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 | 2023 ISSUE 1
Meet
Jack Litman
Jack Litman
in the Franchisee
Spotlight
Jack Litman
Jack Litman
READ MORE ON PAGE 10
Take Back Your
Ratings!
TURN TO PAGE 18 TO FIND OUT HOW
McLane Foodservice ofers its sincere gratitude to the
BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchisees for their years
of partnership and success in growing together.
© 2021 McLane Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
PROUD TO BE YOUR
WINGMAN SINCE 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FBS Board of Directors
James Bitzonis
Chairman
Roz Mallet
Vice Chairman
Ed Lynn
Secretary/Treasurer
Wray Hutchinson
Chairman Emeritus
Jenny Beaudoin
Director
Brian Carmody
Director
Steve Grube
Director
Mark Jones
Director
Bobby Pancake
Director
Larry Podlogar
Director
Christy Williams
Executive Director
FBS Editorial Board
Rachel Jackson
Editor-in-Chief
rachelj@myfbsonline.org
Allison McCallum
Communications Editor
allisonm@myfbsonline.org
Jared Johnsen
Communications Specialist
jaredj@myfbsonline.org
Advertising Sales
Jeff Reynolds
Director of Business Partner Relations
jeffr@myfbsonline.org
678-797-5163
Christy Rowan
Vendor Sales and Development Manager
christyr@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© 2023
Printed in the U.S.A.
www.myfbsonline.org
ON THE COVER
Learn more about new FBS member, Jack Litman, in the
Franchisee Spotlight!
COLUMNS
2
Chairman’s Column
DEPARTMENTS
4
FBS Member News
6
Recognitions
8
Franchisee Spotlight
9
One Topic: 10 Facts
15 Look, Listen, Read
FEATURES
12 Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation Gears Up for 2023 Team Up for Kids
14 Spotlight on the 118th Congress: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN-6)
16 Consumer Behavior — Predicting the Unpredictable
by Jared Johnsen, FBS Communications Specialist
18 Take Back Your Ratings
by Allison McCallum, FBS Communications Editor
20 Machine Work: Three Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Impacting
Business Productivity
by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®
22 The Actions of Leadership: The Downside of Success and the
Upside of Boundaries
by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co.
24 How to Save Taxes for Your Business While Helping Your Community
contributed by Mize CPAs
25 Sick of Juggling Your Store Systems Projects? Retail Tech Inc. Can Help!
contributed by Retail Tech Inc.
26 When the Passion Shines Through
by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc.
28 An Employee Broke a Law: Now What?
by Douglas H. Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson LLP
30 Protecting Your Employees and Business Against Slips, Trips and Falls
contributed by Lockton Cos.
DIRECTORIES
10 Associate Member Listing
32 Advertisers Guide and Editorial Calendar
2023 Issue 1
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See You in Florida!
Tis year’s summit is being planned
with your best working interests in mind.
We will have presentations on the state
of Bufalo Wild Wings® from COO John
Bowie, CMO Tristan Meline and Supply
Chain Vice President, Kevin O’Bryan.
You will learn about the usual legal and
political issues afecting our businesses
and hear from your FBS Board of
Directors. We will have our phenomenal
vendor show as well and plenty of beer
breaks! Be sure to mingle with your fellow
franchisees and vendor partners.
As for your relaxing interests, you’re
very close to the oceanfront Cabana Beach
Club with miles of beautiful white sand
beaches (and a beach bar), or you can
hang by the resort pools and catch some
necessary zzzz’s. Te Sawgrass Spa is also
top notch, so be sure to book that massage
early!
When it is time for playing, we have
you set up for a golf tourney at Dye’s
Valley Championship Course at TPC
Sawgrass. Registration may be closed by
now but please check. If you want to
play the TPC Sawgrass course – Home
of Te Players Championship (extremely
challenging) – on your own, please visit
the course website to book a tee time.
Tis year, due to very popular
demand, we will be bringing back our
famous poker tournament, Casino Night!
All franchisees on the books have a chance
to win $10,000 while vendors and others
compete for $5,000. We will also have
some other fun surprises to keep you
entertained.
So, I hope you’re signed up, and if
not, do it now! Bring some of your team,
too. I cannot wait to greet you soon!
Safe travels,
Jim Bitzonis
I am really looking forward to our next FBS Summit in
sunny Ponte Vedra, Florida, at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf
Resort and Spa (and Beach Club) on April 17-20! I am
hoping for a complete sell-out! Since we started combining
more fun and relaxation with our regular business,
everyone I have spoken
to is very excited for
April. We work
hard and play
hard, and we
certainly need
to RELAX more!
Jim Bitzonis
FBS Chairman
678.797.5160 | memberservices@elevanta.com | elevantahealth.com/fbs | www.elevanta.com
Not all heroes
wear capes,
some have
wings.
PROVIDE THEM WITH GREAT HEALTH CARE OPTIONS
SINGLE-DIGIT RATE INCREASE OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
UTILIZES THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK
(NATION’S LARGEST PROVIDER)
heroes
Your employees are your
2023 Issue 1
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THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
he Blazin' Challenge, hosted by
BWW® franchise Patton Wings, left
contestants with burning mouths and
smiling children from the Boys and Girls
Club of Greater Flint.
A twist on Bufalo Wild Wings®
Corporate’s Blazin’ Challenge, contestants
gathered at sports bar No. 3441 in Flint,
Michigan, to see how many Carolina
reaper wings they could consume within
fve minutes.
Te B-Dubs also held a standard,
commission-based fundraiser coinciding
with the event. If guests mentioned the
Boys and Girls Club via the event promo-
tion fyer or word of mouth, the sports
bar would donate 20% of the customer’s
bill to the nonproft.
Participants in the contest sponsored
themselves by purchasing items to cool
down their mouths in midst of the
competition. Tey could buy beverages,
like water or milk, or purchase dipping
sauces, like blue cheese or ranch dressing,
to relieve themselves from the heat.
All the event’s promotional
marketing and outreach was done by
the Boys and Girls Club with help from
children from the club. Te organization
created event fyers, and the children
helped to distribute them.
Casey Lester, the champion from the
previous competition, went on to take
home the win again by eating around 10
scorching wings.
Tis is not the only way that BWW
Flint shows their support to this organiza-
tion. Tey have catered wings to the club,
donated clean, outdated unforms for the
children to dress up in and sponsored
golf tournaments benefting the Boys and
Girls Club.
“We try to be a resource for them
in any way possible,” said Patton Wings
District Manager, Krystle Tomaszewski.
Te event was a success with around
$15,000 raised for the children. Te
event was regarded as fun and exciting,
and the team at sports bar No. 3441 is
always looking for ways to ramp up their
events.
“Te Boys and Girls Club is always so
thankful and gracious,” said Tomaszewski.
“I love the partnership we have with them
and look forward to working more with
them in the future.” S
BWW Blazin’ Challenge Left
Contestants Fundraising for Milk
This year’s Blazin’ Challenge victor, Casey
Lester.
anta Claus and the Grinch joined
forces with Aspire 2B Hospitality
Group to bring the underserved children
of Lake Charles, Louisiana, an unforget-
table holiday.
On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2022,
the staf of BWW® sports bar No. 3870
were escorted by local police ofcers to
neighborhoods in need to deliver toys.
With the help of the Grinch and Santa
Claus, large moving vans full of gifts were
handed out.
Trough many toy drives throughout
the company, Aspire 2B raised around
$20,000 in toys. Half of that fgure
were monetary donations then used to
purchase presents for the children.
“I want to implement this fundraiser
for all my sports bars,” Aspire 2B Business
Coach, Michael Boyer, said. “Even better,
I wish every single BWW had something
like this.”
Boyer reported glee from volunteers
and families alike. He said his staf loves
donating time toward this event. Te
relief seen on parents’ faces when the gifts
were being unloaded is what makes it all
worth it to Boyer.
Always looking for ways to grow this
event, Boyer hopes to fundraise more
presents and touch more lives for next
year’s toy drive.
“Tis is such an emotional fund-
raiser,” Boyer said. “Events like this make
B-Dubs known for helping people in the
community.” S
Aspire 2B Spreads Holiday Cheer
With $20,000 Worth of Toys
A promotion Aspire 2B Hospitality Group
Business Coach, Michael Boyer, used for the
event’s marketing.
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2023 Issue 1
MEMBER NEWS
t’s not every day that someone gets to
eat wings with a professional athlete,
unless you are FBS Chairman and RSQ
Foods CEO, Jim Bitzonis.
Bitzonis hosted the former goal-
keeper for the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team,
Tim Howard, to watch the Iran vs. U.S.
game during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
on Nov. 29, at sports bar No. 3405 in
White Plains, New York.
“Te sports bar had an electric
atmosphere,” Bitzonis said. “You had to
be there.”
Te BWW® was full of roaring
sports fans as they watched the match
and met with Howard as he took
pictures and signed autographs for fans.
Howard’s visit was arranged by
Inspire Brands and Anheuser-Busch,
and he was sent to Bitzonis’ sports
bar due to it being in close proximity
to him. Anheuser-Busch representa-
tives were also present, handing out
merchandise such as hats, scarves and
jerseys.
Te event brought great business to
the White Plains Bufalo Wild Wings®,
and the sports bar was full of morale
while guests watched the U.S. claim
victory over Iran.
“People were cheering and cele-
brating, and it was just a great time,”
Bitzonis said. “Tere is no better place
to be on game day than B-Dubs.” S
RSQ Foods Scores US Goalkeeper
for FIFA World Cup Game
n November 2022, BWW®
franchise High 5 Hospitality
(H5H) ran the frst part of
its yearly “Hops for Heroes”
campaign. From Nov. 1-11, guests
dining at a H5H restaurant could
pre-purchase a Bud Light for
a veteran to enjoy on Veteran’s
Day. From Nov. 11-30, veterans
could visit Bufalo Wild Wings®
to redeem their Bud Light. As
a result, over 2,000 beers were
purchased to thank our veterans
for their service. Te sports bar
with the most pre-purchased beer,
with a total of 505 Bud Lights,
was the B-Dubs in Salisbury,
Maryland.
H5H tallied the number of
unredeemed beers and donated the
remaining money plus a little extra
to the Air Mobility Command (AMC)
Museum Foundation on Jan. 4. Te
AMC Museum Foundation is a nonproft
located on the Dover Air Force Base. Its
purpose is to support the AMC Museum
in its mission as an aviation and
aerospace, education, scientifc,
cultural, historical and inspirational
facility for the general public and
the Air Force community. Te
AMC Museum is an ofcial Air
Force entity and is part of the Air
Force Heritage System.
H5H has a close relationship
with the military and Dover Air
Force Base in particular. CEO
Bobby Pancake and Director of
HR & Marketing, Lori Ewald,
currently serve as AMC civic
leaders and members of the
Honorary Commanders program.
“We can't thank our veterans
enough for all the sacrifces they
make for us,” Ewald said. “Tis
donation allows the museum to
continue to tell the stories of our
military and maintain the great history
behind them all.” S
High 5 Hospitality Donates
$2,500 to Local Veterans
FBS Chairman and RSQ Foods CEO, Jim
Bitzonis, standing beside former goalkeeper
for the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team, Tim Howard.
From left to right: Museum Deputy Director Eric Czerwinski,
Museum Director John Taylor, H5H CEO Bobby Pancake, H5H
Director of HR & Marketing, Lori Ewald, AMC Museum Foundation
President, Bill Welser and AMCMF Treasurer Jim Schultz.
2023 Issue 1
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We want to highlight your company’s achievements (employee promotions, new hires,
employee or restaurant anniversaries and sales records). To submit information for
Recognitions, complete the online submission form at www.myfbsonline.org/submissions,
email communications@myfbsonline.org or call 678-797-5161.
RECOGNITIONS
EVENT CALENDAR
FBS Summit
April 17-20, 2023
Marriott Resort Sawgrass Golf & Spa
Ponte Vedra, Florida
igh 5 Hospitality (H5H) has an
anniversary gift program that gives
its employees a token of appreciation for
each subsequent year of service to the
company. Eleven employees were gifted
with a customized BWW® varsity jacket
with their names embroidered on it for
surpassing nine years with the franchise.
Each jacket was bestowed by CEO
Bobby Pancake himself. Congratulations
to the following staf:
• Joseph Cahall
• Megan Chesser
• Cassie Cofn
• Nick Connolly
• Allyson Hastings
• Joanie Landfried
• Alex Parker
• Flamont Rubin
• Terry Collins
• Shavetta White
• Clark Anderson
The celebrated staff standing alongside High 5 Hospitality CEO, Bobby Pancake, sporting
their new jackets.
H5H also recognizes Gabrielle
Noschese. She has been a team member
at Bufalo Wild Wings Bear for almost
fve years. She also works full-time as a
third-grade teacher. H5H recently donated
socks, hats, a BWW gift certifcate and
books to each of her students. H5H
is incredibly proud to have Noschese
as a team member who serves their
community in a special way. To show their
appreciation and pride for her, H5H gave
Noschese a $100 Amazon gift card, and
Bobby Pancake presented her with a very
well-deserved SERVE challenge coin. S
Thank you letters from Noschese’s students to High 5 Hospitality.
Bobby Pancake presents Noschese with a
SERVE coin.
THESCORE |
2023 Issue 1
ranchise Business Services (FBS) is thrilled to welcome Molly Bloom
as our keynote speaker at this year's Annual Summit, April 17-20, in
Ponte Vedra, Florida! Molly is an entrepreneur and bestselling author of
“Molly’s Game” which was adapted into the award-winning flm of the
same name, directed by Aaron Sorkin.
Molly will share her playbook on success, derived from her experi-
ences skiing for the U.S. Ski Team, running the largest poker games in
the world, writing a bestselling memoir and making an Oscar-nominated
movie. Te lessons she learned on the way up were just as valuable on the
way down. Tis time, she will use everything she learned to do something
that matters.
Currently, Molly is focusing her energy on uplifting and mentoring
other women after having been the mentee of amazing, dynamic women
herself. In 2020, she launched the One World Group to support women
facing various challenges, especially those exacerbated by the global
pandemic. In 2022, she launched TORCHED, a new podcast about
Olympic controversies.
Te FBS Summit is your chance to meet Molly and learn from her
experiences! FBS hopes to see you there. S
THE 2023 FBS ANNUAL SUMMIT
Welcomes High Roller, Molly Bloom!
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2023 Issue 1
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FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT
Jack
Litman
The Munson
Restaurant Group LLC
What inspired you to become a Buffalo Wild Wings®
franchisee? Have you been a franchisee before?
Bufalo Wild Wings is by far the leader in the sports bar
restaurant category. Having previously established myself in the
fast-food business with Sonic Drive-in, I always admired Bufalo
Wild Wings as a concept. Its ability to construct an atmosphere and
product that has created a cult-like following attracted me to the
concept. I am excited to see what Inspire Brands has in store for this
legacy brand!
In your opinion, what stands out about the BWW® brand?
It’s frst in class in the sport bar category. Also, the sauces! Tey
have been copied by others but never executed as well as we do
them at BWW.
What are some goals you have for your business in the
short and long-term?
We are currently opening Bufalo Wild Wings GO locations
throughout New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We are also
actively seeking traditional Bufalo Wild Wing sports bar acquisi-
tions and new store development opportunities.
Describe your best recent business decision.
In our recent sports bar acquisition, we decided to maintain
the previously existing operations team. Te team has proven to
be an integral part of the success of these stores over the past 15
years. It is tough to come into a new business and not want to
change most of what you see into “your way of doing things.”
Chief Operating Ofcer of Te Munson Restaurant Group,
Brian Anderson, runs a tight ship, and we plan to keep that ship
running!
What do you feel is the biggest challenge currently facing
franchisees?
Te rising costs of new store builds, remodels and equipment
will push brands and franchisees to be more creative with format
design, real estate and non-traditional builds. We also need to
ensure that we maximize volume by developing the best employees
inside our organization.
What is the biggest industry change that you have seen
since you started?
Vendors have more leverage with pricing and price increases
than when I frst started in the industry. As a result, our rates with
utility, phone, trash, etc., have risen and can negatively impact
the strength of our business. In addition, given supply chain
constraints, equipment has lead times of sometimes over a year.
Tese challenges can be very tough to navigate for franchisees, so I
recommend leveraging the scale and expertise of your franchisor for
guidance and insight.
What is your favorite BWW wing sauce?
Medium. S
Number of restaurants: 7
States your restaurants operate in:
New York & New Jersey