Franchising
4 ways companies can build pandemic-era franchisee muscle
Pandemic fatigue is real and just about everyone is suffering from it, but brands can make a big difference in how much that fatigue weighs down company franchisees. After all, they are the keys to your company's success, so check out these four tips for keeping them in tip-top operating shape.
December 2, 2020 by Elizabeth Kelly — Marketing Specialist, https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/590905/
Most franchised restaurant brand leaders know their success depends on that of their franchisees, in large part. But just as brands themselves are struggling amidst the pressures the pandemic has put on the industry, so are the individual business women and men running each franchised location.
That's why it has become more critical than ever before to lend your franchisees some much-needed support. After all, this may be the most effective thing you can do as a restaurant leader to ensure your brand as a whole prospers. In short, you need to help your franchisees to prosper as well. Here are 4 ways to do that.
1. Help regulate all those regulations
Most restaurant brands strive to give guests the same experience regardless of which location they enter. But with differing regulations between jurisdictions that is all but impossible. Instead, give your franchisees the leeway they need to adjust to local regulations.
As the franchisor, you can help by becoming a key source of information for all of your restaurants. Gabe Connel, the owner of Hotbox Pizza, noted that despite his brand's locations all being fairly close together, regulations differ from location to location.
"All our stores are in central Indiana, but even still, county-by-county, there are different regulations," Connel said. "As the franchisor, we try to be the hub of information. It's a lot for franchisees to keep track of and decipher."
Pizza Factory, a pizza franchise in California, keeps its franchisees informed by holding weekly and bi-weekly webinars about the regulations and policies. While the brand doesn't track changes in regulations for each county, they do compile a list of sources where franchisees can get the most recent information for their specific regions. This action is particularly important to locations that may experience a positive case of the pandemic virus.
In these instances and others, there's power and strength in numbers, so work with your franchisees to create groups of stores that share operational changes. These groups can determine what actions they need to take together so that guests know what to expect at the locations near them. That may include offering delivery, providing signage and supplies, or helping franchisees construct outdoor seating in some regions.
2. Keep supply pipelines flowing
Many restaurants have been impacted by inventory shortages since the beginning of the pandemic. Whether it's toilet paper, pepperoni, hand sanitizer or masks, the brand itself can help by consolidating orders from your franchisees and ordering in bulk.
At HotBox, the franchisor orders and distributes all masks and gloves for the company's franchisees.
"In March, it was difficult to get masks and gloves, and I thought it would be easier for us to order them because we could order them in bulk and negotiate better prices," Connel said.
Pizza Factory hasn't been strongly affected by supply shortages because the company said its head office has worked for some time to put a strong supply chain in place.
Pizza Factory said it works the contracts they already had in place at the beginning of the pandemic, has served them well through its rigors. As a result, the brand has been able to offer its full menu, while local competitors were forced to cut items.
"We're continuing to offer the things that customers love while following guidelines," Pizza Factory Training Manager Brian Ross said.
In fact, the company was even well-positioned to secure supply lines for sanitizer and pre-packaged utensils even before any government mandates were released around those sometimes tough-to-locate items.
3. Delivering on delivery
Many restaurants across the country have begun or increased delivery to keep their stores open and operating during partial and full lockdowns. As the pandemic continues, this is the time for franchises to evaluate how individual locations have fared with different delivery models.
Pizza Factory has offered in-house delivery from most of its locations for some time. As a result, they simply used the processes they already had in place and have been able to thrive during the pandemic.
When the pandemic began, the company made sure most of its franchisees were on its mandated point of sale system, online ordering platform and mobile app, so they were all ready to make changes as needed. That made it far easier for the brand's locations to implement curbside pick-up and contactless delivery.
As Ross put it, it's "Technology, technology, technology."
Third-party delivery systems are also serving many brands. When assessing which providers to go with, do some research around the pros and cons of each service, then move forward with the best-fitting company for your brand and your POS. This works as a great service to franchise, since as the over-arching brand, you are in a better position than your individual franchisees to get the best rates from third-party delivery providers.
4. Help franchisees stay 'on-brand'
Throughout the pandemic, communication within restaurant companies has been key, both with franchisees and customers. To ensure your brand's messaging remains consistent across all locations, provide franchisees with the signage and marketing materials they need to keep customers safe, and coming back.
"Our stores needed signage to remind customers to stay 6 feet apart and wear their masks.," said Connel, who believes brands should take the steps necessary to avoid the dreaded handwritten store sign. " We provided that from head office so that we could ensure our messaging is consistent and customer-friendly."
The same principle applies to delivery packaging. If your restaurant intends to continue offering delivery long-term, all of your locations need to have uniform delivery packaging that speaks effectively and with impact for your brand, as Speedline discusses in this recent article.
But perhaps more important than all of these tips is the idea that this pandemic is an opportunity for franchisors to extend compassion and understanding to the franchisees the company depends on so heavily for success. Everyone is going through new challenges now, and a little empathy and flexibility now yields big benefits long-term.
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