Filta and its nationwide network of about 150 franchise owners are bracing for a “tsunami” of business as former and new commercial kitchen clients open as pandemic lockdowns lift.
“It’s critical that we staff up in the right way to get ahead of the tsunami of business that’s already begun nationwide,” said Tom Dunn, Filta CEO. “Commercial kitchens are opening up and opening up big because people are anxious to get back to ‘normal.’ Stadiums and restaurants are already opening at various capacities, depending on the state, and our goal is to help our franchisees anticipate and wisely navigate the delicate balancing act of adding staff and equipment to meet customer needs and provide high levels of service.”
The Orlando-based franchisor is using all the employee recruitment tools at its disposal to support its franchisee network and has developed ads in both Spanish and English while also scheduling interviews for potential employees. Additionally, the corporate office helps franchisees reach out to local churches and other community organizations to further develop a pool of qualified candidates for its technician staff.
Coast to coast, sporting and concert venues are opening, large businesses are welcoming employees back to on site cafeterias, and colleges, universities and restaurants are opening at a rapid pace. Especially now given the current state of rising oil prices, Filta helps these types of commercial kitchens save money with its proprietary micro-filtration and fryer management process, extending the life of oil by micro-filtering instead of dumping it. The company also saves labor costs when a Filta technician does the fryer oil work, rather than an employee. Further, Filta helps the environment by reducing packaging costs and recycling oil that has reached the end of its useful life, ensuring it is converted into biodiesel.
“While our hospital, grocery store and take out restaurant customers never closed or altered their service schedules, large venues like stadiums and arenas hit the pause button when the pandemic quarantines occurred,” Dunn added. “When that happened we pivoted and started offering FiltaShield, an EPA-registered disinfectant and sanitization service, but now that things are beginning to open up, our network is challenged with servicing our customers as they come back online as well as new clients that have come on board. So, at the corporate level it’s a priority to help franchisees with recruiting and staffing. Frankly, it’s a great problem to have and we expect Q4 to be the busiest in our history,”
Filta is seeing national accounts resume business as usual too.
“We recently entered into a national agreement with Guckenheimer, a leading company which runs kitchens in corporate dining locations nationwide,” Dunn said. “Currently, our teams work in 25 locations including Barclays in New Jersey and Las Vegas, Mars in Pennsylvania and Chicago, Lego in Connecticut, and Burbank Studios Café in Los Angeles.”
So, nationwide, the struggle is real to stay ahead of the uptick in business but Filta is harnessing all the tools it can. Filta recently distributed a press release, noting four areas of the country already seeing and servicing the increased business: Allen Whitehead’s business in Philadelphia and the mid-Atlantic, the Denver franchise co-owned by Hugh Roberts and Damon Wanco, Adam Weisbeck’s Minneapolis – St. Paul operation, and Rick Clark’s business on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Read the press release here about Filta’s preparation and response as pandemic lockdowns lift nationwide, including details about customers and specific challenges in the mid-Atlantic, the Great Plains, the Mid-West and in the Southeast.
For more information or to learn why Filta is one of the best franchise investments, visit filtafranchise.com.
