Great teams make great restaurants. On The Pre-Shift, restaurant operators and industry experts dive into building great restaurant teams. We explore their stories, their strategies, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams. Hosted by D.J. Costantino. Presented by 7shifts.

In this episode of the Pre Shift Podcast, host D.J. Costantino welcomes Ross Groeneweg, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Pizza Ranch. They discuss the history of the family-owned business, which started in 1981 and grew into a 218-location franchise. Ross explains the company's successful franchise model and the relationship between franchisees and corporate, ensuring a consistent employee experience. He shares his personal journey within Pizza Ranch, starting from high school, advancing through various positions, and eventually becoming a leader. Ross emphasizes Pizza Ranch's core values, vision, mission, and benefits of collaborative franchisee relationships and shared learnings. The episode concludes with a sneak peek at upcoming company initiatives, including a new wing night promotion.

00:00 Introduction to the Pre-Shift Podcast
00:18 Meet Ross Groenweg, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Pizza Ranch
01:13 The Origin Story of Pizza Ranch
02:55 Franchise Model and Corporate Partnership
04:06 Ross's Journey Through Pizza Ranch
07:15 Core Values and Vision of Pizza Ranch
09:10 Challenges and Strategies in Employee Retention
13:41 Collaborative Nature of Pizza Ranch Franchisees
15:14 Career Growth and Opportunities at Pizza Ranch
21:12 Future Plans and Exciting Initiatives
22:09 Conclusion and Farewell

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7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.