How do you get the most bang out of your marketing dollars?

Restaurant owners can market their business in several different ways. Franchisees pay into a national advertising fund, which provides the resources for the brand to market itself through national advertising campaigns and across social media. They can also promote themselves to customers locally.

Franchise Update asked several restaurant operators how they maximize their marketing dollars. Beyond the franchisor’s national programs, several people talked about the connections they build with their customers at the local level. They can do this through involvement in community events, partnerships with schools, and supporting local organizations.

Most franchises are locally owned, with a team of employees who live in the area. These people have their fingers on the pulse of what is important to the community. Strong relationships and a great customer experience remain two of the most effective ways to earn repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Many restaurant franchisees will say having a good team of employees is one of the most important reasons for their success, especially as they operate multiple units. However, turnover in the restaurant industry is common, putting the responsibility on the owners to retain their best people. In this week’s Franchisee Bytes section, we asked restaurant operators what they are doing to take care of their employees.

Competitive wages, benefits, free meals, internal recognition, and the opportunity for advancement are all ways they show appreciation. Read their comments below to see how some top multi-unit franchisees are providing for their employees. Brent Weaver Company: BWR Enterprises, Inc.

Brands: 3 East Coast Wings + Grill Years in Franchising: 21 When we first started, we put a lot into local community events and marketed ourselves that way. As East Coast Wings + Grill has grown, so has the national marketing team, and they now handle much of the overall awareness at a brand level for us, providing tools and resources for us to use locally. The franchisor sets brand promotions (with our input) and drives the overall strategy, while we are responsible for being the face of the brand in our community and engaging with our local market.

Victor Miltiades Company: Home-Grown Industries of Georgia, Inc. Brands: 3 Mellow Mushroom Years in Franchising: 26 We focus heavily on local engagement and customer relationships. Mellow Mushroom benefits from a strong brand identity, but local store marketing is where we often see the greatest return.

Community events, school partnerships, social media engagement, loyalty programs, and supporting local organizations help us build authentic connections. We closely track promotions and campaigns to understand what drives traffic and repeat business, allowing us to invest where we see the strongest results. Matthew Keiser Company: Paxton Keiser Enterprises Brands: 22 Taco John’s, 1 Nothing Bundt Cake Years in Franchising: 8 On a local level, we typically market our brand through community engagement, like highlighting local events on our social media or featuring an “Athlete of the Month” for the local schools.

We have also explored sponsorship marketing, usually centered around our employees’ personal passions, like community theater or softball teams. We always have an ear to the ground for what matters most to our employees and try to support where we can. Soo Heu Company: Heu Hawaii LLC Brands: 2 Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop Years in Franchising: 3 I focus on maximizing the customer experience first.

The best marketing is delivering great food, excellent service, and a clean restaurant, so customers come back and recommend us to others. I also leverage social media and invite local influencers. Rather than spending heavily on broad advertising, I focus on building customer loyalty and generating word-of-mouth referrals, which tend to provide the best return on investment.

Franchisee Bytes What are you doing to take care of your employees? **I like to reward my staff on busy days and recognize achievements and good work. I’ll frequently buy my team lunch or dinner or give out gift cards.

** -Shak Patel, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Breaking Bread LLC, 6 Potbelly, 1 The Halal Guys **We often host events to celebrate the team’s accomplishments, birthdays, or anniversaries. We try to promote from within the team as much as possible. When we open a new location, we first look to the current team to fill key roles before we go out to the market.

** -Andy Cabral, CEO, Vigario Management, 25 Dunkin’, 9 Baskin-Robbins **Constant interaction with our staff is vital to ensure we understand how to meet their needs. We ensure that staff have the necessary operational tools to produce quality and do so in a timely fashion. In addition, we value being sensitive to staff needs.

Two of our locations include a dedicated employee break room where staff can relax during breaks and train on-site. We also provide a customer-service library because we take our employees’ professional development seriously. Our goal is for each member of our staff to succeed when working with our teams and in life.

** -Clement Troutman, CEO, Troutman Management, 2 Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 1 PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans Other than competitive wages and benefits, we really focus on promoting each individual’s growth to become successful business leaders for tomorrow. -Nadeem Bajwa, Co-founder and CEO, Bajco Group, 270+ Papa Johns **We prioritize staying competitive with our compensation, health benefits, and 401(k) plans. We also offer mental health services and counseling.

Additionally, we rolled out the JCK Cares initiative, which provides a pool of funds for team members facing unexpected expenses or emergencies, like bridge rent payments or surprise medical bills.** -Alex Karcher, Operating Principal, JCK Restaurants, 61 Carl’s Jr., 11 Jersey Mike’s Subs, 8 The Human Bean, 8 Dave’s Hot Chicken, 1 Hawaiian Bros Island Grill **We’re showing them daily that we’re invested in their growth and providing leadership pathways to those who excel in their roles.

We try to make everyone feel valued and be consistent with that. It is so expensive to onboard someone. Turnover costs money, so retention is a priority.

We have awards for longevity, which is uncommon in this industry.** -Tom Lovelace, Owner/President, Tom Lovelace Group, 96 Papa Murphy’s **We take pride in supporting our employees with a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, 401(k), and vacation time for both full-time and part-time team members. We recognize and reward longevity through milestone awards at years one, three, five, and every five years thereafter.

Our store management team participates in bonus programs tied to store performance. These programs reflect our commitment to valuing employees, fostering loyalty, and creating a workplace where people can grow and succeed.** -Lisa Starnes, Franchise Owner, Starnes Holdings, 8 Captain D’s **We’ve implemented a profit-sharing plan to give our employees a real stake in the business.

It’s one way we show appreciation and foster long-term loyalty.