A Conversation With: Mike Sebazco and Josh Bergeson of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes

The coronavirus continues to have dire effects on businesses across the country, and the franchise industry is no exception. Franchisors across segments are strategizing new ways to support their franchisees, keep customers satisfied, help local communities and come out stronger on the other side of this crisis.

To that end, 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills and Charles Internicola, founder and partner of the Internicola Law* Firm, are covering the coronavirus and its impact on businesses through our A Conversation With webinar series.

In today’s morning webinar, Powills and Internicola spoke with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes* Vice President of Operations Mike Sebazco and franchisee Josh Bergeson about how franchisors and franchisees can learn from the COVID-19 crisis. 

Here are some of the key insights from their discussion.

The Reopening Process

Reopening is the primary for most business owners. Soon, social distancing restrictions will start to lift and brands have one shot to get reopenings right and earn trust with their customer base. 

The safety of guests and team members is paramount. Brands need to figure out how they can best utilize new guidelines provided by health professionals and determine the best course of action to keep the public safe. 

A Shifting Perspective

The pandemic has given the franchising industry a stronger sense of community. Some brands laid off workers and ran towards the money. Other brands realized there was no way they could lay people off and still offer winning support. They knew that everyone on their team contributes something unique. 

This has been a scary time, but franchise brands should not knee-jerk to this pandemic. They should do what they can to support their franchisees and make their experience better. 

Franchisor Support

Culture and values can boost morale at this time. It’s a roller coaster of emotions for everyone, and franchisees appreciate franchisor support.

There are a lot of unknowns at this time, and brands can opt for fight or flight. They need to figure out how to survive this and talk to their people and execute a plan. Franchisees appreciate being able to bounce ideas off of the franchisor and maintain a dialogue. Working together is part of being in a franchise. 

Members of a franchisor’s corporate team should think about what they can do for their franchisees, such as helping them get the financial assistance they need. Some franchisors might choose to be despondent over what’s going on when they should be proactive. They need to see what they can do to boost the top line and support their franchisees. 

Mind the Intangibles

Post-COVID-19, there will likely be many individuals looking to make an investment and will look into franchising. Franchisors should consider their intangible benefits — the things that made existing franchisees feel good about signing the franchise agreement. Current franchisees might cite factors such as aligned values or a brand focus on serving families. 

Hope for the Future

Marketing and operations teams have had to become more nimble during the pandemic. Brands will be wiser and smarter as we come out of this. The most adaptable will survive this time. 

If your brand does not live by its values, your team’s actions won’t be aligned in times of stress. 

Before the pandemic, many people saw franchises as part of “big business” when they are in fact often small, local businesses. Behind every one of these franchises is a small business story. 

No one knows what will happen next, but franchisors need to be adaptable, meet fiduciary responsibilities and help franchisees come out of this with their goals intact. 

This is a scary time, but franchises can come out of this stronger and more ingrained in their communities.