#11: People-First Leadership and the Power of Appreciation | Mandy Ristic, OM Group

Daniel Tsentsiper (00:01) Mandy, how's it going? Welcome to the show. Mandy (00:02) Good. Thank you. I'm happy to be here. I hope. Daniel Tsentsiper (00:05) I'm super excited. I'm happy for you to join me. we've been talking for a little bit now and I see you all over LinkedIn. I think that's where I first met you. You've been popping off, opening stores, getting awards, just doing your thing. our audience a little bit more about yourself. How did you get to where you are today? Mandy (00:21) Okay. boy. Well, I guess I am a little linked and famous, but no, I'm actually, I don't think I'm only linked and famous in our industry. I feel like, ⁓ a little bit. but basically I have a very interesting story. I started our local Baskin Robbins in Royal Oak, Michigan. So a little shout out to that hometown. I grew up in Royal Oak and I was 16, got a job. met My future husband, he was 18. His family owned the place was love at first sight. And we ended getting married and all that fun stuff. But before we got married, we bought it in the year 2000 from his family. So that was really my first taste of like franchise ownership. And what's so interesting when you look back on that journey, we didn't really know a lot of what we were doing. I'm not going to lie, but I think. Daniel Tsentsiper (01:07) Yeah. So is the case, yeah. Mandy (01:11) Yeah. So I do think that what I did learn was, that work ethic, like that hard, we have to open the store. We have to, sell all this ice cream and we have to pay our bills. And, but I really think I probably, that was the age where I really learned like franchising and I really like franchising. And I really wasn't one to I'm going to start my own business or I'm going to do my own ice cream or any of those things. I think I. fell in love with the franchise model at a very early age without really knowing that I did. And then if you want to fast forward the whole entire story, we owned the ice cream store for a very long time. I had my first or my third child in 2012. I just needed some extra money. went to a local Dunkin that was also a combo location. And I just said, you know, hey, can I some cakes for you? Because I just wanted a second job. And that just quickly evolved into, became their restaurant manager. So that was in 2012, became a restaurant manager of a small network then. And I learned everything from being a barista, making sandwiches. I I went from like a 10 store employee Baskin Robbins single model to... Oh my gosh, there's 25 employees here drive through 24 hour location and I was scared out of my mind. It was crazy. And then, you know, there's a longer story to all that. But in 2015, I met the current franchisees I work for now and they were coming to the market. They're from Chicago, two brothers, and they grew up in the Dunkin' model as well. And they were investing in Michigan and Michigan has a really. cool, fun story. We were outnumbered by Tim Hortons and there was a lot going on in Detroit market. And they had two restaurants and they were buying six more. they got introduced to me by Dunkin and I met with them. And it was during that meeting that I, when I met of the brothers and I said, listen, I'm really interested in becoming a Dunkin owner. Daniel Tsentsiper (02:50) Right. Mandy (03:09) when the time comes, maybe I could be a minority partner and maybe you can give me an opportunity. You know, I don't even know me yet. we have to learn each other and we have to do it. So that's kind of how that really started and we shook on it. And that was in 2015. And I got my where I became a partner and that was in 2019. My first one was. Daniel Tsentsiper (03:16) You're right. Mandy (03:26) a Dunkin here in Allen Park, Michigan. but we grew our network from two and I think, cause we just won an award. I think we're at about 80 restaurants, or Dunkin's, just Dunkin's. So, but in the Michigan market, yeah, we're in Michigan market. ⁓ We're like 40, 40 plus we've grown just in the Michigan market. Yeah. Yes. Daniel Tsentsiper (03:37) Wow, it's amazing. It's like exponential growth, such exponential I always find it so fascinating talking to operators about those decade, right? When they maybe one or two stores, they took it very slowly. Those are the kind of the formative years where you're learning the ropes, you might say. And then you start to see like this, like exponential growth. What was it for you guys? I do want to go back and learn more about where you started, but Mandy (04:10) Yeah. Daniel Tsentsiper (04:11) Now you're now you're opening almost feels like stores every single How did that Mandy (04:11) Right. I know. I know. Daniel Tsentsiper (04:15) exponential growth come to be? Mandy (04:17) Well, what I learned, and I learned this from, from the brothers and from the business partners. And now we're kind of using that same tactic with the other brands, but we were, we acquired stores or you buy stores. If anyone that's looking to get into any type of brand and they want to grow fast, that's, that's the easiest way. And that's really was their, their business tactic, but it was also. necessary in this particular market that we're in. These stores needed to be sold, they needed to be bought, and they needed to in order to change that brand. Instead of closing down a restaurant, it was better to acquire one. That was really how that growth first initially happened, is it was a bunch of acquisitions, like one after another. And we weren't just acquiring like whole networks, we were acquiring single store individuals. Daniel Tsentsiper (05:02) Individual, yeah. Mandy (05:03) There's a lot to do with that because you're replacing like a whole family. Now the family sold it and they're not working there anymore. So it was a, it was a lot of hard work back then because it wasn't like I had a full team of like 25 people that now take over this restaurant. that that's really now our quickest strategy. Like we took over, we were started taking over two, three, four, five. And then all of a sudden it was like 10 stores a year, like in the early, early days. And then we started to build, when we started to build that that's, I didn't build our first store until 2017. So it was like two years. So we were just acquiring and then the first build was 2017. And it was my first one. I'm actually sitting in it right now. It's our main office, but that first one was so scary. I was so scared. was like, they talk, my team talks about it now. They're like. Daniel Tsentsiper (05:47) I can see it's glamorous. Yeah, I can see you've had a hand in building that. Mandy (05:54) Do remember when you were like side by side and you're opening, you're closing and you're making us so stressed? Cause I really put every thought into like this tile and this grout and this ceiling tile. And as things progress, you kind of let some of that go a little bit, you know, not that my standards don't change, but I'm not picking, you know, grout tile anymore and stuff like that. We were doing that earlier. Daniel Tsentsiper (06:14) It becomes a routine, right? There's a blueprint, you just follow it and it's amazing. Mandy (06:17) Yeah, now, yeah, I just took it, not that I don't take it seriously now, but it was my first one and I was like, my gosh, I have to do this. yeah, so that was that really are the growth pattern of the Dunkin world. And that really doesn't go away. Like that's how you entertain even other markets. Like we wanted to get into Cleveland market and it was really by acquisition. So an acquisition for anyone that ever really wants to learn from me is the easiest way to get into a franchise model is to acquire a store. and know, buy it first and you really learn it and then build. You know, that was our footprint. Daniel Tsentsiper (06:50) Well, let me double tap on that. So the other day I was speaking with, I would consider them like a new type of operator platform where they take private equity money or they raise a lot of money and then they go in and try to acquire brands. But they've been having a difficulty in actually getting into the brand because the brands are very, some brands are very strict on who they let in. And so their strategy is before they can actually go acquire brands, they actually need to open up one themselves, prove it out within the network. Mandy (07:03) Okay. First, yes. Daniel Tsentsiper (07:18) and then they're able to begin acquiring them. what would you recommend? Because I know you've been looking at other concepts as well. You've opened up a couple of new ones in these past couple of years. What is kind of your criteria when you're starting to look at a different brand? Mandy (07:26) Right. It's not my criteria, all the brands, it's funny that you even bring that up. So I get asked the most is obviously everybody wants to get into Dunkin. So I think obviously Dunkin out of all of our brands is the most iconic. It's the biggest. It's the one everybody really wants a piece of the pie. And it is really true that, you know, Dunkin and Inspire as a whole is going to look at your, almost like your application or your platform and, and, and be picky about who is going to. come in and represent that brand. And it's almost like you might have money for it, but they want to make sure, you run this? And it's really the same across all the brands in a way. But I know it sounds so hard to start, but there are brands out there, I am sure, that you can start without having that resume or that portfolio. Daniel Tsentsiper (08:03) Yeah, good second. Mandy (08:17) But in the Dunkin space, like I said, the brothers, they already came from it and they were second gen at that time. So that was an easy, like, you know, transformation for them to do that. And then you have to have a strong operator. So that's kind of where I kind of came into play. So as you're growing and you're trying to build or you're trying to acquire, every brand is going to want to know who's actually going to operate the store. What does that person look like? What is maybe their equity in this game? Because, you know, they're not going to give you 20 stars if they're like, who's going to be running this? you know, I was just building just from the Dunkin portfolio is how all the other brands kind of came to be. And, you know, so on and so on, but it was obviously the track record of starting with the first brand. Like I said, I think the easiest way is to visit, you know, use things like, I'm an advocate of the IFA, the International Franchise Association. Daniel Tsentsiper (09:07) Right. Mandy (09:07) That's always a great start or, using your local sources or just meeting people, like you said, on LinkedIn to say, Hey, how did you get started? There is a lot of franchises out there, even in the food space that will take someone that maybe doesn't have that food background, but every brand, no matter what franchise you're trying to get into, like I could go and say, I want to sell tires and they might say, what tire experience do you have? You know? So, I mean, it's, it's, it's. It should be something that someone's passionate about and has some knowledge. Usually you hear someone's like, well, I worked in my parents' restaurant for years. That might be a good candidate for that, a certain franchise because then they, someone, the franchisor might understand, well, they did run a restaurant and they understand food safety and so on and so forth. Daniel Tsentsiper (09:52) Right. So Mandy, last time we talked, you were mentioning to me that to your point, having that operator experience has helped you succeed in all the different brands that you've been in, especially with the employees. I remember our last conversation, you said that the fact that you're able to roll up your sleeves and actually You've been there on the front line. You've worked the drive through. You've worked the cash register. You've prepared the food. That's given you a lot of credibility your expansion goals. So I'm curious, when you come in and you buy Dunkin franchisee that's looking to retire and you're coming in, you're trying to integrate that location or that portfolio of locations into your business. What is that experience like? How did the employees react and how do you kind of integrate it successfully? Mandy (10:41) So it didn't happen overnight, but you have to acquire a couple of stores and kind of go through those road bumps and go, okay, now there's a playbook for this. I can tell you every single restaurant that I've ever acquired. And I can even tell you last year I acquired two Smoothie Kings at the same time, because we bought into Smoothie King, but they're all different. There's no roadmap for it and it's not the same, but really I think it's just. It depends. You have to approach the restaurant and walk in and really I lead with, listen, I don't have 25 people in the parking lot. I cannot replace this whole entire store. So I need you. I don't know your restaurant. You guys, these are your guests. This is your customer. This is your everyday life. And, and we really need you to help us be successful and Hey, I can offer you this. I can offer you girls. Like we do have, you know, we can offer a little bit more things because we are bigger now. that I think is appealing and they like to see like, maybe I do want it. Now maybe I can be a district manager or maybe now I can move into like a training role when they see, when we come to acquire that we have these systems and we have maybe some, they look like we have some fun and they see like, yeah, I started with them at this store. I started at this location and I'm still here. I think it gives them a sense of like, okay, I'm not just getting replaced and still here. It's always a very, kind of have to tread easily because you even hear things from previous owners might say, ⁓ you're getting Sally and you know, Sally is a big pain. You're going to want to get rid of Sally right away. And I I've learned, don't, I don't judge even when someone tells me that because I might like Sally, Sally might be fantastic, so we don't, you're in a day and age where it's very rare that you can Daniel Tsentsiper (12:03) a good point. Yeah. Exactly. Mandy (12:21) replace anybody, right? I mean, you, you're buying a restaurant based on those sales and what they're doing and you need all of them. So we just have to go in with a very careful approach and yeah, you're going to lose a couple, you know, here and there. but for the most part, it's, just, it's just how we act and how you talk and how you treat everybody with respect. we were actually, I was just talking with my. and a regional right before this, because I was like, Hey, I need some tips for this podcast. one thing that they were bringing up is we, actually have a regional manager that works for me right now. So a regional manager is someone that sees over like multiple brands and locations and it's like a region. So she's overseeing the state of Michigan. We acquired her store and it was, she was a crew member for 14 years, like a crew member. Daniel Tsentsiper (12:48) Yeah Mandy (13:11) your register. you know, English was not is not her first language and was she was not born here. And I met her and I thought you're going to be the restaurant manager and also you're going to run like two restaurants and she looked at like, like, I don't think so. And at the time, she didn't even drive a car in a freeway. We talked about this all the time. ⁓ well, to think about how far she has come. Daniel Tsentsiper (13:22) Motive, yeah. Mandy (13:34) under our leadership and under our growth and giving her all of those, I guess, tools and like confidence. like they were talking about it earlier saying, I walked in and thought, why are you just a crew member? Like, what are you talking about? You're this fantastic individual. You're so smart. You're helping me. Like she helped me overtake the store and she actually cried and she'll tell you that story. But she was so scared of me. She was like, oh my God, she's going to fire me. She's going to do all these things. And I was like, what are you talking about? I need you. Daniel Tsentsiper (13:53) Mm-hmm. you Mandy (14:03) And I remember I asked her to take over this other, or I didn't even tell her. I knew how she would react. acquired another restaurant that I knew she was familiar with from the community. And I said, come help me with acquisition. Come help me. And it was a drive-through location and her store did not have a drive-through. So here you're talking about someone like me who 14 years you're working with like, yeah, so we're walking around and she's helping me do like inventory and talk with some of the employees. And I said, so what do think of this restaurant? Daniel Tsentsiper (14:13) Okay. learning for the first time. Mandy (14:31) And she's like, it needs a lot of work and yeah, we have a lot to do. And I'm like, well, it's, it's yours. You know, I just wanted to tell you, we're, we're giving it to you. You're to become a food store. She was saying, no, I'm not taking this. I said, I don't know who you are. And that was just kind of how I just said, no, you're capable of doing it. I don't need you in one restaurant. And that's just kind of how the story went. now when I look back, so that was in 20, I think we took over there started in 20, the beginning of 2017. Daniel Tsentsiper (14:38) you the Mandy (14:57) And now we're in 2025, I think she is, she's running like the whole state of Michigan. She oversees Dunkin, Baston, and we just gave her our third brand. So, um, and she drives our freeway now and all these other things. So she's fantastic. So yeah. Daniel Tsentsiper (15:04) That's incredible. It's incredible. Yeah. It's never too late to learn how to drive on the freeway. That's amazing. ⁓ You have this awesome concept called the, difference maker with you, how you, you, yeah. Or at least I heard on, on your episode with the IFA, you were talking about how you approach employee engagement, employee recognition, right? Tell me a little bit more on how, do you, how do you, how do you keep your employees engaged and motivated and excited? Mandy (15:20) difference maker. Yes. Yes. Yeah, we have to. ⁓ So, know, I'm always, listen, I never think I have any type of recipe or I think I have it figured out. We came up with the Difference Maker, or I'm not even sure, I think it was last year, at some point, because the Employee of the Month just wasn't working. Like, we would try it. we would do the employee of the month. feel like some stores would do it, then some weren't. I'd be asking like, you know, cause we try to have like consistency around it, like make sure every single one brought as an employee of the month. And it was just not going anywhere. So when things like that happen, happen in my life or in our role or whatever I'm doing, I go back to the root cause of like, why is this not working or why can't we be consistent? And I don't know how it even came about, but I think I just randomly. came in my head, like, I think we need to change it and call it the Difference Maker Award. And we do have like a whole thing around it where it's a little definition of basically outlining that this, this person, doesn't have to be, it could be anybody in the restaurant, makes a difference in our community and in our guests and in our company. And you really go out of your way to make a difference for everybody. And it just changed the whole entire game. I, and you can just see like their face kind of light up a little bit more like, Oh, I make a difference. Like just by telling someone like, you make a difference every single day and now your leaders are recognizing you, it just really went far and it's kind of sticks now. actually one of my district managers, it's something we do here at Home Group, every district manager in our company kind of plays a little role in something. So we have one of our district managers is in charge of the Difference Maker Award and that helps us too. So he's still on top of it and he's really engaged in it and that helps too. So he makes sure that every single restaurant is nominated and someone is tracking it for us because at the end of the year, we want to make sure we recognize the final, you know, difference maker or somebody that maybe went above and beyond and in their and sometimes we come together, like if I'm in a restaurant and see something or you hear something really outstanding happening. I might reach out and say, can you make sure that we put this name down? You know, like we all kind of do that. And it's just sticks. I mean, I don't, I just think it's sometimes we have to recreate some of the old tools and make them, like you said, like in your podcast, a little more modern, just by changing the name of it. And I mean, I just felt like it was not going anywhere. Like as just employee of the month, it's just sounds so like. Yeah. And, and, and really when. Daniel Tsentsiper (18:02) Very stale, stale and old and yeah. Mandy (18:07) We changed it and be like, make a difference in my restaurant. You made a difference with this guest. You made a difference with this manager, whatever it is. I think it's very important and it changed how I think people feel recognized and feel valued. And they do feel like they make a difference. I mean, I don't, I mean, I wasn't trying to do anything, just trying to make something consistent and make people happy. And I do like to show everybody like, you know, you make a difference. We tried very hard. in 2024 made a huge campaign in Omgrup about like the We Appreciate You campaign and it's still going on. It's not like it went away because I think in the QSR industry and where we're at, we're in, you I run in little tougher cities like Detroit and Cleveland you're in this, Dunkin space or like we have Qdoba. You have these rough spaces where you see a lot of guests and you kind of had to turn around the mentality of like, You have to appreciate your guests and you know, and it wasn't just appreciating your guests. was also, Hey, this manager, you need to appreciate your employees. You know, and it was really this whole, appreciate you campaign that we had to trickle down and we all have to kind of live it, breathe it, walk in and appreciate every single person. And I would have multiple calls where I make all the company get on them to say, Hey, you know, I appreciate you, but you guys have to turn this around and make sure that you're engaging all of this, these crew members and everybody underneath you that they need to appreciate everyone walking in the door. These are tough times, know, money, people don't like to spend money as freely anymore and nothing upsets any guests as like, Hey, maybe I saved up a little bit today because I want to have this extra item. And then they're treated like crap in our drive through, you know, so we're, so I think when we started the, appreciate you campaign, that's when we tried. Daniel Tsentsiper (19:44) Yeah. Right. Mandy (19:49) decided to change and made that, you know, make a difference award kind of simultaneously, because it kind of went hand in hand, you know, and we also empower our teams to, and I'll start with it sometimes in the morning, like, don't forget to appreciate your guests today. We call it surprise and delight is like a big thing. You know, if you make a mistake on a drink or if something just doesn't right sample it, you know, we're very open about, Daniel Tsentsiper (20:12) Mm-hmm. Mandy (20:13) And you will never believe how you can turn around someone's day in any situation. If you're like, hey, you want to this smoothie or hey, know, try this new donut. It just, changes like the whole game and the culture of the company and with our guests. we, we, that all went hand in hand, I guess, in this weird way. So, but it's kind of a little. Daniel Tsentsiper (20:27) All of I like that. That's a gold nugget there. You turn a mistake into an opportunity to delight the customer. Mandy (20:36) Always. Yeah. Yes. We always say surprise and delight. That's my thing. then, you know, we love to give little shout outs, we have chats, have tons of chats, but, know, like I always say, show me how you surprise and delight a guest today. It just goes, it just goes far. And I think hopefully we're doing something right. we still get guest complaints, but you know, it's at our goal. Daniel Tsentsiper (20:58) Yeah, that's just the nature of the QSR business. It's a tough But it does seem like you're doing a lot of things right, especially with your most recent post, the Development of the Year award. What was that all about? And how did you guys get that? And what does that award signify? Mandy (21:02) Yeah. Yeah. I hope so. you I am kind of like, obviously if people follow me at all, obviously I started in the Baskin-Robbins space, but I'm such a huge like Dunkin fan and I'm hardcore to Dunkin. And I mean, I love all my brands, don't get me wrong, but you know, Dunkin's the most iconic and you know, we have the most units. And early on in my career of what, 13 years of doing Dunkin, I've always wanted to be like, I want to win that award or I want to... be on this committee or I want to represent, Michigan in this, this spotlight. And, I think I can do some, some, something like that one day. And, it's not that they're super elite, but it's kind of this elite little Dunkin world. So to be surprised that, we won Dunkin developer of the year, I was all super geeked about it because we worked hard, you know, Detroit, the state Detroit market has such a wild story and just. It was a lot of work and it's a lot of money. It was a lot of time and to grow the number of units that we have grown and not only just the growth of the new units, we've remodeled a lot. So just in 2024, we remodeled 15 locations. It's just, it's our commitment to the brand. and I myself, along with the team, but I represent Dunkin and other platforms, not because I wanted the recognition, but because I believe in the brand. And I think that, think it kind of showed our commitment to, the company and the brand and then to help like, like you said, like I'm sitting on a regional committee or a marketing committee because not because for any reason that I want to make us successful, but the rest of the market too. And so winning, all part of the year is great. And now I'm looking some maybe. ⁓ next couple of years, can get something like operator of the year or franchisee of year, you know, it'd be nice. But, you know, I think, I think there was a, there's, said there was over a thousand, national franchisees. so it was kind of cool we were the one. this year, so I'll take it. Thank you. Daniel Tsentsiper (22:57) Gotta manifest it. Congratulations. Would you recommend for an upcoming operator franchisee to get involved these regional boards, technology ⁓ groups within the franchisee network? Is that something that you think would help them stand out? Mandy (23:18) Yeah. I do. and I don't, and like I said, here, here's what I believe in. It's a pet few of mine is when, and we all know, and you probably know, there's operators out there that own franchises or whether it's a franchise or not, and they don't really put in the work, right? And they're the first person that are like, my sales are down or woe is me and you know, how might be better and all. And I feel like just, you have to roll up your sleeves and do some work. No, by all, it's a commitment. Daniel Tsentsiper (23:43) Right. Mandy (23:50) I think it's actually, I spent a lot of time doing it. It's not, you don't get paid for it. You know what mean? if you want to, if you really believe in your brand and you want to grow the I think is most important about being on any subcommittee or any, whatever it is, because almost every franchise model has one is the ability to not only kind of connect and kind of figure out and align with that brand to kind of figure out like, where where where do they see the growth or what is their plan? But to connect with other franchisees, sometimes that's more valuable than anything else, because I think I've gained so much insight and I'm always learning. I'm always meeting someone new constantly all the time. And it's like, I really want to pick your brain for a because they're there for the same reason. Daniel Tsentsiper (24:23) That's a good point. That's a good point. Mandy (24:36) And they're successful in their own world, in their own way. And I learn from every single person I meet. And I love spending time with other franchisees. It's just like, my husband says when we go to MUFC, it's like my Super Bowl. It like literally is like, okay, I get ready, I get hydrated. Like, you know, like I'm like, this is my Super Bowl. I want to meet all my, you know. Daniel Tsentsiper (24:52) I love that show. Yeah. Mandy (25:00) fellow operators and talk and network. And I just feel like you walk away with just so much more knowledge. So yeah, if you're up and coming and you want to be involved, that's the best way to start. There's no better point than to really learn that business by getting involved, just like any other item, and I can't even tell you how much that's helped me in my personal. growth and I still feel like the newbie believe it or not like in Dunkin I'm kind of like I'm still new here I don't know how this works but let's learn and actually have something to bring to the table and then you also help your fellow franchisees you know like they know that they can come to you and you should have that open door it shouldn't be a competition I don't work that way don't sit there and think if so-and-so has a story on the street for me no we kind of have to align and work together because that's how brands work. You can't be against each other. And I think over the years I've created a pretty tight knit community with our Michigan group and we're pretty all, we're all pretty close. We're all pretty open. We, we, we attacks, we have groups, you know, I, come overnight, but that constant dedication, but that's what helps build the market. That's what helps build a brand is by connecting with all of them. So no, go for it. Get on those committees. Daniel Tsentsiper (26:04) Never does. Exactly. Mandy (26:12) Do it. Daniel Tsentsiper (26:13) Yeah, for sure. the stage now where you're having your success, right? You're scaling like crazy. And then you also mentioned that you've been putting in a lot of effort to give back, not only with your employees, but also women in restaurant leadership positions, women that are opening their own franchises. what have you these days to connect with this community that, judging from our last few conversations, seems like you feel like this community needs the most support, right? Mandy (26:41) ⁓ I come to realize I didn't understand that I actually was doing anything special, but I think now I realized that is one of the biggest things was I feel now I have a responsibility. it's not just about women, it's about, all of the under, like you said, underrepresented underrepresented groups that we have that work for us. ⁓ Daniel Tsentsiper (26:42) and encouragement. Right, groups. Mandy (27:01) or that are in our company or anywhere. feel like when it comes to like women and developing, I don't have the secret formula, but I have learned that now I think that I have a responsibility to talk more openly about what maybe I have. struggled with, what, how I overcame that and how I can help others because I'm learning that some people look to me as a role model and it's kind of like a big role in a way because I'm like, I'm your role model. So last year when it became a little bit more apparent that I was getting reached out and message and hey, think you should do this and hey, you should get involved in this. was like, wow, I think I have now this responsibility. Not only do I, I am, I have two daughters that I'm raising. I, a, that's the first thing that comes to your mind is like, well, I need to set a strong example for my daughters, but B it's also, employees that you have your leadership team and now other people are now reaching out and saying, how do I get to where you're getting? I think the biggest thing that I have done was A, now I'm telling my story. So that's A. Maybe I was a little shy about it before, or maybe I didn't think it wasn't important to talk about. I learned this early at the IFA was just tell your story. There's no... no wrong answer to it is just, tell your story. So I didn't understand that telling your story is kind of powerful that someone resonates with like any story. I've also learned that if I something I am a big advocate now, I didn't understand this before. If I was invited to sit at the table, I have a right to speak at the table. ⁓ I think that that still needs some work Daniel Tsentsiper (28:33) Hell yeah. Mandy (28:38) I didn't maybe understand that, but I understand that now. So not only was I invited to be here, I also now I have a right to speak and I've also, and I've been honored to do it, but I also have learned that we sometimes need to lend a handout. So let's say there's somebody at the table that isn't speaking. I'm the first one to say like, hey, it's your turn to talk. Like, what do you have to say? And inviting people into that space. And let me tell you, it doesn't matter who you are. I'm just saying if you're there, you were meant to be here. So let's talk. And it doesn't matter if you're a woman or not. But yeah, I think. Daniel Tsentsiper (28:59) What do you think, Keir? Mandy (29:12) women still tend to still feel like they don't have a seat at the table. And I have been there where I thought like, wow, I'm kind of outnumbered and I've walked into rooms. I'll never forget, I'll tell you a really quick story. I know we like to talk a lot. I was at a, franchising only session at a Dunkin meeting and I was late. Okay. And like, was like, okay, because you were no out like in the previous days, if you're not a franchisee, you can't come to these meetings. Okay, because it's just out. So like, you would just be able to go to the basic one. I was running late. And I walked in, like literally like deer and headlights, because I was literally like five minutes late. And there wasn't a seat. There wasn't even a chair. Okay. So I walked in, I was like, oh my god, I'm late. And I closed the door. Because I was like, nevermind. I don't I don't need to go to this. Like, that's fine. I'm late. Like I'm leaving. Daniel Tsentsiper (29:37) I say, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mandy (29:57) And another woman that was a leader got up, ran out and said, get back here. And I said, no, no, no, I'm late. Don't worry. I don't want to make a big scene. Like, you know, I'm not supposed to, it's okay. It was my fault. And she says, no, went and got a chair and made her sit next to me. And, know, and in the moment. I kind of was a little bit embarrassed in a sense because I felt like everyone was, you know, what is going on here? And I thought like, why are you doing this? And she said, she turned and looked at me and said, no, you're supposed to be here. It's okay if you're late. And I went and I got you a seat I'll never forget. I'll never ever forget that. And last year at, or no, it was this year, sorry, 2025 for the women's food service forum for Dunkin. Daniel Tsentsiper (30:15) Yeah. right. That's awesome. Mandy (30:38) presented for something and in front of her peers and, her bosses, cause she's on the corporate side, I made sure I told that story. So I was like, listen, I gotta tell you, she deserves this award and she's one of the reasons I am who I am. So you have to take some of these, these experiences and you have to tell the story and you have to remember them and you have to maybe do them yourselves when you can, So I can say, I've been there before and we're going to get a seat at this table or whatever it is. don't know. But yeah, no, always stay forward. Yeah. Daniel Tsentsiper (31:05) And you got to pay it forward, too, right? You got to pay it forward. So what she did, what she did for you, you got to do it for someone else. Mandy (31:23) And there's days where I am not very confident at all. but you know what you have to do is you have to teach yourself like someone else who knows who that was. You have to learn sometimes to be uncomfortable. when you just have to be uncomfortable. I was asked to speak at the IFA for the women's IFA this year, and I've never done anything that big yet. when I walked into the room, actually I think it was when I was on the plane, I was like, why did I sign up for this? Like now I'm really regretting this. This is, it's happening. Like I gotta do this test run tomorrow. And I thought, do it? Why did I say yes? Right. And I remember the whole time really wishing that I didn't. Daniel Tsentsiper (31:35) Absolutely. Mandy (31:59) But let me tell you, when I left that day, I thought, I'm so glad I did, right? Because I was so uncomfortable and I was so nervous. And there is that, I think in that moment and all of us internally that were like, why are we doing this right now? Like, why did I sign up for that? And you would kind of want to run out the door. And I remember thinking, this will probably be a time I might look back and tell the other story. Like I remember when I was so scared to talk in front 600 plus people. I was, I was, I didn't even realize how scared I was until I was doing it. When I left, I thought, wow, I'm so glad I did. you have to be a little uncomfortable or you're never going to grow. That's how I feel. thank you. ⁓ Well, I have a lot on my plate right now with the current brands that we have. Daniel Tsentsiper (32:34) What's next for you guys? What's next for you and what's next for O? Mandy (32:44) Right now we are building number fourth, Qdoba. that's Qdoba in Cleveland. That's going to be in, North Olmsted, Ohio. we're building a smoothie King in North Olmsted. That's under construction right now. got two Dunkin's under construction. I the Anteans and Cinnabon under construction, a smoothie King and over there under construction. So, I mean, there's a lot going on. have. I forgot about the Jimmy Johns. have four under construction right now on the Jimmy Johns side. And you know, the development piece is crazy. But I still have plans to open up more, but I can officially say those are under construction. they're, they're going to open, you know, that's exciting. on even in the Qdoba platform, gosh, I think I was looking at, I could still potentially open up five more this year. So that's, that's. Daniel Tsentsiper (33:07) you Mandy (33:27) That's insanity, right? Cause those are big restaurants and there's a lot of growth there. It's exciting because we entered into what we call an emerging market. So an emerging market is where there's no presence and that brand and it's either it's going to do really well or you have to work really hard. And it's been pretty successful at in the Cleveland market. It's so excited to like do that because when we first entered it, I was like, I'm going to have to give away so much chips in case for free to all these people. Daniel Tsentsiper (33:30) they are. Amazing. ⁓ Mandy (33:55) lines out the Daniel Tsentsiper (33:56) Yeah. Mandy (33:56) door and all that, stuff. So it makes that even more exciting. So I want to keep building. So I'm excited for that. I think what I've learned about me is I like a challenge and I like these emerging markets and I like to build brands and build that awareness. And I would never have known that if it wasn't for this Dunkin path that I actually like to do that. So it's not for the week, but I like to do it. like a good challenge. So, but yeah, I, yeah. Daniel Tsentsiper (34:21) Well, Mandy, you are absolutely kick ass. think you are an amazing role model. You've had the battle scars be sitting where you are today. And what I... Mandy (34:31) I mean, I literally have coffee burn scars, I'm sure, from burning coffee on my hands. I'm sure they're there. Yes. Anyway, sorry. Daniel Tsentsiper (34:40) you've done it. feel like this episode would be a success if it touches at least one person and inspires their start. if they're working within the store and working their way up as a manager, you know that working for you, you have a path to become the of a market. You can go on and open up your own store. And that, I think, is a very Mandy (34:55) Yes. Daniel Tsentsiper (35:00) powerful message to send to operators and to show them that it takes time to your presence, to build your confidence and successful. Mandy (35:09) I think of one person wrote a list and I think what we forgot to touch on is I don't need the whole me or the business partners don't need the whole piece of the pie. And we give out that pie. So we have three people in our organization that work underneath me that are also franchise owners themselves because we gave them a piece franchise. find that that's very unheard of in this industry. You know, I'm sure they're not going to be just the three. I'm sure that number is going to continue to grow. when you have this grand idea and you find that that person's really invested in this brand and they, you know, there has to have some open conversation and some skill set or some, you know, we're not just going to handing this out. There has to be some growth plan with that person. And when you finally get to that day and you're like, this is happening and you're going to become a franchise owner. I can't even tell you the internal. satisfaction and how excited you are for that other individual. And then to see them grow and now you kind of had a little hand in helping change their life. It's just, it's so rewarding. I think there's a lot of people that hear our story and they might know who my business partners are. And they're always, I've got asked a lot in the earlier days, like, oh, come over network and I'll give you this person. I get that a lot. And I thought, no, because what we have is a little special and unique and it's a little unheard of, but it's also taught me that I think I am the person that I am because of the opportunity that they gave me and what they believed in because that's part of their their idea of doing business and why would I now change? Why would I change that course and go work with someone else? But a lot of people maybe wouldn't do that. But if you want to grow and you want to be successful, you have to share some of that pie and you have to give people the... the bandwidth almost to grow and give them that trust and give them that loyalty and say, I know that you can do this and go do it, right? And not put your hands like a hundred percent in it, or you can't grow to like these numbers. I mean, not that I think we're the biggest by all means, but I don't do what I do if I wouldn't let them do their job, if that makes sense, or trust them to do their job. So to give them the opportunity to be franchisees themselves, that's, I think it's Daniel Tsentsiper (37:19) does. Mandy (37:24) it's unheard of. And I hope that people can understand sometimes we don't need all of the money, right? Or all of the pie. We want to keep growing and you have to give back and you have to give other people opportunity. That's just part of business or being a smart business person in the sense. And you have to pay them well, right? And that's the other thing. That's a whole other podcast episode that we can talk about. mean, you have to pay people to do the job that they deserve to get paid. Daniel Tsentsiper (37:40) It is. That's all. Mandy (37:52) to do if you want to grow too. hopefully we're doing the right thing. Daniel Tsentsiper (37:56) I think the results speak for themselves. Mandy, this has been an amazing conversation. Thank you so much for joining us. I guess any last words, you have so many phrases, you have so many amazing gold nuggets to share. Any last words that you have for the audience? Mandy (37:58) I don't know. Thank you. Anytime. what should I share? The one that I always share the one that everyone talks about never get bored with the basics. That's what I love. There's no rule. I got no playbook. I have no new grand idea. I just do what you're supposed to do every single day. And I live by that and we don't get bored. And, always say never get bored with what we said, being appreciative, being nice, being food being clean, having product in the store. Like. Just don't get bored. You can't get bored. You can't ever get bored with the actual basics. just one of my mottos. It's big and bold and everyone knows that. Everyone that works with me knows that's the goal. You can't get bored. never get bored. Thank you. Daniel Tsentsiper (38:44) Never get bored with the basics. Yeah. Mandy, thank you so much.