Ryan O’Malley’s restaurant career began in 2007 at Wendy’s of Bowling Green, where he held roles from GM to district manager to director of operations. In 2021, he made the leap to Wendy’s franchisee. Today, O’Malley and his partners operate 136 locations across five states (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama).
O’Malley, who lives in Louisville, oversees the Indiana and Kentucky units. It’s a job that covers all facets of running a Wendy’s, like payroll, finance, HR, and operations. “You must be involved in all to be successful,” he says.
There’s a slogan in O’Malley’s company to “be the most thriving and beloved restaurant in our company.”
“I want my company to be the restaurant of choice when people are looking for food,” he adds.
O’Malley says his organization—Wendy’s of Bowling Green, Inc.—holds the highest brand sales average in the nation for breakfast, a daypart that launched at the start of the pandemic. The group has more than quadrupled its restaurant count in the past six years as well.
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“Our success comes from a people-first culture,” O’Malley says. “The largest contributor to our company’s success is my team within the restaurants.”
He represents the group as a member of the board of directors for Wendy’s Franchise Association as a voted-in member. The WFA speaks for operators nationwide with north of 5,000 member restaurants.
QSR magazine caught up with O’Malley ahead of this September’s QSR Evolution Conference. O’Malley is the latest member of our first QSR Evolution Innovators program. If you’d like to apply and be eligible for a 50-percent off rate, nominate here.
Why did you get into the hospitality business?
I got into the restaurant industry likely due to my dad being in the industry. He is a franchisee with Wendy’s and after working in the field I, too, became a second-generation franchisee with the brand. Starting out as a crew member and working all managerial roles I continued to develop my leadership skillset. I like the relationships you build with each restaurant team. Every day we are challenged on how we can improve the customer experience.
What are some ways your restaurant gives back, and why is that so critical?
I partner with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption through the People Committee on Wendy’s Franchise Association that I chair. Our goal is to help increase donations to the charity. The DTFA specializes in helping children that were deemed unadoptable find forever homes. I am proud that my company has raised over $2 million the past three years to help fund adoption. We predominantly raise that money selling Frosty key tags. Customers feel good about playing a part in helping with adoption through the key tags they purchase, and this helps drive repeat traffic as well. It truly is a win-win.
Speak more about the value of culture at your company.
Culture at our company is of critical importance. You can have grand mission statements on the values your company holds but that is of little importance if implementation isn’t followed through. Being in the restaurant with the team drives the culture. Being nice to people, a dedication to serving the customer and a willingness to listen are keys to culture. We help drive these behaviors with a biweekly newsletter we send out. It celebrates the team’s accomplishments and gives updates on current business news. The office sends out a daily joke and inspirational email to lift up the managers. You know your culture is strong when people want to be at work.
What advice would you give an aspiring franchisee?
The advice I would give to an aspiring franchisee is to put in the work. Learn the business and commit yourself to it. The restaurant industry can be hard and challenging to the soul. Make sure this is something you want to do. Everyone thinks restaurants are a great business to be in but if you don’t know what you’re doing it can turn upside down quickly. Restaurants are not a passive income business. If you or someone that is running your business doesn’t know what they are doing things can go south. A restaurant can be a rewarding and profitable business but make sure you are equipped to make it successful.
