Spring 2015 Chairman’s Message Greetings from the Denny’s Franchisee Association Board of Directors. We hope your year has been fulfilling and prosperous in all regards. Your Board has been focused on a number of key initiatives and just completed our 13th annual Allied Partner Summit in Tucson. Our Allied Partner Summit this year included over 100 supplier/partners and over 45 panelists consisting of corporate, franchisee guests and DFA Board members. As always, the event was energizing and provided insights into multiple opportunities to enhance our Brand’s performance. The event included food tasting of potential new products presented by 30 companies with over 80 items. Each of the panelists ranked their top item from the sampling and a list of the top 5 items will be considered for integration into our menu. We appreciate the participation of so many supplier partners and the sponsorship of MBM and Coca-Cola for this important Brand event. Our DFA Board primary priorities continue to be profitable sales increases, improved margin dollars and effective use of capital. The Brand Advisory Councils each have initiatives and projects in support of those overall objectives with reports from those groups included on pages three through five. The Supply Chain Oversight Committee is continuing to create value for our system, particularly with the help of HAVI Global Solutions who are providing new capabilities for (a) sourcing and spend management, (b) supply network optimization and (c) management of paper and packaging sourcing. HAVI is a well -recognized leader in supply chain solutions and we are pleased to have their engagement with our Brand. As noted in an earlier message, a technology committee (not limited to POS Craig Barber considerations) was formed and began strategic planning over the last several months. The first face-to-face meeting for this group occurred at the end of March. The gathering was a productive first step in exploring capabilities within the fast evolving technology world with a clear focus on initiatives that will help us drive traffic into our restaurants. Our time with Denny’s leadership team at our meeting last month included a productive exchange of ideas and continued the encouraging collaboration with our franchisor. We want to congratulate John Miller on selection for another award – the IFMA Gold Plate award for Foodservice Operator of the Year. The recognition of his leadership, spirit and commitment to mutual success is well deserved. At the annual meeting between the DFA Board and Denny’s, Inc. board of directors this month, Lou Neeb was presented with the DFA Chairman’s Award. Lou has served on the Denny’s board since Continued on page 2 Inside this Issue Chairman’s Message...…………...……....…………1-2 News to Know......................................................7-18 Brand Reports………………………….……...……..3-5 Membership……... ............................................19-20 Election News…………………………………………..6 Meetings & Events……......................................22-24 Board of Directors Craig Barber, Chair 615-277-1212 - Phone [email protected] Sam Wilensky, Vice Chair 850-525-2737- Phone [email protected] Dawn Lafreeda, Treasurer 210-694-0707 - Phone [email protected] Glenn Beattie, Secretary 480-722-9196 - Phone [email protected] ### Holly Agassi 877-206-0951 - Phone [email protected] Kevin Coveney 740-586-2889 - Phone [email protected] Robert Duskin, CPA 602-248-8223 - Phone [email protected] Carl Ferland 919-303-3300 - Phone [email protected] Bob Gentz 480-829-5090 - Phone [email protected] Bob Langford 615-277-1234 - Phone [email protected] Chairman’s Message 2008 and served as lead director during the leadership transition in 2010. Lou is an extraordinary leader and restaurateur whose guidance and engagement with the franchise community has been invaluable to our Brand. Lou retired from the Denny’s board this year and we wish him well along with our heartfelt thanks. Continued from page 1 tion is now open at dennys.org. Details on our gathering are included on pages 22 through 24. We hope make plans to join us in Nashville on October 26th through the 30th. We will have a great time together and enjoy a fantastic host city! In closing, we look forward to a continued elevation in performance and building a stronger foundation for the Denny’s As a DFA Board, we remain committed Brand. As always, we appreciate your to providing strong and authentic Brand DFA membership and your commitment leadership that is constructive and posi- to our Association. tive for all stakeholders. As noted in my Best regards, last message, two Assistant Secretaries to the DFA Board were appointed to provide representation of the interests of multi-cultural and international franchiDFA Chairman sees. We appreciate the willingness and service of Leonardo Nahas & Sandeep Shah in those positions. Also, this is an election year for the DFA Board with five positions to be elected as part of our biannual process. Please consider your willingness to serve and reference the details surrounding the process on page six. Our annual Brand gathering is an important element of success for our Brand. Registration for the 2015 DFA Conven- Rahul Marwah 562-777-2249 - Phone [email protected] Unit Count: Domestic: 1,429 303-601-1569 - Phone [email protected] International: 106 Assistant Secretaries Leonardo Nahas Corporate: 160 Total Units 3-31-15 1,695 Jim Wainwright 809-985-1031 [email protected] New Restaurant Openings Since Jan 2015 Sandeep Shah 909-856-3592 [email protected] Advisors Bill Cox 480-829-5090 [email protected] John Lewis, Esquire 615-259-1382 [email protected] Franchisee Site Location Open Bagnas, Benjamin E Beshay, David Diaz, Eduardo Ghias, Farooq Hussain, Mohammed Koch, Doug F Spongberg, Roland C Thompson, Donnell Taneja, Narender San Diego, CA Chula Vista, CA Apopka, FL Santa Paula, CA Greenville, MS Flagstaff, AZ Lake St Louis, MO Snellville, GA Casper, WY 01/17/15 03/30/15 01/26/15 03/08/15 02/22/15 01/11/15 02/22/15 01/29/15 03/22/15 2 Brand Advisory Council Update Marketing Council National: From a national marketing standpoint, it’s been a solid start Field Marketing: New Enhancements to Denny’s Local to the year. Module 1’s Skillets Across America lineup has been well received by guests and operators alike, with our popular South by Southwest Skillet leading the way. Our new Chocolate Lava Cake has also been a big hit with our guests, quickly becoming one of the top-selling desserts on our menu and growing overall add-on sales. Denny’s Online Marketing Tool, the LSM website accessible through mydennys.com, has some exciting enhancements coming this spring. Usage of the Local Store Marketing Tool by Franchisees has really grown over the past year. In 2013, the LSM website processed 182 orders a month. In 2014, the amount of POP and Creative requests grew to 290 per month. With this growth in usage, we have listened to you and developed some exciting enhancements. Similarly, our new core menu redesign has received rave reviews with its focus on the wide variety of fresh, high-quality ingredients throughout our menu. From a menu mix standpoint, our efforts to incorporate additional photographs of some key entrée and up-sell items into the latest redesign have also paid dividends. For example, incidence of the All American Slam has tripled since the menu launched with a feature shot of this dish, driving positive trades and pairing with the Lumberjack Slam to give us two higher-price, higher-margin Slams delivering strong incidence numbers. Furthermore, our $2468 menu changes have also delivered positive results. As you know, a strong and compelling everyday value menu remains critical to the ongoing success of our brand as we strive to increase traffic and build occasions. To address margin concerns, we overhauled half of the 16-item menu from the start of 2014 to the start of 2015 through disciplined product testing. Based on our analysis of the results to date, we believe we’ve evolved the menu in a way that has maintained the traffic-driving capabilities while lowering incidence, lowering food cost %, and promoting positive margin growth. With our current Module 2, Denny’s With a Twist, we remain focused on maintaining our topline sales and traffic momentum, continuing our efforts to keep margins strong, and delighting our guests by giving them the best “diner” experience possible. By adding delicious twists to classic diner favorites, we’ve transformed these traditional dishes into fresh and flavorful entrees with bold flavors that really deliver— whether guests are looking for something sweet, something savory or something spicy! Our popular Red, White & Blue pancakes, joined by our new Banana Bread French Toast and our new Sriracha Spicy Super Chick’n sandwich have gotten off to a great start. Our new caramel coffee (both hot and iced versions) along with multiple ways to customize their dish by adding ingredients for just $0.99 each are providing great upsell opportunities. Submitted by National Marketing: Dave Coltrin, Senior Director Product Marketing Denny’s Inc, [email protected] Co-Chair Sam Wilensky, [email protected] Store Marketing Website For 2015, Denny’s LSM website, is building on popular features like the Shopping Cart and Tier 4 Auto billing to include a new platform that will increase speed and stability to the website. Enhanced Search functions are being added that will make it much easier and more intuitive, when you are searching for a specific marketing program or POP item. Due dates on POP will auto populate with the earliest deliverable date. This will cut down the confusion when items with short lead times, like flyers are ordered at the same time with products that have a longer lead time, like feather banners. Currently, Franchisees have to manually input all of their restaurant’s unit numbers, when they want to order a product, like a Holiday Bounceback, for all of their restaurants. Our new LSM website will now have a “select all” feature that will save time and help us avoid leaving a restaurant out of an order. Along with the updates already mentioned, look for enhanced search functions, simplified request forms and more details when you view thumbnail files, so you won’t have to take the time to open files to figure out if what you need is inside. Look for more information about these enhancements and an opportunity for you and your marketing leads to sit in on a training call for the 3.0 launch of the Denny’s LSM Website. Submitted by Field Marketing: Steve Henry, Senior Director Field Marketing Denny’s Inc. [email protected] Co-Chair Sam Wilensky, [email protected] New Look of Denny’s Online Marketing Tool (Local Store Marketing Website) 3.0 Launching Mid May 2015 3 Brand Advisory Council Development Council Operations Council The Development BAC meets often and the good news is that we are very busy in 2015. We anticipate positive system restaurant growth by the second quarter. Spring is here which means summer is right around the corner. Your Operations BAC and Denny's Inc partners are hot after those initiatives impacting your P&L: - Margin Improvement - Service With Speed - Training - and Guest First - read on for an update on some key projects so far this year. We are pleased to serve & always welcome your feedback and comments. A large number of remodels come due in 2016-17. We think we can entice new contractors into the brand to handle the work. Joe Giordano itemized the costs for the new remodel scope we have tested called Heritage Sunrise, which will be used for all Vision 3 or Sunrise restaurants. The projects ranged $78,000-$149,000, with an average of $108,000. Restaurants with deferred due dates will be scoped and new due dates will be set. We are comparing hard flooring options. Luxury vinyl tile has a 10 year warranty. As a rule of thumb, luxury vinyl tile will be twice as expensive as carpet, before you factor in the longer life and other maintenance savings. We will continue to look at the test locations with the goal of a decision by fall. Curt Nichols presented the sales results. With 35 weeks of DINE data, the 14 test restaurants have a sales lift of 3.2%. Traffic is up 4.2%, with dinner leading. GCA is down 1%, or $0.09, due to discounts and coupons after reopening. We looked at options for new Heritage prototype buildings. It flexes 160-170 seats. Several are planned for 2015. Franchisees have asked for a reexamination of the encroachment policy, which has generally been the same for many years. There were only two times since 2007 where a restaurant was approved, and the actual impact was greater than the survey predicted. One was against the company restaurant. In every other case, the actual sales loss was less than the study predicted. We reviewed the expansion criteria, which have not changed substantially since 2011. We will make minor changes recommended by franchisees and redistribute. Contributor: Tim Flemming, Denny’s Inc Senior VP Co-Chair: Robert Duskin, CPA [email protected] Snellville, GA Margin & Profitability Improvement $3,027,680, Annual Savings, (40%) Our War on Waste & Margin Improvement initiative generated very positive results last year with procurement and recipe enhancements alone accounting for over $1.5M in positive margin opportunity. This year, we are happy to continue that saving opportunity mindset while improving consumer Brand position with a new pancake syrup service. The new bottle will net about a 40% reduction in product usage, allowing the Brand to capture food cost benefit while modernizing the vehicle used to dispense at the table. In addition to the new syrup program that will launch with the June, 26 Core Menu, we are also introducing a new hybrid lettuce, a combination of Iceberg and Leaf Lettuce that is easier to use, allows for accurate portioning and short term holding of burger setups. This change, while more in product cost will save $900K annualized. A Dipper Well update for the first few months of the year have shown an average of 11% overall reduction in water usage year over year. If your restaurants are not seeing a similar reduction/utility benefit you should confirm that you do not have a water leak somewhere in your restaurant. What’s Next? Our ongoing quest at OPs Simplification, the Brand will be testing a reduced menu test in 30 res- taurants around the country. There are two different test cells: Test Cell 1 33 menu item or line-item listing deletes 27 SKU deletes 13 recipe modifications 4 menu additions w/no SKU increase Test Cell 2 22 menu item or line-item listing deletes 16 SKU deletes 6 recipe modifications 4 menu additions w/no SKU increase Apopka, FL Denny’s Guest Satisfaction Program Update In Q1 we transitioned to a new Guest Satisfaction Survey partner. Our new partner, InMoment has over 10 years of extensive experi- Continued on page 5 4 Brand Advisory Council ence providing guest feedback, analytics and analysis. They provide a leading technology platform in the restaurant business with an emphasis on operations, and have worked with key competitors within our segment of the industry. Their strength is delivering actionable insights that enable better decisions to drive continuous improvement at all levels, creating delighted guests that are loyal, returning more often and have trust in recommending us to others. Continued from page 4 Survey Based on insights from our survey partner and field operations input, we created a survey that provides simple and actionable data that will allow us to improve behaviors to achieve operations execution consistency. Go to Dennyslistens.com and enter code 9999 to take a sample survey. Avg. Survey Completion Time 4m 38s (40% reduction) Survey Completion Options Web (71%) Phone (29%) Survey Incompletion Rate 6.9% (Best in Class is >10%) Survey Languages – English, Spanish, French Restaurant Participation - 1472 out of 1695 Receipt Changes - Reduced receipt size by almost 50% A redesign of the Approved Trainer and the MIT eLearning lesions and tests. “Know Your Menu” is also being developed. The courses in the section will be available as “Elective” courses for Servers and Cooks. They will be listed as “Optional” and will not be required for a “Complete” status in the job code. Rather, they can be used as a resource to assist the Approved Trainers as they train the menu and as a refresher for existing employees. The individual lessons will have activities and exercises to reinforce the learning and each Course will have a comprehensive quiz covering all the lessons in the course. Old New Key Statistics Incentive We began 2015 with the Pancake Puppies incentive. During this time we also tested a sweepstakes offer, which drew a similar response from guests. So, beginning Q2 we will launch the sweepstakes Brand wide. The survey incentive offer will change from a "Free Order of 6 Original Pancake Puppies with an Entrée and Beverage Purchase" to a “Chance to Win $1000.” The prize will be drawn monthly and will be awarded by an external sweepstakes company. Official rules will be posted on the dennyslistens.com website. Throughout the year we will monitor the program and as we receive feedback and learn new best practices we will continue to make updates as necessary. If you aren’t currently participating and would like to sign up or receive more information, please contact your FBL or Kelly Phipps at [email protected] to sign up for the 2015 Guest Satisfaction Program. eLearning Update We encourage you to check out all the new changes and updates to your eLearning platform. We have taken action on some of the comments from in-restaurant trainers and new hires in making these updates. Some highlights are: On-boarding and job code training redesigned and shortened to be more user friendly. eLearning can also now be completed using Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox without any special settings other than “turn pop up blacker off.” New course structure with improved employee interation and activity. Please address any questions or suggestions to: [email protected]. Know Your Menu Courses are: Know Your Menu Basics Know Your Beverages Know Your Appetizers Know Your Desserts Know Your Lunch Menu Know your Burgers Know Your Sandwiches Know Your Breakfast Menu Know Your Dinner Menu Know Your Eggs Know Your Soups, Salads & Sides Know Your Breakfast Slams & Meals Know Your Dinners Know Your BYOGS & Sides Know Your Omelets & Skillets Know Your Special Menus Know Your Kids Menu Know Your Senior Menu The individual lessons will have activities and exercises to reinforce the learning and each Course will have a comprehensive quiz covering all the lessons in the course. Please address any questions or suggestions to: [email protected] Contributors: Jeff Levy, Director Ops Services, Denny’s Inc. [email protected] Co-Chair Glenn Beattie, [email protected] 5 2015 Election News Year 2015 is an election year for the DFA. Every two years, five Board members are elected. At this time the Board nominating committee will be accepting nominees for the DFA Board as is set forth in the DFA Bylaws. DFA is recognized by Denny’s, Inc. and other franchise associations as being highly effective and beneficial to the Denny’s brand. As A DFA director, the commitment of time and energy is substantial and sacrificial. However, the DFA has been blessed to have quality individuals and restaurant professionals serve and help create our well regarded Association. Directors are responsible for ensuring that the DFA advances the brand by achieving its stated objectives (per the Bylaws), as follows: a. b. c. Communicate with a united voice between association members, Denny's management, and vendors for the purpose of enhancing the positive sales growth and profitability of Association members' restaurants. Promote communication among Association members for the purpose of gathering information and concerns from individual franchisees and the dissemination of profitable business practices. Negotiate prices and programs with third party vendors for the benefit of Association members. A DFA Director understands and supports the mission and goals of the DFA and actively contributes to the governance of this organization. A DFA director makes attendance at quarterly Board meetings a scheduling priority and, having read any advance materials, comes prepared to actively participate in decision making. A DFA director is willing to share his/her time and professional expertise with the Board and with staff to contribute to the achievement of specific goals as determined by the Board and Executive Committee, which may include periodically assuming a leadership role in chairing a committee or spearheading a DFA-sponsored project. A DFA director is an advocate for the Association and promotes the DFA in ways appropriate to his/her profession and contacts. A DFA director must uphold their commitment to the membership and conduct Association business in a manner that is always honest and forthright and seek to understand and anticipate the needs of our members along with providing a professional working environment based on trust and teamwork. The Nominating Committee shall review submissions for nominations and, in accordance with the Bylaws, determine the nominees presented to the membership for election. Submissions for nominees must be received by August 26, 2015. (60 days prior to election per the Bylaws.) Nominees and relevant information to support their nomination will be presented to the membership prior to the Annual Meeting. Information regarding the ballots and online voting will be provided for in the next few weeks. Submit the Board of Director Nomination form enclosed or call the office at (888.4 Dennys) 888.433.6697 or write to [email protected]. News to Know from Allied Partners ServSafe® Food Safety National Restaurant Association Will Your Denny’s Be Connected ? “By 2020, BI Intelligence estimates that 75% of cars shipped globally will be built with the necessary hardware to connect to the internet” * The amount of time the average American has to make or pick up dinner is constantly decreasing, often making faster dining options the only option for most consumers. With their ability to connect to the internet and software that allows users to stream music, look up restaurants and make transactions right from their dashboard, connected cars are revolutionizing the restaurant industry by speeding and easing the dining out process. Currently, WAY.com—a service marketplace-- is developing an app to be integrated into Audi and Volvo’s connected cars. With our specially designed software, WAY users will be able to not only view dining options—as well as a variety of other services-- based on their location but also make purchases from their dashboard. Questions? 408.663.5037 Jessica Magallan [email protected] As an industry “lifer” (from an Eastern MD farm family, to helping build a successful seafood restaurant, and world travels in food production and global logistics roles), I’ve come to the conclusion there is one cardinal rule in foodservice: It has to be safe! Beyond that – taste is in the eye of the beholder. As a Denny’s Franchisee, keeping food safe should not be something you do because it’s mandated by corporate, the health authority, insurance liability, etc.; it should be a key pillar of your customer service strategy. Recent CDC numbers: 3,000 deaths per year; 128,000 hospitalizations, 48 million instances of food borne illness. While 3,000 deaths seem statistically insignificant compared to traffic accidents, etc., it’s not if the victim is a child, loved one, or anyone for that matter. The human loss is tragic. Beyond the deaths, the impact on those afflicted can range from lost work (and income) to long-lasting after symptoms (such as joint aches from certain toxins like ciguatera fish poisoning) and living each day wondering if an existing food allergy might go “anaphylactic” without warning. A friend’s 13 year old son nearly died from E. coli (source never determined) – leading to a month-long Intensive Care stay and months of recovery for this all-star baseball player (not to mention school time missed). Food borne illness outbreaks can be “business ending”. Lost revenue. Lawsuits and civil payouts. Increased insurance premiums. Loss of reputation. Brand damage. Loss of good staff (let’s face it – we all need good folks and those with talent can work anywhere they want). Add long-term scrutiny from public health authorities (for good reason) – and the impact builds. That is why what we do at ServSafe® (a program of the National Restaurant Association) is so important. Food borne illness is in the news somewhere – everyday – with multiple web services and social media dedicated to announcing said events. An outbreak at one brand/restaurant affects all operators. In this age of multi-units – an outbreak at one franchisee will affect all units under that banner. *businessinsider.com Protecting guests, staff and your business is what ServSafe® (and its predecessor – Applied Foodservice Sanitation) has been working at for 40+ years – certifying over 6 MILLION food safety managers in that time. And that is why we’ve partnered with Denny’s Corporate to provide a significant value to DFA members for Food Safety Manager Training/Certification Exams and Food Handler Training/Certification (California, Illinois, Maricopa County AZ – and more states expected to mandate food handler training in the future). DFA members save 52% for Manager Online Training ($65 versus $125 retail). All other Materials are 20% off; Exams ($28.80 online/$30.40 for SCANTRONS), ServSafe® Manager Textbooks ($56.24), as well as the opportunity for ServSafe® Food Handler at $10.20 (putting your staff “in-sync” with certified managers). For more information – please email me: [email protected] Protect your guests, your staff – and your business. ServSafe®! Submitted: Kevin Scott National Accounts Manager ServSafe® (The National Restaurant Association) 540.868.8292 [email protected] 7 News to Know from Allied Partners Maintenance Guidelines Denny’s Porcelain Tile Proper care will help protect and maintain the appearance and performance of your ceramic/porcelain floor. The maintenance program should include the following guidelines for preventative, routine and wet cleaning. Before wet cleaning, allow tile and grout to dry for 72 hours after installation. Preventative Maintenance: Identify and address all sources of soiling: 1. Maintain a clean exterior (parking lots and walkways). 2. Use mats at entranceways, transition areas and special areas such as food service areas and restrooms to confine soil, oil, grease and high moisture areas. Mats should cover at least 6 footsteps to capture soil transferring from shoes. Additional matting may be necessary during inclement weather. Always keep mats clean. Recommended mat categories: Soil removal – scraper type used at entrances to remove soil from shoes Absorbent mats – used inside to minimize moisture and other liquid materials such as oil, grease and spills. Additional matting will be required to help control and confine oils and grease from kitchen areas. 3. When moving heavy objects always protect floors to prevent permanent surface damage. 4. Use appropriate wide floor protectors. Routine Maintenance and Spot/Spill Remover: ratio on label. It is best to use Ecolab’s dispensing unit for dilution accuracy. 3. If mopping is the end user’s preferred system, use the two bucket system where the cleaning solution is maintained in one bucket and the rinse water in another. This will minimize using dirty cleaning solution. 4. Rinse the floor with clean water. Repeat the rinse process if necessary. Use air movers to expedite drying times. Steam mops and products containing bleach are not recommended. **Additional deep cleaning may be needed. Patcraft/ Shaw recommends using an auto scrubber with a neutral pH cleaner to deep clean the floor. These recommendations are general guidelines; identify and schedule your facility for specific conditions and frequencies. For textured floors (Ecoline SR), a more stringent and frequent maintenance schedule may need to be implemented. Safety Caution: Slip properties of hard surface floors change during wet cleaning. Use appropriate safety measures until floors are completely dry. Contact Patcraft Customer Connect at 800.241.4014 for additional inquiries. Submitted: Mike Whitely [email protected] 803.413.8699 1.Sweep, dust mop or vacuum floors daily to remove soil particles that can scratch the surface. Do not use vacuums with rotating beater bars on hard surfaces. Dust mop treatments are not recommended. 2.All spills should be addressed as quickly as possible to avoid staining and slip/fall hazards. Absorb wet spills and if necessary use a neutral pH cleaner and rinse with water. Always blot dry. Wet Cleaning: 1. Periodic or daily wet cleaning will be necessary to maintain the floor’s appearance. The frequency will depend on traffic and soil levels. Always vacuum or dust mop before wet cleaning.** 2. Use mile neutral pH cleaners designed for porcelain tile that will not stain grout and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dilution and use. Routine cleaners that are strong acids or high pH alkaline cleaners are not recommended due to potential damage to tile and grout. Recommended Cleaners: Edward Don & Company - Neutra Clean EcoLab - Maxx Dual Action Maxx Dual Action can be used to clean the kitchen floor as well as restaurant flooring. Follow manufacturer’s dilution 8 News to Know from Allied Partners Uniform Ordering Made Easier ! Are you addicted to Facebook and texting? Can’t go more than 15 minutes without checking your smart phone? Would you be lost without your GPS? If you enjoy the ease and convenience of the latest technology, you will be glad to know that Superior Uniform Group® designed a web store that makes ordering uniforms for your employees fast and easy! The web store ordering system we’ve created exclusively for Denny’s is simple and will save you valuable time. Some of the advantages of using the web store include: Instantly processes orders No need to worry about misplaced fax orders or errors Tracking and shipping information readily available Manager & server uniforms available with just one click Website is open 24/7 Easy-to-navigate site Order from the convenience of your computer or tablet Receiving orders on the web store allows orders to be processed more quickly and efficiently. The web-based ordering process is streamlined and secure, can ensure accuracy of shipments, and increased customer satisfaction. In 2015, approximately 200 million Americans will be shopping online, according to Forbes Magazine, showing the trend continues to grow. All orders will be required to be placed online by December 31, 2015. So why not take the opportunity now to visit the web store at http:/store.sug.biz/Dennys to become familiar with the site and see how painless the uniform-ordering experience can be. It’s easy to get started. Just email your dedicated Customer Service Team at [email protected] to receive your online credential and to get started. Ordering uniforms has never been easier or more efficient! Submitted: Megan Cope, [email protected] 727.397.9611 x1429 Visit our custom webpage for you: http:/store.sug.biz/Dennys Order Today, Cholula Red Hot Sauce #40503 9 News to Know from Allied Partners Stampede Meat—20 Years Need to Know For FICA Tip Credit Cash tips make the restaurant industry slightly harder to determine and report an employee’s true compensation. The purpose of this tax credit is to eliminate an employer’s incentive to hide or underreport the tip income of employees. The IRS has an income tax credit uniquely for restaurants, known as the FICA Tip Credit. The FICA tip credit allows restaurants to receive an income tax credit equivalent to the amount paid for employer portions of payroll taxes that are calculated on employee tips. The Mechanics of the FICA Tip Credit Employers are eligible to receive a credit equal to the amount of FICA taxes paid on employees’ tips. This amount, however, begins at the rate of wages set to match the federal minimum wage. Currently, this rate is set to $5.15 for employees who receive tipped incomes. If an employee does not meet the minimum wage through reported tips, the employer is obligated to pay the difference. Qualifications & Filing Information—Tax Tip Credit Keep accurate and detailed records. Restaurant owners should include all compensation to an employee for calculation purposes: wages, tips/ gratuities, and even meals that the restaurant may provide to the employee. On Pay1 Payroll Services’ portal, this information can be recorded and accessed in reports to determine calculations and eligibility. When tips exceed the federal minimum wage, the restaurant may qualify for the FICA tip credit. The FICA Tip credit information is reported on IRS Form 8846, as a part if the business’ corporate tax return. The credit is not refundable, and therefore, in order to claim, the employer must owe some taxes on their corporate tax return. Challenges are still present. For one thing, employees should be accurately reporting their cash tips to the employer. Secondly, this tip credit qualification requires strict record keeping. Pay1 can help with both. Pay1’s system accurately records the information for calculation purposes and is retrievable at any time. All Denny’s restaurants are welcome to our free resource for your employees that encourage accurate cash tip reporting. Request yours at the email address below. Submitted: Yasmin Ismail 1.888.700.7291 (Pay1) visit [email protected] Visit us at Pay1online.com January marked a significant milestone for Stampede Meat, Inc. as we celebrated our 20th anniversary. What began in 1995 as a family business has grown into a leader in the industry. We owe this achievement in part to the vision of our founders who based every relationship be it with customers, employees or partners on trust and loyalty. This year so far has been a celebration of twenty years of hard work, determination and success. We have great pride in knowing that our success is largely attributed to the teamwork of approximately 40 employees celebrating their 20th anniversary with the company and the other 1,600 employees and all of their contributions. This loyalty is a clear sign that working at Stampede is more than just a job; it is a work family, the Stampede family. For two decades Stampede has been supplying its customers with the highest quality products and unmatched consistency that our customers have come to expect from us. By employing the strategy of putting “Customer Satisfaction” first we have been able to develop relationships based on trust and honesty. Customers turn to us every day for industry information and new cutting edge culinary ideas. It is exceptionally gratifying that Stampede has operated for 20 years and has grown to over 500 million dollars in revenue. Stampede has come a long ways from its humble beginnings in the Chicago Stockyards to the current Company headquarters operating out of the state of the art 145,000 square feet facility in Bridgeview, IL. Our top of the line fully cooked products are produced in our Oak Lawn, IL facility. The grandest facilities are only as good as the people and customers that keep the lights on and the freezer cold. The success achieved is driven by our strong team members and their desire to better themselves daily. It is our goal to be steadfast in our efforts to continue to operate and run with the same pride and values that were chiseled into the Company two decades ago. It is a tremendous accomplishment and privilege to grow and prosper as we have for twenty years. As we move forward we hope that each of you will continue to grow with us in the future — and join us in recognizing over 40 people who have been with us from the very start. Submitted: Brock Furlong, [email protected] 800.353.0933 John Harbut, Casey Cikowski, John Cikowski, & Krys Harbut celebrate 20 years of service at Stampede Meat with Brock Furlong and Bill Asleson pictured below. 11 12 News to Know from Allied Partners Denny’s Lighting Case Study In February 2015 Red Mountain Lighting completed an LED lighting upgrade of six Denny’s company units in the Arizona region. This upgrade included all exterior lighting including parking lot site heads, wall packs, soffit lights, and roof lights. All of the new LED fixtures carry a warranty ranging from 5 years up to as many as 10 years on the parking lot lights. The goal of the project was threefold: Reduce utility expense Improve curb appeal and visibility Eliminate costly exterior maintenance and repairs. The project for the six units included 150 fixtures. The financial matrix for the project is as follows; $54,999.00 Installed Project cost $40,763.00 Net installed cost $22,743.00 Bottom Line Estimated annual savings 1.8 ROI The LED lighting upgrade all but eliminates costly exterior lighting repairs. The energy usage was reduced by an estimated (70%). The rated life on the new LED products range from 50,000 hours up to 100,000 hours. Based on dusk to dawn operating hours 100,000 hours is a 20 year useful life on the new fixtures. Call us for your complimentary analysis and quote to see how we can help you to reduce expenses, improve night time sales and eliminate costly lighting repairs. Financing is available for qualified buyers. Submitted by Bruce Sweeny 602.549.5117 cell 888.841.7871 office [email protected] 13 News to Know from Allied Partners Do & Don’t During OSHA Inspection Quality Merchandise - Clean Design 30 + years of solid service Don’t get caught unprepared when an OSHA inspector arrives. Follow CrewSafe’s guide for the Top Do’s and Don’ts to remember during an OSHA Inspection! Our Services DO: Check the Compliance Officer’s Photo Identification Make sure every employee knows that OSHA is conducting an inspection. Take notes during the opening conference. Provide the Compliance Officer with any requested documents such as: OSHA 300 Logs and 300A Summary Forms Training Records Safety Meeting Documentation Safety Inspection Documentation AC Furniture Company, Inc. (ACF) is one of the country’s largest contract manufacturers of seating for the hospitality, healthcare and food service industry. In continuous operation since 1977, ACF employs over 400 people. Creative Craftsmanship AC Furniture has experienced ongoing and continuous growth in sales and profitability. We continue to work toward our goal of becoming the market leader and have the commitment of each of our employees. Our pledge is to consistently provide quality merchandise, responsive customer service, and high value products to all the markets we serve. By doing so, we will continue to demonstrate that ACF provides products that are not more than you need but more than you expect. Allow the Compliance Officer to interview non‐ management employees if he/she asks. Take detailed notes during the inspection. Take pictures of anything the inspector takes pictures of. Ask questions if the inspector seems concerned about something and you don’t understand why. Take notes during the closing conference. Tell the inspector about any safety programs you have that illustrate the safety policies of the company. Ask the inspector what the penalties might be. Ask the inspector if you will be given extra time to fix large complex issues. SANDY EVANS VP – Operations P: 276.650.8477 [email protected] acfurniture.com DON’T: Don’t point out safety issues if the Compliance Officer doesn’t notice them. Don’t make negative comments like, “This isn’t going to go well”. Don’t allow the Compliance Officer to privately interview members of management. Politely remind the Compliance Officer that this is not allowed. Don’t take pictures of safety issues that you notice but the inspector doesn’t. During the closing conference, try not to interrupt the inspector. Don’t argue with the inspector during the closing conference. The Informal Conference after a citation is issued is the proper time to dispute a citation. Don’t ask the inspector if he/she would like to see an area. Let the inspector decide where to go. BE PREPARED! CrewSafe is determined to prevent any fines related to OSHA Audits by providing you with the proper training, products and services! If you need specific training, products or services that can help improve your process do not hesitate and contact your experts at CrewSafe today! Submitted: Keith Henderson [email protected] 888-331-9001 crewsafe.com 15 News to Know from Allied Partners Streamline Energy Management Overview Small Box Energy helps restaurants reduce energy costs by actively managing lighting, temperature and refrigeration systems. Restaurants needed to replace bulky and expensive desktop PCs used to host software with a tablet that could significantly reduce costs, require less space, simplify operations and provide a platform for a future move to cloud computing. Samsung Solution After an evaluation of 15 tablets from various vendors, Small Box Energy selected the Samsung galaxy tab. The galaxy tab is now shipped with the chameleon application pre-installed and is mounted in the manager’s office or kitchen area. Employees access the tablet to control the restaurant’s lighting, temperature and refrigeration through an easy-to-use interface that shows energy use in dollars as well as kilowatts. Results By offering the Galaxy Tab as an alternative to desktop PCs, Small Box Energy has cut its equipment, installation and maintenance costs in half. Restaurant managers and employees say the tablet is easier to use than a PC and takes up almost no space. The galaxy tab also uses far less energy than a desktop PC and monitor. Customer Small Box Energy Headquartered just outside Phoenix, AZ, Small Box Energy and its chameleon energy management system grew out of an engagement with a global fast food chain that needed to automate and reduce its energy costs. The restaurant chain wanted to change employee behavior by helping them understand energy consumption in dollars as well as kilowatts saved. Small Box Energy responded with an energy management solution that covers all three major areas of restaurant energy consumption: HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), lighting and refrigeration. The chameleon energy management system reduced energy costs by up to 30 percent. In 2012, Small Box Energy began shipping chameleon to other restaurant chains, expanding to 240 customers around the world. Chameleon helps customer’s lower costs by educating and encouraging them to reduce the amount of energy used and better manages expenses. Their philosophy is that if the customer has the information to make the right decision, it will use less energy and save money. With its chameleon energy management system, Small Box Energy can provide real-time information to improve energy management for a more efficient operation. The Customer Need—Reduce size, Cost and Complexity of a Control Solution in High demand Restaurants use a significant amount of energy for lighting, cooling, and operating their kitchen equipment. According to energy star, just changing a single degree in cooling can make a three to five percent difference in an energy bill and have a significant impact on the bottom line. Small box energy’s chameleon system actively manages the restaurant’s lighting, HVAC and refrigeration systems with sophisticated algorithms integrating information from multiple sources. The system, for example, can check weather forecasts to see how much lighting is needed in the restaurant. Originally, customers accessed the system onsite with desktop PCs and touch-screen displays. While effective, Small Box Energy recognized the setup’s inefficiencies. The PC and touch-screen monitor combination was expensive and required more time to install and support, and took up a lot of space. So Small Box Energy began looking for a new control solution that would streamline costs, simplify support and free up office space. We needed a tablet solution that would take up less space in a manager’s office and provide an interface that employees were familiar with and comfortable using. If easier to use, employees would be more likely to make changes to the temperature, lighting or refrigeration to save money. We wanted a tablet that could be preloaded with the chameleon solution to reduce installation time. And they needed an open and flexible platform to make improvements to the user interface, such as swiping capabilities to adjust settings. “The idea was to create a solution that could be set up for employees to use with certain access controls so anyone can turn on or off a light. But no one could change a schedule without authorization,” says Small Box Energy CEO Tracy Markie. A tablet was also seen as a way of advancing Small Box Energy’s aspirations for delivering more mobile and cloud based solutions so that customers could monitor and control energy settings from anywhere. The Samsung Solution After extensive evaluations, Small Box Energy selected the Samsung galaxy tab with a 10.1-inch display to replace its PC-based configuration. Markie says the galaxy tab was ultimately selected for its quality, reliability and value. “We physically evaluated 15 different tablets and researched even more,” he says. “and we kept coming back to the Samsung Galaxy devices. Android was a much more open community that was growing and thriving. and you could really tell the difference in stability with Samsung and the latest android version. They were always much more stable.” The galaxy tabs are pre-installed with chameleon and a mobile device management solution. the tablets are wall-mounted inside managers’ offices for easy but controlled access by employees. the bright and crisp displays make it easy to monitor energy consumption and make changes to all three areas of HVAC, lighting and refrigeration. Connecting to the chameleon server by Wi-Fi, the galaxy tabs simplify installation and reduce clutter. the tablet also provides GPS capability so Small Box Energy can factor in weather conditions as part of its energy analysis and cost predictions. The galaxy tab includes a built-in 3-megapixel camera, which opens up new opportunities for Small Box Energy to improve support through video conferencing. It’s priced at half of what the company was spending on PCs and displays. And it provides more than enough memory and processing power to run the chameleon solution, with a user interface that supports plans for future improvements to the solution. “The quality of the hardware, combined with the right feel and right price range is what sold us,” Markie says. Continued on page 17 16 Continued from page 16 “And the user experience provided by the quality of the display was as good as anything out there, but at a much lower price.” The Results—Equipment Costs Cut in Half, doors opened for Future Enhancements Replacing PCs and touch-screen monitors with Samsung galaxy tabs has brought quick and measurable results to Small Box Energy. the hardware cost per system decreased by hundreds of dollars, allowing the company to invest in enhancing the chameleon application and user experience. The tablets take up less room in the delivery trucks and in the customers’ offices. And the usual 45-minute installation time has been cut in half. “The average restaurant manager’s office is usually pretty small, so the last thing we need is a large desktop PC and monitor,” says Famous Dave’s manager Christopher Benner. “The galaxy tab takes up far less space and it’s easier for my employees to access and use. And with the Small Box Energy solution, they know exactly how much each change in temperature means in dollars and cents, not just kilowatts.” David Andow, president of Small Box Energy, says the tablets also provided less tangible benefits such as ease of use and familiarity for restaurant managers. Instead of interacting with complicated PCs, employees now have a familiar device that they’re comfortable using. “Employees can now go to the tablet, hit an icon and easily turn a light on or off,” he says. “For the managers or employees, it’s easier to set schedules and lock down certain settings, eliminating the need for them to worry or think about the HVAC and focus on the customer experience.” graphics better. It’s an intuitive experience because smart phones and tablets are so prevalent. so there’s a comfort and familiarity with the tablets.” As a powerful, flexible and enterprise ready mobile platform, the galaxy tab has also Employees can easily adjust temperature, lighting and refrigeration opened the door for new features and capabilities to be added to the chameleon system. The portability of the tablet provides an opportunity for customers to remotely access environmental controls over a future chameleon cloud-based application. The galaxy tab is available in 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10.1-inch sizes. the wide range provides flexibility for future deployments while maintaining a single technology platform and a consistent look and feel. “The quality and functionality of the galaxy tab with the android os is stable and we know we can count on it,” Markie says. “We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with the Samsung tablet platform - it’s opening new ways to deliver customer value.” Submitted: David Andow 480.745.3732 [email protected] “The customer response has been very positive,” he says. “they like the 17 News to Know from Allied Partners Restaurants Are Targets Restaurants are targeted by cyber thieves. Over the last couple of years, large breaches of retailers such as Target and Home Depot and restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s have made it clear that the retail and hospitality industries are prime targets for cyber attacks. The reason is simple: A vast amount of personally identifiable information (PII) passes through and may be collected by these enterprises’ networks. In 1950, when Slick Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he quipped, “Because that is where the money is.” In a similar vein, cyber thieves go where PII is. According to one security firm, a whopping 69% of cyber attacks target restaurants and retailers. Numerous restaurants have been cyber attacked in the past: Hackers stole credit card data from 216 Jimmy John’s locations during the summer months of 2014. At least 108 locations of Zaxby’s were breached in January 2013. Chick-fil-A is investigating the possibility of a breach that could have occurred in 2014. At least 395 Dairy Queen locations were attacked in 2014. Other restaurant breaches or suspected breaches that have been made public include brands Beef 'O' Brady's and Little Caesars Pizza, as well as numerous local eateries. One area where retail and hospitality firms have heightened vulnerability is the point of sale (POS) terminal and the communication and data storage surrounding it. When a credit card is swiped, there is a complex web of interactions with third-party payment processors, issuing banks, and merchant banks to authorize the transaction. This all occurs amazingly quickly, in most cases in just a second or two. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has created a Data Security Standard (DSS) for entities that process credit cards from the major players (including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). PCI DSS is rigorous and often difficult for businesses to comply with completely, and when there is a breach that can be traced back to a business using bank or credit cards to receive payment from customers, that business has the burden of proving to the PCI that it is innocent. Satisfying PCI DSS is particularly important for retail and hospitality companies, as nearly two-thirds of their total transaction value is via payment cards, according to the Federal Reserve. The good news is that since malicious parties are looking for the easiest targets, an incremental increase in security results in a disproportionately greater decrease in the likelihood of an attack. In most cases, a merchant needs only to be slightly more secure than their peers to be passed over by attackers. So what should every business be doing in the area of cyber security? We have talked extensively in the past about security measures. We will recap some of the most important: Strong Passwords – A strong password is one that has never been used before, by anyone. This is a very difficult task, and let’s face it, no one likes to remember the myriad of passwords in today’s online environment. However, consider for a moment that your enemy, a malicious attacker, can use tools that guess over one billion passwords per second. One IT professional suggested nursery rhymes to develop hard-to-crack passwords. By using the first letter of each word of a nursery rhyme (include capital letters), exchanging one letter for a symbol and another letter for a number, an easy to remember password that is very difficult to crack can be created. For instance, take the first line to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. By substituting “$” for an “s” and “5” for “a” the resulting password becomes “Mh5llllllMh5llifww5$”. This is simple to remember, yet very difficult to compromise. Encryption – Lost or stolen laptops/devices are the most frequent cause of data breaches, but the danger of data falling into the wrong hands can be easily and inexpensively mitigated with encryption. Nearly all state breach laws include provisions that encrypted data be treated similar to a paper document that has been shredded, thus eliminating some or all of the regulatory notification requirements. Patching – Keeping software updated with the latest patches is critical. Many fixes pushed out by vendors specifically rectify a known vulnerability in the software. Malicious individuals constantly watch for networks that are delinquent in patching to exploit. Email Safety – There is a saying that goes, “Teach a man to fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to ‘phish’ and he eats an expensive steak dinner with his buddies tonight.” A high percentage Continued on page 21 Membership of attacks originate from phishing, in which a reputable-looking email is sent to victims, in hopes they will click a link or button that appears to be legitimate. Doing so will install malicious code on the unsuspecting users’ machines, and from there the cyber criminals can wreak havoc. Continued from page 20 It is suspected that phishing was the method used in the recent attack on health insurance giant Anthem, in which a staggering 80 million records were compromised. Although difficult to stop, advising employees never to click on links, download files, or open attachments in emails from unknown senders is a good start. It is also best to open an attachment only when it is from both a known sender and when it is expected. Whatever precautions a business takes, though, IT professionals admit no system can be 100% safe. The unavoidable, incremental risk is addressed by cyber insurance policies which are tailored to address cyber exposures. These policies can cover a range of costs, including breach notification, regulatory fines and penalties, attorney fees and lawsuit damages, loss of revenue from business interruption, and computer forensics to stop and repair the breach. Cyber risk insurance policies are readily available and currently are surprisingly inexpensive. Every insurance or risk management discussion should include the potential for a cyber loss and ways to mitigate and transfer the risk. Written by Steve Haase, INSUREtrust, http://www.insuretrust.com/ Submitted: Charlie Page, [email protected] DFA Bronze Sponsor 770.734.1516 New Allied Partner Member Marlin™ Franchise Financing is excited to join with the Denny’s brand family as a DFA Allied Partner and announce that we are an approved Denny’s franchise lender. We are introducing a special lending program designed for your business. Unlike time-consuming and paper intensive SBA loans that can take weeks or months, Marlin’s franchise finance program offers fast, easy and affordable financing to keep your business in growth mode. From new Franchisees to multi-unit owners, Marlin has been lending to Denny’s Franchise since since 1997. In fact, we’ve extended credit to over 10,000 franchisee customers since our inception. Whether you’re looking to expand your units or upgrade your technology, equipment or facilities, Marlin is the lending partner you can trust. Marlin promises one-to-one financing expertise, consultation and a level of service that is simply unmatched. Call Joe Haynes 888.479.9111 ext. 4165 to get started and we can provide a fixed monthly payment quote in 2 minutes. marlinfinance.com/dennys. Submitted: Joe Haynes 888.479.9111 x 4165, [email protected] *For transactions under $100,000. New member of our Sponsors Group Daily's® Premium Meats offers a variety of processed pork items, from hardwood smoked honey cured bacon to hickory smoked hams to fully cooked breakfast sausage. Since beginning in 1893, Daily's® Premium Meats has perfected the bacon-making process. From our signature hardwood smoked honey cured bacon to our deep Applewood smoked bacon. We provide roasted bacon to the Denny’s Brand in the West. John Garlinghouse, [email protected] 801.652.5034, dailysmeats.com New member of our Sponsors Group Established in 1992 with the goal of marrying food science and culinary excellence to improve the quality and reduce the cost of manufactured foods, Haliburton has grown into a specialty foods powerhouse. We service the nation's largest retailers, national restaurant chains and top 100 food manufacturers from our newly constructed 300,000+ sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ontario, California. We are a major supplier of sauces and soups to the Denny’s Brand. Maria Bavaro, 909.438.8520, [email protected], haliburton.net New member of our Sponsors Group Direct Capital’s success is from small business owners that bring passion to their business everyday. For more than 20 years, we have been providing small and mid-sized businesses with fast and easy access to the capital they need to grow and prosper. With a blazing fast online lending platform that delivers 30-day to 7-year financing at competitive prices, Direct Capital has lent $2.25 billion to over 80,000 businesses across a multitude of industries...and we like to think we're just getting started. Direct Capital has also received notable recognition as one of the nation's fastest-growing private companies on the Inc. 500/5000 list. Matt Goyette, [email protected], 603.433.9415 | directcapital.com Current Sponsors: Title: Coca-Cola Diamond: MBM Gold: Cargill, Travel Media, Stampede Meats, Ventura Foods Silver: Albertville, Bruce Foods, Cholula Foods, ConAgra, Ecolab, Fontanini Meats, Haliburton, S & D Coffee, Freshmark. Bronze: Basic American, Christopher’s, CTI Foods, Daily’s Foods, Dakota Provisions, Direct Capital, Dr Pepper, Fair Oaks Farms, Kemps, Leavitt Insurance, McIlhenny, National Entertainment Group, Schreiber Foods. Membership New Allied Partner Suppliers - 2015 Five Star Custom Foods Steve Breunig, VP Sales (817) 838-3442 [email protected] Proud supplier of Denny’s nacho topping, sausage crumbles, soups and diced ham. Heinz North America Stephanie Delyanis, National Account Mgr. (516) 749-3001 [email protected] Heinz ketchup, condiments and portion control. Kraft Food Ingredients Russ March, National Account Manager (901) 381-6781 [email protected] Cheese Ingredient Solutions – Soft cheese, process cheese, cheese slices. Marlin Franchise Group Joe Haynes, Franchise Finance Manager (856) 505-4165 [email protected] Nationwide provider of commercial financing and depository products. PlotWatt Keith Overfield, Vice President Sales (919) 384-6280 [email protected] Brightening bottom lines for restaurants and utilities by lowering electricity bills and detecting issues. ServSafe – National Restaurant Assn. Kevin Scott, National Accounts Manager (540) 868-8292 [email protected] Food safety training and National Certification exams Small Box Energy (Engenuity Systems) David Andow, President (480) 745-3732 [email protected] The chameleon is an Energy Management System that monitors and controls what conserve the most energy (HVAC, lighting, & refrigeration). Small Box delivers the ultimate energy management experience. Stearns Bank NA Cheryl McDonough (844) 256-BANK [email protected] Quality financial products and services for your franchisee association. Stewart Sutherland Mark O’Day, Sales Manager (904) 553-0576 [email protected] Supplier of paper and foil wraps and bags. Way.com Jessica Magallan, Sales Associate (888) 519-4198 x14 [email protected] An online marketplace for people to list, discover and book What’s Around You, including dining, parking and more! Be sure to refer to your online Buyer’s Guide for suppliers at Dennys.org > Suppliers. You can search for suppliers by category or name. ++++++++ All Allied Partner Suppliers support you and the brand by underwriting your dues and convention registration. Give them the opportunity to bid for your business! 20 Meetings & Events country music past and today's hottest stars. Nashville—Free Music All The Time Ride the Row — Take a tour of Music Row and This is the DFA’s first group visit historic RCA Studio B, the famous re- visit to Nashville. We hope cording studio where Elvis recorded over 200 that you all can take the time songs. Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Chet Atkins, to explore this popular city. Eddy Arnold and many more recorded classic Our convention site , “Music hits here. Tours of RCA Studio B depart daily City” from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Mu- hosts live music 24/7/365. The best part, you seum. don't have to pay a pretty Visit penny to listen to Nashville's Home Of the live music scene. Take a stroll G r e e k and open the ears to all the Gods FREE music playing around Nashville’s the — In every nook and cranny in Music City. Centennial Want to be in the know with Music City? Then Park, you’ll download Nashville's FREE Live Music Guide App. For find the a complete list of Music Venues throughout Nashville feel world’s only full-scale reproduction of the ancient FREE to browse here: visitmusiccity.com/musicvenues. Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon houses an art gallery and museum as well as Alan LeQuire’s Athena Parthenos. Standing at almost 42 feet in height, Athena is the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western world. Take In a Songwriters-In-the-Round Show — One of the most unique ways to hear music in Nashville is at a songwriters show. Typically called a “writers night,” songwriters are put somewhere where they are not used to being - in the spotlight. Several singer/songwriters will play ‘in-the round’ as they sit on stage accompanied Things to do in Nashville only by a microphone, a guitar and their im- It’s a city that resonates with life and vibrates to the beat of mense talent. These shows can be found in every kind of song. It’s a wonderland of American music, small, intimate clubs including The Listening Southern hospitality, unbelievable cuisine, and a bound- Room Café downtown and the famous Bluebird less spectrum of nightlife. Come join us and together we Café as seen on the popular TV series Nash- will keep the music playing! ville. Hit the Hall — Kick off your Nashville experience with a day at the newly expanded Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The world's largest popular music museum offers ever-changing exhibits featuring the legends of 22 Meetings & Events Get Scootin’—Get Artsy Enjoy our convention city in October. Nashville’s art scene is booming with art galleries, festivals, art crawls, and more. Be sure to head over to the First Center for the Visual Arts, the Downtown 5th Avenue art galleries, OZ Arts Nashville, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, the First Saturday Art Crawl, Tennessee Craft festival, and more. Take a Timeless Journey — The Ryman Auditorium, also called the “Mother Church of Country Music,” on its legendary stage since 1892. You can take a backstage tour and record your own song in the Ryman recording studio. The stars of the Grand Ole Opry perform every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday night (at the Grand Ole Opry House February-October) with guest appearances by the biggest names in music. Nashville's Newest Sounds — Honoring musicians from stars to studio players that represent all genres of music, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is housed in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. From Hank Williams, Sr. to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motown to Southern Rock – there is truly something of interest to everyone. Pay homage to the Man in Black at the Johnny Cash Museum located on 3rd Avenue. Featuring the most comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world. Salute — Three U.S. Presidents called Tennessee home - Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. You can revisit the past at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage: Home of the People's President. Polk is buried on the grounds of the historic State Capitol building in downtown Nashville. Visit Honky Tonk Highway — Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Legends Corner, Second Fiddle, The Stage, Layla's Bluegrass Inn and Robert’s Western World are all experts at serving up cool longnecks and hot country music. You never know who you’ll see in these Lower Broadway clubs in the shadow of the Ryman. REGISTRATION OPENS MAY 15th! Go to Dennys.org > Event Info Franchisee Members receive two complimentary registrations per paid unit. All units must be paid for each owner entity, per the DFA Bylaws. 2015/16 Franchisee dues must be paid for each unit by September 15, 2015 Complimentary registration ends September 15th. After September 15th, the following registration fees apply: September 16th—October 15th: $300/person October 16th—Onsite: $500/person October 16th: Online registration closed Retrieved from http://www.visitmusiccity.com/Music/musicofmusiccity 23 Meetings & Events DFA Board Meeting/Conference Calls April 27-30 May 12 June 9 July 14 Aug 18 Sept 21-23 Oct 12 Oct 25, 30 Nov 17 Dec 15 Allied Partner Summit Telephonic Meeting Telephonic Meeting Telephonic Meeting Telephonic Meeting Meeting, Nashville Telephonic Meeting Meetings, Nashville Telephonic Meeting Telephonic Meeting DFA Committee Meetings DFA Board members as well as other franchisees serve and meet monthly on Brand Advisory Committees (BAC). If you wish to communicate on any issue please contact the committee chair below. Marketing Sam Wilensky [email protected] Development Robert Duskin [email protected] Operations [email protected] Glenn Beattie DFA Annual Convention & Trade Show Save The Date—October 26-30 Mark your calendar for this once a year gathering of more than 1,000 attendees that represent and serve the Denny’s brand. Corporate, Franchisees and Suppliers gather, network and discuss the future year of the Brand. Suppliers, be sure and reserve your trade show space NOW. Trade Show space sells out every year! Franchisee, register early receive your FREE registration Our convention site this year is the Omni Nashville Hotel which just opened in 2013 in Music City. It is one of the newest addition to Nashville’s growing skyline, complete with the city’s first and only rooftop pool. Omni Hotels & Resorts properties reflect the local flavor of the city in which they are located; In the Omni Nashville Hotel, the design and décor, culinary, lifestyle and retail venues all stem from and become reflective of Nashville. The hotel, which was designed to celebrate the city’s heritage with prevalent musical, artistic accents and comfort food creations, experienced unparalleled success in its first year as locals and visitors alike came out in droves. Come join us in October! Register NOW at dennys.org Management Group: Barbara Magro, [email protected] | Tiffany Danley, [email protected] | Rich Danley, [email protected] 888-433-6697 | [email protected] | dennys.org
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