FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT
Edward Barnett
PCF Restaurant Management, LLC
+ Partner: Karim Webb
+ Became a BWW Franchisee: 2006
+ Total Number of BWW Locations: 3
How did you and your partner meet?
I’ve known Karim since I was seven; we played basketball
together. Karim’s father was an executive with McDonald’s and
became a franchisee in the 1980s. Karim got involved in the
business and got a great amount of operations experience from
it. My background was in finance, so in 2006, he came to me and
wanted to figure out how to do business together. Buffalo Wild
Wings® was new to the West Coast at the time and was a great
opportunity. We liked the possibility and went to Vegas to look
at a restaurant and then to Minnesota to meet with Buffalo Wild
Wings® headquarters.
What drew you to the brand?
It was a concept that wasn’t in the marketplace at the time. I
felt BWW provided a unique customer experience. It is not your
typical sports bar; sports may be on but people just love the fun
atmosphere.
So, in order to
continue to grow
you have to give
L-R: Business
partthem a reason
ners Ed Barnet
t and
to want to come
Karim Webb.
in the first place
and then keep
coming back.
By being actively involved, whether it is with the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America or the YMCA, it makes a difference in the community. By doing good in the community, you
are also doing well for business. You are cultivating relationships.
We have found it to be impactful when we engage the community in an authentic way.
What is the best business advice you have received?
Pay attention to the details. Every deal you do, you are going
to learn from. You are going to know what you did well and what
you can improve upon. I like to look at it from the improvement
view because the only way you can do that is by focusing on the
details—by constantly analyzing how you went about it, what
worked and what didn’t, and improving upon it.
Describe the biggest industry change since you started:
What is your favorite thing about the brand?
BWW’s ability to create a fun environment for our guests.
The branding, the team inside the four walls; if you have a good
staff and they are enjoying what they do, that passion is going to
be felt by the customers and give them a great experience.
What are your current top three business goals?
2015 Issue 2 |
THE
SCORE
12
Advances in technology. When we first became franchisees
in 2006, social media was around but it wasn’t as big as it is now.
Now, when you look at it from a marketing standpoint, people
get their information from it. As far as other technology goes,
whether it be HotSchedules or POS systems; there are systems
that are now available that help you manage your business more
effectively.
Continue to build more units, grow sales of existing units
and develop team members. We currently have three units and
want to work with Buffalo Wild Wings® to identify more locations nearby that corporate doesn’t have and that won’t impact
other franchisees. In regards to our business, we are doing great
in sales but there is opportunity for growth. In regards to the
people, we aim for our holding company to invest and grow
organically from the inside. We rarely hire from the outside.
We want to grow high-potential employees from the inside,
allowing them to have more opportunities. It creates a positive
impact on the community, which is what we are all about.
The push to raise minimum wage without taking into
account a tip credit. This is a hot button issue. In California there
is a big push, and the challenge is to educate about the need for
a specific exemption for tipped employees. Because their tips are
income and we have to pay taxes on that, it impacts what we
can do. Ideally, we don’t want to have to push those costs onto
customers.
Describe your best recent business decision:
If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be … working with young
Getting actively involved in the communities our restaurants serve. This led to a lot of goodwill and increased sales. We
realized you need the people in your community to support you.
people to make a positive impact on their lives. In some shape or
form, I do that now, but if I wasn’t a franchisee I would be doing
that full time. S
Describe your current biggest challenge as a franchisee:
What is your favorite BWW wing sauce? Asian Zing.