National Iced Coffee Day Boosts Dunkin’ Joy Foundation

Iced coffee with an extra shot of joy. That’s what was featured on the Dunkin’ menu on May 25th when franchisees across the country celebrated the brand’s first National Iced Coffee Day and committed to donating $1 from every iced coffee sold to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation (Dunkin’ Joy.) The result was a…

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Rising Rates, Rising Risks?

What a time to be in business. As the pandemic recedes and we emerge from the past two years of COVID, many are looking for silver linings in the economic cloud. The job market is robust, the unemployment rate has fallen close to pre-pandemic levels at 3.6 percent, wages are rising and consumer spending is…

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Testing a New Combination

Last fall, marked 50 years since a college student named Mike Cobler opened a sandwich shack in San Jose, Calif. Togo’s has survived the decades – including its 10-year marriage to, and divorce from, Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins that was arranged by then-owner Allied Domecq. Today, Togo’s boasts more than 100 locations with more in the…

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Franchisees Turn to Capitol Hill for Help Easing Labor Shortage

While the labor shortage has impacted businesses across the board, franchisees know firsthand how the hospitality space is getting hit especially hard. Many workers in hospitality, who lost their jobs during the pandemic, don’t intend to return to work in the industry, according to research from the career site Joblist that examined the second quarter…

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Unions Look to Capitalize on Momentum

At no point since Independent Joe began publishing in 2012 has there been as strong a push to unionize quick-service restaurants as there is today. In the last edition of this magazine, with the cover echoing patriot Paul Revere’s call, “The unions are coming! The unions are coming!” we saw how a nascent effort to…

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Tips to recruit and retain workers

In the face of a historic labor shortage, there are several levers franchisees can pull to help recruit and retain workers. One that may not be top of mind is to communicate their plight to state and federal lawmakers. “They are aware of the labor shortage, but they need specific examples from their constituents,” says…

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Momentum Grows For Stronger Oversight of Franchising

You would have to look far and wide to find a franchise owner who does not think the nature of the franchisor/franchisee relationship could be improved. Entrepreneurs buy franchised businesses because they believe it gives them the opportunity to be their own boss, join an established chain and build wealth. But as most everyone knows,…

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Managing Wealth at the Face of Tax Upheaval

The Build Back Better (BBB) Act is a signature piece of legislation that President Joe Biden put forth ahead of his inauguration. In Nov. 2021, the House of Representatives approved the $2 trillion plan that initially included funds for Covid-19 relief, social services, welfare, infrastructure and reducing the effects of climate change. But, Democratic Senator…

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Helicopter Pilot Brews his Post-Military Career with Dunkin’

For Army veteran George Hart, a second career as a Dunkin’ franchisee began as a joke. “I’m from New Jersey originally, and I grew up on Dunkin’. To me, that’s what coffee tastes like, but when I was in the Army, I couldn’t get a good cup of coffee anywhere,” laughs Hart. “I would joke…

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