Braum's

[gjl]

If Braums would just do what Johnnies does at their burger stores and that is have one full time person that stays in the dining area as soon as people get up and leave she is at the table cleaning it. She also keeps the floor swept up and will pick up your tray if you choose to take your food off it. . At the Johnnies we go to a lot on NW Highway she is always there in the dining area ready to swoop in. It's one reason I always leave a cash tip on the table because I doubt she makes much. I don't know how they do it at the new Johnnies with the bar because we never go there. But the burger Johnnies are always clean. I know it is adding to the payroll but even if Braums had to pay someone $10/hr just to do that it's not that much.

[Bill Robertson]

I like the way Johnnie’s put shredded cheese on the burger. For some reason, the texture just works.

Yes! Johnnies burger with shredded cheese, grilled onions and chili. With well done onion rings. One of my favorite meals ever. Anywhere.

[gjl]

If you don't have the Johnnies app you need to get it. Every Monday and Friday you get a reward for something free, There are 5 or 6 items they rotate through. Fries, O rings salad house made chips, $3 off a burger and a few more.

[Bill Robertson]

If you don't have the Johnnies app you need to get it. Every Monday and Friday you get a reward for something free, There are 5 or 6 items they rotate through. Fries, O rings salad house made chips, $3 off a burger and a few more.

And it's not buy something and get a free something. It's just simply free food.

[jn1780]

If Braums would just do what Johnnies does at their burger stores and that is have one full time person that stays in the dining area as soon as people get up and leave she is at the table cleaning it. She also keeps the floor swept up and will pick up your tray if you choose to take your food off it. . At the Johnnies we go to a lot on NW Highway she is always there in the dining area ready to swoop in. It's one reason I always leave a cash tip on the table because I doubt she makes much. I don't know how they do it at the new Johnnies with the bar because we never go there. But the burger Johnnies are always clean. I know it is adding to the payroll but even if Braums had to pay someone $10/hr just to do that it's not that much.

Easier said than done. Hard enough hiring people to cook burgers, make shakes and take orders. The person cleaning tables would immediately get pulled back into doing one of the other duties.

[Bill Robertson]

Easier said than done. Hard enough hiring people to cook burgers, make shakes and take orders. The person cleaning tables would immediately get pulled back into doing one of the other duties.

Staffing these days is a problem. There's a handful of places we frequent. They all have about 10 to 20 percent of server staff that's "permanent" and turn over the rest every couple weeks.

[gjl]

Easier said than done. Hard enough hiring people to cook burgers, make shakes and take orders. The person cleaning tables would immediately get pulled back into doing one of the other duties.

That's just it. You don't see the cleaning lady at Johnnies anywhere but in the dining area waiting for people to get up and leave. Doesn't seem hard for Johnnies to do it. And if you look behind the counter at Johnnies they seem to always have way more people than you would need to run a restaurant like that. I'm amazed at the number of people they have behind the counter.

[scottk]

Having seen their financials, they do well in all 3 aspects, but individually, they would fail miserably, by any metric. But it works that way for most places.

For Oklahoma based companies, Braums and Sonic operate functionally very different from their regional rivals.

Sonic can operate in nearly any small town of just a few hundred people, as they have very little physical overhead with just drive in stalls, and Braums while operating in larger communities, caters to three different audiences with burgers, ice cream, and the perception that older people like the convenience of the very small layout grocery store.

As for why we all accept these places, they are nearly everywhere you turn in Oklahoma. Within 5 miles of my house I have 6 Sonics and 4 Braums, it's not so much a choice, it's a lack of options. Nearly all of these locations are the only two things on the corners for fast food.

[Jeepnokc]

Easier said than done. Hard enough hiring people to cook burgers, make shakes and take orders. The person cleaning tables would immediately get pulled back into doing one of the other duties.

Braums should be able to find someone to clean 12 tables. Would be a great job for a senior citizen or a a mentally challenged person (not that they are the same) trying to make a few extra bucks like a walmart greeter. Limited hours during the busy times like breakfast, lunch and dinner

[Dob Hooligan]

Braums should be able to find someone to clean 12 tables. Would be a great job for a senior citizen or a a mentally challenged person (not that they are the same) trying to make a few extra bucks like a walmart greeter. Limited hours during the busy times like breakfast, lunch and dinner

I was trying to work through the logistics of your idea regarding table cleaners, when I began to wonder why Braum's is supposed to buss tables? Braum's is a fast food restaurant, like McDonald's, Whataburger, or Burger King. It is all paper and plastic, with only the serving tray being reusable. The customer has the obligation to clean up behind themselves.

Johnnie's uses glass, silverware, reusable plates and trays for their dining room service. They are a more full service operation.

[Jeepnokc]

I was trying to work through the logistics of your idea regarding table cleaners, when I began to wonder why Braum's is supposed to buss tables? Braum's is a fast food restaurant, like McDonald's, Whataburger, or Burger King. It is all paper and plastic, with only the serving tray being reusable. The customer has the obligation to clean up behind themselves.

Johnnie's uses glass, silverware, reusable plates and trays for their dining room service. They are a more full service operation.

So if a person doesn't clean up after themselves, the next guest is supposed to? What about wiping the table down....is the guest supposed to go get bleach water and a towel to wipe the table down? This is usually the biggest problem I see is nasty tables. Maybe we leave a mop or broom and dustpan out also in case they spill anything on the floor. I expect any public business to provide a clean environment. That is their obligation. Doesn't matter the business. Not sure why others would accept less much less justify it

[Snowman]

Again, if they were just 1 thing, they wouldn't have survived. They had to be all 3. How many actual ice cream stores are there? Or small, mini markets like this?

Burger restaurant? Sure. But they usually make a consistently decent burger. No chain actually has a good burger. Just hard to make one in the short amount of time customers are willing to wait at a fast food restaurant.

Having seen their financials, they do well in all 3 aspects, but individually, they would fail miserably, by any metric. But it works that way for most places.

Given they only started doing the mini grocery stores in the last twenty-ish years, of the ~56 years they have been around, it seems hard to say they had to do all three. Granted with the amount they have expanded that clearly indicates it has been working well for them, but were already well established by that point.

[Dob Hooligan]

So if a person doesn't clean up after themselves, the next guest is supposed to? What about wiping the table down....is the guest supposed to go get bleach water and a towel to wipe the table down? This is usually the biggest problem I see is nasty tables. Maybe we leave a mop or broom and dustpan out also in case they spill anything on the floor. I expect any public business to provide a clean environment. That is their obligation. Doesn't matter the business. Not sure why others would accept less much less justify it

Yes, they are. That how fast food places work. Are you sharing the same level of concern with Burger King and Carl’s Jr.?

[kukblue1]

Braums can't even hire a shake person for most of the day just to do shakes. When i worked 11-2:30 shift we had a person just doing shakes from 11-1:30 after that it was down to 4 people most of the time. They were either expo/shakes/other ice cream or counter/shakes What was crazy about it is we probably sold more shakes from 1:30-2:30 than we did for Lunch and never had a person just working shakes. Evening you would maybe a one shake person on ice cream person but at night tons of shakes and ice cream they could never keep up.

[scottk]

Staffing these days is a problem. There's a handful of places we frequent. They all have about 10 to 20 percent of server staff that's "permanent" and turn over the rest every couple weeks.

Maybe instead of throwing a new one up on every other corner, Braum's and other fast food chains could learn a thing or two from a place like Chick-Fil-A.

Braums has way more Oklahoma City locations than Chick-Fil-A, but every Chick-Fil-A is not only busy with customers, but also staffed EXTREMELY well. They must be doing something right to retain their staff. Maybe as a team member it helps knowing that you are always working with a full staff and have the resources available to do your job well, and receive decent pay for the industry. Also, as an employee, you are always guaranteed to never work more than 6 days in a row by design.

The same could be said of a place like OnCue or QT, they probably have an easier time getting employees to apply due to how they train, staff, and pay. As someone mentioned earlier, part of Buc-ee's success is that they pay so well for the convenience store industry, which in turn creates competition to hire the best of who applies, and also over-staffing your stores to ensure your employees create customer experiences which generate more revenue.

[VeggieMeat]

That's just it. You don't see the cleaning lady at Johnnies anywhere but in the dining area waiting for people to get up and leave. Doesn't seem hard for Johnnies to do it. And if you look behind the counter at Johnnies they seem to always have way more people than you would need to run a restaurant like that. I'm amazed at the number of people they have behind the counter.

I've seen a DQ where it was the franchise owner that was doing cleaning duty most days. But that was nearly 20 years ago.

[Plutonic Panda]

So if a person doesn't clean up after themselves, the next guest is supposed to? What about wiping the table down....is the guest supposed to go get bleach water and a towel to wipe the table down? This is usually the biggest problem I see is nasty tables. Maybe we leave a mop or broom and dustpan out also in case they spill anything on the floor. I expect any public business to provide a clean environment. That is their obligation. Doesn't matter the business. Not sure why others would accept less much less justify it

If I can't find a clean table at a fast food joint I usually offer to clean one since I work in this industry currently anyways I try to make their job easier and usually they will offer to come out and clean it for me but sometimes they have given me a rag and I will clean it.

[rte66man]

Chick-Fil-A usually has a person dedicated to the dining room that will do other things when they aren't busy

[Jeepnokc]

Chick-Fil-A usually has a person dedicated to the dining room that will do other things when they aren't busy

I believe Culver's does also. I know Grandy's used to but haven't been to one in years. Which goes back to my original statement that they having a clean restaurant is a standard they value and is important to them.

[gjl]

We went to Grandy's just last night (39th and MacArthur) and I don't think they are busy enough with inside diners to warrant a full time dining room cleaning person. We were the only ones dining inside when we got there and one other couple came in to the dining area while we were there. About 1/2 way through eating our meal one of the counter workers walked through the dining area and looked around and picked up the trays by the trash bins. I'll say the dining area and all the tables and booths looked pretty clean when we were deciding where to sit. We go there about once or twice a month in the evenings when we have coupons and it is usually clean.

[Dob Hooligan]

Braums can't even hire a shake person for most of the day just to do shakes. When i worked 11-2:30 shift we had a person just doing shakes from 11-1:30 after that it was down to 4 people most of the time. They were either expo/shakes/other ice cream or counter/shakes What was crazy about it is we probably sold more shakes from 1:30-2:30 than we did for Lunch and never had a person just working shakes. Evening you would maybe a one shake person on ice cream person but at night tons of shakes and ice cream they could never keep up.

Can you share about what year that was?

[Dob Hooligan]

Maybe instead of throwing a new one up on every other corner, Braum's and other fast food chains could learn a thing or two from a place like Chick-Fil-A.

Braums has way more Oklahoma City locations than Chick-Fil-A, but every Chick-Fil-A is not only busy with customers, but also staffed EXTREMELY well. They must be doing something right to retain their staff. Maybe as a team member it helps knowing that you are always working with a full staff and have the resources available to do your job well, and receive decent pay for the industry. Also, as an employee, you are always guaranteed to never work more than 6 days in a row by design.

The same could be said of a place like OnCue or QT, they probably have an easier time getting employees to apply due to how they train, staff, and pay. As someone mentioned earlier, part of Buc-ee's success is that they pay so well for the convenience store industry, which in turn creates competition to hire the best of who applies, and also over-staffing your stores to ensure your employees create customer experiences which generate more revenue.

I am a daily fast food consumer. Both for myself and my employees. I can tell you every-single-fast-food-place-has-hits-and-misses. To complain the Braum's is opening so many locations with bad service and product is like the Yogi Berra comment "nobody goes there anymore. It's too busy".

These are open questions for everyone reading

How many times in the last 12 months have you been to Braum's? On a Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at CFA? Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at Buc-ees? Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at Culvers? Sunday?

[gjl]

Trick question. CFA not open on Sunday.

[Dob Hooligan]

Trick question. CFA not open on Sunday.

Not trick at all. Everyone knows CFA is closed on Sunday. Everyone. It also means they choose not to provide service on Sunday, and others do. I have zero issue with them closing on Sunday.

[gjl]

Geez i guess that went right over your head.