Reflections on 2016 and a look forward to 2017
We made some great accomplishments in 2016. We opened 2 new restaurants and have 5 additional restaurants planned for 2017. We have created a new Development Team to facilitate new restaurant growth. Overall our same restaurant Sales are trending above regional averages and our Key Performance Indicators such as Speed of Service, Hospitality and Cleanliness are also trending above Regional sales averages.
We cannot be successful without the ‘Heroes of our Business’. These Heroes are all of you who work every day in the restaurants and despite the fast paced environment you manage to smile and make a customer’s and or even another employee’s day. I was extremely pleased to see so many 5 year, 10 Year, 15 Year and 20 Year employment Milestones and Bonuses being given out. I was also pleased to hear so many positive stories about how many of our people went above and beyond to make a customer’s day. Many of these customers email us to call out special employees for doing something special like holding a door open, delivering a large order to their car, returning a purse that was forgotten, or just being so friendly and fun to see every day. This is a real testament to all of you who make it fun and worthwhile to work in our restaurants. Thank you so much! You are Heroes!
As usual, there will be quite a bit of change for both of our Brands in 2017. ‘Businesses that refuse to change can soon get used to being irrelevant’. 2017 will bring in some major New Product introductions that we are very excited about. We will continue to focus on the most important aspects of our business, which is our people. We cannot operate without great people. People are our competitive advantage. We will also be focusing more on Food Safety, Cleanliness and Hospitality. We will be going digital for all employee records and transactions as of April 1st. This will reduce the load of paperwork that our Managers have to deal with, and allow us to better access, update and track employee files. Both of our brands will be focusing on Operations simplification, implementing New Technology and focusing on Core Products. Both brands will also be focused on the guest experience, guest retention and our relationship to our communities.
Tim Hortons gives back and supports it’s communities mainly through the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation, which is “making a true difference in the lives of so many financially underprivileged children.” Also, through Timbit Team sponsorships with over 600,000 children being sponsored and through Smile Cookie which raised over $6 million for Local Charities.
Wendy’s gives back primarily through the Dave Foundation for Adoption ( Canada), which has helped find Forever Families for over 300 difficult to adopt children in Canada. Additionally, the DTFA- C has been recognized as one of the 10 Best Managed Charities in Canada. Recently, the Ontario Government agreed to fund the proven Wendy’s Wonderful Kids child centered model directly in order to facilitate the adoption of even more children in Ontario. It is a model that works well. As a DTFA-C board member, I am very proud of this accomplishment.
Thank you all for being Heroes to our guests, your co-workers, and to your communities. I wish all of you the best of health and happiness for 2017.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!