Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A franchise owner Justin Lindsey began offering employees and managers the option to work three-day, 13- to 14-hour shifts — and manager retention has climbed to 100%, he told QSR magazine.
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Lindsey said he dialogued with employees at his Miami restaurant extensively before implementing the program. Workers were also allowed to choose if they wanted to participate, he told the outlet.
“A lot of companies talk about providing their team members with true work/life balance. At CFA Kendall we are actively doing something about that,” he wrote in an earlier LinkedIn post about the change.
Here’s how the program works: There are now two “pods” (groups of workers) at the restaurant. Instead of people swapping throughout the day, a consistent crew takes care of the establishment and works together as a team straight through the entire day, Lindsey told QSR.
The pods work on being the best at speed or inspections, which have become “literally perfect” since introducing the arrangement, he told the outlet.
“We’ve been an elite restaurant,” he added.
And the proof is in the (shift) pod. Lindsey’s Chick-fil-A location is on track to bring in $17 million in sales this year. The average annual sales volume for a Chick-fil-A location like this, that is not inside a mall or some such, in 2021 was $8.142 million.
Chick-fil-A typically allows people to franchise one restaurant with an initial investment of $10,000, per its website.
Lindsey’s philosophy on keeping his joint going: “lead with generosity,” he told the outlet.
Gabrielle Bienasz
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