chairman’s message - denny's · denny’s restaurants are billboards and dot signs. but,...
TRANSCRIPT
Summer 2015
Chairman’s Message
Chairman’s Message.....……....….……1-2
Brand Reports……………….…...……..3-5
Election News……………………………..5
News to Know.....................................6-16
Membership……...............................17-19
Meetings & Events.................................20
Inside this Issue
Greetings from the Denny’s Franchisee Association Board
of Directors! We hope your summer includes fun family
times while your business is enjoying the continued strong,
positive sales of our Brand.
The performance of our Brand is the result of the collective
effort of leaders and crew in execution aligned with the
careful planning and marketing of our Brand strengths. The
segment leading performance is good for us all and we ap-
preciate the extraordinary effort by so many, including our
suppliers, who are ‘delivering’ every day to our guests.
As mentioned many times, the primary priorities of the DFA
Board are profitable sales increases, improved margin dol-
lars and effective use of capital. We believe those priorities
are being addressed with numerous meetings and calls with
collaborative and productive dialogue that is evidenced by
the positive direction and results on each of our priorities.
The Brand Advisory Councils each have initiatives or pro-
jects in support of those overall objectives and reports from
those groups are included on pages three through five.
The Supply Chain Oversight Committee is continuing its
work and support for the elevation of our supply chain effec-
tiveness. The reaction to the liquid egg shortage by our pro-
curement and distribution teams has been extraordinary.
The collaboration on communication to our
operators has been a weekly discipline and
we all appreciate how our restaurant teams
have risen to the challenge created by the
shortage.
Our technology Brand Advisory Council is
still in the early stages of engagement with
a focus on creating the collaborative ap-
proach that has benefited the other foundational disciplines
of our Brand. The focus of this group will be exploring capa-
bilities within the fast evolving technology world with a clear
focus on initiatives that will help us drive traffic into our res-
taurants along with cost effective resources.
In what is becoming a clear trend in recognition of his lead-
ership along with our Brand’s performance, we want to con-
gratulate John Miller on selection for another award as a
Golden Chain Winner recognized by Nation’s Restaurant
News. The acknowledgement of John’s leadership and
commitment to the success of franchisees is well deserved.
Also, this is an election year for the DFA Board with five
positions to be elected as part of our biannual board elec-
tion process. Please consider your willingness to serve and
reference the details surrounding the
Craig Barber
Continued on page 2
2
Board of Directors
Craig Barber, Chair 615-277-1212 - Phone
Sam Wilensky, Vice Chair 850-525-2737- Phone
Dawn Lafreeda, Treasurer 210-694-0707 - Phone
Glenn Beattie, Secretary 480-722-9196 - Phone
Holly Agassi 877-206-0951 - Phone
Kevin Coveney 740-586-2889 - Phone
Robert Duskin, CPA 602-248-8223 - Phone
Carl Ferland 919-303-3300 - Phone
Bob Gentz 480-829-5090 - Phone [email protected]
Bob Langford 615-277-1234 - Phone
Rahul Marwah 562-777-2249 - Phone
Jim Wainwright 303-601-1569 - Phone
Assistant Secretaries Leonardo Nahas
809-985-1031 [email protected]
Sandeep Shah 909-856-3592
Advisors Bill Cox
480-829-5090 [email protected]
John Lewis, Esquire 615-259-1382
process on page five. As
noted on many occasions,
your DFA Board is incredibly talented and
committed to advance the Brand while serv-
ing the membership of the DFA. As the
nominees are presented to you later this
year, we hope you will exercise your right of
membership to vote in furtherance of the
excellent work by the DFA Board over the
Association’s existence.
Our annual Brand gathering is an important
element of success for our Brand. Registra-
tion for the 2015 DFA Convention is open at
dennys.org. Details on registration is in-
cluded on the back cover. Our planning and
collaboration with Denny’s leadership to pro-
vide meaningful content combined with fun
social times is almost complete. We sincerely
hope you make plans to join us in Nashville
on October 26th through the 30
th.
In closing, we look forward to continuing the
positive trends and performance to further
strengthen the Denny’s Brand. As always, we
appreciate your DFA membership and your
commitment to our Association.
Best regards,
DFA Chairman
Chairman’s Message
Continued from page 1
New Restaurant Openings April–June 2015
Unit Count:
Domestic: 1,429
International: 108
Corporate: 160
Total Units: June 2015 1,697
Franchisee Site Open
Amponsah-Mensah, Benjamin Fort McMurray 04/23/15
Gaglardi, Robert T Oakville 04/08/15
Gaglardi, Robert T Mississauga 06/14/15
Ismail, Maher M O'Fallon 05/31/15
Jacobs, Adam T West Columbia 04/14/15
Koch, Doug F Edgewood 04/19/15
Mahmood, Tahir Panama City 04/06/15
Mahmood, Tahir Miami Lakes 05/23/15
Nahas, Leonardo Punta Cana 06/16/15
Tatari, Mike Cisco 04/08/15
Thompson, Donnell Stockbridge 05/23/15
Yadav, Anil Folsom 06/21/15
3
Brand Advisory Council Update
Marketing National
Positive sales, traffic and GCA continues… we ended the first half of the year with Module 2, Denny’s with a Twist, continuing to deliver the strong sales and traffic momen-tum we’ve been achieving all year. The Red, White & Blue pancakes continue to be a guest favorite and our new Ba-nana Bread French Toast and Sriracha Spicy Super Chick’n sandwich also delivered new flavors that were well received. Mix shifts and reduced 2468 incidence drove higher GCA and margin compared to M2 last year with GCA and margin up compared to LY. Module 3, Slamtastic 4, kicked off the summer with an ex-citing movie partnership tying into the new Fantastic 4 movie. We offer four entrees inspired directly from the movie that help our guest celebrate each of the four char-acters in unique and exciting ways. The menu has been very well received with The Invisible Woman Slam and The Thing Burger quickly becoming guest favorites, with all four entrees performing well. Our new Fantastic Four- Fruit Smoothie and Dr. Doom Lava Cake are both per-forming well above projections and give our servers easy upsell opportunities.
Our $2468 menu continues to work hard for us. Value menu incidence is down to approximately 17% (4ppts lower than LY), with trades to core menu items driving sig-nificant margin gains in menu mix. After extensive testing efforts last year we made additional strategic changes to the line-up with the launch of Module 3. The introduction of the Blueberry Muffin Pancakes and French Toast Slugger offers exciting news to our guests and further reinforces our brands commitment to providing a strong and compel-ling everyday value menu. We continue to explore and test different product and merchandising opportunities with the $2468 menu - all with the same goal of balancing healthy incidence and low food cost while maintaining strong traf-fic-driving capabilities. In September we continue Module 3 celebrating our mouth-watering burgers. With Big Burger Bash we highlight 100% beef messaging and feature creative that brings to life the fresh toppings and bold flavors of our core menu burgers – all things that deliver a great diner experience for our guests. We’re also bringing back the Classic Bur-ger at $6.99 for a limited time. This gives us a compelling media message designed to drive traffic during a value-focused time of year with a focus on our quality burger line. Submitted: Laurie Curtis [email protected], Vice President/Marketing and Menu Innovation Denny’s, Inc
Co-Chair Sam Wilensky, [email protected]
Marketing Field Marketing
Outdoor Advertising Solutions for in-town and tourist loca-tion Denny’s Some of the most effective forms of advertising for Denny’s restaurants are billboards and DOT signs. But, many Denny’s locations are in high population density or tourist areas, where billboards and DOT signs are not available or too expensive. Several markets have recently had success using more localized forms of outdoor adver-tising as a way to get visibility in a trade area where tradi-tional outdoor is not available. See the following examples of unique outdoor advertising opportunities ideas that can be utilized by a Denny’s Fran-chisee or Co-op. All of these examples have been utilized in 2015. Denny’s Field Marketing Team can help you come
up with an outdoor signage solution regardless of your loca-tion. So, whether you are on a major highway or in an urban area, contact your Field Marketing Manager to discuss local signage solutions for your restaurants.
Continued on page 4
Bus Shelter
Multi Panel Bus Shelter
4
Brand Advisory Council Development Council
The Development BAC held its monthly call on July 13. Dawn Lafreeda, Sam Wilensky, Robert Duskin, John Lewis, Steve Dunn, Tim Flemming, Joe Giordano and Mark Burgess participated. We celebrated sales statis-tics that are unprecedented in the history of the brand! We talked about encroachment with the Steering Com-mittee on June 23, and the company has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the DFA Board of Directors. Once the franchisees agree to move forward, we can begin the review of impact study contractors. Heritage Sunrise comp sales are above 9%. The com-pany spent $150,000 each for two Flying J remodels in Houston, adding a counter. Franchisees should renew their travel center leases directly with Pilot, at least 90 days before the fifth anniversary of the opening date. There are two scopes for Classic Diners (there are 49); one for those which will stay as Classic Diners and a second for those that have transitioned out. See unit statistics and new openings since April 1 on page 2. Contributor: Tim Flemming, Denny’s, Inc Senior VP Co-Chair: Robert Duskin, CPA
O’Fallon, MO
Edgewood, NM
Stockbridge, GA
Submitted: Steve Henry, [email protected] Senior Director Field Marketing, Denny’s, Inc. Co-Chair Sam Wilensky, [email protected]
Bus Wrap
Phone Kiosk
Walking Billboard (Great for High Foot Traffic Locations)
Continued from page 3
5
Brand Advisory Council Operations Council
Margin Improvement - Service with Speed - Train-ing - and - Guest First – were our operational pillars when we began the year, and our summer edition finds us gearing up for our final push in closing out another great year for the Denny’s Brand. Your Op-erations BAC and Denny's, Inc partners continue the focus and action on initiatives that positively impact
the unit level P&L.
Margin & Profi tabi l i ty Improvement Our War on Waste & Margin Improvement work is on-going and never ending. But we are pleased to share the results of the most recent initiatives and
Brand impact in the adjacent chart.
As a reminder… in the first 1st quarter of 2015 com-pany stores used 15.6% less water than last year even with an increase in guest traffic. If you have not taken advantage of eliminating the BOH dipper wells then you are letting money go down the drain. Capping your dipper well will eliminate con-cerns about an open space or the well being turned
back on.
Please submit any comments or feedback to our
committee.
Submitted: Jeff Levy, [email protected] Director Ops Services, Denny’s, Inc.
2015 Election REMINDER
2015 is an election year for the DFA. Every two
years, five Board members are elected. At this
time the Board nominating committee will be
accepting nominees for the DFA Board as is set
forth in the DFA Bylaws. DFA is recognized by
Denny’s, Inc. and other franchise associations as
being highly effective and beneficial to the Denny’s brand. As A DFA
director, the commitment of time and energy is substantial and sacrificial.
However, the DFA has been blessed to have quality individuals and res-
taurant professionals serve and help create our well regarded Associa-
tion. Directors are responsible for ensuring that the DFA advances the
brand by achieving its stated objectives (per the Bylaws), as follows:
a. Communicate with a united voice between association members,
Denny's management, and vendors for the purpose of enhancing the
positive sales growth and profitability of Association members' res-
taurants.
b. Promote communication among Association members for the pur-
pose of gathering information and concerns from individual franchi-
sees and the dissemination of profitable business practices.
c. Negotiate prices and programs with third party vendors for the bene-
fit of Association members.
A DFA Director understands and supports the mission and goals of the
DFA and actively contributes to the governance of this organization. A
News about Dipper Wells
We worked with a vendor to create a kit for $40.00 that includes a stainless steel sheet to cover the hole, rivets and drill bit. You can order your kit from Seal Tex by calling 214-688-7770 or by email at [email protected]. A detailed
instruction sheet for capping the dipper well will be included with your kit.
DFA director makes attendance at quarterly Board meetings a sched-
uling priority and, having read any advance materials, comes prepared
to actively participate in decision making. A DFA director is willing to
share his/her time and professional expertise with the Board and with
staff to contribute to the achievement of specific goals as determined
by the Board and Executive Committee, which may include periodi-
cally assuming a leadership role in chairing a committee or spear-
heading a DFA-sponsored project. A DFA director is an advocate for
the Association and promotes the DFA in ways appropriate to his/her
profession and contacts.
A DFA director must uphold their commitment to the membership and
conduct Association business in a manner that is always honest and
forthright and seek to understand and anticipate the needs of our
members along with providing a professional working environment
based on trust and teamwork.
The Nominating Committee shall review submissions for nominations
and, in accordance with the Bylaws, determine the nominees pre-
sented to the membership for election. Submissions for nominees
must be received by August 26, 2015, (60 days prior to election per the
Bylaws.) Nominees and relevant information to support their nomina-
tion will be presented to the membership prior to the Annual Meeting.
Information regarding the ballots and online voting will be provided
for in the next few weeks.
Submit your Nomination form to [email protected].
6
News to Know from Allied Partners
Reduce Safe Costs by 45% - 7 Simple Steps
It’s 11 PM and one of your restaurants is ready for a shift change but can’t open the safe. What a headache! Repairing a safe is expensive in both money and time. The first hour can cost $225 and often doubles after-hours. Then there are the soft costs of managers/employees spending hours trying to coordinate a safe repair; business interruption and increased risk to unprotected assets. There is a better way.
The majority of expensive safe repairs are completely preventable with a preventative maintenance program. Below are 7 simple steps that lower cost of safe ownership by 45%.
Change Your Batteries Often. Fresh batteries are the most simple and critical component to preventative maintenance. When a safe fails, replacing the batteries is either the solution itself or the first essential step in trouble-shooting. Not changing batteries on a regular schedule means that you will either pay a technician a hefty amount just to change the battery or pay soft costs in managers leaving the restaurant to purchase cheap batteries at a convenient store.
It is important to change batteries according to a defined maintenance schedule to prevent battery failure. Replace batteries only with high quality batteries as they are the most reliable and have the longest shelf life. Schedule battery changes every 3 months if safe is opened over 30 times a day. If you are changing batteries more than every 3 months, an alternative is a continuous power source and use batteries as a back-up. If a safe is opened less than 30 times a day, schedule battery changes every 6 months. Always pay attention to low battery signals before the battery goes out.
Check Door Cords. Door cord damage (from an electronic lock) is the sec-ond most likely reason for safe repairs. Door cords can get smashed into the door jamb and often go unreported. If damaged door cords are left unre-paired, your safe may not open which requires a full safe drill – the most costly of safe repairs. Drilling a safe can cost from $300 – $750 during nor-mal business hours and doubles afterhours. Check door cords every three months for wear and tear. If you find damage, get this fixed immedi-ately. Replacing a damaged door cord is a fraction of the cost of a safe drill.
Check your Handles. Turning the handle to open your safe should be smooth and easy. If you have to force the handle this usually indicates a bigger problem inside your safe. Safes are designed to have handles break off in the case of a safe malfunction to keep out criminals. So if your handle is sticking, this can indicate an issue in the safe itself and the handle may break off if untreated. Immediately repair handles that stick. Much like a car repair, the longer a repair signal is ignored, the higher the cost of repair.
Open and Close the Door. Your safe door should be easy to open and close. If opening or closing are difficult this usually indicates that the bolts are not retracting properly or that the safe door is sagging on its hinges. Left untreated, bolt and hinge repairs are costly because they usually lead to a safe drill or replacing the hinges when permitted, as most hinge failures lead to the purchase of a new safe. To prevent door problems, make sure that door jambs and opening are free of debris like paper clips, pens, rubber bands etc. Also make sure that employees or objects do not lean on or hang from the safe door.
Read the Instruction Manual. Restaurants are notorious for higher turn-over so tracking and enforcing code management on a regular basis keeps your restaurant secure. Don’t rely on solely changing your alarm system code to keep ex-employees away from assets. Always know how to change the codes on your safe when employees leave. The most important actions to know from an instruction manual are enrolling a new user; deleting a user;
changing codes and changing the time delay.
Anchor your Safe. This is the simplest way to prevent your safe from being carried off by an intruder or burglar. Bolt your safe to the floor using holes underneath or in the back of the safe. In high-crime areas, use a Security Installation Platform to anchor your safe.
Check your Combination. Manual Combination locks should still work if dialed within a half point both higher or lower. If you combination lock does not function a half of a point higher or lower, this indicates that your combination lock is out of balance and needs serviced. Service this immediately to prevent a lock out, which most often requires a safe drill. Make Preventative Maintenance part of your Quality Control Process quarterly and you will reap benefits in both lower cost of ownership and increased security.
Quick Safe Checklist: 1. Change your batteries least every six months. 2. Ensure door cords are not smashed and are free of wear and tear. 3. Ensure handles should turn smoothly 4. Ensure door opens/closes smoothly – No sagging or dragging. 5. Clear door opening of debris. 6. Anchor your safe 7. Check your manual combination lock Submitted: Mike Cheyney 214.845.6810 [email protected]
7
News to Know from Allied Partners Standard MEC plans pay for preventative care services only, but when wrapped with these other bene-fits these plan designs are more appealing to the workforce and much more affordable than standard indemnity health plans.
Finally, what truly separates one MEC plan from another is the organiza-tion that administers and services your plan. Having access to multiple plan options with multiple insurance carriers is always the best showing of what an organization actually brings to the table.
We all know that one insurance carrier cannot be all things to all people. So shopping the marketplace is crucial for getting the best plan for your specific situation. We strongly advise against working with the organiza-tions where you experience the inevitable “hand off” that occurs when the salesperson passes the account to a service provider.
This type of hand off many times means that the salesperson is never held accountable for the promises they made and also means that the salesperson is rarely there to hold the insurance carrier accountable as well.
Submitted: Steve Balltrip 864.345.2213 [email protected]
Check What Need—Essential Coverage Plan
Are you frustrated with ACA compliance requirements and costs? With all of the moving parts and seeming conflicting information out there, it is easy to become confused. We speak with franchise owners all the time who are entirely confused, frustrated, and frankly, tired of dealing with it. If you fall into this category, do not despair – there is hope. ACA compliance does not need to be as confusing or frustrating as it may seem. While the mandate has many moving parts, for purposes of this article we will focus on one of the “confusing” items in ACA compliance: what to look for in a good minimum essential coverage (MEC) plan design.
Plans with minimum essential coverage provide real solutions. By January 1, 2015, employers with 100 or more employees must have at least implemented plans with minimum essential cover-age. Beginning January 1, 2016, employers with more than 50 employees must implement plans with minimum essential cover-age to satisfy one portion of the ACA’s large employer mandate. This allows the employer to avoid paying the $2,000 assessment per full-time employee for not meeting the minimum essential coverage employer requirement. In addition to avoiding the tax, the employer contribution is deductible as an expense to the cor-poration. While MEC plans eliminate the $2,000 per employee penalty, employers should be aware that these plans do not pro-tect them from the ACA’s $3,000 penalty per each employee who goes to a public exchange and qualifies for a federal subsidy. MEC plans can save employers costs related to benefits. Be-cause MEC plans offer minimal coverage, the cost is less than traditional group health insurance. The premiums can be paid by the employer and/or the employee.
When you examine these MEC plans, it is important to under-stand their limitations. MEC plans are not major medical cover-age, they do not satisfy all ACA requirements, and, as such, they are not a solution for every employer. If you have someone tell you that they have a MEC silver bullet, our advice is to be ex-tremely cautious and be sure to get a second opinion. That said, there are MEC plans with really innovative plan designs that can be a viable solution for certain industries that have low-wage, high turnover staff, such as restaurants, convenience stores, retail, staffing companies, nursing homes, home health care, hotels and resorts/casinos, and security companies.
So what should you look for in a good MEC plan? A plan with innovative design will bring better benefits to your employees and can be done for surprisingly low costs. The components of a good MEC plan design combine the benefits of the standard mini-mum essential coverage that are required with the following ele-ments:
1. Limited number of doctor and emergency room co-pays
2. Prescription co-pays
3. Unlimited use of telemedicine
4. Medical bill negotiation services
5. Non-emergency surgery saver benefits
6. Patient advocacy
8
News to Know from Allied Partners
Franchisee Case Study On Financials
Mancha Development Company manages back office costs to improve financial functions and support contin-ued growth.
The restaurant business is getting tougher and tougher, with costs rising due to ever-increasing regu-latory scrutiny, growing labor costs and a customer that consistently demands a unique dining experience. Franchisees face many challenges when it comes to dealing with costs, and one of these includes streamlin-ing back office processes, to mitigate issues with accu-racy and timeliness. Despite managing dozens of loca-tions, some franchise groups still have accounting processes that resemble those of “mom and pop” stores rather than the engines of emerging businesses. This is especially apparent among fast-growing fran-chises.
With IQ BackOffice, Mancha Development Company improved their timeliness and accuracy, especially with regards to getting financial statements out to the busi-ness leaders of the company. Mancha Development Company CFO, Brent Dunkin says, “Previously, Man-cha Development Company was closing the books in 3-4 weeks after the end of a period; however, in the last couple of periods, we’re nailing it down to approxi-
mately one week, thanks to outsourcing these func-tions.” As a result, Mancha Development Company has used information collected from better processes to support future business decisions. For example, management has been able to focus more on food and customer experience. “We need to focus on our restaurants instead of questioning our data and now we can do that,” Dunkin said. With an eye on contin-ued growth, IQ BackOffice will work with Mancha De-velopment Company to trim costs and develop a more scalable model for their data collection and ac-counting processes. For more information about our wide range of accounting ser-vices, please contact our office.
Submitted: Ken Johnson 612.919.0061 [email protected] IQBackOffice.com
Software Screen
10
News to Know from Allied Partners
SBA Loan May Be Best Option
Looking for financing in 2015? Why an SBA loan may be a good option for your business. In a recent survey, the percentage of business owners reporting a somewhat to very good current financial situation, is at its highest point in 7 years. It’s an indicator that the economy is improving for small businesses. Healthier businesses in stronger industries are in a better position to get ap-proved for credit, and business owners are more confident about pursuing
financing for their business.
As the economy continues to improve in 2015, it’s a great time for small busi-ness owners who are looking to expand and grow their operations to work with a lender and explore all their financing options. With low interest rates and favorable real estate values, we’re seeing more small business owners looking to expand into larger facilities or purchase their own land and buildings instead of leasing or renting space. What’s more, small business owners have a range of financing options to consider for their specific needs, including conventional
business term loans and government-guaranteed term loans.
For many small businesses that need funds for a real estate purchase and expansion, or to acquire another business and manage cash flow, the SBA 7(a) term loan is a great option to consider. So what’s an SBA 7(a) loan and what type of business should consider pursuing this financing? Here are a few quick
facts on SBA 7(a) loans.
Why the SBA 7(a) Program?
This year, thousands of America’s 28 million small business owners will turn to the SBA 7(a) program for financing. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which does not directly make loans, provides a guarantee for SBA loans made to small businesses by banks and other lending institutions. Because the SBA guarantees a portion of the 7(a) loan, SBA lenders are able to offer an alternative to creditworthy business owners who may not be able to obtain
conventional bank financing.
SBA 7(a) Loan Eligibility
To be eligible for the 7(a) loan program, a business must operate for profit, and qualify as a small business, as defined by the SBA. Also, businesses cannot have a tangible net worth that exceeds $15 million and an average net income
of greater than $5 million over the past two years.
Basic Uses
If you apply and are awarded a 7(a) loan, you can use the loan proceeds to help finance a large variety of business purposes. Typical uses of a 7(a) loan,
which have maximum amount of $5 million, include the following:
To purchase equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures, supplies, materials
To purchase real estate, including land and buildings
To construct a new building or renovate an existing building
To establish a new business or assist in the acquisition,
operation or expansion of an existing business
To refinance existing business debt, under certain conditions
Advantages
The 7(a) loan offers flexibility, such as longer terms, and lower down payments, compared to other types of business financing. With longer terms, business owners typically have lower payments and are able to retain working capital
and maximize cash flow to grow their businesses.
Fees and Interest Rates
Loans guaranteed by the SBA are assessed a guar-antee fee. This fee is based on the loan’s ma-turity and the dollar amount guaranteed, not the total loan amount. As a way to encourage more small loans, the SBA is waiving fees for loans less
than $150,000.
Interest rates on 7(a) loans are typically negotiated between the borrower and the lender and subject to SBA maximums. Both fixed
and variable interest rate structures are available.
Terms
SBA loan programs are generally intended to encourage longer-term small business financing. Loan terms are based on the ability to repay, the purpose of the loan proceeds and the useful life of the assets financed. However, maximum loan terms have been estab-lished: 25 years for real estate; 10 years for equipment (or demon-strated useful life); and 10 years for working capital or inventory
loans.
According to statistics compiled by the U.S. SBA, approximately 95 percent of all small businesses are eligible for SBA assistance. To ensure the success of an SBA loan request, a business owner should look for a bank that is part of the SBA “preferred lenders program” (PLP), as PLP providers have been delegated by the SBA for loan approvals, closing and servicing authority. As experts in the field, SBA loan officers at banks have the knowledge and experi-ence to streamline the application process and can determine the
best program for your needs.
Most lenders will also ask for a comprehensive business plan that clearly states the goals and objectives for the business, as well as information about your experience and management capabilities. Check with your lender for specific support in preparing or updating
your business plan.
The best way to know if an SBA loan is the right option for your business is to talk with your lender. A full-service provider of finan-cial services can you help you evaluate all of your financing options, including SBA loan products, and provide guidance to help your company achieve new levels of success. In an improving economy, small businesses have the opportunity to secure a great loan prod-uct with excellent terms, and help make 2015 the launching pad for
future success.
Wells Fargo SBA Lending is a preferred SBA lender and the #1 SBA Lender in the country. Bret Lanning has nearly 18 years of SBA Lending experience and has originated over $300 million of
SBA loans.
Submitted: Bret Lanning, VP National Franchise Account Manager
651.714.8070 [email protected]
11
News to Know from Allied Partners
ServSafe Now Offers eCerts For All Programs
ServSafe now offers eCerts (electronic certificates) for all programs; Food
Safety Manager, Food Handler, Allergens and Responsible Alcohol Service.
The new eCerts will meet all ANSI requirements, as well as that of local health authorities, which will be able to validate eCerts either with a QR code scan, or through the new Certificate Lookup function on the ServSafe.com website. This
will provide enhanced security for authenticating certifications.
Students and Proctors can access eCerts via their ServSafe.Com online ac-counts, 24/7 – and print as many copies as needed, or save to a PDF file for-
mat for easy transportability.
There is no cost for eCerts – it is included in the cost for the ServSafe Exam. ServSafe will still print certificates and wallet cards for a $10 fee, which can be
ordered directly from the website.
To learn more about how the eCertificate function will affect Students, Instruc-
tors, and/or organizations, please visit ServSafe.com.
Remember the Denny’s Coupon Code Program – use code Dennys14 in the coupon code field at checkout.
DFA members save 52% for Manager Online Training ($65 versus $125 retail). All other Materials are 20% off; Exams ($28.80 online/$30.40 for SCAN-TRONS), ServSafe® Manager Textbooks ($56.24), as well as the opportunity
for ServSafe® Food Handler at $10.20.
ServSafe has recently become an approved vendor for Food Han-dler in Maricopa County, AZ. Special pricing of $7.95 per course is available until 31 October 2015. No coupon code needed. Protect your guests, your staff –
and your business. ServSafe®!
For more information, email me at [email protected] Submit-
ted: Kevin Scott/National Accts Mgr, 540.868.8292
2015 Annual Convention Golf Tournament
Patron Opportunities
Tournament Sponsor $30,000—Ventura Foods
12
News to Know from Allied Partners Restaurant Technologies Inc. Announces New Partnership
MINNEAPOLIS – – Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI) is pleased to announce an exciting new Denny’s partnership with RREMC Restau-rants LLC. The reputable restaurant group was founded in 2002 and
operates across the South, Midwest and Northeast.
Cuisine featuring deep-fried foods is a staple of RREMC’s 40 Denny’s restaurants and accounts for almost 30 percent of menu items. While deep fryers are practically a necessity in any restaurant kitchen, man-aging cooking oil – from its purchase and receipt to storage, filtration and disposal – is a recurring hassle for management and employees. Restaurateurs who depend on hourly employees to carry out this key operational component are likely to face employee injuries, poor filtra-
tion practices and inconsistent food quality.
RREMC decided to remove the inconvenience and uncertainty of man-ual oil handling by partnering with RTI. By installing automated oil man-agement solutions in all of its restaurants, RREMC is eliminating one of the most dangerous, unproductive, despised and messy jobs in the kitchen by automating the distribution, handling and disposal of used hot fryer oil with the push of a button. Just as important, the partnership helps ensure RREMC’s Denny’s restaurants serves its customers qual-
ity product every time.
“… It’s a win for both us and our customers because it’s safer for our employees and produces a better-tasting, better-quality product,” said
John Metz, president of RREMC Restaurants LLC.
The RTI system comes with all the hardware, software, installation, training and support services to easily automate oil management. It
enables employees to fill, dispose of and filter with the push of a button.
To learn more about the RTI automated oil management sys-
tem, visit http://www.rti-inc.com/.
Submitted: Dan Champagne, [email protected] 734.837.0231
RTI – Restaurant Technologies Inc.
Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI) is the leader in smart, safe, sustainable oil and operations management technology for the food service industry. The company’s fully automated oil stor-age, handling and disposal management system helps in-crease worker safety, improve restaurant cleanliness and mini-mize frying-oil inconveniences. RTI data-management solu-tions provide restaurant decision-makers with increased visibil-ity into oil usage for better food quality and consistency. Head-quartered in Mendota Heights, Minn., RTI serves more than 22,000 customers via 41 oil depots throughout the United States. Visit us at rti-inc.com
New Members of our Sponsors Group
IOA Insurance: Bronze Sponsor Howard Massey, Director & VP of the National Restaurant Division Ontario, CA 91761 909.510.6300 x 53220, [email protected] ioausa.com
Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
Regions Insurance: Bronze Sponsor Charlie Page, Senior Vice President Roswell, GA 30076 770.255.7874, [email protected] regionsinsurance.com
Regions Insurance - The coverage you need.
The guidance you trust.℠
Sponsors: Title: Coca-Cola Diamond: MBM Gold: Cargill, Travel Media, Stampede Meats, Ventura Foods Silver: Albertville,
Bruce Foods, Cholula Foods, ConAgra, Ecolab, Fontanini Meats, Haliburton, S & D Coffee, Freshmark. Bronze: Basic American,
Christopher’s, CTI Foods, Daily’s Foods, Dakota Provisions, Direct Capital, Dr Pepper, Fair Oaks Farms, IOA Insurance, Kemps,
Leavitt Insurance, McIlhenny, National Entertainment Group, Regions Insurance, Schreiber Foods
14
Required ACA Reporting Where – What – When – Why
After the latest Supreme Court ruling, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is alive and very likely to stay with us in some form for years to come. Applicable Large Employers (ALE’s) were required to begin coverage in 2015. As part of this coverage, ALE’s must submit a 1095-B to the IRS, with a copy going to each employee. The 1095-B provides details about an employee’s actual insurance coverage. Generally, the 1095-B should be prepared by your insurance provider unless your plan is a self-insured plan. The 1095-C describes the coverage (by month) that was made avail-able to each employee. Please check with your insurance provider and/or broker to determine if they are preparing the 1095-C for your company. Not every insurance provider is automatically doing this for you. Also, many payroll companies are offering to provide these forms for a fee. Form 1095-C goes to each respective employee (much like a W-2 is provided). The 1095-B must be distributed to your employees by Feb-ruary 1st, 2016 for the 2015 calendar year. The 1095-B, a copy of all 1095-C’s, along and respective transmittal forms, must be submitted to the IRS by February 28, 2016 if filing manually or March 31, 2016 if filing electronically. Submitted: Robert Duskin, CPA 602.248.8223 [email protected].
News to Know from Allied Partners
New Technology Announcement
Small Box Energy is excited to announce the launch of our iOS and Android mobile app! The app was created ex-clusively for chameleon™ Cloud users.
Chameleon™ Cloud is an easy to use enterprise level Energy Management System and user interface for small box retail stores and restaurants. It offers alarms for food safety and equipment failure and monitors equipment that con-sumes the most energy; HVAC, lighting, and walk in cool-ers/freezers. To read more about the chameleon™ Cloud program refer to the DFA Forum Newsletter, Spring 2015 at www.dennys.org/dfa-newsletters/. You may also call 855-825-0123 or e-mail: [email protected] Submitted: David Andow
480.745.3732
Choose your app store to download the app.
Property & Casualty
Workers’ Compensation
Safety Programs
ACA Compliance
All Available Nationwide
Copyright ©2015 Insurance products provided through Regions Insurance, Inc., an affiliate of Regions Bank, are not a deposit, not FDIC-insured, not insured by any federal government
agency, not guaranteed by Regions Banks or its affiliates, and may go down in value.
Charlie Page Senior Vice President
404.550.7738 [email protected]
Regions Insurance is proud to be a
DFA Annual Sponsor and
we are committed to provide the
best insurance services.
15
News to Know from Allied Partners
Custom Meat - Simple Way for
Family Dining to Trend Upscale, Part Two
From DFA Forum Winter 2015 issue: Whether one refers to deep-fried potato sticks, roughly chopped vegetables, or cooking in parchment paper, cooking simply sounds sexier in French. The term “sous vide” is no exception. Sous vide, which literally translates to “under vac-uum” in French, is the process of cooking vacuum-wrapped food — in particular, protein items — in a water bath low and slow. To read Part One go to dennys.org/dfa-newsletters/
Continuing with Part Two: For casual dining segments consistency keep customers coming back. Recently my parents — world travelers and foodies — celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary at a popular national steakhouse chain. No strangers to fine dining, they have eaten their way through the California wine country and Provence, France. What made them decide to go casual on their big day? Lower prices, quality, and consistency, Mom said. They’d eaten at the chain on the road before, she explained. “They have a really good steak — and they’re all the same.”
Sous Vide Protein Items Take Pressure Off the Back-of-the-House Chefs Family dining, bar and grill, fast casual, and casual dining res-taurants thrive on consistency. Diners know what to expect in terms of price, portion size, and flavor every time. That’s a tall order for a food service chain, where back-of-the-house chefs can vary greatly in terms of experience, enthusiasm, and talent in the kitchen.
Wholesale cuts of meat that are processed and prepared sous vide style can play a critical role for many food service chains to keep cus-tomers coming back. Sous vide is a trendy term that simply means cooking vacuum-wrapped protein items in a water bath low and slow. It’s a hands-off method that yields valuable, repeatable benefits to chefs:
Accurate control of the inside cooking temperature prevents over-done, dried-out protein pieces. Vacuum-wrapping prevents moisture transfer from food to cooking liquid — which can happen during poaching or boiling — so meat prod-ucts always turn out tender and juicy. Unlike any other cooking method, sous vide guarantees that beef, pork, and poultry will achieve the same degree of perfect doneness from the middle to the edges of the cut. Timing issues are eliminated vs. cooking over heat and flame, so finished items can remain in the water bath — without overcooking — until ready to plate. Various methods of finishing the products — oven, broiler, grill, flat top —provide many options for final plate appearance, creating tre-mendous menu flexibility.
Packaged Meat Solutions Provide Quality at Low Price Points “Perfectly cooked” doesn’t mean a whole lot if the quality isn’t there to begin with. This is especially true for center-of-the-plate protein. Sous vide cooking lets even fast-food chains deliver high quality while keep-ing price points low.
“ B e c a u s e t y p i c a l l y underutilized cuts of beef or pork are the cuts of choice, sous vide meat products give food service development chefs the ability to develop menu items that are full of flavor, on trend, and increase cost efficiency by offering dramatically im-proved yields when compared to dry heat or braising cooking methods,” explained Dennis Gruber, VP of Technical Innova-tion & Culinary Development at Bridgeview, Ill.-based Stam-pede Meat.
“Cuts not typically used for steaks that also contain natural marbling and distinctive muscle fibers are ideal for sous vide processing. ‘Fall off’ or ‘end pieces’ from portion steak cutting also work well,” he continued. “The low temperature and long cooking times break down the tissue and fiber, making fin-ished items extremely tender and flavorful.
Stampede Meat specializes in custom-made, center-of-the-plate protein solutions that include a full line of sous vide items. Gruber offered some examples of value-added meat cuts that work well under the sous vide process, including:
Meat processors like Stampede Meat place a wide variety of sous vide style products in front of food service culinary ex-perts with multiple layers of success. If my parents are any indication, the quality, value, and consistency sous vide pro-vides can help casual dining restaurants stay popular and profitable.
Submitted: Brock Furlong, [email protected]
Blake Miller,
800.353.0933 stampedemeat.com
Bone-in Beef Short Ribs Boneless Pork Butt
Bottom Sirloin Chuck
Eye Round Ground Steak & Trimmings
Rib Eye Shoulder
Sirloin Tip/Knuckle Louis Style Spare Ribs
Strip Loin
17
Membership—NEW Allied Partner Suppliers ACP, Inc Equipment Providers
Blendtec Equipment Providers
C3 - Creative Consumer Concepts Marketing
CHI - Charter House Innovations Decor, Signage Providers
Citizens Bank Restaurant Finance Financial Services
Commercial Foodservice Repair / Tech-24 Equipment Providers
Corrigo, Incorporated Technology and Office Equipment
Dish Network Entertainment
Five Star Custom Foods Food and Beverage Providers
Heinz North America Food and Beverage Providers
Inprocess, Inc. Business Services
IOA Insurance Services Insurance
IQ BackOffice Business Services
Kagome Food and Beverage Providers
Kraft Food Ingredients Food and Beverage Providers
Marlin Franchise Finance Group Financial Services
Matthews Retail Group, Inc. Financial Services
Mission Foods Food and Beverage Providers
Pinnacle Solutions Construction/Site Services
PlotWatt Utility Services
Regions Insurance, Inc. Insurance
Rolland Safe & Lock Company, LLC Equipment Providers
ServSafe (National Restaurant Association) Business Services
Small Box Energy (Engenuity Systems) Utility Services
Southeastern Mills-Louisiana Hot Sauce Food and Beverage Providers
Stearns Bank NA Financial Services
Stewart Sutherland Supplies
TD Bank Financial Services
Tyson Foodservice, a division of Tyson Foods Food and Beverage Providers
Unilever Food Solutions Food and Beverage Providers
WAY.com Marketing
Wells Fargo SBA Lending Financial Services
Refer to your online Buyer’s Guide for suppliers at Dennys.org > Suppliers ++++++++
Allied Partner Suppliers support you and the brand by underwriting your dues and convention registration, give them the opportunity to bid for your business!
Membership—Allied Partner Suppliers A.C. Furniture, Inc. Everyware Global / Oneida / Anchor Pay1 Payroll Services
A-1 Incorporated Fair Oaks Farms, LLC Payless ShoeSource
ACP, Inc First Data USA Pinnacle Solutions
Advantage Equipment Sales First Franchise Capital Corporation PlotWatt
Albertville Quality Foods Five Star Custom Foods Priority Capital
Alliance Payroll Services FMP (Franklin Machine Products) Red Mountain Lighting
Atlantic Micro Systems Fontanini Italian Meats Regions Insurance, Inc.
Barry Callebaut Food Service Concepts Restaurant Technologies, Inc. RTI
Basic American Foods Franchise Signs International, LLC Rich Products
Blendtec Genesis Baking Company Rolland Safe & Lock Company, LLC
Bruce Foods Corporation GOJO Industries Roses Southwest Papers
C.F. Sauer Foods Haliburton International Foods S & D Coffee & Tea
C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc. / Pioneer Flour Heinz North America Saputo Dairy Foods LLC
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Hobart-Traulsen-Vulcan Schreiber Foods, Inc.
C3 - Creative Consumer Concepts Impulse Industries Seating Concepts
Career Builder Innovative Expo ServSafe (NRA)
Cargill Inprocess, Inc. Shoes For Crews, LLC
CHI - Charter House Innovations IOA Insurance Services Sir Speedy Printing and Signs
Cholula Food Company IQ BackOffice Small Box Energy (Engenuity Systems)
Christopher's, Inc. Kagome Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Citizens Bank Restaurant Finance Kelloggs Food Away From Home Snagajob
Clipper Corporation Kemps Ice Cream Southeastern Mills-Louisiana Hot Sauce
CMC Group / DayMark Safety Systems Kraft Food Ingredients Sprint
Coca-Cola | Minute Maid Kraft Foodservice Stampede Meat, Inc.
Commercial Foodservice Repair / Tech-24 Lamb Weston | ConAgra Foods Stearns Bank NA
Corrigo, Incorporated Leavitt Insurance Group Stewart Sutherland
CrewSafe, Division of Spellbound Lewis, Thomason, King, Krieg & Waldrop Success Unlimited Corporate Services
CTI Foods Libbey Inc. Sugardale Foods/Fresh Mark, Inc.
D.I.N.E. Little Insurance Group Sunrise Growers
Daily's Premium Meats Marlin Franchise Finance Group Superior Uniform Group
Dakota Provisions, Inc. Matthews Retail Group, Inc. SureGrip® Footwear
Dart Container Corporation MBM Corporation TCF Equipment Finance
David Miller Holdings McCain Foods, USA TD Bank
Design Team Sign Company, LLC McClancy Seasoning Company The Pelican Group
Destiny Packaging McIlhenny Co. Tiger Natural Gas, Inc.
Direct Capital Franchise Group Middleby:Wells/Pitco/Toastmaster/Blodgett Trane
Dish Network Mission Foods Trident Seafoods
Diversified Foods & Seasonings, LLC Mood Media TTI Hoover Oreck
Dominion Enterprises | Hotelcoupons.com NAMG | National Association Mgmt Group Tundra Restaurant Supply
Domino Foods ASR National Entertainment Network Tyson Foodservice
Dr Pepper Snapple Group National Franchise Sales Unilever Food Solutions
Duskin & Duskin CPAs Nestle Professional Ventura Foods LLC
Ecolab - Pest Elimination Division Old Seville Expense Reduction, Inc. WAY.com
Ecolab Institutional On Site Management Wells Fargo SBA Lending
Ed Miniat LLC Pacific Premier Franchise Capital Wiedenbach-Brown Co., Inc.
ENCOTECH Services, Inc. Pactiv Corporation Window Interiors
Patcraft
Support these Suppliers as they underwrite your DFA Membership Dues & Convention Registration
Meetings & Events
Management: Barbara Magro, [email protected] | Tiffany Danley, [email protected] | Rich Danley, [email protected]
888-433-6697 | [email protected] | dennys.org
Franchisees: REGISTER NOW FOR FREE!
Go to Dennys.org > Event Info
Franchisee Members receive two complimen-
tary registrations per paid unit. All units must
be paid for each owner entity, per the DFA By-
laws.
2015/16 Franchisee dues must be paid for
each unit by September 15, 2015
Complimentary registration ends September
15th. After September 15th, the following
registration fees apply:
September 16th—October 15th: $300/person
October 16th—Onsite: $500/person
October 16th: Online registration closed
DFA Committee Meetings DFA Board members as well as other franchisees serve and meet at least monthly on Brand Advisory Committees (BAC). If you wish to communicate on any issue, inquire about the next meeting or a con-cern that you have please contact the committee chair below.
DFA Board Meeting/Conference Calls Aug 18 Telephonic Meeting Sept 21-23 Meeting, Nashville Oct 12 Telephonic Meeting Oct 25, 30 Meetings, Nashville Nov 17 Telephonic Meeting Dec 15 Telephonic Meeting
Marketing Sam Wilensky [email protected]
Development Robert Duskin [email protected]
Operations Glenn Beattie [email protected]
Technology Rahul Marwah [email protected]
ATTENTION DENNY’S Suppliers! SAVE
THE DATE for 2016. You do not want to
miss this popular, exclusive marketing
event for your company.