Sign up here.Anthony Wedo, CEO at Buffets, Inc. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Members help make our journalism possible. and create and maintain jobs for people in their communities. At the end of the day, those folks are trying to run a restaurant to sustain a livelihood. Put things into perspective and realize the situation of the franchisee. Have any advice for restaurant employees? I think it’s important to not only commend employees for their hard work, but involve them in the brand as they often will have some of the best ideas from first-hand experience. Also, we have an email exchange program where employees can send feedback to corporate. Since “Undercover Boss,” we have instituted an employee recognition program so everyone in the Fatburger family is properly honored and acknowledged for their efforts. Since becoming 99 percent franchisee-operated, a lot of our franchisees were not recognizing employees as we wished. What were the biggest lessons you learned? The last thing I want is customers waiting longer than they have to. I am all about providing quality, custom-made burgers at a fast pace, so I was frustrated that I couldn’t keep up. I think my low point would be cooking and assembling burgers incorrectly. Being undercover gave me the opportunity to connect with the employees in a different way than if I walked in without my disguise. The highlight of my day would be hearing the employees’ life stories and understanding what led them to choosing to join the Fatburger family. What were some of the highlights of the workday? But honestly, being side by side with the people serving the customers is where strategy should be formed. It is easy to think that strategy is something different than actually being out in the restaurants. Don’t put on a dog and pony show with a scheduled visit-just stop in and say hello. Associates can contribute to the fund via a payroll deduction, and the company plans to contribute to the fund too.īe authentic, and be present in the restaurants. We are launching the Donatos Family Promise Fund to meet this demand. Our associates inquired as to whether we could set up a fund to have monies available at any time. We’ve always tried to help employees through donations of, collecting monies to offset medical costs or help with funeral expenses. Another pointed out how unflattering our uniforms were for our female employees, so we are implementing better unisex uniforms. One employee pointed out how old the computer system was at her location, so we are implementing better computer systems in the stores and a better online ordering system. We need to make sure we have the communication channels open so all our family members know they can have a voice. Their fortitude inspired me to learn all that I can so we can make a difference in their lives mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. I was amazed at how much our people go through in their lives, and yet, they come to work every day with a sense of pride and passion. What were the biggest lessons you learned being on the show? But, most importantly, realize that you are serving not only guests but your employees too.
Check in with your employees and get their input. I knew that some of our restaurants had issues, but I didn’t realize how serious some were until I had the opportunity to get a real look at what was happening. This will allow cashiers to process transactions more quickly, and results in shorter lines for guests.
#Anthony wedo update#
We are developing a rollout schedule to implement the same procedure systemwide for restaurants with display grills.Īlso, we are going to spend over $3 million to update our register system throughout all our stores. This is a great idea that significantly cuts down on waste, and it’s easy to execute. He slices the steak on the grill and shows the interior temperature to the customer while they stand by. When I worked with Joey Parrish at the Country Buffet, in Arvada, Colo., he shared with me the way he demonstrates the temperature of steaks to our guests.
Have you made any operational changes since the show? Customers pay for the best experience possible, and when something as simple as purchasing a meal is delayed by an old register system or a broken credit-card reader, then the quality of that experience diminishes. It was frustrating that these inefficiencies slowed down our ability to serve our guests. Seeing some of the inefficiencies, like the register system. What were some of the low points of the workday? I don’t have the opportunity to engage with guests often, so it was a pleasure to thank people for their support. I really enjoyed talking to, welcoming them to the restaurant, thanking them for visiting and serving them.
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