AppleAmerican oversees 111 Applebee’s restaurants in seven states and employs more than 8,300 people, including 2,000 here in Northeast Ohio.
The restaurant industry, like the retail industry in general, has huge turnover rates in staff, but AppleAmerican has found ways to reduce that.
The industry turnover average is 125 percent; at AppleAmerican, it’s 63 percent.
“Our company was founded with family ideals, and I think what probably separates us from the rest is our culture,” says Melissa Joyce, senior HR specialist at AppleAmerican.
“We have something called a gold card that is the size of a credit card. It has our mission and vision on it, and also has a statement of how we treat our customers. Everyone has to carry one. It really drives everything we do.”
The card reinforces the values the company wants to emphasize, not only with customers but also with vendors and other employees. If something occurs that violates the tenets, employees can pull out the card and challenge a manager that things aren’t being done by the rules of corporation.
“It builds cohesiveness in our groups,” says Joyce. “It really reinforces what we are.”
The rules also focus on the commitment to community.
AppleAmerican’s restaurants are constantly raising money for local charities that many of its employees benefit from or support on their own.
Managers are recruited locally and aren’t assigned to a restaurant that’s more than 45 minute from his or her home.
This commitment to solid fundamentals and the communities in which it operates has helped AppleAmerican attract and retain the talent it needs to succeed and grow.
“We want managers in the business to be from the community and involved in the community and be a part of the whole thing,” says Joyce. “We don’t bring in sharpshooters from Boston to come in and run a restaurant in Northeast Ohio. We want to grow our talent internally.
“We work on building our reputation wherever we go and really partner with the community. It goes beyond just the food on the table.”
HOW TO REACH: AppleAmerican, http://www.appleamerican.com
