In 2006, Taco Bell introduced a new training program that one longtime franchisee described as the most exciting thing the brand has ever launched. The Bell got rid of its paper-based test system in favor of a program that increased interaction between its trainers and trainees. Previously a 200-plus-page handbook was used. Its replacement is a set of single cards that carry coaching instructions for trainers on one side and illustrated examples on the other. The move was made, in part, to address the language challenges that almost all quick-service brands are facing today. Franchisees aren’t the only people happy with the new program. Team members have described it as “interactive, fun, and simple.” What more could you ask more?
In September Subway raised its profile as a healthy fast-food option to the next level when certified nutrition specialist and celebrity advisor J. J. Virgin joined dietitian Lanette Kovachi, MS, RD on Subway’s online Menu & Nutrition page. Virgin is scheduled to star in 12 online videos promoting healthy eating and the Subway brand. Her first “Eating from the Rainbow” touted the benefits of eating an array of colored vegetables and was shot inside a Subway unit. Virgin is no neophyte. She worked with Subway on its F.R.E.S.H Steps childhood obesity prevention initiative in 2004. More recently, she signed on as the nutritionist for Dr. Phil’s “Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge” and helped actor Brand Routh prepare to play the Man of Steel in Superman Returns. Viewers might also recognize her as a sometime member of ABC’s Extreme Makeover “Extreme Team.” In Virgin, Subway has found a way to lend an air of star power to its health initiatives. And in these celebrity-obsessed times, the value in that cannot be overestimated.
Joanne Wells started working for the Loop Pizza Grill as a 19-year-old cook when the chain’s first store opened in San Marco, Florida. Twenty-five years later she and the Loop are still together. Her loyalty was rewarded in September 2006 with a surprise, all-expenses paid, nine-day vacation of her choice. We’re talking airfare, hotel, and travel expenses for two. Wells has yet to take the trip. The Italian tour suggested by management sounded nice, but hectic. Instead she’s thinking somewhere warm, Costa Rica, maybe. The fishing is good there, and after 25 years of service— 19 of those as a general manager—Wells is looking for a little relaxation. Wherever she ends up, Wells won’t be worrying about her store back home. Several employees there have significant time in the system, too.
In tribute to longtime KFC franchise and Women’s Foodservice Foundation (wff) founding member Jackie B. Trujillo, WFF created the Jackie B. Trujillo (jbt) Standard-Setters for Opportunity Advancement and Recognition (s.o.a.r.) award in 2005. The JBT, as the award is now known, honors foodservice companies that foster a culture conducive to the advancement and growth of female employees. The award is the highest honor an organization can receive from the WFF. PepsiCo won the inaugural JBT in 2006. The company’s board is 29 percent female with 27 percent of them in officer positions. The company also supports a Women’s Initiative Network and offers both formal and informal mentoring programs.