Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2015 | Page 62

BY EDDY GOLDBERG

Culture
Counts!

Y

THOSE “INTANGIBLES” ADD UP

ou can’t measure the ROI on
culture with Google analytics,
but savvy franchisees and franchisors alike know that a strong,
healthy culture pays dividends. Tangible
indicators of this intangible asset include
a boost to the bottom line, more satisfied
customers, lower employee turnover, and
overall system growth. Franchise brands
have their own culture, as do multi-unit
franchisee companies. We spoke with two
multi-unit franchisees and two franchisors (one a former franchisee) about their
thoughts on the importance of culture to
their success.
All you need is love
The culture at Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes
& Fries, says COO Neal Dennis, can be
boiled down to three words: “Love your
neighbor.” And the brand, with 60 franchisees and 118 locations in the U.S.,
Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and the
United Arab Emirates, has plenty of neighbors—with hundreds more on the way in
the next 7 years.
“We have gone for 25 years trying to
distill it down to exactly a phrase that fits
all situations. ‘Love your neighbor’ applies
to all. Everybody understands it,” he says.
“If you just remember that, you’ll be good.
And that’s what we try to teach our kids as
they come up through the system.”
One indicator that the brand practices
what it preaches is the pride Dennis takes in
how many former hourly-wage employees
at its restaurants have become franchisees.
That number now stands at more than 40
since the brand began franchising in 1993.
“The way we grew is we brought people
up inside the family, teaching them the
business and growing them to the point
where they were ready to handle a restaurant, from operation