Kallen

I was raised by very traditional parents who insisted that life was moving too fast and that it was best to hold onto the good ole days for as long as possible.  They raised my brother, sister, and me without cable television, they refused to buy us a Nintendo system, and I don’t remember them ever coming home with a movie rated anything higher than PG.  When we took road trips (which we did quite often) we didn’t have Gameboys to keep us entertained, we stopped at nearly every roadside historical sign, and we always stopped for lunch or dinner at a local ma & pa’s diner.  My father was adamant that we wouldn’t eat at a restaurant chain or franchise fast food joint.  He said he wanted us to experience the true tastes of our country's unique regions and wanted us to support the local communities.  He made me feel as though patronizing a national chain was equivalent to handing my five dollar bill to a table of stuffy board members in New York City.

This mentality stuck with me for years.  It wasn’t until I got to college and traveled with our college rodeo team that I learned to really appreciate restaurant chains and fast food.  Sure, there is a time and a place for the ma & pa diners of the country, but there’s also something to be said for the dependability and speed of the big name restaurants.  I have to admit, though, that the tinge of guilt never really left me when my friends and I stopped at the Sonic, Texas Roadhouse, or Applebee’s on a highway bypassing the downtown of a small community where the old establishments struggled everyday to gain back their customers who had moved on to a faster and more convenient lifestyle.  I knew I was only fueling the fire that was threatening to smoke out their traditional way of life with daily specials, pie displays, and familar faces.

The perspective I was lacking throughout all the years was that of the franchise owners.  The image of board members sitting around a table never quite left me and I never took the time to consider the real people who were actually managing the chain restaurants.  My eyes were recently opened a couple of months ago when the Balihoo product became the franchise marketing software of choice for the national sandwich chain, Quiznos.  After only a few phone calls with their franchise owners, I realized my perspective had been unfairly skewed against the big dogs of the restaurant world for too long.  The Quiznos owners I now speak with on a daily basis are hardworking and passionate people.  They strive everyday to make their restaurants successful operations and they face many of the same business challenges that independent restaurant owners do.  Sure, they receive lots of support from their corporate team, but the day-to-day managerial tasks are the same.  And it takes the same grit, determination, and heart to make their restaurants a customer favorite. 

I have been truly inspired by the Quiznos owners.  They work hard to connect with their customer base and they want to  deliver the personalized touch that sets them apart from other quick service restaurants.  I love to see the posters and flyers customized in our ad builder software with the names of local high schools, colleges, and community events.  Just the other day, one of the owners was looking to create a poster featuring the Italian Melt sandwich because he said it was a local favorite and he wanted to acknowledge the community spirit of his customers.  I’ve also been very impressed with the number of Quiznos owners that have ordered material for local fundraising events.

I no longer have any qualms about eating at a chain restaurant.  I realize now that the people behind the counter or serving my table are just as local and just as deserving of a paycheck as the people working in the independent restaurants down the street.  I also know that the people in the back offices care deeply for their communities, work hard to provide for their families, and are no different than my parents, who themselves are small business owners.  I might not be able to change my dad’s eating habits on the road, but I have succeeded in opening his eyes to the fact that franchisees have feelings too.