How do you maintain consistency in employee training, culture, and service quality across different locations?

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all multi-unit Mexican restaurant operators.

Consistency is one of the hallmarks of a franchise business. Whether you dine at a franchise restaurant in Bangor, Maine, Topeka, Kansas, or La Jolla, California, the menu, branding, and general layout should all be the same. Having a standard appearance, products, and services that ensure customer familiarity is one of the benefits that attract entrepreneurs to franchises.

That consistency also extends to how each restaurant operates. It starts on a new employee’s first day during training to learn about the job. But it goes beyond being able to cook, serve, answer the phone, or work the register. Team members need to know about the overall system, its culture, and why it is unique. What is the best way the brand believes it can connect with and serve its customers? While that is important in any industry, having employees who know and understand this is essential for service-based businesses like restaurants.

Franchise Update spoke with several multi-unit restaurant franchisees about how they maintain consistency in training, culture, and service across all their locations. Many said the process begins with having good managers in place to lead the employee training, increasingly with comprehensive Learning Management Software (LMS) programs. Establishing a strong culture is developed over time through providing ongoing support, leadership, respect, personal interaction, and team-building activities. It is also important to take the same approach at each location, establishing the consistency that comes with franchising.

We also asked a few multi-unit restaurant operators about the turning point of their careers. The unique part about their responses was the range of time which people felt was pivotal in their career journey. For some, it was earlier in life before becoming a franchisee. Others cited successfully operating their first restaurant, expanding the number of units or adding another brand to their portfolio. Turning points can occur at any time and are a key point in telling the story of a successful entrepreneur.

Kyle Dixon

Company: iServ LLC

Brands: Sonny’s BBQ (28), Giovanni’s Pizzeria & Kitchen (5)

Years in Franchising: 6

Store managers play a critical role in maintaining consistency across all our locations. For our organization, this begins with iServU—a two-day management training program designed to bridge the gap between operations, people management, marketing, and accounting.

We discovered early on that supplementing our training manuals with in-person classroom sessions allowed us to connect more meaningfully with our managers, reinforce our company culture, address evolving industry topics, and deliver in-depth instruction led by several of our top leaders.

Beyond iServU, we offer ongoing learning and team-building opportunities throughout the year. Our area leaders also provide continuous support and guidance to ensure sustained growth and alignment across teams.

Paul Gill

Company: Yogurtland

Brands: Yogurtland (19) 

Years in Franchising: 17

I lead our company with a strong commitment to our mission, vision, and values. These are shared in our restaurants, during orientation, and throughout every team member’s journey with us. We take pride in serving our communities with the highest standards of guest service, food quality, and cleanliness. I’ve learned we’re not just in the food business, and that we’re in the people business on both sides of the counter.

We stay closely connected with our team through one-on-one training, newsletters, webinars, and the Yogurtland online portal. Many of our team members are younger, and we lead by example. As managers, we are always coaching, teaching, and supporting our people to be their best. Every team member knows their role is to deliver an exceptional guest experience that keeps people coming back.

Robert Pina

Company: Marco’s Pizza

Brands: 37 Marco’s Pizza

Years in Franchising: 40 (16 with Marco’s)

Maintaining consistency requires constant communication between all levels of team members. It begins with the training that each new employee participates in on their first day through the Marco’s system. This training empowers each team member to serve every guest with exceptional hospitality.

Patrick Shannon

Company: Milan Pizza

Brands: 7 Hungry Howie’s

Years in Franchising: 29

It starts with leadership. I treat my team like family, and that mindset trickles down. Many of my partners started as employees, proving the value of retention. We prioritize ongoing training, motivation challenges, and incentive programs. Leading by example is something I strongly believe in. I’m in the stores daily, rolling up my sleeves and making pizzas alongside my team. It’s the reason I invested in Hungry Howie’s franchises in the first place. Staying involved allows me to build relationships with my team, show them that their work matters, and reinforce that I’m right there with them. I believe this hands-on approach fosters a positive culture, demonstrates my appreciation, and even gives me the opportunity to learn from them. We come from different generations, and they bring fresh perspectives that continue to teach me something new every day.

Julie Roettger

Company: Northcott Hospitality

Brands: 18 Perkins, 2 Houlihan’s

Years in Franchising: 23

The consistency comes by having a system in place for all training, standards, and procedures. Once those systems are in place it is easy to be consistent. Culture comes from what you allow in your business. It starts from the top on how you treat your people. Whether you must discipline or congratulate someone on their performance, it is all done with respect.

Jamie Stapleton

Company: iHeartCoffee, LLC

Brands: 8 Scooter’s Coffee

Years in Franchising: 5

I have implemented a top-down approach across all eight units we currently have open and plan to do the same for the additional 12 locations we aim to debut in the coming years. Creating a cohesive company culture can significantly impact the success of the franchise and shape how customers perceive the stores.

To strengthen our team dynamic, I’ve established multiple touchpoints with our managers and taken it a step further by also getting to know their families. I want my team to understand that their loved ones are important to me because they’re important to them. Occasionally, I’ll arrange team dinners and encourage them to bring a special guest. This creates opportunities to build meaningful relationships and connect outside the work environment.

I also believe there’s value in being present and offering support wherever needed. When I visit my Scooter’s Coffee locations, I actively engage with customers at the counter or assist with orders at the window. These small actions reinforce a sense of collaboration and shared purpose within the team.

FRANCHISEE BYTES

What was the first turning point of your career?

In 2021, I took the big leap to go into entrepreneurship full-time. I previously had managers in place and didn’t need to be there full-time. I had a job working in pharmaceutical sales with a flexible schedule. As we expanded from one unit to six within two years, I knew I had to shift my focus to our franchise businesses full-time.
-Chanel Grant, Multi-Unit, Multi-Brand Franchisee, Healthy Living Ventures, 6 Tropical Smoothie Café

Growing our first store sales double digits over five years and grabbing the attention of A&W, which helped us grow into a multi-unit operator.
-James Brajdic, President, Customer Maniacs and Green Bay A Dub, 13 A&W

My promotion to general manager at Jack in the Box was a significant milestone, marking the beginning of my journey in leadership within the restaurant industry.
-Keith Johnson, COO/Franchisee, Amazing Food Concepts, 20 Qdoba Mexican Eats, 15 Captain D's, 1 Epic Wings

As an entrepreneur, it was turning my first store into a success. I did this by searching for a general manager who had knowledge and experience with pizza businesses to help me run my store and understand my vision. Investing in this position helped me turn around my store, increase sales, and become profitable, which led to my opening additional units.
-Stephanie Mosely, President, Pisa Pie Enterprises, 6 Marco's Pizza

My entry into Taco Bell. I owned about 25 Burger King restaurants at that point. It was good to diversify into a good brand, and it solidified me as a multi-brand restaurant operator.
-Harsh Ghai, CEO, Ghai Management Services, 140 Burger King, 36 Taco Bell, 28 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Becoming an area representative for Marco's Pizza 10 years ago marked a pivotal point in my career. Before that, I owned a manufacturing firm and was looking for a new challenge in my career. The discovery process revealed the tremendous potential of franchising, and I took the leap. This transition allowed me to focus on running and scaling a business rather than figuring out the minutiae of how to operate one. It's a decision that set my career on a solid trajectory and transformed my approach to leadership and growth.
-Jacob Webb, Franchise Owner, MPUT Holdings LLC, 22 Marco's Pizza, 4 Tropical Smoothie Café

When I moved to Dubai in 2006 and took an opportunity with JLL Hotels. It was my first real job outside the family business. I learned what it meant to have a work structure and see how large organizations operate.
-Irfaan Lalani, CEO/Co-Founder, Vibe Restaurants, 76 Little Caesars, 60 Wingstop, 3 Whataburger