Managing

To cope with today’s tough labor market, three quick service restaurant companies are offering a new benefit to help attract and keep good workers: wages paid the same or next day.

Workers at Church’s Chicken, Pizza Hut and Checkers can now get expedited pay as U.S. restaurants grapple with a labor shortage that’s not showing any signs of abating.

Use information available through the U.S. Census Bureau to help you open or expand your business by learning how to access statistics about your market, customers and other businesses like yours.

Gus Mir of Tampa Bay, Florida, shares his outlook as a franchisee of Chick-fil-A, a result of long experience starting back in 1981 when he took a job with the local outlet at the age of 15. Gus is in the Chick-fil-A minority in that he has two franchise locations. Most Chick-fil-A franchisees, encouraged to do so by the franchisor, concentrate on just one.

Gus is interviewed by Tampa Bay television host Josh Benson:

Josh: Is Chick-fil-A downright owning the fast food industry right now?

Franchisees with multiple locations need a large number of employees to keep their businesses running smoothly. How do they handle hiring, training and problem employees? Three of them reveal their handling of this vital aspect of business.

Brandon Washburn, 25, who is deaf and apparently also doesn’t speak, understandably bypassed the order intercom at a Taco Bell in Kettering, Ohio. He instead went directly to the pick-up window to place his order by showing it as text on his cell phone.

Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn CEO, says about employees exiting a company, “They’re not necessarily leaving their job, they’re leaving their manager."

Contending with a shrinking pool of available employees, franchise and small business owners alike are making changes in their company cultures to attract and keep the right ones.

With today's employment crunch, quick service restaurants are finding they can ease their labor woes by hiring senior citizens to take on jobs usually filled by teenagers. For their part, senior citizens appreciate the opportunity to get out of the house, engage with people, and earn extra income.

Did someone make you an offer on your franchise locations that you're considering? Or perhaps you have been mulling over selling your units and going on to something else? David Ostrow, a multi-unit, multi-brand franchisee, has some suggestions for you.

You think you're ready to sell? You're mad and frustrated with your franchisor? They don't care or understand your struggles? Maybe you're ready to retire or just to do something else. When is the best time to sell? Do you know what your concept is worth?