The Chef of a Sam Sneads restaurant gives his thoughts on the FiltaFry service.

Having completed the February training course, new Filta Franchise Owner Paul Casarotto speaks about his experience with joining the Filta team.

If you are considering starting a new business, like many others in your situation have faced before you, you have probably weighed the options of starting an individual business from scratch or opting for a franchise situation.  Comparing the two can be a daunting and confusing process, as both have pros and cons that can greatly affect your business and your financial stability in the years to come.  Investing in just about anything in an economy like we are facing today can be a scary process.  Fully considering your options and making the best choice for you is the best insurance you can have for your investment.

What type of risk taker are you?
You need to start the decision making process by taking into account your comfort zone as well as your goals.  With a start up, you have a higher risk of investment, as nearly fifty percent of all start up businesses fail in the first five years.  You will also find you will work harder to meet your goals, at least initially.  Without an established brand to back you up, you have to push yourself infront of your target customer and draw them into your doors.  While hard work and bigger risk may scare some people off, for the adventurous entrepreneur the payoff can be big.  Consider any major franchise out there today.  Each of those mega corporations started out as someone’s local, home-grown business.  If your dream is to own an empire, an individual business may be the best option for your investment capitol.

If you prefer to invest in a manner that is lower risk, franchising may be the better option for you.  Franchising provides a great opportunity to open a business without the requirement of building a brand.  The brand recognition, consumer loyalty and track record is there for you to see.  Franchises often have entire teams devoted to helping their franchisees succeed- from choosing the right real estate to walking you through supply orders, a franchisor is committed to helping you avoid mistakes. Franchisees reap the benefits of corporate advertising, as few individual businesses can hire design and marketing teams to promote their concept the way a major established corporation can. The downside to franchising is that you must run your business within the guidelines of the parent company, so despite having your own business, there is still the “boss” entity many wish to avoid.  There is tremendous opportunity for profit, but your ability to expand in your market may be limited by territory boundaries.

There is no “best” or “one size fits all” answer to the question of franchise versus independent business. In the end, both can be lucrative, both have risks, and both have their limitations.  Talking with other experienced entrepreneurs that have struck it alone as well as successful franchisees is the best place to start.  In the end, it is a personal choice as to which is right for you.

As you think about opening your own restaurant the very first question you should ask yourself is “Do I have the experience and capital I need to start this venture?”  If the answer is yes, the next question is most likely “Do I open a franchise or start my own brand?”  While the idea of starting your own brand may seem appealing, it is important to consider one hard fact.  Over half of the businesses that start as new ideas fail in the first five years.  That’s not to say this country does not need and thrive on innovative ideas, but when it comes to your financial outlook you owe it to yourself to look at franchising with a proven brand.

The benefits to franchising can best be summarized with one statement.  There is less risk to the investor.  This isn’t to say that there are absolutely no risks involved in starting a franchise.  However, the chances of succeeding with a new business and generally the fastest way to see your bottom line in the black is to open a franchise rather than an independent business.

Considering that by and large, the majority of new businesses that do not survive that essential first five years in business are independent businesses, one has to question why franchises are a safer bet for your investment capitol.  There is no one magic answer, but rather several contributing factors that when pieced together complete a puzzle that is much more solid and therefore a safer investment all around.

Brand Recognition and Loyalty

Think about starting a brand new business from scratch. As an entrepreneur you have to figure out how to reach your target market, how to communicate to these potential customers what exactly it is that you offer, and entice them to spend their hard earned dollars at your establishment.

A franchise owner gets to skip the majority of those processes.  If the franchisor has been on the market for any real amount of time the general population is probably quite aware of what it offers and has a good impression of business.  It boils down to habit.  People are comfortable with what they know.  A perfect example in the restaurant industry would be opening a Wendy’s franchise.  If you are hungry and have a limited amount of time to eat, and you know that Wendy’s is fast food that you enjoy and can afford, you are more likely to eat at Wendy’s than to try the new burger joint that opened down the street.  While there are always some people that are more adventurous than others, the vast majority would save trying the new restaurant for when they have more time and money at their disposal.

Marketing
Brand recognition and brand loyalty come from another benefit of franchising- marketing.  Marketing is something that costs quite a bit of start up capitol for a new business, but for a franchisee is generally done on a much larger scale by the parent company.  Looking back to our Wendy’s example, the parent company obviously can afford much grander marketing plans than the average start up could ever dream of funding.  The money the parent company spends on advertising has a trickle down effect, benefiting both franchisor and franchisee considerably.

Planning

It is safe to assume that the reason why most independent start ups fail in the first five years is lack of a solid business plan.  With a franchise, these common mistakes have not only been made, but quite clearly overcome, for the parent company to grow to the point it is offering franchisees a part of the business.

While there may be extra costs involved in franchising, those costs are easily made up by the fact that the brand image and loyalty are firmly in place, large scale marketing is done by the parent company, and the majority of the business mistakes have been overcome before you hand over your first dollar.  In today’s economy, safe is the best bet you can make with your investment capitol.

It is not just working mothers that worry about the balance of home life versus career these days.  Study after study has shown that employees that have a life outside of work have the best attendance records, performance records and are involved in less accidents at the work place than their over worked counterparts.

It may be very tempting in lean economic times to cut back the hours of your non-salaried employees and allow your salaried managers to pick up the slack.  While the impact on your bottom line may be a sort of instant gratification, the long-term result is likely to put you in the red more than you saved to begin with.

A few things to consider:

Stress- Just because a manager is away from home more with an increased schedule load does not mean that their responsibilities at home have decreased accordingly.  We all know the feeling of their not being enough hours in a day, and an over worked employee still has to juggle their home life.  Pushing tasks back into sleeping time will over time create a less than alert manager, causing reactionary time to fall dramatically.  Safety is a big issue- a tired manager is less likely to notice safety violations and less likely to be accurate in reporting, both of which can have dire consequences to your business stability.

Dissatisfaction- It may seem downright silly, but Little Johnny’s soccer game or Sally’s dance recital may be just as important as work.  Employees that are not given an opportunity to enjoy family events or handle personal problems at home quickly become resentful of their employment. An unhappy employee is an unproductive employee as a rule. Once the loyalty is shaken effort on the job is likely to decrease, the impact of which a restaurant owner will see translate to the bottom line.

Attendance- Even the most dedicated employee can only do so much.  While your plan to cut payroll may look like a smashing success in the first few months, the wear and tear on your salaried employees will show itself in time.  Emotional and physical wellness go hand in hand, and historically employees with adequate time away from work have less illnesses and injuries as a result.  Likewise, they are less likely to feel the need to “call in sick” to attend to personal matters if they have no reason to fear a backlash if they need to request time off work.

Even if your top-performing manager is eager to pick up the extra work, it’s beneficial in the long run to require and encourage downtime.  Balancing your scheduling needs while understanding your employees do have needs outside of the restaurant will result in happier employees. Happy employees get sick less and make less safety mistakes. Happy employees also provide better service.  Superior  service, as we all know, is the best recipe for a successful business.

Doubltree Head Chef gives his thoughts on the FiltaFry service.

Every employer’s nightmare is a workman’s compensation or unemployment claim.  You do not have to have a degree in human resources or employment law to successfully protect your business and it’s assets from claims.

The nature of restaurants is it’s own evil.  Accidents happen from slick kitchen floors, customers are at risk of being burned by hot liquid (just think about the McDonald’s coffee fiasco), emplyee claims (mainly around burns from fryers) and turnover in employees is higher than in almost any other industry.  This is a recipe for disaster in the way of claims against your business, but there are several things you can do to protect yourself and your restaurant.

Policies and procedures are generally well outlined if you own a franchise and the training required by the franchisor will likely cover these in detail for your new employee.  If you own a non-franchise restaurant you need to think carefully about your own policies and procedures and make sure they are clearly laid out in a manual you personally review with each new hire during the training process.  If you aren’t experienced in writing, it may be worth your investment to hire an outside agency to review your manual and make necessary adjustments.  Handing a manual to a new hire is not enough, especially if they have worked in restaurants before coming on board with yours.  They are likely to think it’s the same across the board, and may gloss over important pieces of information that could prevent an accident.  If you do own a franchise, this review is equally important.  In either situation, yearly reviews of the manuals in the form of a group meeting is well worth the effort.  By doing so, there is no room for confusion or forgetfulness that can result in cut corners and inevitably accidents in the workplace.

Paperwork is something no one enjoys, but it can be your lifeline in the event a claim comes against you.  Document everything that happens, regardless of how small.  For insurance issues, detailed documentation of what occurred, how the situation was responded to, witness statements that are signed and dated, and follow up processes implemented can make all of the difference in liability.  If the injured employee broke any of your policies and procedures be sure to detail that information along with any disciplinary actions taken.

For unemployment claims, your paper trail is the only thing that can protect you.  In each of your employee’s files you should have signed copies of their acknowledgment of the handbooks rules, details of each time they were late or called out of work, and very detailed reports on any disciplinary problems that arise.  Even if your employee is given a “verbal warning” you need to have it documented that the warning was given and have the documentation signed by the employee acknowledging the issue.  Most states are at will states, meaning either party can terminate their employment without any real reason, but when it comes to an unemployment claim it is you versus the employee on who was in the right.  Even if there was only one violation to your policies, documentation of it can protect you if it comes to review by the Department of Labor.

Hear from Friday’s Front Row Manager about his experience with FiltaFry.

When it comes to the kitchen, you can’t cut corners. This where all of the magic is done. The chefs prep the food, make it, and present it in a way that makes it the most interesting for the diners. It is imperative to be able to keep an orderly kitchen that is safe and clean. Kitchens have many stations. These vary from prep, saute, salad, pizza, and even more. This varies dependent upon what the restaurant serves and how large the kitchen is. It is important to have all that is needed to make amazing meals. For example, if you have many different types of pizzas it is important to have all of the toppings stocked up and fresh just waiting to be thrown on top. Space requirements are important to maintain and a good restaurant manager will know and understand the space limits given.

Stocking your kitchen properly is important, too. Making sure that you have all of the necessary equipment and also have them in working order can make it easier. It can be better to get used equipment as it would save you money while still providing quality materials that are smaller. For larger equipment, it might be better to just pay out full price on new materials because it will last much longer and is cheaper in the long run. The other option is to lease equipment that stop working sooner than most things.

The most important thing about running a kitchen is safety. There always needs to be more than enough space for workers to move around the cooking equipment. The workers jobs need to be done while not compromising safety. All hot food needs to be handled properly and all workers need to be trained in doing exactly that. Working out a process of how you want all things handled is key to being able to keep safety number one. There should be a list of all necessary steps for this goal. Maybe making a handbook would be the best idea. You could section it off and have all employees read the books then do on-site training to confirm that they all understand perfectly.

Keeping a safe kitchen is the key element needed to run a good restaurant. As long as you keep it a safe environment, things will run smoothly. People will get hurt very rarely, making it easier for you. You won’t have to find a replacement or deal with unemployment for example. You will also get the food out faster and the quality will make the customers come back again and again. On top of that, your employees have the right to be kept safe in a risk free environment. They also deserve it. Keeping yourself aware and alert to the space requirements from the beginning will make it a well oiled machine before people even apply to work there. These are just a few tips and tricks to keep in mind for running a safe and efficient kitchen.

As a restaurant owner, you have enough on your plate in regards to overhead costs.  Commercial insurance is one way that you can easily save money in a tough economy.

Location, Location, Location
Any established restaurateur knows that location is everything.  It affects your target customer base, your traffic and your pricing strategies. If your business is in the start-up phase, you may want to consider leasing your property.  Many times, insurance is built into the cost of the lease, which can help net substantial savings month to month.  Even if its not offered at the onset, you may want to discuss this option with the property owner as a negotiating point.

Safety First

We have all heard it before, but safety in the workplace is about more than just protecting your business assets from lawsuits.  Obviously no one wins when an employee is injured.  Injury results in lack of production, medical expenses, and workman’s compensation issues.  It also will greatly affect your insurance premiums.  Make safety a priority- educate your employees on safety procedures to keep your kitchen and restaurant free from accidents and have proper disciplinary actions in place to discourage short cuts. All too often just being a little lax on safety procedures can lead to major accidents, but even the smallest of accidents can cause those dreaded insurance premium hikes.  Many insurance claims are centered around the fryers.  Taking away this liability by utlilising cooking oil filtration and fryer management servics, like FiltaFry, can help.  Keeping accident rates low will insure your premiums stay the same.

Careful Reporting

You may think that you are on top of your claims, and that they are reported carefully, but your employees may not be as concerned or knowledgeable about the impact they have on your insurance premiums.  If an accident does occur, make certain your reports are done promptly and are concise.  Track all incidents that lead to accidents, make necessary adjustments to prevent repeat scenarios, and educate your management team as to the importance of this aspect of their job to prevent major loses.

Knowing your insurer

If you run a franchise, you may be locked in by your contract with a particular insurance company.  If the choice is yours to make, be sure to do your homework and find a company that has competitive rates and good reviews from past and present clients.  Shopping around is a must, and if you are not comfortable or knowledgeable with exactly how commercial insurance works find an insurance broker that is well regarded.  Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start to find the right broker.   A broker that specializes in hospitality insurance will understand the type of claims you may face and be able to lead you to the perfect company for your business needs.

Avoid Coverage Gaps

Missing a renewal date by just a few days can cause a major increase in your out of pocket expense even if no accidents occur during the lapse.  Have a plan set in place to regularly review your paperwork associated with your claims, be certain loose ends are tied up and that the information is easily accessible.  Renew early whenever possible, as you may find this gives you a small discount and will help you avoid any last minute quote changes.

Definition: a person or thing that leads. A guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group. – Websters

Recently, while thinking of ways to better myself and my business, I decided to Google the term “Becoming a leader” and the search provided an amazing 48,800,000 results. WOW! It would take a really long time to read through all this, so I began thinking of my own experiences. Although I have only been in business for myself for a year, I have experienced a great deal in my 15 years in the work force. Unfortunately, I have seen more bad than good and it’s a sad reminder of how far we still need to go as humans. My experiences have left me with knowledge of how I would not like to treat employees and what I believe will produce the best results when employing people. By no means am I promising a magic solution to employment retention, but I have found a few key elements that seem to work really well and I want to make sure you have these tidbits I like to call jewels.

Employees are Assets
Treating an employee as an asset is typically the furthest from a manager’s mind. Actually, they are sometimes thought of as a “number” or a “liability”. If you are examining a balance sheet or performing payroll I would tend to agree with you, every employee is a number as well a liability. But when your balance sheet becomes part of your vocabulary, and employees are referred to as replaceable, there’s a fine line that has been crossed and problems will begin to occur. Resentment fuels the desire to sabotage and eventually quit. No one wants that. So what do you do? Well, know this. Everyone wants to know they have value. Not only in business, but in life. It is a fact, we spend one third of our lives working. Why not you as the owner create an environment that makes it the most enjoyable time of their life! Talk with them about where they see themselves in the next six months or year. What do they like to do? Fish, hunt, golf, etc.. Basically, get to know them and see how close the business goals are to there’s.

Create and Adhere to Strict Guidelines
Although I believe strongly in the way an employee is viewed and treated, I equally believe that there are guidelines that must be followed and adhered to. If not, then it disrupts the flow of owner to employee relations and some employees may even find themselves thinking you’re a push over. That is why you should immediately put in place a set of guidelines for the business. Your guidelines should encompass areas such as proper procedures for performing service, van cleanliness, client interaction, language, attire, etc. Make sure each employee is properly trained on these guidelines and two copies of the document printed. One for them to keep for reference and one for them to sign and return back to you. The signed agreement should be placed in their personal file. The guidelines also help to establish a baseline for them to follow, and shows that you will not accept anything less. Lastly, its equally important that you follow these guidelines as well. When everyone is on the same page, taking your business to the next level of growth becomes easier to accomplish.

Generate Purpose
If you were like me I started this business with enthusiasm beyond control. The world was (and still is) my oyster and all I needed to do was make it happen. I had pinpoint accurate purpose. Everyone wants to have that level of purpose in the job they perform each day. That’s what makes it worth getting up every morning at 4am, or going after the business that said “check with me next week” for the fourth time, or cleaning the van and machine after a 60 to 70 hour week. The same applies to your techs. They look to you for not only guidance, training, etc. but direction into the future. No one likes to take a road trip that has no destination……do they? I adhere to a quarterly meeting with my team. We meet first thing in the morning on Saturday around 7am. It is mandatory and they do get paid and feed. I keep them for about 1 hour. I figure my cost to do all this is around $50. That is a drop in the bucket when it compares to time spent replacing a tech.

Be Considerate
These guys you call technicians are no different from us when it comes to exhaustion. They are not robots (although at times I wish they were), they are humans also carrying with them emotions and feelings. I’m by no means asking you to have a kumbaya session each week around the family campfire with them, but I am asking that you be thoughtful of what they are going through. It wasn’t too long ago that I ran all the services and demos. 20 hours a week quickly became 50 to 60. At times I was physically shot and my emotions were less than desirable (ask my wife). This job is hot and dirty, especially in the summer months in the South. Ouch! So be considerate.

Show your Worth
Allow your employees the opportunity to show their worth. I know for a fact that if managers would stop micromanaging their employees they would see a better product. Most people want the opportunity to excel and be the best they can be. But they have to be given the opportunity. As a owner/manager take the time and listen to what your team has to offer. Sometimes they are totally off, but other times they may provide some serious value. Take everything said into consideration and decide if it can provide value to your business. Let your team help you be a leader in environmental kitchen solutions.

Be a Servant
Last but not least, serve. Serve not only your employees, but your community. Sure you can make a lot of money and sit back and receive a check, but what about your duty as a citizen of the human race? We are all here for not only our own purpose but the purpose of others. Although that may sound deep, its true. We have the responsibility to assist others in their time of need, to educate, and the list continues. Things that you can do include charities, teaching, helping at a shelter, etc. one activity I took on this year involves teaching at a local school once a week. It’s a fantastic opportunity to speak with younger people who want to be successful in business. Another involved a shoe collection for the people in Haiti. My family and I went around and asked neighbors and friends to give their shoes as well a dollar for each pair given. This in no way is intended to boast or brag about my accomplishments but an opportunity to empower you and see that it is the little things in life we do that make such a massive difference to others. Reflect on this quote and see what you can do tomorrow for others.

“Life is a place of service. Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

The FiltaFry service is even offered in Hunduras!  From March 2010, FiltaCool is being offered in Honduras.

In a time where the national unemployment rate is at an all time high- over 10% in most markets- your initial response when contacted by a restaurant recruiter may be to hang up the phone.  Before you do just that, you may want to consider a few benefits that make the fee seen more beneficial to your bottom line.

Sourcing
If given the choice, would you hire a restaurant manager that has a proven track record of success with your competitor, or a manager that was fired from his last three jobs?  No doubt, the answer seems obvious.  But if the manager has a proven track record with your competitor, do you really think he or she is out beating the street and looking for a new job in a market ripe with lay offs and closings?  This is where a recruiter is most beneficial.  Recruiters will seek out those top-performing managers and bring them to you.  Despite what you may think, a good recruiter is not shady or underhanded in their process.  They simply present a better opportunity to that top performing manager and open the window of communication between you and the type of person you want running your business.

Scouring
Anyone who has tried to hire lately knows that a simple ad in the local newspaper will bring in hundreds of applications.  While your ad may clearly require five years of restaurant management experience, you’ll find that the desperate job seeker will translate that very loosely.  As a result, you find yourself wading through hundreds of applications of under qualified- or not at all qualified- individuals.  Hours of wasted time that could be spent growing your business can be avoided with the use of a recruiter.  The recruiters job is not only to source candidates for your position, but also to prescreen, interview and check references of the managers they present to you for consideration.  The end result is you only have to do a few interviews with highly qualified individuals that you know meet your expectations.  The only hard part at that point is choosing between them.

Trial Run
One of the best advantages to using a professional recruiter is that you have the ability to do a “trial run” with your new hire.  As a hospitality professional and business owner, you know that hiring a new manager is expensive.  The cost of training a new manager can equate to thousands in lost time and resources, a hefty price to pay repeatedly if your new manager decides to walk away shortly after or during training.  A recruiter’s job is two-part. They not only act as a recruiter, but often as a councilor as well.  A good recruiter stays in constant contact with their new hire and can alert you in advance of any concerns.  Its in their best interest to help you keep that person on board, as most recruiting contracts include a 90 day or more guarantee- your manager is replaced for free if either of you are unhappy.

So before you hang up that phone, consider the benefits.  You could just hire your competition’s star employee, save time and money by not advertising and wading through unqualified applicants, and have an insurance policy against a hiring mistake.  Recruiters are feeling the pain of a bad economy as well, so you may just get all of this at a more than reasonable price if you negotiate carefully.

To truly understand franchising, you cannot look at it like a business- but instead, a way of doing business. True, it is a way of owning your own business, but on the other hand, this unique niche offers a variety of proven ways to get your foot in the door to any number of industries. The truth is, franchising generates over one point five trillion dollars in sales a year, so, it’s not only a different way of doing business, but a profitable one.

A franchise is, by definition, a legal, commercial relationship between the person or company that owns a trademark, trade name, service mark or any sort of advertising symbols and the people or person who wishes to be able to use that identifying information for their business. This means following the franchisor’s business model, as well as going along with the way that they want things done, for the most part. The majority of franchises involve sales of some sort, the franchisee providing goods and services that either meet the franchisor’s standards or are actually provided by the franchisor themselves.

The franchisee/franchisor relationship is one that should be based on teamwork, essentially- there is a great deal of trust between both that must be there, and communication is key. This is a sort of mutually beneficial arrangement where many will say is actually in better benefit to the franchisor, but that is not so. For franchisees, it often means having a stronger, more solid backing and way of doing business, where they are able to turn a decent profit and even experience some growth. For franchisors, of course, they reap the benefits as well and on the whole, a well researched franchise investment should be good for both parties involved.

When you’re looking into franchise, there are generally two types. Business format franchising, which involves a bigger picture. This is usually involved, with the vast majority of franchises in this format being real estate, convenience stores, tax preparation services, lodging and fast food restaurants- though there are other businesses under the umbrella of Business format franchising. This form almost always involves not only a set way of doing things, but training, materials and often marketing programs. The simpler format is product and trade name franchising, which does usually only involve license of the use of trademark to the franchisee. Product distribution is usually fairly common.

Being able to choose which type is right for you is usually a non issue, however. The best way to find a franchise that suits your needs is to first consider what those needs are. Then, think through your long term goals and map out a loose plan for them. Once you’ve done that, consider what sorts of options you have in the way of financing, and then begin your research. From there, don’t discount a franchise simply because it is in an industry you’ve not considered. Many people find success in industries they have no experience with, as this is one of the big assets to franchising- the training is usually provided and with enough drive, you, too can be a success.

Most restaurant managers have to deal with this issue at some point or another. Going through the hiring process, training and working on making sure you have adequate staff can be a complex process that just continues on and on. However, going through all of this to find out that you have an employee who is stealing is an even more difficult task to deal with. The issues here are actually multifaceted. Losing money because of theft is a serious problem but also, how you handle a situation like this is difficult, you have to balance showing that you are prepared to enforce your policies without making other employees feel alienated by how you do so.

Before you do confront the situation, be sure that you are absolutely certain. If you have enough proof, be that through account sheets, someone else seeing them do it, or video surveillance, then you can proceed. However, you have to be able to prove that there is absolutely no reason to doubt that this person has been stealing, and if you have to catch them doing it- this is actually even better. You have to be able to prove not only so that you can get rid of the theft issue itself, but also so that the rest of your staff is fully understanding of why. Once this is in place, make sure that you are handling things privately. Many people make a big mistake trying to make an example or show other employees the consequences, but it is not necessary. You can then later have a store meeting to explain what has gone on and why you have done what you needed to. Gossip in the workplace can be a terrible thing and doing this will both make sure that those rumors don’t get started, but also enforce your theft policy in a subtle way.

Of course, the best medicine is always prevention. There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that you do not end up with an employee theft problem, or at least lesson the odds of it occurring. The best way of course happens in the hiring process. Make sure that you are really, seriously looking into their background and make sure that you do take the time to train properly so that you can figure out the way that the staff you hire on thinks and operates.  Also, be sure that you have great communication with your employees. Always make sure that everyone is clear on the policies for everything, not just theft. This shows a clear and direct set of rules that they understand and know exactly what the consequences will be. Be consistent and do not ever bend the rules or break them for any reason.

Keeping employee theft at bay also involves making sure that only certain people and a limited amount, at that, are allowed to work in areas where this can be a problem. Monitoring common theft areas can also help. Just a few small changes and you can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with an employee theft confrontation in your restaurant.

Whenever we are faced with hiring a new employee for a restaurant the questions asked during the interview process are the best window we have to the morals, ethics, behavior and motivation of a candidate. It is important to ask both traditional and situational questions to best determine the likelihood of the candidate’s abilities to fit with the restaurant. Asking direct questions that relate to the job duties are the best way to assess a candidate’s experience. It is important to get a feel for how this person will handle the restaurant’s customers if they will be on the floor, or how they will interact with employees on the back end. Asking situational questions is the only way to gauge how the candidate might react under pressure or when dealing with tough judgment calls.

Many considerations must be made when hiring for an open position, especially if the position is managerial in nature. The length of time in the industry, the reputation of the restaurants the manager has worked at, and the way the person presents themselves are all very important. While pride is a good virtue in an employee, an ego can cause problems within the team environment.

Below is a list of questions to get you started on the interview process, and some insight as to what you could learn by asking them:

1. What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of? This is the best way to find out from the “get-go” the motivation level of the employee.  Everyone likes to brag, so there is no better way to hear all the good stuff than by asking this question.
2. What is the one thing you would do differently in your career path if you were able to start over?  This question is great for separating the “I need a job to pay rent” types from those that really want to make a career for them selves.  While its tempting to hire the eager “I need a job” types, keep in mind they are the first to leave when someone else offers them a better schedule or a dollar more than you do.
3. Explain a time that you thought out of the box. What did you do, and how was it different than what your company normally did? What was the result? This question is excellent to get a feel for how someone follows the rules given.  You may be surprised to hear them enthusiastically explain how they broke every rule imposed on them, or you may find out they are innovative and saved their former boss thousands by coming up with a better way to do things.
4. Of all of the supervisors you have had, who was your favorite and why? This question will give you insight on how to motivate the candidate should you hire them.  It also opens the door for the very important next question.
5. Of all of the supervisors you have had, who was your least favorite and why? Listen carefully to the answer given.  You will find out quickly if the person has issues with authority or has a “not my fault” type of personality- both of which you want to avoid at all costs.

These, in addition to the basic interviewing questions, will go along way in helping you hire someone that is a good fit for your restaurant long term.  Read between the lines as you listen to the answers.  You may be surprised at what you can learn!

Recently I was chatting with a current customer about business. He was astonished as to how quickly the Filta name was getting out and around the Birmingham area. His immediate response was “you must be doing a lot of advertisement?” For a second I had to think about how to answer that question. Let’s first define advertisement. Conventional advertising is: a paid announcement, as of goods for sale, in newspapers or magazines, on radio or television, etc. – dictionary.com.

This is all good, but as you can see this involves money and I don’t think you need to spend one cent. Instead, I am a firm believer that the best advertisement is simple, its you.
Yes, you are the best advertisement and its priceless. How do you become that type of “priceless” advertisement you ask? I’ll tell you.

1. Get to know your customers. Your business is meant to be a long term relationship with each client. You should be deeply interested and equally knowledgeable about their business and their industry they compete in each day. My background has been Information Technology for the past 13 years. When I got into this industry I was an infant. Forget about crawling, I was doing my best to just roll over! A lot of reading and a lot of time speaking with each client about their business actually gained me an amazing amount of insight into this industry. But I gained so much more. Respect. Friendships. And the list continues. As business owners our job is to yes grow our business, be profitable, etc.. but its also about the client. Having the best interest of your client first and not your bank account will make you more profitable than you can imagine.
2. Get to know your product. Don’t just clean fryers, be a freakin madman expert of it!! Know about cooking foods at different temperatures, learn about oil structure…..know it all! I don’t think I need to go any further, but if you need some help in this category youtube.com has a pile of videos on everything from deep frying and how good it is for you if done right to how oil breaks down. The Internet is your Oyster!
3. Be one of the team! I was speaking with another customer about our service. He laughed and said “ I don’t know what to do with the fryers, you make this so easy we don’t have to do anything but cook in them!” He continued to tell me how “awesome” this service is and that if he had his own restaurant he would have us service immediately. He also noted, that although “Filta service cost them in the short term” in the long term it saves them on costly insurance hikes due to burns, workman comp, etc.. Of course I was grateful for the kind words and am genuinely excited that they get, well..…excited! During that time we discussed proper cooking of french fries and I spoke with one of his cooks about low oil level in a fryer and to it would be best to just turn off the fryer and use another. My point: Im one of the team! They all look up to me, not down on me. AND, I don’t wonder when I might lose them as a client, instead I think about what great service I can offer them next. (Matter of fact, this one client is currently demoing FiltaCool. If all goes well, I will be installing about 100 panels by the end of the month.)

Bottomline: be a team player and you won’t need to advertise, your clients will hand you business.

Enough said.

Its been almost a year since I became a Filta franchisee and the experience has been nothing short of superior. But I believe that my thoughts of joy have been created and did not happen by chance. Anything in life takes time, determination, and a will to succeed. Although that may sound a bit cliché, its true. Over the past year I have accumulated what I believe to be a few secrets to a successful franchisee and I want to share the wealth. Here we go!

1. Set Goals. Life is not life without some goals. Think about it, if you are planning a trip from Seattle, Washington to see a friend in Virginia Beach, VA a bit of planning must take place. Sure you could just say “ Im gonna head east to where the sun rises” but that wont work. Reason being, there’s a lot of east coast and “VaBeach” is a small speck on the coast. So, best bet is to look at a map (Paper, Internet, etc..) and chart your coarse. Although you may take a few scenic routes along the way, you ultimately know your final destination. Well guess what, our live’s are no different! Question is: how do I get started? Yearly I make a list of 10 goals. I then take each and work backwards. That’s right, backwards. The idea here is to determine what things must be set in place in order to get as close to that goal as possible. Take for instance; I want to add $10,000 per week to my FiltaFry business. WOW! That’s a lot! But if you break it down its not so bad. 10k divided into 52 wks is about $192 per week. If your average weekly account is $75 that tells you that you would need to add 2.5 new accounts per week. Right now you may be saying, “JJ, there is no way I can do that”. Well, if that is so, then change your end number to 5k or 3k or whatever you think you can obtain. Remember, be creative. That’s your job, you’re a business owner now.
2.  Just do it!. Yeah, that’s Nike’s, not mine, but is absolutely true. If you have to go do sales calls; Just do it! If you need to email a customer; Just do it! Don’t wait til some day, do it today!!!!! Its easy to get wrapped around the axle doing things that provide no true benefit to your business. Benefits to your business include, but are not limited too: sales calls to net-new clients, current customer interaction (referrals), reviewing technicians service, and Im sure you could add a few more. Bottom-line: If you have a goal know that the only way you will obtain it is by doing the things that are necessary to make it a reality. Just do it!
3. Let go. One of the hardest things I had to learn quickly was that I can’t do it alone. A close friend and very successful businessman told me when I was getting started “JJ, a time will come when you are going to have to lay down the MFU, vacuum, and oil and become a business owner”. At first that didn’t make sense, but it sure does now! In order to have a successful growing business I need a team. As the owner (Leader) my job is not about being in charge and doing the work. It’s about proper training and then letting go of that service and watching my employees run it for me. I know to some that may sound ludicrous, but its true. Let me give you a tidbit of info. Statistics show that upwards of 60% of Americans hate their job. Why’s that? Not enough money? No. Its about lack of growth opportunity and mostly about having meaning and purpose. If you try to do it all, your employees find that you just don’t need them. There is no reason for them to stick around, no purpose. If you let go your techs become your greatest asset. Its because of them that you will have the freedom to sell, meet with customers, and grow your business. Train them on what you know, empower them, and then let your employees play a vital part in the growth of your business, they won’t let you down.

I think that’s a good enough start. Too much and you might pop!
Take a deep breath……….. now dive in. The water is fine! ?

Some of these tips may really put a light bulb on for many. Most restaurant management isn’t considering the small details that can make a huge dent in your profit margin- instead, and understandably focused on the bigger details. However, the problem with this is that it can be causing a big issue when it comes to many different costs that you may not consider- if you don’t pay attention to protecting that profit, you’re going to find that the market, bouncing back and forth as it does, eroding  margins, rising food cost, huge credit card fees, and growing utility rates really chip away at how much money your business is really making. Here are a few small changes that any restaurant manager can make to help offset many of the rising costs and turn a better profit in the end.

Make sure that you’re really working on the way that improving the way that your wait staff implements your product delivery. If you find that your servers end up tossing away product at the end of their shifts, rethink the way you do things. Portion control is the very essence of cutting food related loss- and it is important to note that in putting into practice less wasteful measures, not only are you cutting your cost, you’re probably also ensuring fresher, better tasting foods are served. Another area of loss in this area is automatically giving customers water glasses. Many people gasp at the suggestion, but how many times have you seen customers who order drinks actually drink the water they’re served? Conversely, those who do, are they ordering drinks? Make water a by request only affair.

Another area, if you have control over it- your menu. If it does not adequately reflect the current economic conditions, you need to change it. Make sure that the more profitable items on your menu are promoted and marketed well, these should be your upsellers, and your staff should be trained to do so.

One of the biggest mistakes a restaurant manager can make that will cause the most loss, however, doesn’t happen at the front of the house. This happens when ordering food from your vendors. Make sure that you are only ordering what you need for your menu- don’t over purchase anything, and certainly make sure that you’re not spending too much on a product where it doesn’t matter so much about the quality. A perfect example of something you would want to spend a little more on, steaks and other meats- where as, does it really matter if you have the top quality mashed potato mix?

On the whole, there are many small things just like this throughout your restaurant that you could be doing to decrease your costs and better promote a more profitable way of doing business. If you have a walk through your restaurant, you are sure to find areas of waste. Each and every one of these needs to be seen as a dollar out of your business’ pocket, and so, a dollar out of yours.

Filta Group is pleased to announce that it will be providing its environmental impact reduction service known as FiltaFry to two of the main venues of the 2010 Winter Olympics in the Vancouver area.

BC Place, the location of the Opening ceremonies, as well as GM Place will both be employing Filta’s micro-cooking oil filtration service known as FiltaFry. FiltaFry’s service focuses on purification and reduction of wasted cooking oil in commercial fryers. It allows venues such as BC Place and GM Place to drastically reduce their environmental impact due to disposal of used fryer oil while simultaneously improving the food quality in the venues.

Steven Hughes, the owner of the Vancouver FiltaFry franchise estimates that “FiltaFry will filter over 300,000 gallons of cooking oil during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics between the two venues. That is enough cooking oil to fill roughly half an olympic swimming pool.”

Mr. Hughes also provides the green service for GM Place and the Vancouver Canucks during the NHL season. When interviewed, Mr. Hughes was honored that he was able to do his part in making the 2010 Winter Olympics as environmentally responsible as possible. Mr. Hughes is not the only FiltaFry franchisee to reside on non-American soil. Come February 12th, Filta Group will have franchisee representatives in 27 countries rooting for their prospective national hero’s in their race for the Gold.

Filta’s success in 2009 leading up the Vancouver games has caused the unique company attract an ever increasing client roster of high profile venues like those of the Olympic Games, Mile High Stadium, and a list of other professional sports venues. Filta Group is poised to expand on its success in 2009 By offering even more eco-friendly services in 2010. With its soft launch of FiltaCool already a success, it aims on expanding its offerings to include FiltaBIO, and FiltaTAB. Similar to how the Olympics include a variety of sports with an overlying theme of competition and sportsmanship, Filta’s entire line of services all aim to achieve the same core accomplishments. Filta aims to help companies reduce their environmental impact while helping them become more efficient and profitable.

You’re well aware of how saving money with your cooking oil can be a bit of a balancing act with being able to make sure that you’re still putting out good tasting food, with each serving. However, you probably did not realize that maintaining the quality of that oil is a little bit more complicated than scraping down the sides, and closing up the fryer at night. There are actually a number of things that you can do to keep it frying better, longer, and tasting great, as well.

Firstly, don’t fill baskets over the fryer vat. You’d be surprised, but this actually causes deterioration by putting ice bits in your oil. There’s already a lot of moisture in everything that you cook, but if you’re filling your basket right there, you’re making it worse.  This is also highly beneficial in keeping food particulate out of your oil, which causes something known as polymerization. Fill your basket away from the vat, shake it a bit to get the particles falling away, and then put your food into the oil.
This will help you a great deal in keeping oil fresh and tasting better for a longer amount of time.

Another big problem with oil is that it oxidizes. Fast. In order to prevent this, you have to really be able to cut the amount of contact with air that the oil itself has- most people do this by making sure that the vat is covered when it isn’t being used, however, there is another way. Make sure that your oil is never exceeding three hundred and sixty degrees. Reduce the heat of the oil when you’re having slow business to about two hundred and eighty, and you’ll see less oxidation and longer lasting oil.

Keeping an effective maintenance system for your fryer is another big key- no matter what measures you take, you’re going to end up with food in your oil, it’s going to get air exposure. Keeping it filtered well and making sure that you’re addressing your filtration needs. If you serve a great deal of breaded foods, you’re going to have to be filtering a great deal more than if it is only being used for something like french fries.

Many people do not take into account the sheer volume of oil that you can save by simply having a great filter schedule in place. The more your filter your oil, the longer you can make it last, and this is a key thing to not only prolonging the life of the oil itself, but keeping you serving food that tastes, smells and looks great.

Another thing is keeping your staff on task about the cleaning of the fryer. If you change out the oil, make sure that fryer is deeply cleaned before it is filled back up. There are certain areas of the fryer where the particles tend to accumulate more, and unfortunately, these are frequently the most difficult to reach and get cleaned effectively- but it has to be done. Getting the soap residue off of your fryer can help, too, and this is one area where cost effectiveness is definitely easy to maintain. A simple solution of water and vinegar will remove any left over detergents or soaps you’ve got left behind.

A new marketing campaign to restaurants is being launched in Q1 2010.  The slogan “Want to see our Weapon of Mass Reduction” is being used for both direct mail and email.

I recently came across an interesting discussion in one of the social networking groups that I found quite intriguing, and downright enjoyable to read. It wasn’t about franchising. Nothing about social media. There was no mention of business. Money or finances weren’t a major part of the equation. And, surprisingly, just a few mentions about the poor economy.

The discussion was actually about the concept of dreams and goals. It was enlightening that there were over one hundred responses in a relatively short period of time. Definitely a considerable amount when compared to other discussions within the same group. Often, the responses were being posted one right after the other. It seemed like people wanted to talk about their dreams and goals, almost as if they had been prohibited from doing so before.

In light of the economic troubles surrounding us today, it seems the subject of dreams and goals has hibernated like bears for winter. During good times, dreams and goals are out in the open, shared by many. Actually bragged about by some, and the end results, often materialistic, flaunted by others. It’s ironic that we’re taught that in order to achieve a goal, a key element in doing so is to enlist the assistance of people that can help us achieve the goal. Yet, in the current economic climate, discussions about dreams and goals have subsided, and almost disappeared. It’s almost like we feel guilty to have such discussions at this time. Or, that we should just be thankful for what we have and dismiss our dreams and goals as frivolous. What about the dreams and goals that are not financially driven or rewarding? Why have they been put on the back burner? Well, to all of this, I say “enough is enough.” Yes, enough of the poor me attitudes. Enough of the pity parties. And, enough of the social “rubbernecking.” (Social rubbernecking is when people excitedly talk about other people’s miseries – i.e. neighbor lost his job, their house was foreclosed on, he was having an affair – it’s just like slowing down to look at the horrific car wreck!)

NOW is definitely the time to put all the negatives aside and re-ignite the passion behind our dreams. It’s the perfect time to pull out those lists of goals and remember why we wrote them down in the first place. Why they’re important. How they’re important to people close to us? And, how our lives would be positively affected upon achieving our goals and making our dreams come true. Certainly, it’s time to face the realization that it’s up to us to make our dreams and goals a reality. They’re ours. We own them. No one can take them from us. To paraphrase a quote I’ve seen many times (in many different forms) in discussions about success, “There are people that make things happen, some that watch things happen, and others that wonder what the hell happened?” Could you tell which group of people are most successful at achieving their goals and making their dreams come true?

May all your dreams and goals come true in 2010!

Do you know how to tell if your vegetable or cooking oil’s gone bad?
Been really pondering the vast mysteries of how to store and keep your restaurant’s oil, or even if it is advisable to do so?

Perhaps you have wondered just which oil is the most healthy for you to be cooking your food in. Well, wonder no more. Even if you never thought about these things, there are some interesting facts about just what that liquid gold in your fryer does, and how that impacts your business’ bottom line.

If you have worked in food service for quite some time, you are probably well aware of what happens to your cooking oil as it deteriorates. It starts to smell a little off, there are all these little bits of food in it, and it begins to sort of taint the foods you fry in it. Fries begin to smell and taste a little fishy, chicken starts to have a frylike taste, and so on and so forth. Everyone’s gotten the french fries with the odd bit of “something” in them. Have you ever thought about what’s really going on with the oil as it deteriorates and what you can do to slow that process?

Filtering out those little bits of particulate on a regular basis is a very good start, but there is more to it than that. The whole process begins with that first batch of food fried in new oil. It starts to darken from the very first few batches, and by around the tenth or so, it becomes more noticeable. This is due to both the food particles and the oil burning for a prolonged amount of time. The more it gets used, the slower it seems to pour, and cooking oil, much like the oil you use in your car will undergo changes in viscosity. This happens both due to the changes in its molecular structure and because as you use it, food particles begin to accumulate. When it does start making foods taste like one another, or it begins to smoke before it reaches full heat- it is just past time to throw it out.

The best methods for storage of cooking oils, if you are running routine maintenance on your fryer and the oil has not gone bad is to keep them anywhere that is cool and dark. One of the best methods of prolonging the life of cooking oil is actually to remove it from the fryer, place in the refrigeration unit when you close up the restaurant. This is not actually the most practical method, but if you’re looking to cut costs when it comes to storing your oil, it’s one way of doing that. This is because oils are actually pretty sensitive to heat and light and the longer they remain exposed to either, they deteriorate that much faster.

As to which oil is the most healthy, the honest answer is, there really isn’t one. You can, of course, go into all of the ramifications of which oils carry what fat composition, but when it all boils down- healthy is no more than 25 to 30 percent of calories of fat in everyone’s daily dietary intake. Period. Of course, there are “healthier” fats, but the bottom line is, in food service it is usually best to choose the oil that best suits your budget.

Shock redundancy hit former bindary technician Dean Martin (pictured above) when Norwich’s New Jarrold Printing closed in September 2006. However, turning lemons into lemonade, he used his new-found freedom to commit to a FiltaFry franchise.

“I was disappointed being made redundant, but I miss the people more than the work,” says Dean. “Working for myself is absolutely fantastic. The main benefit is being your own boss, choosing what hours you want to work and when. I just like being in control. I am dealing with the same customers on the same days each week and I like going out to look for more work to get more income. I’ve got a good rapport with the customers and I have got no one to answer to. It has turned out being made redundant was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

FiltaFry franchisees provide a cooking oil filtration service to restaurants and hotels. The national shortage of cooking oil and massive price increases mean that FiltaFry’s environmentally friendly service, which prolongs the life of cooking oil, is in high demand. “I have built the business up from basically nothing to working Monday to Friday, with around 30 clients,” says Dean. “I could get more if I wanted too, if I started earlier in the mornings or worked later at night. The major bonus of this business is that there is no competition or any other business coming close to what I do in East Anglia. There are no other businesses doing what I do in East Anglia.”

The Franchise Disclosure Document is an important aspect to a franchiser franchisee relationship. Franchisers are responsible for offering these to prospective franchisees, and as long as they are in writing- the format in which they are delivered does not really matter. You should recieve your FDD at least fourteen days before signing a franchise agreement, though many franchisers offer it much sooner so that you are able to fully look it over and ask questions about things you are unclear about.

The purpose of the twenty three page document is to give the prospective franchisee all of the information about the franchiser that they need in order to make a clear and informed decision. This is also a good document to share with your attorney before you sign, as an attorney familiar with franchise law can help you to not only better understand, but can help you to be sure everything that is supposed to be included is there.

There are currently fifteen states that have franchising laws requiring franchisers to give disclosure to all potential franchisees. These are called “offering circulars” and they are a very important aspect in informational exchange between the prospective franchisee and the franchiser. Of the fifteen, thirteen of these states view franchise sales much like the sales of securities- another investment. In those states, franchisers cannot offer or sell their franchise without first filing on public record and registering. There are two states that currently do not require filing, and you will want to make sure that you’re clear on which state laws apply to you and the potential franchise you are thinking about buying.

These laws were created to give prospective franchisees better legal rights- including the right to bring to court a lawsuit for violation of disclosure requirements and responsibilities. If you live in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, you have certain rights by law, and your state websites will offer more contact information on them. While not all states require filing of the FDD, all require that the franchise itself be registered as a business in that state.

Bear in mind- the disclosure documents are not the franchising agreement itself- the disclosure is just a way that the franchiser uses to keep the prospective franchisee informed as to many different aspects of their organization. While receiving and reviewing this information is vital, as is going over it with an attorney that understands franchise law, there is at this point still no obligation to the franchisee. This is also where you can begin your negotiations, and that is one of the many reasons that it is important that you are clear about each point in the disclosure, as it can better enable you to work with the franchiser to an outcome you can both be satisfied with. However, making sure that you understand all of the information that you have been given, and clarifying any that you don’t feel completely comfortable with is key before you get into the franchise agreement and before you sign.

With four more franchise owners joining the network, FiltaFry Plus is expanding strongly thanks to its cost saving, repeat business service

FiltaFry Plus has continued its impressive franchise network growth in 2009 with the latest class of franchise owners graduating from its initial franchise training programme. Four new franchise owners – Karl Williams (North Wales), Paul Manners (South coast), Zayad Ali (North London) David Cassells (ML and KY postcodes) – completed their induction in October and are now in the process of launching their businesses.

“I was attracted to the FiltaFry Plus opportunity because it offers a very good service with lots of potential customers and little competition,” says Karl. “The head office team made a very good impression and were very helpful while I was making my decision. I expect this business to be very successful and I’ll be very busy in the future earning a good living.”

Paul Manners highlights FiltaFry Plus’s national account work, which is provided to franchise owners by its head office sales team, as a major bonus. “The business is very strong with the additional national business,” he says. “It’s easy to share the passion that the head office team have for the FiltaFry business. What’s more, there’s no other service like this in my area!”

The potential for building a substantial business was a key factor in bringing Zayad on board. His ambition is to grow his FiltaFry Plus franchise to encompass a fleet of vans. “I’ll be hands-on in the business for the first six months,” he reports. “Once I’ve brought in enough business I’ll recruit employees to provide the service so that I can focus my time on promoting the business in my territory.”

The FiltaFry business model has been established for 14 years and has seen constant improvement by its franchisor team. “We provide a proven service that generates weekly repeat business for franchise owners and cost savings for customers,” says Franchise Manager Damian Slater. “For instance, the introduction in our vans of a 300 litre waste oil collection tank has provided an additional income stream for franchise owners through selling the oil on to biodiesel producers. The newer, more versatile vans can stock fresh cooking oil and other kitchen hygiene products to generate additional sales to existing customers.”

FiltaFry is seeking to grant the remaining 12 territories is has available in the UK over the next year, but there are opportunities to purchase existing businesses in the network. “We’re looking to bring in 15 more individuals over the next 12 months,” Damian reveals. “Just as with our latest class of franchise owners, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive initial training programme, followed up with a full week of business support and an eight week business development plan which we will help you to follow, monitor and review.”
 

Reported by Stuart Anderson

A franchise agreement is the most important document that you will find in becoming a franchisee, without it- you aren’t quite there, yet. This is the first step in forging a very solid relationship with the franchiser, and it is legally binding to both parties. This will be what fleshes out the obligations, responsibilities and rights of both franchiser and franchisee. It is typically a great deal more fluid and adaptable than the Franchise Disclosure Document, as it does contain aspects that are geared to meet the needs of both the franchisee and the franchiser. It also differs quite a bit than typical business licensing- and this is something to note, if you are given a “license” as opposed to a “franchise agreement” it is probably best that you make sure that your lawyer looks it over as this is a common scam.

Often, there is a version of this, or a sample agreement that will come with the disclosure statement, but you will have the franchise agreement at least five days before you are due to sign. Making sure that you discuss the contract first with a franchise law attorney, and if you have any questions or concerns address them before you sign. If you have gone over the franchise agreement with your attorney and you both feel that there are certain provisions that need changed, or you have further concerns, it is always best to speak to the franchiser directly to make sure that you are getting exactly what you want out of your franchise agreement and are proceeding forward with confidence in your decision.

Franchise agreements have provisions and will go into great detail the responsibilities of the franchiser to you- but also, it will fully outline what your own responsibilities as a new franchisee will be and what sort of training, support or direction the franchiser will offer and provide. This also will usually explain any fees pertaining to that, and other aspects of the franchise, as well as what territories you may have and if they are exclusive to you.

Another thing you will find in your franchise agreement will be any renewal rights or responsibilities, how long the franchise agreement will be good for and any royalties or service fees you’ll have to pay. This will also go into tax concerns, transfer or sale of the franchise, advertising and marketing issues, termination, disputes and operating practices, as well as any attorney fees associated with the agreement. Often, there will be other parts of the agreement that will go into the details concerning upkeep, maintenance of property and an operations guide as well.

Generally speaking there is not a common form, there’s no standard or template way that the franchise agreement will be laid out, though- this is because most of the terms, methods of operation and conditions are different from franchise to franchise. Bear in mind, though your franchise agreement may only be for a set term- this is something you want to be long term, and you will likely renew, so be sure that you have everything in order before you sign.

Many experienced and seasoned restaurant owners have had to deal with the consequences of a poor hiring choice at some point or another. Whether it was just a busy time of year and management didn’t filter through the applicants well enough, or possibly it was the management that was the bad choice- everyone’s been there. Usually, restaurant management handles the hiring and training but sometimes, a bad choice slips through the cracks. Avoiding a number of common hiring mistakes can cut your losses, actually. A poor choice in employees often results in loss of time, wages, advertising, and occasionally and employee lawsuit, so this is something to consider very deeply and take seriously.

Before you begin to even advertise for the position, sit down and really outline everything that you are looking for. Begin first with the positions you need filled, and the qualifications needed to fill them. When you do advertise the position, be exact in what you are looking for- this will save you a great deal of time and money, and prevent any mistakes in someone perhaps applying for a job that they are not qualified to handle. Ensure that the place that you plan to interview is casual, that it does not set the person at ill ease or make them feel uncomfortable- something which may make nerves worse and cause you to miss out on a potentially great employee based on a case of nerves.

The biggest problem usually comes in relying too heavily on references. More often than not you do not get a balanced opinion from these, even if it is a former supervisor. The best thing to do is to balance the references with the impressions that you get of the potential employee during the interview process, and go from there, rather than leaning too heavily on the references alone. Interviewing very carefully, perhaps conferring with an assistant manager or even your staff trainer may help. Often, having someone else there for the interview not only further puts the prospective employee at ease, but it can help to pool your opinions and impressions and make a much more informed choice.

Lastly- one of the best way to make sure that you hire on good employees, is to be a good employer. Reputation is everything in the restaurant business and people do tend to desire working for a much more highly spoken of business. It has been shown that the more desirable the position is within the restaurant, the better quality of applicants you will receive, and in that, you’ll find much better employees and less turn over rates. One of the biggest issues in the food service industry is it is typically a higher turn over- due in part to younger people accepting the positions but also, because often, employers are not doing the best they can to retain these employees. Things like promoting from within and you will  find that you are not only more able to hire better employees, but keep them working for you for a long time and reduce the need to hire quite as often.

If you have been in restaurant management for any time at all, you understand the maxim, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time,” better than many.  No matter how diligent you are, no matter how well trained your staff is, no matter what precautions are taken, at some point you will have to deal with an upset customer.  However, if handled correctly, even the most irate customer can become a net-positive for your restaurant.
Establishing Protocol
As a first line of defense against upset customers, you must ensure that your staff is properly trained on how to handle an angry or dissatisfied customer.  If a customer has a problem with their food or with the service, your waiters will be the first to hear about it.  It is crucial that they are well aware of the proper way of handling an upset customer and of relaying information to you.
Since there is little your waiters can do to actually remedy a potentially volatile situation, it is most important that they all be skilled in the fine art of listening and communicating effectively.  Regardless of the customers demeanor, your staff should never be anything but 100% calm and courteous.  Those who display an inability to keep a cool head should probably not be in a position to actively deal with customers.
You staff must understand the importance of listening and being able to repeat a customer’s complaint back to them – this shows the customer that their complaint is understood and is important.  This also ensures that the staff member will be able to accurately relay the concern to you, so that you don’t have to escalate the situation by having to ask the customer to repeat him or herself.  Your staff should also remain apologetic about any misunderstanding, shortcoming or other perceived error.  Sometimes a simple apology from the server can diffuse the situation without your involvement.
When to Step In

Of course, in those instances when an apology isn’t enough, you, as acting manager, must step in to handle the situation.  Remember that all of the standards you hold your staff to in dealing with an irate customer also apply to yourself.  Again, in many cases an apology from management (with the promise of looking into the causal circumstances) can succeed in smoothing things over where an apology from the server was insufficient.  Also, if you are aware of a situation with a customer arising, be alert so that you can step in if your server begins to show signs of losing his or her calm.

Taking Action

When an apology and promise to address the underlying issue are not enough, then it is time to act directly.  Before implementing a solution, it is important that you express to the customer exactly what you propose to do and to ensure that the customer’s needs regarding the conflict are resolved by the proposed action.  However, this only applies to direct action to address a physical problem, such as a food preparation issue or cleanliness issue.

If the problem is with a staff member, then do not, under any circumstances, express how you plan to deal with that staff member.  Doing this can set you up for much greater trouble than just an annoyed customer.  Instead, simply repeat the issue back to indicate that you understand what has happened with your staff member and then assure that you will take action (without specifying what that action might be).  After addressing the issue, be sure to thank your customer for understanding and for their business.

Bad Oil means Bad Food… and that’s Bad for Your Business.

…..Filta can help.

When thinking about going into business, one of the first things an investor has to decide is whether to go into business completely independently, or whether to become a franchisee. Independent ownership allows the owner a greater degree of creative input and oversight of the business. Franchise ownership, however, offers a number of benefits that help to improve the new owner’s chances of successful business ownership.

Brand Loyalty

Brand recognition and loyalty is probably one of the most significant beneficial factors that favor franchise owners. When a new franchise opens, it does so with a certain level of recognition and acceptance. An independent owner would have to work very hard for a number of years to establish the same acceptance within a community that a franchise starts out with. People know franchise names, are aware of their products and services, and are often dedicated to using only those brands that they recognize and trust. This brand loyalty helps to ensure the initial and ongoing success of franchisees.

Marketing

This brand recognition and loyalty is only partially generated by positive customer experience at other franchises of the same brand. Though previous experience definitely does play a role, the biggest contributing factor to brand recognition is marketing. Most franchisors are able to market their brand on a scale that dwarfs anything possible in independent ownership.

Franchisors simply have more marketing funding and resources. By virtue of their size and financial resources, franchisors are able to conduct market research, create more effective ads and advertise across a broader spectrum. The saturation of a media with a brand name creates brand recognition and encourages an ever-growing customer base for franchise owners.

Multi-Level Support

Franchisees also have the benefit of several levels of support within their franchising organization. Most notably, franchisee have the immediate support of the franchisor during the start-up stage of their business. This helps to ensure that the owner has solid business experience and strategy guiding the selection of location, raising community awareness and all other aspects of starting the business. The franchisee most likely receives training from the franchisor, as well, which improves the franchisee’s chances of success.

Where franchisor support ends, the franchisee is able to draw upon the accumulated knowledge of his or her network of peers. This network includes all franchise owners who have been in business longer and have more experience. These peers can help guide the new franchise owner through almost any obstacle. Even if the franchisee is a new first-time business owner, he or she will have years of practical experience in the field to draw from.

Between the guidance of the franchisor and the peer network, there is very little that the new owner can encounter that has not already been worked through and solved beforehand. This helps to reduce the risk of making costly, and potentially disastrous mistakes. Of course, this support can only stave off failure if the new franchisee has the wherewithal to make use of it. Nevertheless, the support is there for the taking and provides a distinct advantage over independent ownership.

Another satisfied Filta customer using the FiltaFry service.

Ryan Johnson stood in front of the camera in North Carolina.  Here’s what he had to say.

More than half of small businesses never last through the first five years of business. This is an incredible number, even more so when you stop to think that most of these businesses represent a huge investment of capital. For many, failure means walking away with nothing, having lost everything.

However, of that 50% that fail, it is worth noting that franchises have a much lower rate of failure than independent businesses. The reasons for this disparagement in the numbers are several, but it is undeniable that franchisor support plays a major role. The support offered to new franchisees give new franchises an edge in the market.

The Mutual Benefit of Support

. Effective franchisor support helps both the franchisee and the franchisor. For a franchising organization to do well, it must ensure the success and profitability of as many of its franchises as possible. Franchise success brings in revenue for the franchisor, and makes the franchise brand more attractive to future investors.

Means of Support

Franchisors offer direct support of their franchisees in a number of ways. The most visible means of support lies in the area of marketing. Franchisors run large scale marketing campaigns on behalf of their franchisees to maximize their ability to reach customers. Franchisors also often assist franchisees with developing local marketing strategies and tactics.

Many franchisors also offer a greater degree of support during the initial stages of franchise start-up. Many are very active in the critical aspects of start-up such as site selection. Again, this is because it is mutually beneficial to ensure that the new franchise starts out on the best footing.

A number of franchising organizations offer support in the form to training, and training assistance. Franchisors will train new franchisees in-depth regarding franchise management and even in general business tactics, to help them succeed. Most franchisors will also provide training material to assist in training staff members to meet brand standards.

Indirect Support

Not all franchise support comes directly from the franchisor, though the franchisor may act to facilitate and encourage it. Peer support also plays a major role in the success of new franchises. As a franchising organization become better established, the scope of peer support greatly increases.

A franchisee’s peer network consists of all other franchisees operating under the same franchising organization. Again, the older and more established the brand is, the greater the support. For a franchising organization that has been around for many years there are an increasing number of franchise owners who have been in the business for years and who know the ins-and-outs of running an individual franchise even better than those at the brand’s corporate office do. These owners have experiential knowledge, where those employed directly by the brand may not.

It is this great wealth of experientially derived practical knowledge that makes the peer network invaluable. There are very few problems that a new owner will encounter that have not already been dealt with by his or her peers. It is in these times that turning toward peers for guidance can provide a practical solution based on proven strategy. Being able to draw on the experience of peers gives the new franchisee a significant edge.

Franchising has become a marked institution in the United States and, indeed, across the globe. The number of franchising organizations continues to steadily increase as does the percentage of businesses operating under franchising agreements as opposed to independent ownership. This shouldn’t come as any surprise when one considers the decided advantages that franchisees have over independent owners, especially during those risky first 5 years of trying to establish a new business within any community.

One of the most noticeable differences between the independent business and the franchise lies in the area of marketing. There are several marketing factors that contribute to providing an overall edge for the franchise owner. In fact, the aspect of marketing is what provides what is perhaps the single greatest benefit of franchise ownership: brand recognition.

It may seem to almost go without saying, but it does bear consideration – the independent business owner simply cannot ever hope to market on the level that franchising organizations market their franchises. It’s a simple matter of resources and practicality.

Franchisors make their money via royalties and franchising fees collected from their numerous franchisees. To increase their profits, they need to a) insure that every one of their franchises has the best chance of profiting at its greatest capacity and b) that they are bringing in a steady stream of new franchisees. The franchisor cannot hope to accomplish the latter without having accomplished the former. The brand is only appealing to new investors if the existing franchises, on the whole, are doing well.

In order to insure that the individual franchises are doing well, the franchisor has to market broadly and market aggressively. When we say broadly, we do not mean necessarily in the scope of demographic appeal (in fact, many of the more successful brands have become so by narrowing their target demographics significantly). What we mean by broadly is that they market through every available media, be it television, radio, newsprint, magazines, billboards, etc.

Off hand, you can probably think of two dozen advertisements you have seen just today that were representing major franchised brands. These multi-million dollar blitzkrieg campaigns are well beyond the scope of any independent business owner. In truth, such far reaching marketing campaigns would be of little benefit to the independent owner who relies predominately on local business.

However, the massive marketing campaigns of franchisors provide two major benefits to their franchisees. The first being, obviously, that these advertisements are more thoroughly researched and tested to appeal to the target demographics. Consumers want to be dazzled and they tend to be more influenced by ads that pull out all the stops, bells and whistles. The independent owner just can’t hope to gain the celebrity endorsements and high dollar budgeting for such ads.

The ability of franchisors to market broadly and effectively provides the second benefit to franchisees – brand recognition. This benefits the franchisee because they are able to start their business with an already established and accepting customer base. The franchisee also benefits from being able to bring in customers who may not be local, but who, when passing through an area are more likely to visit an establishment with a name they recognize and trust instead of using the goods and services of an unknown independent merchant.

One of the biggest concerns seen in new franchisees is employees. Many people are intimidated by medium to larger franchises because of this- everything from dealing with payroll to just handling employee conflicts can seem very intimidating to the first time potential business owner. However, it does not have to be this way and there are a number of ways that you can make sure that things go much more smoothly. Bear in mind, also that as you expand and grow- regardless of how small your franchise begins, you may end up wanting to hire on new employees and as your experience with the franchise also grows, you may feel more comfortable with this aspect.

You can begin this by making sure prior to signing a franchise agreement that you feel comfortable with the number of employees you may have to hire. As you do your research on various companies, check into the way they prefer to do business and see if they seem like they may need a large number of employees- if you don’t feel comfortable with that, move on to another. Pare down your options until you have a number that feels workable to you. Often, you can speak to existing franchisees, or visit their locations to see if this is something you feel like you can do. Talking to existing franchisees will also give you a greater insight into how trends worked, and how they began- you never know, you may just find a franchisee that felt just like you do, starting out, but changed their minds as time went on.

Another way to mitigate this area is to look into franchises that require a higher level of skill or training- the higher level of skill, the less headache you may have later on. Typically, employees that are paid higher than minimum wage are less numerous, and those that have the skills needed to draw a higher wage easier to filter through the hiring process and more stable. This is usually due to the number of years they have invested in time and training to learn their particular trades. Often, if you do go into a franchise that requires education and skill, you will find that the hiring pool may be narrower, but you are able to move through the process a little more quickly.

Once you do have a reliable team on board, another thing to consider is the cost and impact of hiring within- this is a great way to reward loyal and hardworking employees, and not deal with the hassle of hiring outside help when promoting. If you feel you have a position that requires a higher level of skill, it is often highly worth it for a number of reasons to hire on someone that you already have on staff, rather than bringing in someone new. These are just a few of the ways that you can work with employee staffing for a franchise- or put yourself into a position where you may not have to deal with some of the more common problems there.

If you are thinking about opening a restaurant, chances are good that you are very passionate about food- and this is the key element to being a success. However, there are a few other things that can enable you to get off on the right foot.

The very first thing to think about is your business plan- you have to be able to do the numbers down to the cent. Making sure that your food is costed appropriately, that you know how much you will need to ensure a profit versus cost and breaking it down into the projected amount of customers that you anticipate having. Generally speaking, planning for a variety of scenarios and outcomes is the best way to ensure that your business plan covers everything that it should. Be prepared for anything, and document that, as well as the numbers associated with it.

Many new restaurant owners find it to be extremely beneficial to hire on a consultant the first year or so of new restaurant ownership. This not only enables you to better find your target market but also, help you to better refine your marketing plans, work out cost verses profit, and generally ensures a much smoother start up. Some owners also bring on the consultant to reassess their business throughout the course of the business life, in order to make sure that they remain on track and profitable.

Initially, also, bearing in mind a flexible menu will help. Being adaptable and noting trends that begin to emerge during the first year will enable you to better refine your menu according to the needs of your customers. Most people who are regulars at any given restaurant are because they know that they can find the consistent quality of service, but also, the foods they enjoy most prepared the way they want each and every time- and you find out what those are through careful attention to the trends as they develop. Also consider your suppliers- there are several benefits to buying your produce locally. First of all, there is a better quality of freshness and usually it is more cost effective, but also there is a marketing angle to buying locally- supporting your local economy and agriculture is a recent trend that many have cashed in on. There are many of these small tweaks to your marketing and business plan that will pay off in big ways, so they are certainly worth considering right from the outset and before you open your doors.

Consider also your training methods and map those out ahead of time. The different responsibilities and aspects of running your restaurant and whom will be handling what are key factors and being able to start up and get running smoothly may depend on how well your staff are trained. Having all of these things set in motion before you begin the business of opening yours will enable you to have everything moving forward more efficiently and get your restaurant turning a much better profit, much faster.

You know that you need to have a stable marketing plan in place when it comes to the success of your business. There are a variety of ways that restaurant owners promote themselves- from coupons, discounts, family and theme nights to other means, it is vital that marketing is seen as an important facet of your business. There are different terms in restaurant marketing, that do not appear in other businesses. The lingo is quite different and there are many differences between marketing another type of business as opposed to a restaurant.

The first term we will look at is “bounceback coupon”- you have probably already seen this and never really realized what it was. When a customer leaves the restaurant and is given a coupon, or sometimes with their check receipt- this is a bounceback coupon. This usually offers discount on a subsequent visit, or free items if the customer returns. These are usually very effective for newer restaurants looking to build a stable and reliable customer base.

Another marketing tactic that is not so much exclusive to restaurants but is really showing signs of potential is a mobile marketing strategy- the use of mobile coupons. These are sent to a mobile device or cell phone, and usually do not have to be printed out. Showing the coupon to the server when ordering, or when arriving at the restaurant, the server takes the appropriate amount off the bill. This is particularly effective as it brings convenience and a sort of instant gratification factor. Going on that trend, another thing that many restaurants now employ is the use of websites. Either offering the convenience of online ordering, or just promoting their menu and promotions, websites are a powerful marketing tool for restaurants.

One more facet of restaurant marketing that can be a little different from regular business is in consulting and analysis. Restaurant consulting when you apply it to food service marketing is allowing an outside company to work on the marketing and advertising. This is usually done very in depth, everything from customer thoughts on food and service to the sorts of foods and pricing is taken into account. Often, these consultants will make use of focus groups to gather opinions and will likely go through trends to find what has worked in the past. In analysis, they will go into not only the restaurant itself, but its competitors and more to discover the very best ways to market that particular restaurant and improvements that may be needed.

Marketing for restaurants has many areas that sort of mirror other businesses, however, there are vast differences that need to be taken into account. Once those factors are in place and a restaurant owner has a pretty good idea of the best ways to promote his or her business, marketing usually is reassessed on a quarterly or sometimes bi annual basis to make sure that it continues to work out for the restaurant itself.

Anyone in business knows that for the past few years, the economy has been seeming to grow more and more unsure- and that can make many people feel a bit leery of investing, or starting up a new business. In tandem with these stories, there are also signs that point to franchising still going strong and in some cases, really becoming more profitable. In recent years, that International Franchise Association, or the IFA has actually reported some surprising trends in growth and profit amongst franchisees, and there may be some good reasons for this. However, one thing is very sure, across the board- in a down economy, franchising is probably a more stable investment than an independent business.

There have been a few reasons that some people believe that franchising may be booming where other businesses are finding it either hard to stay open, or closing their doors all together. For one thing, franchises really cross a wide terrain of financial income levels for start up. From a small home based business franchise which may only take a couple of hundred dollars to start up, to a mega million dollar earner like McDonald’s, there is a franchise out there with a start up that most people can afford. In addition to that, there is a franchise out there for every interest or passion. Not only that, most of these bring about their own training and start up can generally be very quick, making it a much faster road to seeing a profit than other investments. Sometimes, because franchising is based on brand recognition it is easier to obtain start up financing- often this is because the banks and lenders already have a relationship with the franchiser, but sometimes it is based on name.

Also, another benefit of franchising is, it’s pretty easy to take a look around and see if you could be successful in a chosen business venture. Through different research methods, or even just talking to other franchisees- projections on profits and the like are easier to obtain. This makes franchising a more stable option as it is less risky- knowing that you are investing in something that is already successful versus hoping for that success makes it a much less intimidating investment. Many people want to strike out on their own and they want to become self employed- but it’s rightfully so, an intimidating thing- with franchising, there is that knowledge of a proven system of business, coupled with a parent company and other franchisees. The template is already there, so to speak and that often makes people feel much more at ease with franchising, and it can help a great deal. It doesn’t hurt that with most franchises, the business, down to the buildings in some cases- is usually up, running and already turning a profit in the start up days.

Franchising tends to hold its own in a down economy because it does afford a certain level of stability that independent business can’t- it’s not all that different from investing in independent business, the same hard work is needed, however, franchising offers a bit more support and guidance.

You will definitely have to think about how you will finance your franchise, before you even sign anything- more often than not, it’s much better to already have a good handle on your credit and finances before you even begin. You have to be fairly financially prepared, franchises, like any business, are investments and should be looked at in that light. Being very sure of your income, your savings and other assets before you go into it, is key because lenders usually want to know everything. If you are going through some rougher times, understand that lenders may be a bit more tight with the money than they would be, were things more fluid. Also know that no lender will grant you a 100% loan- you’ll need to have some capital built up and lenders want to see you investing some of your own money, as well as a strong business plan.

If you have come to a place financially where you feel that the investment is a sound one that you can manage, then you will need your finance information in order. Put together a folder of all of your tax returns, debts, account balances and other financially pertinent information. Lenders can obtain most things through your credit report, however, not all, and it is still best to be forthcoming. Also bear in mind the sort of franchise that you are looking to invest in, as well as its implications on the lender- more often than not, a bank will be more keen to invest in a better established franchise.

Many franchisors have begin to offer some kind of financing, but this can vary, in both being an alternative to other lenders and in the amount they may offer you. Be aware that this does not always mean that it will be easier to obtain financing or that you’ll have less to worry about with your credit history and other factors. Often times, franchisers are just as stringent about the details as banks are- after all, they do run businesses themselves and they want to ensure their own investments are sound. If you find that you are struggling a little for funding, there are a few options out there, though, there are programs for certain groups of people, and you may be able to obtain the needed loans from friends or family.

However, before you invest in a franchise, you should think about a few things. For instance, consider if you can personally afford to lose the money if the investment goes south, or if you have enough money to support yourself as you go into start up. Also, consider how much you can personally invest and go from there. Finding funding for a franchise should not be looked at differently from any other business, but, there are some benefits, and you should ask the franchiser what options they have seen work out best. More often than not, the biggest benefit is again, having a brand name behind you that already has a stable and profitable business plan that the bank can depend upon.

Deciding to go into business is a major decision and not one to be made lightly.  Starting a business is a daunting task even for the seasoned entrepreneur.  For the first time owner it can be downright overwhelming.  However, it can also be richly rewarding.

Business ownership is a major commitment of money, energy and time.  Many first time owners take the risk and invest much of their life savings into the chance of business ownership.  When making that big of a commitment, it is important to set yourself out on the best footing with the greatest chance of success.

Franchising offers the greatest degree of benefit for both the first time owner and the experienced business investor.  Aligning yourself with a successful franchisor takes much of the guesswork out of business start-up and ownership.  There are also many other benefits to franchise ownership and these many benefits are what have seen franchising become an increasingly large institution in the U.S. and across the world.

One of the biggest benefits inherent in franchising is brand recognition.  An independent business owner, starting a business from scratch, has a tough road ahead in gaining acceptance and establishing a rapport with the business’s target demographics.  The franchise owner, on the other hand, starts his or her business with a pre-established degree of acceptance and a customer base that is already aware of and eager to purchase the business’s goods or services.

Almost half of small businesses fail within the first five years of operation.  The bulk of these floundering businesses are those that operate independently.  The independent business owner simply has a much more difficult time establishing his or her business than the franchisee does.  Franchising takes much of the worry and work of building the business’s name and reputation out of those difficult first few years.

Franchising also offers benefits to franchise owners in the area of marketing.  A business cannot hope to succeed on word of mouth alone.  Every businessman understands the need to market aggressively and expansively.  However, the independent business owner is limited in his or her resources for marketing and in the outlets available for marketing.  Running a national marketing campaign is not only unrealistic for the independent owner, it simply wouldn’t be beneficial for supporting a single location.

For franchisors, though, large scale marketing is not only realistic, but it is almost necessary for success.  For the brand to succeed, as many franchisees as possible must succeed.  Large franchising organizations are able to promote their franchises in ways that the independent owner could never hope to do.  Franchisees, then, benefit from massive multi-media ad campaigns, designed to reach the greatest number of potential customers for all franchisees and equally benefiting all franchises.

By entering into a franchising agreement with a reputable franchisor, the business investor puts him or herself into a much better position to succeed from the onset.  The franchisee, of course, sacrifices a degree of freedom and input into his or her business in exchange.  However, for most, what is given up is very slight in comparison to what is gained by buying into a respectable brand.

FiltaFry Plus has perhaps been associated with being a more male oriented business model in past years. However, this year has seen two more women franchisees join the successful and ever growing network in the UK.

In April FiltaFry Plus welcomed aboard Karen Herbert from Bridgend who has taken over the CF postcodes and Deborah Bixter from Rugby who has taken over the CV postcodes. Both Karen and Deborah had some reservations at first as to whether they would be physically strong enough to move the highly specialised equipment around with ease but soon realised that this is down to technique and not brute strength. They have both settled well into the network and are developing their businesses in line with their original goals.

Karen intends to grow her business within the year to enable her partner Ian to give up his full time job and join her to operate a second shift thus maximising the potential of the existing equipment and resources. Since taking on the Franchise Deborah has won customers such as the Ricoh Arena, home to Coventry City FC, the local Ikea store and Warwick University. She is eventually looking for a management role by having a number of operatives working for her in the CV postcode, which she will develop over a threeyear period.

“From the outset I could see the benefits of the FiltaFry Service due to massive price increases of cooking oil and the savings that catering establishments make using FiltaFry Plus,” Deborah reflects. “Due to the economic climate this made it an easy decision for me when choosing the franchise opportunity. My previous career was in customer services and I understand that it is all about being able to offer a high level of service and going that extra mile for your customers.”

Prior to taking on the FiltaFry Plus Franchise, Karen had taken some years out from care work to bring up her daughter. She was finding it increasingly difficult to work her hours around school times, which eventually lead her to FiltaFry Plus. “FiltaFry Plus is a franchise, which does not need to be nine to five and the hours that you arrange your jobs for can be fitted in and around your family life,” says Karen.  “You can always find different customers for any hour of the day or night which will also be good once Ian comes on board to operate the second shift.

 “Something I also like about the concept is that it is repeat business week in week out and once you have 35-40 customers you have a full van for a one shift operation and with relatively low overheads this means I have great earnings potential. My experience with FiltaFry Plus so far has been everything and more than I expected to receive, particularly in the early days with support from the Head Office team who have helped me get clients such as Cardiff Airport, Moto motorway services and Bosch among many others.”