Young Ones to Watch: Alison Satriana, Director of Development At Teriyaki Madness

Alison Satriana, director of development for Seattle-style teriyaki brand Teriyaki Madness, says the ability to help people find opportunities and achieve their dreams of being an entrepreneur is what she loves most about the industry.

• By chance, actually. I was in the outdoor industry before this, selling guns. My mom’s boyfriend’s daughter works for Teriyaki Madness, and she introduced me to the company. I still loved marketing and sales, but I was ready for a change in industry. I started as an office manager and coordinator and quickly found the business development and franchise development side of the business. I love helping people to find their next opportunity and to own their own business, which is the American dream.

The franchise industry provides people with opportunities, which is unique. There are a lot of different motivators to why people buy a franchise — being their own boss or starting a legacy for their family. We’re in the business of providing opportunities for “mom and pop” to become the owners of their dream business.

• On the franchisee side, we’re looking for someone who is coachable and willing to work in all areas of the business. If they need to get on the cook line and flip some chicken for a bit because it’s busy for the lunch rush, then they will. We look for tenacity and the ability to be a team player.

Teriyaki Madness has been investing in tech over the last few years, and that’s proven to be so important during this time — updating our online ordering process, the addition of the app and navigating third-party delivery. That made it easier to pivot to 100% takeout when the pandemic first started. As a whole, I feel like the industry came together to share best practices for how they were adjusting and thinking critically about the easiest way to not waste labor and make the experience good for the customer.

The restaurant world a lot of places operate at half capacity. It's hard to figure out how to maximize our space. How do you set up tables, how do you increase your outdoor space.

As for opportunities, this is a time when franchising thrives, and not just in the restaurant industry. People are out of jobs and seeing an opportunity for franchising to motivate them to be their own business owner. For a lot of people, COVID-19 has pushed them to where they’ve always wanted to go.

To me, the biggest thing is being able to take initiative. That speaks volumes for how you’re helping the company you’re working for, and it shows you’re excited about your job at the basic level.