In today’s briefing, we speak with Slapfish about how the brand is planning ahead for opportunities to come out of COVID-19.
Slapfish founder and executive chef talks to Global Franchise about the eventual real estate revolution
We recently got the chance to sit down with Slapfish’s Andrew Gruel, to talk about what the brand is doing in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, as well as why he believes that there are going to be many new opportunities that come out of this current period of uncertainty and challenge.
“Call me crazy, but I look at situations like this and try to pick out the opportunities,” said Gruel. “I think that there’s going to be major opportunities when we come out of the other side of this in so many different arenas. From a real estate perspective, from a franchisee perspective, from a product perspective, and from a marketing perspective.”
Make sure to check out our full conversation with Andrew here.
McDonald’s to begin checking the health of employees before they start a shift
In a step to further protect its employees and customers from contracting the coronavirus, McDonald’s in the U.S. will now be checking-in with its workers before any shift to ask whether they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19, QSR reports. If they answer yes, then they are sent home until a medical professional can confirm that it is okay for them to return to work.
“Implementing these extra precautionary measures is another way employees can feel good about where they work, and customers can trust their favorite McDonald’s menu items are being prepared by healthy crew members,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA. “This is one of the many ways McDonald’s is doing its part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 at this critical time.”
Domino’s Pizza CEO pens letter to update franchise network on current positioning
Ritch Allison, the CEO for Domino’s Pizza, recently released an open letter to the Domino’s franchise network to advise franchisees and investors on how the global pizza franchise is handling the COVID-19 crisis, and what the brand’s first quarter sales figures look like amidst the ongoing pandemic.
“We don’t typically provide a business update outside our normal quarterly cadence, but we recognize that these are not normal times,” said Allison. “We pride ourselves on being transparent with our stakeholders and we believe this information will be instructive, given the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our business and the restaurant industry.”
Allison’s letter then goes on to detail how same franchise store sales growth has declined from 3.6 per cent in January 2020, to one per cent as of March 22, 2020.
Approximately 1,400 of Domino’s Pizza’s international locations have now closed. Across the brand’s entire network, including company-owned and franchised units, 17,089 stores have been temporarily shut down.
German Doner Kebab to serve 30,000 free meals to NHS workers
In partnership with Deliveroo, German Doner Kebab (GDK) will make 30,000 meals available to NHS frontline workers and vulnerable people for free. Meals will be available over time, as Deliveroo is working with individual hospitals to ascertain where the need is greatest. At first, London and Manchester are being prioritized, with plans to eventually extend this to other areas of the U.K.
“We have been completely overwhelmed and inspired by the incredible dedication and courage shown by NHS staff during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Imran Sayeed, CEO. “Our commitment to provide 30,000 free meals to NHS workers is a big gesture of support from the GDK family and recognizes their super-human efforts in an already overwhelmed NHS service. We stand beside them during these unprecedented times and will continue to do our best to provide valuable help to the selfless heroes that are saving lives and helping vulnerable people in communities throughout the country.”
Right at Home to fill 1,000 new vacancies
Right at Home, a leading homecare franchise in the U.K., is looking to fill 1,000 new vacancies as a part of a new national recruitment campaign announced recently. Applicants can phone a national recruitment line seven days a week, and their details will be sent to their local Right at Home office.
“No experience is necessary as we will provide you with all the training and tools you need to provide safe, high-quality care in people’s homes,” said Heather Keep, national people and brand development manager. “All we ask for is a big-heart and a commitment to helping others and we will offer flexible hours to work around your availability to make sure that those who need help will get it.”
Interested applicants can call 0333 015 0664 between Monday and Friday 9.00am – 7:30pm, Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm and Sunday 10.00am – 2.00pm.
Chipotle to give nearly $6.5m in bonuses to employees
As well as the recent increase of 10 per cent to hourly pay for Chipotle workers clocking in between March 16 and April 12, the burrito brand will soon be paying a total of nearly $6.5m in discretionary bonuses to field leaders, general managers, and apprentices, as reported by QSR.
On average, individuals will see quarterly bonuses ranging from $3,700 for field leaders to $1,800 for general managers, and $650 for apprentices.
