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 | 2020 ISSUE 2
What Attracted
Brian Carmody
Brian Carmody
and his JK&T Wings
partners to BWW?
Find out inside this issue’s spicy
Franchisee Spotlight.
PAGE 16
BWW Leaders Manage
Teams Through
Coronavirus Challenge
PAGE 18
What Attracted
Brian Carmody
Brian Carmody
and his JK&T Wings
partners to BWW?
Brian Carmody
Brian Carmody
©2020 McLane Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
All of us at McLane Foodservice would like to extend
our well wishes to the entire BUFFALO WILD WINGS
franchise community, their businesses, and especially
their families during these trying times. We look forward
to coming through COVID-19 and building on our
strong partnership for the future.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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
Bobby Pancake
Director
Larry Podlogar
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© 2020
Printed in the U.S.A.
www.myfbsonline.org
ON THE COVER
Brian Carmody, far right, counts family and friends
among his partners at JK&T Wings. Turn to page
16 to learn how this fun-loving and successful
group came together as Carmody steps into the
Franchisee Spotlight.
COLUMNS
2
Chairman’s Column
DEPARTMENTS
4
FBS Member News
10 Recognitions
10 Event Calendar
16 Franchisee Spotlight
34 One Topic: 10 Facts
35 Look, Listen, Read
FEATURES
12 Boys & Girls Clubs Serving Local Communities During Pandemic
13 Spotlight on the 116th Congress: Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21)
14 In Memoriam: Tom Renfro
18 BWW Leaders Manage Teams Through Coronavirus Challenge
By Sean Ireland, FBS associate director of communications
20 Pandemic Increases Reliance on Sound Practices to Control Food Costs
by Sean Ireland
22 Communications Take On Added Importance in Wake of COVID-19
and Civil Unrest
by Douglas Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson, LLP
24 Making the Most of Your Business’s Risk Management
by Lockton Affinity
26 Balance the Opposites
by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co.
28 Six Employee Communication Strategies During Times of Crisis
by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc.
30 Productive Worry Versus Unproductive Worry: Six Ways to Make
Worrying Work for You
by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®
32 Optimally Manage Cash Flow With a Financial Team
by Charlie Koch, Prism Financial Group, a related company of Mize
Restaurant Group
DIRECTORIES
11 Associate Member Listing
36 Advertisers Guide and Editorial Calendar
2020 Issue 2
2020 Issue 2 | THESCORE
From the Chairman
Tis survey is the frst of its kind for
the franchisee association and is possible
because of franchisee support over time.
An analysis of this magnitude is a beneft
of being part of FBS. We are working
diligently to help guide future decision-
making that impacts each of us and our
businesses. Te survey is just one of
FBS’s eforts that make the association so
important to our brand.
Much like sports teams and athletes,
Bufalo Wild Wings tracks our stats
to evaluate the overall health of one
restaurant, our company and even the
brand. We consider same-store sales, trafc
counts, sales by channel, product mix and
related food costs, labor and pay rates, and
delivery charges. What about our debt
obligations? Without these fgures and
statistics, how do we gauge the health of
our individual businesses or BWW®? And
how do we determine what decisions are
best for our brand?
When the pandemic hit, our sports
bars, like the sports world, stopped – or
at least slowed down drastically. Without
sports and with restrictions in place, our
dining rooms were empty. Finding our
way forward involves careful analysis of
how Bufalo Wild Wings was performing
for the year prior to COVID-19 and how
the pandemic impacted our P&Ls.
Beyond our individual companies,
it is equally important to understand the
long-term toll this crisis has had – and
will continue to have – on the franchisee
community. Reconciling the use of funds
from your Paycheck Protection Program
loan, if you were fortunate enough to
obtain one, and managing cash fow to
pay down your deferred obligations with
reduced capacity and reduced consumer
confdence are but two issues we will all be
dealing with for the remainder of 2020.
Te FBS board of directors accepted doing
this work on behalf of the system as our
responsibility.
We need your help, however. FBS
reached out to the franchisee community
in early July regarding the process and
requesting completion of two documents
– a release allowing Bufalo Wild Wings
International to provide Trinity Capital
with sales data for each of your locations
and a document listing each location
your company operates. It is imperative
that these documents be completed and
returned by July 20. If you need those
re-sent to you, please contact the FBS
ofce.
Te events of 2020 also forced FBS
to reschedule our largest networking and
educational event: the annual Summit.
Although we did not get to be together
this year, I look forward to seeing you all
May 5-7 at the Bellagio for the 2021 FBS
Summit.
At a time when so much seems
uncertain, remember that together we
will get through this. I look forward to
brighter days ahead, and I hope to see each
of you in Las Vegas in 2021!
Wray Hutchinson
n May, the FBS board met and unanimously
agreed to retain Trinity Capital, a highly
respected financial advisory and brokerage
firm, to conduct a confidential survey of the
franchise system’s financial health and to consoli-
date those results into a presentation for the
franchise system as well as Buffalo Wild Wings®
brand leadership.
Your businesses are facing challenges in uncharted territory. To help,
Elevanta Health deferred April health insurance premiums—estimated at
$1.7 million—and provided annual participation refunds of over $300,000
to our members. That’s a combined total of $2 million we put back into
the hands of members during a time when they needed it the most.
We care about your wellbeing. Contact us today for a custom quote.
memberservices@elevanta.com I elevantahealth.com/fbs I www.elevanta.com
= $1k in Deferred Premium
= $1k in Refunds
2020 Issue 2 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
hen the coronavirus pandemic
forced the seven Bufalo Wild
Wings® locations of Zellmer LLC/Z&G
Group to close dining rooms and scale
back operations to delivery and takeout,
company ofcials looked outward for
ways to serve rather than pulling back on
charitable activities.
“As we were looking for ways to help
in our communities, we quickly realized
that our own B-Dubs® community was
where we needed to begin our eforts,”
said Regional Manager Becky Johnson.
Te result was an event called Feed
the Team. On April 13 and 15, at any of
the company’s seven BWW® locations,
team members were invited to pick up
meals and drinks to go for themselves
and up to three family members anytime
during the day. A second Feed the Team
meal giveaway was May 4 and 6. More
than 200 employees and their families
were served over 800 meals during the
four days.
“We treat all of our team members
like family,” Johnson said. “We have
team members celebrating 10- and
15-year anniversaries with our company.
Our family always comes frst, especially
during a crisis. We wouldn’t be successful
without them, and there was no question
that we needed to take care of [them]
during this time.”
Team members are also being fed
during their shifts while dining rooms
are still closed. “We understand that the
hours are limited and they aren’t making
the same amount of money they did, so
we are helping them out for continuing
to be a dedicated team member and
working through this pandemic,”
Johnson said.
Zellmer LLC/Z&G Group also
started a new wellness program for
managers to help them deal with the
extra strain caused by the changes
required to mitigate COVID-19. “As I
visited our sports bars, I began to realize
how the change in our business model
was afecting the overall wellness of some
of our managers,” Johnson said. “Tey
were really missing their team members,
their regular guests, the excitement of
day-to-day operations, sports, all of it.
Not to mention, they were now essen-
tially stuck at home quarantining when
they weren’t at work.”
To help, the company instituted
wellness days or wellness pay for all
managers to show that they were
appreciated. Managers could choose
between a one-time pay incentive or an
extra day of during May. Managers are
also working fewer hours during their
shifts.
“All our managers have been so
grateful for the small gestures, and it
continues to draw our B-Dubs family
closer,” Johnson said. S
Zellmer LLC Hosts ‘Feed the
Team’ Event for Team Members
DM Restaurants’ Bufalo Wild
Wings® in Ashland, Ohio, owned by
Ken Brown and Dave Kajganich, recently
received a request to help contribute to
feeding the community. Christ United
Methodist Church, where Brown is
a member, received an anonymous
donation to help feed people in Ashland
facing hard times.
Te church wanted to help feed the
community, but also show support for its
members. Church leaders asked BWW®
and one other restaurant with family
ties to the church if they could place
bulk orders. BWW sold 100 meals, each
with a chicken wrap, tortilla chips, salsa,
boneless wings and ranch sauce.
On May 17, the church set up a
drive-thru on its campus for members of
the community to pick up meals. Pastor
Laura White picked up the food from
the Ashland restaurant and volunteers
helped distribute it to the members of
the community who were lined up in the
drive-thru.
BWW was honored that the church
picked the restaurant for the drive-thru.
“We appreciate the church’s ministry in
reaching out to not only the commu-
nity, but to our business as well,” said
Brown. S
Ashland Buffalo Wild Wings Teams
Up With Church to Feed Community
Left: Laura White, pastor at Christ United Methodist
Church, picked up the meals from the Ashland BWW and
took them to the church for distribution.
Above: Cars lined up outside of the church to pick up a
meal on May 17.
THESCORE | 2020 Issue 2
MEMBER NEWS
igh 5 Hospitality, owned by fran-
chisee Bobby Pancake, has been
working hard throughout the spring to
support its community. BWW® team
members at locations across Delaware have
been collecting donations from customers
and vendors to be used to supply meals
to front-line workers through its Feed the
Frontline Program.
Donations can be made through the
company website, www.high5hospitality.com,
or customers can add an additional
donation amount to their BWW takeout
order. Te program has been promoted
through email blasts, social media posts
and restaurant signage.
Despite many people being fnancially
pinched during the coronavirus crisis, to
date, the High 5 Hospitality team has
collected over $15,000 in donations and is
thankful to all the donors who are helping
make a diference in their community.
“Tese have been some very chal-
lenging times, but at the end of the day,
this program has certainly reminded us
how much good there is in people,” said
Lori Ewald, marketing manager for High 5
Hospitality. “From the individual donors
to companies who have donated, people
have found a way to help others and show
appreciation and gratitude.”
Te High 5 Hospitality team has
used the money to provide meals to frst
responders and made several deliveries to
local health care facilities. Team members
have visited Christiana Care Hospital
and Bayhealth Hospital and delivered
meals to various departments, including
COVID-19 foors, outpatient services and
neurocritical care units. In addition, most
recently they provided wings to about 100
Delaware state troopers.
“Providing meals to these health care
heroes is an absolute honor,” said Ewald.
“Many have had to sacrifce their time with
loved ones because of the care they are giving
others. Tese folks are heroes for the simple
fact that putting others frst seems to be at
the very core of their being.” S
High 5 Hospitality created flyers
featuring a local nurse to inform people
of its Feed the Frontline Program.
High 5 Hospitality Feeds
Delaware’s Front-Line Workers
High 5 Hospitality team members made
deliveries to the staff at Christiana Care
Hospital and Bayhealth Hospital.
ver the course of fve weeks, JK&T
Wings showed support for essential
workers who were working tirelessly to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic that
shocked the United States. Each week,
Bufalo Wild Wings® teams focused on
a diferent group of essential workers
to donate meals to, including those at
hospitals, urgent care facilities and doctors’
ofces. Tey also did meal drops for emer-
gency medical services and local fre and
police departments, totaling 420 meals.
Team members made the meal drops
on Mondays throughout April and May.
Although the teams were not always
allowed into the facilities, they still added
special touches to the deliveries, giving
gift cards, swag items and bottles of sauce.
JK&T Wings thought it was important
to show support for its local communities
throughout the Midwest and say thank
you to all the essential workers who are
risking their lives through the pandemic.
“We are grateful that our teams were
able to provide food for essential workers
within their communities,” said Lisa Bissett,
senior marketing manager for JK&T Wings.
“Now, more than ever, it is time that we all
come together and do our part.” S
JK&T Wings
Provides Food to
Essential Workers
During Pandemic
Many of JK&T Wings’ teams made deliv-
eries of meals, which included boneless
wings and fries, to essential workers in
their communities.
2020 Issue 2 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
n April, 57 BWW® restaurants
across Michigan partnered with the
American Red Cross to support its
virtual fundraiser “Mission Possible.”
Fifty locations of the 57 that partici-
pated in the fundraiser are owned by
JK&T Wings.
Mission Possible was centered
around raising funds for the American
Red Cross during the COVID-19
pandemic. Te money would be donated
to the Red Cross’s COVID response
eforts across the state of Michigan.
Te restaurants hosted two Eat
Wings Raise Funds nights on April
15 and April 22, donating 10% of
all proceeds to the cause. JK&T staf
spread the word about the event through
social media and public relations. Tey
conducted interviews and a Facebook
Live session with the Red Cross. Among
the 57 locations, nearly $55,000 was
raised for the cause.
“Partnering with the American Red
Cross has been a wonderful experience
from beginning to end,” said Lisa
Bissett, senior marketing manager for
JK&T Wings. “It is such an amazing
feeling knowing that what we do in our
communities helps change lives.”
JK&T Wings is proud to support the
communities that its Bufalo Wild Wings®
sports bars are located in. Tey are continuing
to show support for their communities
throughout this uncertain time. S
Michigan Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurants Participate
in Statewide Campaign for the American Red Cross
Michigan BWW restaurants used flyers to spread the word about their partnership with
Mission Possible, letting customers know that delivery orders were eligible for the
fundraiser.
he Cleveland Co-Op
of Bufalo Wild Wings®
restaurants, made up of several
FBS members in the Cleveland,
Ohio, area, recently showed its
support for people in need in its
community. Te co-op is made
up of restaurants that belong to
several franchisees, including Bob
Senkar, Dave Kajganich, Dick
Andrews, Gerald Franklin Jr.,
Ken Brown and Matt Pipoly.
Te co-op partnered with the
Cleveland Indians and Cleveland
Browns to assist front-line workers
in northeast Ohio. Restaurants
donated over 1,500 meals to area
hospitals along with over 3,000
Bufalo Wild Wings gift cards.
Over the span of about 10 days,
BWW® packaged the meals for 12 local
hospitals and prepared them for delivery.
Team members even wrote encouraging
thank-you notes on each box.
When it came time for the teams
to deliver the meals, Indians
pitcher Adam Plutko coordinated
a video conference call with the
medical workers to thank them.
“I know I could always use
a little bit of comfort food when
life gets hard,” Plutko said, via
MLB.com. He hopes that the
meals provided by Bufalo Wild
Wings can go a long way for
these essential workers.
“It’s very important for us to
do things like this,” Senkar said.
“People come to us and trust us
to give them quality food, great
service and a clean atmosphere.
When we have the opportunity, we enjoy
giving back however we can.” S
Cleveland Co-Op Partners With Local Sports
Teams to Donate Meals to Front Lines
The Cleveland Co-Op’s BWW restaurants delivered many
meals to essential workers to show their support during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
THESCORE | 2020 Issue 2
our M, owned by franchisee James
Bitzonis, has Bufalo Wild Wings®
restaurants on the East Coast. With the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many
restaurants stepped up to feed workers on
the front lines and thank them for their
heroic eforts.
Several restaurants in New York
City made contributions to local medical
stafs. Te team at BWW® Times Square
delivered meals to Mount Sinai Hospital
in Manhattan. Vendor partner Samuel
Adams generously covered some of
the food costs for the delivery, which
included traditional wings, boneless
wings, French fries, chips and queso,
garden salad, wraps, cheesecake bites and
a party appetizer sampler.
“It felt great to be able to celebrate
these heroes in a small way,” said Mike
Abrams, general manager of the Times
Square location. “One of our core
values at BWW is community, and we
frequently look at ways we can partner
with our neighbors and this opportunity
certainly aforded us that.”
O’Neil Washington, general
manager at the restaurant in Valley
Stream, New York, also made a delivery
to the nurses at Elmhurst Hospital. Te
delivery included 120 wings, an appetizer
platter and a salad platter. Elmhurst and
New York City experienced an extreme
number of cases of the coronavirus,
leading nurses and doctors to work
around the clock. Washington was able to
speak to Camorine, the managing nurse,
and her team, who were ecstatic and very
thankful for the delivery.
Te Riverdale team showed its
appreciation for EMTs in the city and
delivered meals to one of their stations in
the Bronx.
Charlie Kittleman, general
manager of the BWW in North Haven,
Connecticut, delivered lunch to nurses
at Yale New Haven Hospital. All the
nurses and staf from each delivery
expressed their gratitude and apprecia-
tion for BWW’s eforts. Justin Lopes, an
employee at Yale New Haven, expressed
his gratitude through a thank-you email
to Kittleman.
“It feels great to be a part of a
company that cares about our front-line
workers,” said Washington. “Giving
back was the least we could have done.
Tey are the ones in the feld battling an
enemy we cannot see, and for that, we are
thankful.” S
Four M Restaurants Honor Health
Care Heroes in Their Communities
Nurses and doctors smile with their
wing deliveries from their local BWW
restaurants.
EMTs show off their wing delivery from
the team at BWW Riverdale.
O’Neil Washington, general manager at BWW Valley Stream, drops off wings to Elmhurst
Hospital.
MEMBER NEWS
2020 Issue 2 | THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
uring its dining room closure, High 5 Hospitality’s Bufalo
Wild Wings® in Christiana, Delaware, missed all its regular
guests. However, one member of the staf’s BWW® family, Will,
was dearly missed.
Will and his family have been visiting the Christiana
restaurant since it opened. Before that, they used to visit BWW
at the previous location in Limestone. Despite the restaurant
being closed for dine-in, Will’s mom came in to get takeout
almost every day for the family. She expressed how much Will
missed coming in the restaurant.
Te BWW team decided they wanted to give back to Will
since he is a loyal guest. Tey put together a swag bag with
branded items and delivered it with his favorite lunch: wild
boneless wings. Te team members made a sign to greet him
from a distance with encouraging messages. Jester, the mascot,
even came along to say hello.
Will was in shock when he saw the team members. Due to
the stay-at-home orders, he had not had a visitor in over two
months and was very excited to see friends and get his favorite
meal personally delivered.
“Te High 5 Hospitality team believes that their guests
should be appreciated because without them none of our success
would be possible,” said Marketing Manager Lori Ewald. “To the
High 5 Hospitality team, guests like Will are part of their family.”
“Being able to visit and connect with Will and let him
know we missed him was the least we could do,” said Brittany
McCardle, general manager for BWW. “His visits make each of
us happy and brings a smile to our faces.” S
High 5 Hospitality Surprises Loyal
Guest During Stay-at-Home Order
Will has been visiting the Christiana BWW since it opened. The
team made a surprise visit to deliver his favorite meal and a
BWW swag bag during the Delaware stay-at-home order.
ufalo Wild Wings® in Bozeman, Montana, owned by
Anderson Management, has had a longtime partnership
with Montana State University (MSU). Over the years,
the restaurant has supported MSU at tailgate events and
basketball games. Brad Anderson, president of Anderson
Management Group, is also an MSU alumnus.
Te group wanted to explore more ways to partner
with the university. MSU’s Cat Chat show was suggested
to Anderson Management Group by a marketing company
that thought it would be a great ft. Te weekly radio show
features MSU head football coach Jef Choate and other
program representatives and gives fans the opportunity to
interact with Bobcat coaches and athletics representatives.
Te restaurant will be hosting the show each week for the fall
2020 season.
“Cat Chat is a great tradition,” said Coach Choate in a
statement for MSU Athletics. “We’re looking forward to our
new partnership with Bufalo Wild Wings. Tere is already
anticipation for the new football season, and this venue
change adds to the excitement.”
MSU had been looking for a fresh new look for the
show and Anderson Management’s BWW® had just relo-
cated and built a new restaurant, which proved to be perfect
timing for this partnership. Te new Center Stage design
includes a more dominant bar, all new fxtures and fooring,
and free-fowing
and fexible
seating areas with
stadium-like
A/V.
Te restau-
rant is confdent
that the show
will bring MSU
boosters, fans and
students in each
week to show their support. Te staf is excited to increase
their customer base and attract Bobcat fans from all over the
state.
“We are very excited for this partnership and can’t wait
to see where it takes us,” said Anderson. “Our hope is that
this partnership could act as a springboard to more opportu-
nities as time goes on!” S
Bozeman Buffalo Wild
Wings to Host Montana State
University Cat Chat Show