THE
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F F R A N C H I S E B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S | 2019 ISSUE 3
The Schmidts
Step Into the
Franchisee Spotlight
PAGE 10
The Schmidts
Step Into the
Franchisee Spotlight
PAGE 10
Guest Engagement:
Set the Scene for a Great
Experience With the Right
People and Training
PAGE 16
From all of us at McLane Foodservice, Inc,
to the BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchisees,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP!
©2018 McLane Company, Inc.
All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2019 Issue 3
FBS Board of Directors
Wray Hutchinson
Chairman
Mark Jones
Vice Chairman
Jenny Beaudoin
Director
James Bitzonis
Director
Brian Carmody
Director
Steve Grube
Director
Roz Mallet
Director
Larry Podlager
Director
Bobby Pancake
Director
Christy Williams
Executive Director
FBS Editorial Board
Jessica Loeding
Editor-in-Chief
jessical@myfbsonline.org
Sean Ireland
Managing Editor
seani@myfbsonline.org
Rachel Jackson
Associate Editor
rachelj@myfbsonline.org
Advertising Sales
Jeff Reynolds
Director of Business Partner Relations
jeffr@myfbsonline.org
678-797-5163
Montserrat Almaraz
Sales & Development Manager
montserrata@myfbsonline.org
678-439-2284
Design and Layout
Kristen Thomas
KT Graphic Design
ktgraphicdesign@gmail.com
Headquarters
1701 Barrett Lakes Blvd. NW
Suite 180
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: 678-797-5161
Fax: 678-797-5171
Franchise Business Services publishes The
SCORE. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, of
the contents of this publication is prohibited
without prior written consent of Franchise
Business Services. All Rights Reserved.
In keeping with our commitment to the
environment, this publication is printed
on certified, environmentally-friendly recycled
paper using eco-friendly inks.
Copyright© 2019
Printed in the U.S.A.
www.myfbsonline.org
ON THE COVER
For AZ Wings Management, the journey
to becoming a family-owned Buffalo Wild
Wings® franchise group began as all great
BWW® stories do: sports. Learn more
about how the Schmidts discovered the
brand and their plans for the future. See
more on page 10.
COLUMNS
2
Chairman’s Column
DEPARTMENTS
4
FBS Member News
9
Recognitions
9
Event Calendar
10 Franchisee Spotlight
FEATURES
11 Spotlight on the 116th Congress: Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ)
14 Meet Your New FBS Commercial Lines Insurance Team
16 Guest Engagement: Set the Scene for a Great Experience With the Right
People and Training
by Sean Ireland, FBS associate director of communications
18 Detecting and Preventing Payroll Fraud
by Stacy Smith, Mize Houser & Company P.A.
20 Is Lack of I-9 Compliance a Threat to Your Franchise?
Here’s What You Should be Doing
by Douglas Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson, LLP
22 The Main Ingredient of Leadership and How to Get More of It
by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co.
24 Seven Ways to Make Your Customers Feel VALUED
by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc.
26 Decisions, Decisions! Just Make One Already!
by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®
DIRECTORIES
12 Associate Member Listing
28 Advertisers Guide and Editorial Calendar
2019 Issue 3 | THESCORE
In just a few seconds of game action,
we may see a quarterback complete a
pass 20 yards down feld to a wide-open
receiver. It happens in a fash, but it’s not
as easy as they make it look. While we
focused on the ball, there were many other
things happening, and each player had to
execute their part for the play to work.
Each of the linemen blocked their assign-
ment. Each receiver ran a precise route
designed to get open or draw the defense.
A running back faked a handof and then
stepped up to block a blitzing defender.
Te quarterback made a split-second
decision on where to throw.
It all happened so quickly, it’s easy to
forget that for each minute we see a player
on the feld during the game, there are
countless unseen hours spent getting ready
for that moment. Players train on the
fundamentals of their positions at practices
several days a week, work out every day
in the weight room and study the team’s
playbook for hours in and out of meet-
ings. Without this time spent working of
the feld, there’s no way a team could be
successful on it.
Just like a well-prepared team during
a game, our restaurant team should
make guest engagement in our B-Dubs®
restaurants look efortless.
It starts with selecting the right
people for our teams. Just as coaches pick
players to ft their team’s ofensive style,
our restaurant leaders must hire people
who will make serving our guests their top
priority. Once in place, we must train our
team members on the fundamentals of
their positions so that each does their part
to make every customer’s experience the
best it can be.
Te preparations we make of the feld
should optimize our performance at game
time. When everyone carries out their role,
we’ll all be winners.
Tis issue of Te SCORE looks at
how some Bufalo Wild Wings franchisees
ensure that the guest experience in their
restaurants is the best it can be. You’ll fnd
that putting together a winning football
team and a winning restaurant team are
a lot alike. Read on to learn more about
fundamental best practices you can use to
make sure your restaurants have their best
seasons ever.
When it comes to ensuring you feld
the best team at each of your locations,
Franchise Business Services is here to
help. Among the member benefts you
receive are assistance in locating, hiring
and retaining top talent that understands
the importance of the guest experience.
Reach out to FBS today to fnd out
how our partner services can assist your
organization.
You will also fnd our annual FBS
Summit provides access to information
valuable to operating your business and
introduces you to vendor partners eager to
help you succeed. Te 2020 FBS Summit
will be returning to Las Vegas, May 6-8.
Tough that may seem far of, it won’t be
long until we meet again to network with
fellow franchisees and share best practices
that will make all our teams the best they
can be.
Wray Hutchinson
hen you and I watch a football
game, whether at the stadium or
on a giant flat-screen TV from the
comfort of one of our Buffalo Wild Wings®
restaurants, we see only the result of each
team’s preparation and training.
From the Chairman
I N S U R A N C E S O L U T I O N S F O R Y O U R B U S I N E S S
G R O W T H
Offering our unique health benefits program attracts and retains
top-talent, and our property and casualty program builds a solid
foundation for your current structure and future expansion.
F O C U S
Our services are laser-focused on your insurance coverages and
managing your risk through our tailored programs and dedicated
customer service.
V I S I O N
Your vision…is ours too. Because of our franchise industry specialty,
we provide you with the most comprehensive coverages available on
the market so you are protected in any direction you look to drive your
business success.
T R U S T
Utilizing the largest provider network in the country, Blue Cross Blue
Shield, for our health benefits program, and serving as co-broker for
property and casualty with Lockton Affinity, a subsidiary of Lockton
Companies, Inc., the world’s largest privately owned insurance
brokerage firm, Elevanta is an experienced insurance resource you
can trust.
Health: Zack Johnson I 678.540.6214 I zackj@elevanta.com
P&C: Stephanie Phillips I 678.540.6206 I stephaniep@elevanta.com
E L E V A N TA . C O M
elevantahealth.com/fbs
2019 Issue 3 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
his year, when a new athletic department was created at Park
University in Gilbert, Arizona, AZ Wings Management
Inc. turned one simple fundraiser into a loyal partnership that
has grown quickly over the past few months. After meeting
the university president at an event, franchisees Bill and Gayle
Schmidt decided to sponsor the university’s brand-new athletic
department.
Park University is a small school with just 300 students,
almost all of them athletes. Te campus is located a mile away
from the Gilbert Bufalo Wild Wings®, providing the perfect
location for students to hang out before and after games or
practice. Over the past several months, the restaurant has held
many events for the players.
Te Gilbert BWW® frst hosted a back-to-school party on
the patio for the Park athletes, and about 200 students came out
to celebrate. Te parking lot was full of games such as cornhole,
darts, hatchet throwing, badminton, pong and giant Jenga. On
the patio, students could choose from a variety of BWW favorites,
including street tacos, boneless wings, chicken tenders and queso.
Coaches from each sport were also at the party to welcome
their students back to school and celebrate the inaugural year
for Park University athletics. Teams had the chance to bond and
meet each other. “It was so much fun seeing the college kids act
like college kids,” Gayle Schmidt said.
Since the back-to-school party, BWW has partnered with
the university on several other events. Te restaurant hosts
monthly signing parties for new athletes and holds watch parties
to stream the various athletic events. Park fans who come to
show their support are eligible for discounts, and 10 percent of
their tabs go to the university.
BWW staf even attends home basketball and volleyball
games to host competitions and giveaways for fans. “Ben, our
captain, who accompanies me to all Park University events, is
so well-liked by Park University that they’ve also hired him to
announce the basketball games,” Schmidt said.
Te “Shoot a Basket for Wings” competition gets fans fred
up for the potential to win wings for themselves and coupons
for the whole Park fan section – encouraging them to go to the
restaurant after the game.
Te Gilbert restaurant staf also attended a job fair hosted
by the university for students seeking employment. Two cooks
and two hospitality team members were hired for the restaurant,
and more candidates are being interviewed.
AZ Wings was honored to have been selected to partner
with the only university in Gilbert at this level. “We already have
such a solid reputation for being heavily involved in the commu-
nity that this relationship comes as no surprise to anyone,”
Schmidt said. “I love it because it’s involving sports, which is our
purpose – to create legendary experiences worth talking about
between friends.” S
AZ Wings Begins Partnership
With New Local University
Park University students play a game of Connect Four at the
BWW back-to-school party.
BWW Gilbert staff members pose with Blazin’ Bill and encourage
Park fans to shoot a basket for wings.
THESCORE | 2019 Issue 3
MEMBER NEWS
ith the summer ending, Bufalo Wild Wings® fans are
returning to restaurants across the nation to celebrate
the start of football season. Te B-Dubs® in Concord, New
Hampshire, kicked of the season with several parties for local
high school football teams this fall.
Te Concord BWW® has been hosting annual kickof events
for high school teams for fve years. Te partnership began
when a regular customer who was a football coach spoke with
Benjamin Lee, regional manager for Awesome Holdings, LLC,
which is owned by Marrti Matheson and Aaron Miller.
“Being a former high school football coach myself, we
struck up a conversation about how important it is for businesses
to be a part of the community,” Lee said. “We dug deeper with
the Home Team Advantage program we ofer and thought about
how programs like this could help their team raise money for
expensive equipment costs.”
Five years later, the kickof party has become an event that
Concord High School coaches, players and their families look
forward to each year. Te restaurant has also started hosting parties
for other high school
teams. Te BWW
staf decorates the
restaurant with school
colors to welcome the
players and sets up a
special table for the
seniors and coaches.
Te coaches provide a
highlight reel to play
throughout the dinner
for players to watch.
“Tey get a big kick
out of watching their
own game at BWW,”
said Lee.
“We appreciate
the eforts and gener-
osity of Bufalo Wild
Wings for going the
extra mile helping us
raise money for the
team,” said Kevin
Nyhan, Concord
High School assistant
football coach. “I
have recommended Bufalo Wild Wings to all of our other teams
at the school because of how easy it is to work with them.”
In addition to raising funds for the football teams, these
events strengthen the relationship with the community and
increase sales. Lee notes that the Concord party felt like a busy
weekend night, bringing in more sales than last year. With
competition across the restaurant industry, he believes connec-
tions like these are very important. S
Awesome Holdings, LLC Kicks Off
Football Season With Community
Local high school football players kick off their season with wings
and fun at the Concord, New Hampshire, Buffalo Wild Wings.
BWW team members decorate the dining
room with team colors to welcome the
players.
2019 Issue 3 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
s the U.S. women’s national soccer
team vied for the Women’s World
Cup this summer, the Mid-State Soccer
Club in Forsyth, Illinois, gathered at its
local Bufalo Wild Wings® to watch and
cheer the team. About 40 youth and
parents attended a watch party July 2 for
the exciting semifnal match in which the
U.S. defeated England 2-1.
Eager to be in a lively environment
to watch the game with teammates,
the Mid-State Soccer Club reached out
to BWW® Forsyth to ensure that the
restaurant would have enough room. Te
BWW staf promoted the event on social
media to extend the invite to other soccer
fans, and customers enjoyed the $3 tall
Budweiser and Bud Light promotion
during the event. Te large group had a
blast cheering on the team and flled the
restaurant with noise. Most eyes were
glued to the TV screens as they watched
the U.S. sail on to the fnal round.
Colin Bonner, director of the
Mid-State Soccer Club, recognizes the value
of watch parties for the youths he coaches.
“For them to come out and watch, it kind
of gets the national spirit going. It gives
them a chance to watch their role models
and gets everyone excited about soccer,”
Bonner said in a story in the Herald &
Review of Decatur, Illinois. “Tat gives our
kids something to look up to like, ‘I could
be that player. I could be a professional
soccer player.’ Tat’s the cool side of it.”
Te Forsyth B-Dubs® invited the
soccer club to come back for future events
and looks forward to hosting them. “Events
like these give our staf the ability to create
an ultimate social experience for sports fans
while they are guests at our sports bar,” said
Casie Vogelsang, district manager for World
Wide Wings. “We love having an energized
atmosphere that’s focused in on a game,
whether it be soccer, football, baseball or
basketball. It’s always great to see the crowd
and the staf get cheering together or even
against each other at times.” S
World Wide Wings Hosts World Cup
Watch Party for Local Soccer Club
n Aug. 4, the Bufalo Wild Wings®
in Moundsville, West Virginia,
reopened to the public after three months
of renovations. Te restaurant has new
fat-screen TVs, updated kitchen equip-
ment and a fresh look and feel.
“We basically redid the entire building,”
said Ashley Nelson, general manager of the
Moundsville store. “We took it down to four
walls. We have all new foors, new walls, new
graphics and new furniture.”
Tough the restaurant looks new,
customers are sure to see some familiar
faces. “We had 80 percent of our staf
return, which was good considering the
downtime of three months,” said Chris
Beltran, regional manager of Flying
Bufalo Inc., owned by Stephon Green,
Richard Lancione and Scott Lloyd.
Te Moundsville store had great
support at the reopening. More than 120
people came to get a spot in line to try to
win free wings for a year, and many more
came to enjoy a meal with family and
friends.
“Te whole community was excited
to have their sports bar back,” Beltran
said. “Customers enjoyed reconnecting
with the staf and felt like it was a family
reunion. One customer even said, ‘It’s
good to be home.’”
Te opening happened near the start
of football season, which restaurant of-
cials hope will bring in fans from across
the community. Beltran said his goal is
to work with local high schools during
upcoming sports events to re-establish
the newly renovated restaurant as
Moundsville’s top sports bar. S
Flying Buffalo Inc. Celebrates Grand
Re-Opening of Moundsville Location
BWW team members are all smiles at
the restaurant’s grand re-opening.
Employees sample new menu items while
training.
Hopeful customers camp out to be one of the
first 100 guests and receive free wings for a
year.
THESCORE | 2019 Issue 3
MEMBER NEWS
ORDER NOW!
Upress.qg.com/buff alowildwings
414.566.4815
MENUS | BANNERS | WINDOW CLINGS | PROMOTIONAL IN-STORE | SIGNS | TABLE TENTS
As a preferred vendor, Quad is proud to off er
all of your in-store marketing eff orts. Ordering
is as easy as 1-2-3 with our storefront portal.
or the past six years, the Bufalo Wild
Wings® in Warrensville Heights,
Ohio, has been working alongside the
Cleveland Jewish News to recognize
outstanding high school athletes each
week.
Originally reaching out to the
publication for advertising opportunities,
BWW® staf realized that sponsoring
this program was a great opportunity
to create a bond with local community
members. “We are fortunate to have
amazing national advertising, but
having the communities know that we
are supporting them is the best way
for us to build that ‘local’ loyalty,” said
Colleen Flowers, director of marketing
for Franklins’ Management of Cleveland,
LLC, which is owned by Jerry Franklin.
A new athlete is selected each week
and is featured in a newspaper article
that highlights the student’s sport, major
accomplishments and personality. A copy
of the story is posted on the community
board in the Warrensville Heights
restaurant for customers to see when they
enter and exit.
At the end of the season, the
athletes, their families and their coaches
all come to the restaurant for a “Winners
Reception.” Food is served, and there is
an awards ceremony where each winner
receives a plaque and a BWW gift card.
Students always enjoy a speech and
question-and-answer session with local
sports talk icon, Les Levine, who hosts a
daily talk show on Cleveland.com.
Te company believes that
supporting local schools and sports
teams is a great way to make a diference.
Each student-athlete, along with their
family and friends, will remember that
Bufalo Wild Wings Warrensville is
striving toward greatness for youth in
the area. “Tere is nothing better than
having huge groups come in after a game
because they know that Bufalo Wild
Wings is the best place to hang with their
family and friends,” Flowers said.
Te company attributes local loyalty
to the success of their business in north-
east Ohio for over 25 years, and it doesn’t
plan on stopping any time soon. “We
are extremely excited about continuing
our partnership with the Cleveland
Jewish News and the athlete of the week
promotion,” Flowers said. “Highlighting
the talented students both on and of the
court/feld makes us proud to be a part
of this amazing community.” S
Franklins’ Management of Cleveland
Celebrates Student-Athletes
2019 Issue 3 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
n Aug. 10, Four M Franchising’s Bufalo Wild Wings® in
Forest Hills, New York, hosted an after-party for the staf,
crew and guests of the Festival of Cinema NYC, a 10-day exhibi-
tion and screening competition for more than 100 flms.
Tis was the frst year Bufalo Wild Wings was involved in
the festival, now in its third year. After General Manager O’Neil
Washington was approached by the marketing director and
sponsor of the Midway Teatre to host the after-party, BWW®
began planning.
It was held in a private section of the restaurant with
appetizer and salad platters for the Festival of Cinema NYC
crew. All attendees were given wristbands entitling them to a
10% discount and entering them in contests for prizes, including
hats, key chains and bottle openers.
Bufalo Wild Wings’ involvement created a connection with
the community that had a positive efect on the restaurant. Tere
was a 23.2% increase in same-store sales, and the event helped
the theater increase exposure for its event.
Te relationship with the Festival of Cinema NYC has the
potential to evolve in the future and provide a great partnership
for Bufalo Wild Wings. “Being a part of the community and
working with the theater on fundraising events gives BWW
exposure to an entirely new audience,” Washington said. S
Four M Hosts NYC Cinema Festival After-Party
Festival of Cinema NYC staff, crew and guests enjoy drinks, prizes and company at an after-party at the Forest Hills Buffalo Wild Wings.