Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/738474
Convenience Retailer Show Daily 4 9 Thursday, October 20, 2016 international franchise partners and the fact that there are no public shareholders or private equity involved means there is no exit strategy, or intent to "flip" the business. This has allowed the company to focus solely on strengthening the A&W business and protecting our fran- chise partners' interests for another 97 years. We believe the fact that our Base Brand A&W same-store-sales are up over 25 percent since our acquisition is a sure sign this new ownership structure is working. CRSD: How is the strategy different since it was owned by Yum! Brands? KB: We were able to learn from previous ownership and build upon their research. In many ways, Yum! was on the right track with its strategy, but the execution wasn't 100 percent flushed out and it was rushed. Our new ownership structure has allowed us to develop our brand strategy hand-in-hand with our franchise partners, as opposed to developing the strategy on our own and pushing it down to the oper- ators. This is a more tedious and time- consuming process, but we feel we ulti- mately get to a better place. CRSD: Speaking of strategy, A&W is consistently showing up near the top of many digital and social media rankings. How are you engaging your customers A&W (Cont'd. from p. 1) differently than before? KB: Social and digital media has been a major key to our turnaround success. We can efficiently target our efforts around each one of our restaurants and engage with our guests on a daily basis, and in a very personal way. We haven't out- sourced our brand voice. We're focusing our efforts on influencer marketing, iden- tifying A&W "super fans" and reaching out to them to give them a true VIP expe- rience. Our brand ambassadors are pas- sionate about A&W and they help us spread the word to their own followers. This new word-of-mouth advertising is a great new way to tap into an existing net- work of A&W fans. CRSD: What else is on the horizon for customers to expect? KB: A&W is growing again and we're excited to begin building points of distri- bution in key regions across the country. We're accelerating this growth and plan to add an additional 350 new restaurants globally over the next five years. This is good news for consumers, as we'll be popping up in more convenient locations, and great news for potential franchise partners wanting to become a part of our continued turnaround story. This is just the beginning for us. For more information, go to www.awrestaurants.com/franchising. well-lit store is our trademark. CRSD: What products available at the NACS show have improved your busi- ness? RA: Many of our customers are on the go and also need to use our restrooms while they stop to shop. We are in the process of renovating all of our Fastrip locations to include high-speed, energy-efficient XLER- ATOR ® Hand Dryers by Excel Dryer. CRSD: How has this product improved business? RA: Convenience is our industry, so it's important for Fastrip to provide clean, hygienic restrooms. Keeping paper tow- els in stock and refilling dispensers was difficult. In fact, it was so difficult, we often installed two dispensers to make sure we did not run out of paper towels. Installing XLERATOR Hand Dryers decreased our need for paper towels, which reduced our costs significantly, including substantial plumbing and repair fees from the improper disposal of paper towels that clog toilets and urinals. It also aided in keeping our restrooms clean, orderly and efficient. CRSD: How do customers react to using this product? RA: Paper towels littered across the rest- room create an untidy appearance, which negatively impacts the customer experi- ence. Unlike many competitor products, XLERATOR Hand Dryers are reliable Fastrip Food Stores (Cont'd. from p. 1) and offer a variety of optional accessories to enhance the hand drying experience. For example, XLERATOR Hand Dryers can be installed with an ADA-compliant recess kit, a 1.1-inch Noise Reduction Nozzle for sound-sensitive environ- ments, the new HEPA Filtration System, and they even have custom digital image covers, among other options. Without the mess of paper towels, our customers are complimentary of their restroom experi- ence at Fastrip. CRSD: Did you consider alternative solutions? RA: The XLERATOR is the Cadillac of hand dryers. Excel Dryer has developed a reputation for manufacturing the industry standard and we want to provide the best equipment for our stores and customers. CRSD: Are there any other added bene- fits to this product? RA: It's a 'dollars and cents' thing – XLERATOR Hand Dryers just make sense. Not only do they offer cost sav- ings that positively impact a business' bottom line, but they are also a sustain- able solution. At Fastrip, we try to find the balance between running our busi- ness efficiently and being environmen- tally responsible citizens. XLERATOR Hand Dryers save money, provide a pos- itive customer experience and they are environmentally friendly. It's a no- brainer, convenient solution for the con- venience industry. For more information, visit www.exceldryer.com, call 888.998.7704 or email sales@exceldryer.com. fresh food options. CRSD: Can't a store just offer prepack- aged fresh foods? JS: You can, but most customers want to select their own. They want to choose a specific apple or a banana at just the right stage of ripeness for their liking. They want their own mix of toppings on frozen yogurt, trail mix created with their unique blend or a salad made just their way. Being able to offer options like this is appealing to health-conscious cus- tomers and places you ahead of the com- petition. CRSD: What are the benefits to store owners to sell fresh items by weight? JS: C-stores that offer fresh items by weight have a higher perceived value to their customers because customers only pay for what they choose. For example, if you sell grilled chicken at your store, you don't have to sell all the chicken pieces at the same price. If a customer wants a small one…they only pay for a small one. But if they want a larger chicken piece, they pay more, which means high- er profits margins for owners. And it can all be tied into your POS system. Mettler-Toledo (Cont'd. from p. 1) CRSD: What do you mean it can be tied to your POS system? JS: Most C-stores already have technol- ogy and software within their stores. This software is often running their cash registers at point of sales, payment machines and so on. We have worked hard to integrate our scales into the soft- ware already and have simple protocols for more custom applications. This streamlines the process, making for a better customer experience and for less human error. CRSD: How can Mettler-Toledo help C- store owners? JS: Mettler-Toledo offers a wide range of weighing and labeling solutions for fresh items like produce, salads, cut fruit, deli sandwiches and prepared foods. From the backroom where fresh foods are prepared to the checkout counter, Mettler-Toledo can help you succeed in today's competitive market. Stop by booth #3653 and see what we have to offer. I look forward to the opportunity to learn about the unique needs of your business and to develop specific weighing solutions to enhance your operations. For more information, visit www.mt.com or stop by booth #3653. limited number of Gilbarco MX700 kits that can be used for the EMV require- ments. Graffco offers an alternative to brand-new pumps that allows distributors to save up to approximately 50 percent over new. Other services Graffco offers are rebuilt electronic boards for the dis- pensers and replacement stainless steel. Rebuilt POS equipment and rebuilt tank monitoring equipment is also available at Graffco. CRSD: That's an interesting business. How did you get into it? DG: When I was a young boy, my dad made his living rebuilding automatic nozzles. As a young man growing up, helping my dad rebuild nozzles is how I earned money for cars and school. When I was 20, I moved to Fort Lauderdale and started my own nozzle business. In the mid 1970s when unleaded gas came in, my dad called and asked if I could sell used pumps in Florida. As the business evolved, the focus left the nozzles and became the pumps. We incorporated as Graffco, Inc. in 1986. We were partners for many years – two men and a pump. It was a great partnership. Now, my dad's retired, and I have my three daughters and a son in the business with me, and it's a joy working with them on a daily basis. CRSD: What's new this year? DG: This year, as many other businesses are doing, we have been working on EMV solutions that can be done at a cost that can help companies comply with the federal requirements and not go into huge debt to do so. One of our solutions is the Graffco (Cont'd. from p. 1) Gilbarco MX700 kit that can be installed in Encores and Ovations and that carry a one-year Gilbarco warranty. CRSD: Who are your customers for that and for your other equipment? DG: Our customers are a lot of distribu- tors who will resell our equipment to smaller oil companies that can't afford new. We cater to the smaller marketer, but we still can handle doing special things for the bigger ones. For instance, we have a 'hit pump' program that includes a fast turnaround time for stations who need a pump rebuilt. One company that takes advantage of this program is 7-11. CRSD: How's the business going? DG: With the reputation we've earned through the years of doing business, the future looks bright. We've been growing every year. We supply a niche market with quality used pumps and recondi- tioned pumps. We stand by everything we sell, and everyone knows that. We're also rebuilding more electronics than ever before, and that's an avenue that we expect to continue to develop. CRSD: Anything else our readers should know? DG: Not only do we sell late-model equipment, we also purchase late-model equipment if people have any for sale. Anyone doing any remodeling or upgrad- ing should contact us. For further information, visit booth #4861 during the NACS Show. After the show, email sales@graffco.com or call 800.443.1219.