How do you ensure a balance between your work and personal life, and what practices help you manage stress?

Owning a restaurant is not for everyone, let alone the responsibility of operating multiple locations. These businesses require long hours, with many open seven days a week. There is a lot of pressure to create a welcoming atmosphere, serve great food, and keep customers coming back consistently. It also means hiring, training, and managing staff members for each location, along with keeping up with the latest labor laws and regulations.

Owning a restaurant can be a great experience, but it also comes with a considerable amount of stress. The long hours and constant attention to running all aspects of the business can be difficult when owners need to balance that with their personal lives. Franchise Update asked several multi-unit franchisees how they deal with these challenges and any advice they have for others in their situation.

Several franchisees recommended exercise to stay physically and mentally fresh. Others said it was important to take time off or spend time with family to strike a work-life balance and avoid burnout. Many said in order to do that, restaurant operators need to build and develop a strong team and properly delegate responsibilities to them.

Building a great team of managers and employees involves extensive training and development. It also requires building a strong culture and showing appreciation for each employee and their contribution to the restaurant. In this week’s Franchisee Byte, we asked restaurant operators what they are doing to take care of their employees. Their responses ranged from giving gift cards and bonuses to offering competitive pay, benefits, vacation time, and more. See the latest Franchisee Byte to learn more about how restaurant franchisees are showing appreciation for their team members.

Dan Watkins

Company: Running Roosters, LLC

Brands: 18 Little Caesars

Years in Franchising: 19

Delegating tasks and placing trust in my team are crucial aspects of effective leadership. Competent managers enable me to step back when necessary. To effectively manage stress, I engage in activities such as mountain biking and soccer, which help me mentally rejuvenate. Additionally, spending quality time with my family allows me to maintain a healthy balance between my work and personal life.

Kyle Dixon

Company: iServ LLC

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

Years in Franchising: 6

Business ownership often makes achieving work-life balance a formidable challenge. However, sustained success becomes more attainable when you intentionally build a strong team - one that is well-trained, trusted, and empowered to lead in your absence. While developing this level of autonomy within your team takes time and may come with setbacks, prioritizing your well-being is essential. Protecting time for yourself and your family is not only critical for managing stress but also for preventing burnout and sustaining long-term performance.

Dick Davis

Company: Davis Fresh Mex

Brands: 5 Pancheros Mexican Grill

Years in Franchising: 25

I’m fortunate that I really enjoy the hospitality business, so it rarely feels like work to me. I believe in surrounding yourself with a strong team you can trust. Delegating well, not just tasks, but real responsibility, has helped me step back when needed and avoid burnout. Helping to create great leaders within our group is a priority for our company. Having family members involved in the business helps keep our values front and center. It’s not just about growing the business, it’s about growing a life and a business culture that we’re proud of.

Charlie Yang

Company: The Yang Group at Yogurtland

Brands: 13 Yogurtland

Years in Franchising: 18

Exercising helps a lot. I often take a walk or play sports to make sure I am physically responsible, and it really helps me to keep my mind clear to handle things ahead of time. Instead of worrying about everything, I work with and rely on our talented people in my organization. I also keep a lot of reminders and calendar events to ensure organization and structure, which minimizes unexpected things, which can cause great stress sometimes.

Finding great responsible managers is the most important thing. Get to know them. Make sure they are conscientious and caring to your team to make sure the needs of the business are always met. The best way to never stress is to address the things that would stress you out and ensure those matters are dutifully handled properly and that all those things are double-checked religiously. This has been one of the best practices in managing stress, not leaving things up to happenstance, but trying to always prepare for and organize for excellence.

Harold Wallace

Company: Houchens Food Group

Brands: 11 Slim Chickens

Years in Franchising: 30

You have to plan ahead and communicate with your family and teams if you truly want to be successful. Plan schedules with your family first and build work around those important life events. Teach your managers to do the same, but they also all need to have a little give and take with their groups. Personally, I try to exercise early in the morning before business really kicks up. Do not let your health suffer. Plan getaways, either for a weekend or even vacations that allow a break. It’s hard to turn off your phone, but try to for a few days on vacation.

FRANCHISEE BYTES

What are you doing to take care of your employees?

We give gifts at the end of the year to all 186 employees. We also provide a $25 gift card to the employee of the month at each shop. We do holiday get-togethers in each shop. We arrange friendly competitions to improve sales between stores. Employees are the special sauce of our success.
-Carrie and Josh Ayers, Owners/Operators, 6 Playa Bowls

People often quit their bosses, not the company. That's why recognition is central to our culture, whether it is through celebrating birthdays with cookies, sending gifts, or just an enthusiastic shout-out on our intracompany cadence of communication. I love nothing more than to send team members on a well-deserved cruise vacation for achieving success. Beyond recognition, we offer competitive wages, bonuses, health benefits, and 401(k) access. It's about creating a workplace where people feel valued and supported.
-Jacob Webb, Franchise Owner, MPUT Holdings LLC, 22 Marco's Pizza, 4 Tropical Smoothie Cafe

We try to provide competitive pay and different ways for them to access that pay. We offer benefits, and we're constantly looking to improve upon them and lower the cost. Ultimately, we're trying to provide a career path for folks so that if they want to put in the effort and they want to grow with us, they have the opportunity to do so.
-Randy Pianin, CEO, Royal Restaurant Group, 61 Burger King, 4 Potbelly

We provide vacation time to all general managers and division leaders so that they can prioritize rest and recharge. We also provide ongoing personal training and development seminars to promote consistent self-improvement for our employees inside and outside of the workplace.
-Phong Huynh, Co-Owner, Fuego Investment Inc., 30 El Pollo Loco

We offer short-term incentive bonuses (STI) and long-term incentive bonuses (LTI). Our LTI program is a profit-sharing, partner program. Director and above leaders are considered partners, and they are included in an LTI program so that they benefit financially from the growth and success of the organization. We also offer great benefits, wellness programs, an internal fund to help those in need, academic scholarships, and several other benefits for our team.
-Nick Crouch, Co-CEO, Dyne Hospitality Group, 118 Tropical Smoothie Cafe

We offer competitive base pay, health insurance, 13 bonuses per year based on performance, bonuses for new store openings and acquisitions, and a free employee meal every shift.
-Chad Given, Brand President, Sizzling Platter, 361 Little Caesars, 107 Little Caesars Mexico, 185 Wingstop, 92 Jamba, 33 Jersey Mike’s Subs, 31 Dunkin’, 7 Sizzler, 5 Red Robin, 1 Cinnabon

We treat our team members like family. I've written dozens of personal checks to support team members facing unfortunate life events. I personally call the families of anyone we lose, and we always contribute to funeral costs. We've also helped those who have lost their homes to fires, floods, and tornadoes. The philanthropic nature of our team is inherent. This is a passion for me, and we take it seriously. I pray for our entire company every night before bed because our team means the world to me.
-Mike James, Founder/Managing Partner, Guernsey Holdings, 122 Sonic, 20 Zaxby's, 3 Take 5 Oil Change