I don’t see those sneeze guards going away for quite some time. We also hired some third-party cleaners throughout 2020. 

 

Wasif Saddique operates 2 Wayback Burgers locations in California, one in Roseville and one in Folsom. The 30-year-old has been in franchising for 10 years and in his current position for 3½. 

What are the biggest impacts of Covid-19 on your business?

The closure of dining rooms forced us to shift entirely to takeout, which has increased costs associated with it. The supply chain also experienced widespread disruption at times, which was not easy to manage. 

How have you responded?

We have adjusted our schedule and positioning within the restaurant and have learned a lot about the supply chain system itself in order to resolve issues quickly as they arise.

What changes do you think will be permanent?

The increased focus on cleanliness and sanitation from the guest’s perspective will remain, and I feel this is a very good thing. Guests are much more educated with these items now than previously, which is very important. It is not good for any restaurant guest if a restaurant is slacking in these areas. 

 

Sajib Singha is a multi-brand franchisee whose Singha Group of Companies operates 8 Dairy Queens, 2 Captain D’s (plus 2 in development), 2 Golden Chicks, 2 Papa John’s, and 1 Schlotzsky’s. At 39, he’s been in franchising for 10 years.

What are the biggest impacts of Covid-19 on your business?

Surprisingly and fortunately, this year has been very positive for us. We’ve seen 20% to 30% revenue growth since Covid-19 hit. We are very blessed to have drive-thrus at most of our units and to be in business within the fast casual segment. This success allowed us to open a restaurant about every month last year.

How have you responded?

We’ve enhanced our health and sanitation practices with professional cleanings, shut down our dine-in lobbies, and concentrated on the speediness of our drive-thrus. With our focus on the off-premises piece of our business, we looked for ways to serve our food faster and more efficiently. We also kept an eye on our employees and maintained a transparent atmosphere so that they knew to take precautions and time off, especially if potentially exposed to Covid-19.

What changes do you think will be permanent?

Social distancing is here to stay for a bit longer. People realized they can work from home, got accustomed to drive-thru and off-premises dining, and now expect delivery options. 

Published: May 8th, 2021

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