Article

How Mooyah, Texas Roadhouse, Jersey Mike's create thriving company cultures

Building a better company culture takes better hiring, training and culture building.

Peter McLaughlin, PlayerLync, Dennie Laney, Mooyah Burgers, Travis Doster, Texas Roadhouse, John Hughes, Jersey Mike's

August 14, 2018 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Most companies want to create a good culture, training programs and corporate communication standards, but few know how to do it. Four experts, who have a solid handle on it, however, shared their experiences during this year's Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit in Louisville.

The panelists, who gave tips on how to craft a better culture, at a session entitled "Is Your Culture Making Your Leadership Quit?"  included:

• Peter McLaughlin, senior director, customer success, PlayerLync
• Travis Doster, senior director of public relations, Texas Roadhouse
• John Hughes, brand ambassador, Jersey Mike's.
• Dennie Laney, vice president of training and people development, Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes about this topic.

Hire well

The first step is to make sure your restaurant hires the right people that understand the culture. Each panelist did this a bit differently.

Hughes explained how Jersey Mike's brings a potential employee in for a sight observation before they give them access to the online application. He also said Jersey Mike's doesn't string applicants along by saying they will be in touch after an interview. The restaurant gives applicants a clear answer.

Doster pointed out  how it's always awkward for the "new person" at a workplace. To counteract it, Texas Roundhouse typically hires in groups, which allows new groups of employees to act as a "classroom" that can help and support one another.

Train well

Training well is the other key component in developing a good company culture. If you don't train well, you can't get employees to buy into the culture.

Jersey Mike's focuses on, "Teaching employees how to be future leaders," Hughes said. This in turn helps prepare employees to join management if they decide to stay on for an extended period of time.

Laney said restaurants need to find a way to communicate their vision to employees.

"We have to capture people in a different way. Teens want to know about your vision," Laney said.

Many companies are using technology to train employees. During the audience Q and A section of the panel, Tim Tang, director of enterprise retail solutions, at Hughes Network Systems, said more companies than ever are deploying employee displays to push messages, training and entertainment.

John Hughes, however, said training cannot be the only tool when it comes to training.

"You can't teach someone to throw a football by watching a video," Hughes said.

Make people excited to work

All of the panelists emphasized that you need to create an environment for workers to be excited about coming to work.

Restaurants can use a variety of different practices to create this environment, whether by encouraging kindness or friendliness or creating a casual environment like at Texas Roadhouse. On a deeper level, it involves getting employees invested in your vision.

Doster said Texas Roadhouse allows customers to get involved in several charities. The company also runs several programs to help employees in need, such as with funeral expenses. It often uses the money it would spend on advertising and uses it to host events awarding phenomenal employees with prizes.

"Do culture by design not by default," Doster said. "Bad culture will come overnight."

All the panelists emphasized these efforts will take time but will pay off.

"When you create a good culture you will find you aren't looking for people, they're looking for you," Hughes said.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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