The Unique Challenges of Staffing Restaurant Franchises

Staffing a restaurant franchise presents unique challenges that can significantly impact operations, customer satisfaction and overall success. 1851 Franchise spoke with Jake Philpotts, vice president of business development and franchise relations with Surcheros Fresh Mex about the major hurdles in staffing restaurant franchises and the solutions for addressing them. 

According to Philpotts, the landscape has evolved recently; it’s worth prefacing the discussion of staffing challenges with the notion that things are looking up. 

“Staffing challenges have decreased over the past year and a half,” said Philpotts. However, this improvement follows an exceptionally difficult period during the pandemic when staffing was as challenging as ever in his career. Some of those challenges are still lingering.

One major challenge is finding the right real estate locations that align with both market potential and workforce accessibility. 

“As we've expanded into larger markets like suburbs or higher socioeconomic demographics, the area you want your restaurant to be in is often nowhere close to where the hourly workforce can afford to live,” Philpotts said. “It's the right demographic for guests, but no one can be paid $12, $14, even $16 an hour and live within half an hour of this location.”

The result is that employees must commute, which creates instability in staffing. 

“If they find an opportunity that's closer to where they live, they're going to take that nine times out of ten,” Philpotts said. 

This commuting burden makes it difficult to retain staff, as convenience and proximity become decisive factors for many workers. Creating a positive work environment and offering career growth opportunities are crucial for retention, as a great work atmosphere and potential for career growth can make a commute worthwhile. 

“When we're talking about the workforce in general, they rarely leave jobs solely because of money. They leave jobs where they don’t feel seen or heard, or don’t feel like they fit in,” said Philpotts. “If you have strong leaders in these restaurants empowering team members, you start to create that retention and change the narrative from a turnover standpoint.”

To address these challenges, Surcheros has invested in a comprehensive training program. The implementation of a learning management system, called the Fresh Academy, ensures consistent training across all locations and ensures all team members feel confident in completing their tasks. 

The staffing landscape in the restaurant franchise industry is complex and multifaceted. From real estate and commuting challenges to creating a supportive work culture and leveraging technology, there are many factors to consider. However, if you put the well-being of your staff first by creating a supportive environment and creating opportunities for career development, you’ll be more likely to get and retain the team members you need for your restaurant franchise to be successful.

“The overarching theme is if you have strong leaders empowering team members, you start to create that retention and change the narrative from a turnover standpoint,” said Philpotts. 

Every great franchisee had help buying a franchise. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisees find the right franchise opportunity? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and start your journey.