independent joe magazine august/september 2014 #27

The Magazine for Independent Franchise Owners D D D D

August/September 2014

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1INDEPENDENT JOE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

BLACKJACK FOR YOUR BUSINESSI had planned to write a great article for this issue using the parable “Six Blind Men and an Elephant” to highlight how fran-chise owners from different regions within the Dunkin’ footprint may individually face different issues – development, price points, supply or something else – and how those issues can influence how they see the big picture.

In the parable, each of the six blind men touch a different part of the elephant then reach their own individual conclusions as to what the elephant is like. The one who touches the tail likens the beast to a rope, the one touching the trunk to a tree, the ear to a fan and so on. The parable’s meaning runs the gamut from differences in religious tolerance to the need to work together for best results and everything in between. My idea was to apply the latter meaning to the importance of Dunkin’ franchise owners working together, regardless of their market, and using DDIFO as a vehicle to accomplish their col-lective goals. I could almost see a Pulitzer on the horizon . . . but, alas.

Just as I was preparing to write my article, we learned from a respected private security firm that a Russian crime ring has stolen over a billion – yes BILLION – Internet passwords, from large and small companies across the world. The news was a stunning affirmation of the growing problem of Internet security in retail busi-nesses like Target and P.F. Chang’s, which have been in the headlines for months.

This came against the backdrop of a widely criticized decision by the National Labor Relations Board which says a franchisor – in this case the McDonald’s Corporation – is jointly liable, with its franchisees, for complying with labor rules. By classifying the corporation as a “joint-employer” with its franchisees, the NLRB opens the door to labor organizers trying to turn quick service restaurants into union shops. The decision directly threatens the profitability of our members, even as data breaches become a growing threat.

These kinds of issues guide DDIFO’s advocacy and communications efforts in general, and are particularly relevant

for our National Conference coming up in October. You may have read the article by ANX eBusiness Corporation – a DDIFO sponsor – in the last issue of Independent Joe which explained how franchisees are liable in the event of a data breach and underscored the importance of PCI compliance. It is esti-mated that a data breach at any one of our Dunkin’ shops would cost each affected franchisee $80,000 or more in penalties, fees and other charges.

I’m pleased to announce that Mark Wayne, Executive Vice President, ANX eBusiness Corporation and an FBI Cyber Crime expert will be joining us on Tuesday, October 21 at the National Conference in Las Vegas. Their presentation is one that you will not want to miss. It will help you prevent a breach and potentially save tens of thousands of dollars in damages.

Franchisees across the footprint routinely tell me how they want to prevent unions from organizing in their shops. Now, as a result of the NLRB decision, franchisees will have to be even more vigilant. That’s one reason why we have booked Franklin Coley, Campaign Director, Center for a New Economy and an experienced political strategist to speak at the National Confer-ence. His presentation, “The New Face of Labor Activism: Restaurant Operators under Siege,” will update franchisees on labor threats and spell out next steps so franchise owners can be better prepared to defend against them.

We have also learned recently that earn-ings for many in the QSR sector have been flat this year. Experts blame the weather as well as the aggressive campaigns to raise minimum wage and provide worker benefits. We are eagerly awaiting our annual report from DDIFO Restaurant Analyst John Gordon of Pacific Manage-ment Consulting Group. John will present his “View from the Street” at the National Conference. His insight and analysis is one of the most valuable components of the annual conference and, with all that is swirling about the QSR industry this year, John will provide a helpful prognosis to guide your business for the next year.

I’m sure you’ve read the forecasts for higher coffee prices resulting from weather problems in Brazil. It’s estimated that production will be at least 20 percent lower this year, which could directly impact your bottom line. The National DCP is keep-ing a close eye on this and other issues that affect Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners. We look forward to this year’s presentation by National DCP Chairman Manoochi Fallah and CEO Scott Carter in Las Vegas. They will offer a look back and a focus forward in “National DCP: Past, Present and Future,” a discussion that is surely important to your bottom line.

The 2014 DDIFO National Conference celebrates a quarter century of this organi-zation’s role as an independent voice for the interests of Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees. In this anniversary year, we are pleased that the relationship between DBI and its fran-chisees is on solid footing. This organization is well represented on the Brand Advisory Council and we are pleased that BAC Chairman Clayton Turnbull has agreed to deliver the keynote address kicking off this year’s National Conference, which will immediately be followed by an open forum discussion we are calling “Talking BAC.” We have also assembled a top-notch panel of franchisees who will share their perspec-tives on business, labor and government in our ever-popular “Conversation with Dunkin’ Franchisees.”

Registration is now open for the DDIFO National Conference. Aside from the infor-mative programs we’re discussed here, we will also have entertainment, an outstand-ing exhibit hall and our DDIFO Hall of Fame Induction—all surrounded by the glitz, glamor and excitement of Las Vegas.

If you couldn’t tell, I am really looking forward to welcoming you all to Las Vegas; I’m just sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to tell you more about the six blind men and the elephant!

Ed ShanahanDDIFO Executive Director

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2 INDEPENDENT JOE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

SUB HEADLINE

CONTENTSFrom the Executive Director: Blackjack for Your Business • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •1What’s Brewing:A Look at State Issues Around the Footprint • • • • • • • • •5WESTWARD HO!California, Here We Come • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10

Destination Las Vegas • • • • • • • • • 142014 National Conference • •17Betting on the Vegas

Economy • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •21Ready to Roll in Reno: Nicole Hansen is Eager to Establish Dunkin’ Donuts in Western Nevada • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •24

My Perspective: Social Media • • • • • • •28

Guest Column: Medical Marijuana and the Workplace • • • •30

Directory of Sponsors • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •325 Things You Didn’t Know About Las Vegas • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •36

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24

21

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August/September 2014 • Issue #27Independent Joe® is published

by DD Independent Franchise Owners, Inc.

Editors: Edwin Shanahan, Matt EllisContributors: Cheryl Alkon, Cindy Atoji Keene, Lisa Iannucci, Daniel S. Field, Adam Goldman,

Sarah Resnick, Scott B. Van Voorhis, and Andrea E. Zoia

Advertising: Joan Gould

Graphic Design & Cover Photo Illustration: Caroline Cohen

Direct all inquiries to:

DDIFO, Inc. 10 First Avenue, Suite 20, Peabody, MA 01960 978-587-2581 • [email protected] • www.ddifo.org

DD Independent Franchise Owners, Inc. is an Association of Member Dunkin’ Donuts Franchise Owners.

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From a brightening economy to a bevy of new laws and regulations, changes are afoot across the

country that could have a big impact on your franchise’s bottom line this fall. First there is the economy.

More people are working and, hopefully, you are noticing customers have a little more money to spend on their favorite treats and drinks. Yet good times can bring challenges as well, as Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners in fast-growing markets in Texas and Colorado are finding. Real estate prices are heating up in many U.S. cities, making it more expensive – and more challenging – to secure new locations.

And of course, whether the economy is good or bad, legislators and regulators are always at work coming up with new laws and regulations.

Independent Joe took a look at five issues Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners should keep an eye on as we head into the fall, from a tight real estate market to looming federal health care mandates.

#1Expansion costs on riseDenver and Austin are a 14-hour

drive apart.

But Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners in both cities are dealing with the fallout from a booming real estate market, one that has made it harder – and more expensive – to find new locations.

Doug Redman, who is developing Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the Denver area, has one shop open, one location that’s still awaiting city permits and letters of intent for four other locations.

While he hasn’t lost any potential sites to competitors yet, he says other franchisees are definitely out there, on the hunt for prime real estate.

Compounding matters, already estab-lished storefronts and shops aren’t turning over as fast as they were.

“The real estate market is definitely pick-ing up and the competitors’ expansion is picking up as well,” Redman says.

And the cost of leasing space in Denver – always expensive – is also on the rise.

“Our rental costs per square foot are extremely high here,” Redman says.

If that weren’t enough, construction costs

for new buildings and renovations to existing Dunkin’ shops are also increas-ing, thanks to a tight job market in the construction industry and a demand which gives contractors more price leverage. According to a report by the property and construction analysis firm Rider Levett Bucknall, Denver construc-tion costs jumped 2.2 percent in the first quarter over the same period in 2013.

“The costs are going up,” says Redman. “Just the sheer volume of construction going on is affecting the contractors’ pric-ing structure.”

WHAT’S BREWING A LOOK AT STATE ISSUES AROUND THE FOOTPRINT

By Scott Van Voorhis

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Dale Mulvey, director of operations at Cof-fee Action West, is running into similar challenges expanding in the Greater Austin market.

Mulvey now runs three Dunkin’ shops in the Austin area, with three more under construction. He eventually plans to roll out a total of 24, but it is a slow process given the tight market for available sites.

“The number one concern in Austin is just finding solid commercial proper-ties,” he says. “Commercial rates are going up and there is a lot of competi-tion for strong properties.”

#2 Wild card of pot legalizationRecreational marijuana shops

are now legal in Colorado and Washing-ton State. Voters in Alaska and Oregon will decide this fall whether to follow suit and legalize as well.

Meanwhile, a total of 23 states have given a green light to medical mari-juana, with dispensaries popping up

across the country.

It amounts to the birth of a new retail business, with sales expected to hit $2.6 billion this year, The New York Times reports, citing estimates by a California research firm.

As we head into the fall, more and more Dunkin’ franchise owners will have to decide just how they plan to deal with this new phenomenon, especially when opening new shops. (You can read more about the legal implications of medical marijuana laws on page 30).

WHAT’S BREWING

Increased Cost of Doing BusinessServing coffee and donuts to the U.S. military is soon going to become a lot more expensive for Dunkin’ franchise owners thanks to a looming wage hike ordered up by the federal government.

Operators of quick service restaurants located on military bases, including Dunkin’ Donuts, face a jump in the

minimum wage to $10.10 an hour start-ing January 1, 2015—up from $7.25 now.

That has some Dunkin’ franchise owners looking carefully at their bottom lines and questioning how they will be able to afford this increase to what is already one of their largest expenses, labor.

“Right now, no one is getting rich,” mused one Dunkin’s franchise owner doing business on a base, who declined to be named. “It’s basically transferring money from one group of pockets to another.”

The pending increase comes as a result of an executive order issued earlier this year by President Obama boosting the

Redman, the Colorado franchise owner, notes that the presence of a competitor that draws a lot of traffic can be a plus when considering a location. By the same logic, a Dunkin’ near a marijuana dispen-sary could benefit from all the traffic and customers coming in and out, he says.

“If there was an opportunity, we are going to evaluate that very seriously,” he says.

“Then again, Redman says he would give careful consideration to how closely he would locate to a marijuana retailer. He wouldn’t want to be in the same building,

though a block or two away might be okay.

Even then, he would have to consider whether the presence of the pot shop might be a turn-off to some customers.

Dunkin’s, he notes, has a “family friendly”


minimum wage for all companies with federal contracts, including restaurants serving personnel on military installations.

That, plus other newly mandated fringe benefits will bring the wage to just over $11 an hour, a boost of more than 50 percent.

In fact, some franchise owners in other quick service chains have decided enough is enough and are now closing up shop.

Three McDonald’s franchises on bases in South Carolina, Washington state and Maryland recently announced plans to shut their doors, according to the Military Times.

Franchise owners doing business on bases are in a double bind: on the hook for the increased wages but prohibited from raising prices in order to cover the higher costs as a result of federal price controls aimed at protecting service members.

“Anywhere else in the world you would be able to adjust your additional costs,” says the unnamed franchisee. “You are not going to be able to change your prices.”

Senate Republicans have taken up the cause, grilling U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez at a recent hearing.

“When these inflated wage and benefit

requirements are combined with the food pricing restrictions found in most service contracts, many may be unable to remain profitable,” a group of labor committee members, led by Senator U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), wrote to Perez.

The wage increase comes even as Dunkin’ owners, both on bases and off, are bracing for a looming health care hit as well.

Under the Affordable Care Act, business owners with over 100 employees are on the hook for picking up their employees’ medical bills come January 1, 2015. That threshold will then drop to 50 employees a year later.


reputation, “We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

#3Spreading bans on plastic bags

Not so long ago, Dunkin’ customers in Austin who ordered a couple boxes of donuts or muffins were given a plastic bag with which to carry out their order, according to Dale Mulvey, the franchise owner in the Texas capitol.

No more. Austin banned plastic bags last year, forcing franchise owners to stock up on more expensive paper bags.

Mulvey is not alone. A growing number of Dunkin’ franchisees around the country are grappling with either outright plastic bag bans, or a tax on each bag used.

The anti-bag movement kicked off in California, but is fast spreading to other states across the country, according to the Earth Policy Institute. Roughly one-third of the Golden State’s residents now live in communities with plastic bag bans.

While no state legislatures have passed any outright bans, cities and communi-ties across the country have taken the lead.

In fact, Texas has emerged as a hot spot for activists looking to ban plastic bags, the institute reports. Eight Lone Star State cities now have bans. San Antonio is considering joining that group, while a 5 cent per bag charge in Dallas will take effect in January.

In Colorado, Boulder has passed a ten cent tax on both plastic and paper bags, while Aspen has banned the bags altogether, according to the institute.

New York and Chicago have also recently considered imposing bans as well.

#4Calorie counts comingThere’s no getting around it. By

the end of the year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be finally ready to implement federal calorie disclosure requirements.

That means Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners will have to put calorie count labels alongside each item on the menu—everything from Coolattas, to donuts, to egg-white flatbreads.

The calorie labeling is one of the provi-sions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. It’s a costly proposition putting franchisees on the hook for the expense of putting up new signage.

Mulvey, the Austin franchise owner, thinks the government required calorie counts are just more needless red tape.

As he sees it, it’s not like his custom-ers are eating all their meals out at his restaurants. Rather, he says, it’s more likely to be a weekly stop with the kids or a breakfast sandwich on the way to work once or twice a week.

“We are a premium snack stop,” he says.

#5Health care woesFrom the perspective of many

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WHAT’S BREWING


franchise owners, the good news about Obamacare is that key provisions keep getting postponed. The bad news, though, is that the jig is almost up on one of the biggest requirements, providing health care for employees.

The mandate will now kick in on January 1, 2015 for businesses with 100 or more workers. It had been slated to kick in this past January before the Obama Administration agreed to a delay. At the beginning of 2016, businesses that have at least 50 employees will have to comply.

Providing coverage will be an expensive proposition, according to one franchise owner who declined to be named. He has nearly 100 employees. But even if he were to limit coverage to 20 full-time workers, it would still cost him approximately $50,000 a year.

As a result, he sees a scramble by some franchise owners and businesses to cut back on the hours various employees work to stay under the threshold.

“Everyone is trying to cut back below 30 hours by January,” he says.

Still, as with everything involving the ACA, there is always a chance that more changes will be made before the mandates go into effect.

House Republicans have been pushing to raise the threshold to 40 hours, voting in favor of the amendment this spring. The proposal hasn’t gone anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, though things could change depending what happens with the mid-term elections this fall.

That said, owners need to start running the numbers now to figure out whether they would be better off declining to pay health coverage and taking the tax penalty or anteing up, warns Ben Litalien, founder and principal of FranchiseWell, LLC, a Virginia-based franchise consult-ing firm.

He suggests sitting down with a personnel consultant.

“The Affordable Care Act continues to be a mystery as to how it’s going to impact small business owners,” Litalien says. “This thing is unfolding day by day—it’s not fully cooked.”

Common misconceptionsWilliam Sentell, an attorney and fran-chise law expert at the law firm Pugh Accardo in New Orleans, believes common misconceptions held by lawmakers and regulators about the franchise business will continue to cost franchisees more. Plastic bag bans and calorie counts are just two examples illustrating how new rules don’t fully take into account how local employers will be impacted.

“It’s going to create new costs for fran-chisees who are not necessarily set up to absorb these costs,” he says. “They are being singled out under the perception that they have deeper pockets.” It’s a battle franchisees continue to wage through better outreach communication with entities that make and enforce the rules of restaurant ownership. •

By Karen Sackowitz

California, Here We Come…

C alifornia’s great gold rush started in 1848. By 1855, some 300,000 came to the

Golden State, hoping to strike it rich. Now, 159 years later, there is a new rush going on—this one for a share of the state’s giant coffee market. Cali-fornia is the nation’s most populated state—one out of eight people living in the U.S. lives in California. And when you consider that Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, there is a lot of Joe on the table of California’s 38 million residents.

According to John A. Gordon, principal of Pacific Management Consulting Group and DDIFO restaurant analyst, Dunkin’s rush into California is going even quicker than expected. Construction on the first five stores in Downey, Long Beach,

Modesto, Santa Monica and Whittier began in June, months ahead of sched-ule. Dunkin’ Brands President Paul Twohig attributes the accelerated pace to the strong interest among California’s prospective franchisees and consum-ers. In a June press release, he said, “We are pleased with the solid start to our California development plans.”

This is Dunkin’s second attempt to capture California. A dozen or so shops opened here in the 1990s, but were shuttered in the early part of the 2000’s because of poor sales. This time is different, according to CEO Nigel Travis, who calls the California comeback a “no-brainer.”

In an interview with the business news program “First on CNBC,” Travis said, “It’s a big undertaking, but as we have been growing contiguously across the country from the northeast, this is just a continuation of our strategy of moving across the country.” The message is a familiar one to franchisees. Last year, Travis posted a letter on the Dunkin’ Brands website which said, “We have always said that we will enter California when the timing is right and when the infrastructure is in place to help our franchisees be successful. We believe we have reached that point today.”

By Cindy Atoji Keene


Dunkin’ has received tremendous publicity from the opening of three non-traditional locations in California: on the military base at Camp Pendleton, inside an Embassy Suites hotel in San Diego, and at Barstow Station, a hub for travel-ers along California’s Interstate 15. In his letter, which is posted on the Dunkin’ Donuts blog, “Behind the Beans,” Travis says Dunkin’ Donuts coffee sells well in the bags distributed by Procter & Gamble which are sold in local grocery stores, and in the K-Cup variety which are sold at Dunkin’ Brands’ 450 Baskin Robbins shops throughout the state.

In terms in infrastructure, the National DCP’s new distribution center in Phoenix, is capable of supporting California’s development. Already Dunkin’ Brands has inked deals with franchisees to open 200 new shops; the company expects to have as many as 1,000 restaurants throughout the state, where competition will be intense. California is home to more than

2,500 Starbucks coffee shops—the largest number in any state. Coffee drinkers also have early-morning offerings from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Krispy Kreme Dough-nuts, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and Winchell’s Donut House as well as McDonald's and countless other mom and pop shops.

Sharon Zackfia, an analyst at the global investment and asset management firm William Blair & Co., told the Los Angeles Times that Dunkin’ has a blue-collar advantage. “It’s what I call more of an everyman brand, as opposed to perhaps Starbucks having a more aspirational brand concept around it,” she said.

And, maybe saving a few dimes on a cup of coffee will matter here in the land of surfers and celebrities, where housing prices have stabilized and the commercial real estate sector is hum-ming. In Los Angeles alone, five new high rises will soon be added to the skyline, offering development opportunities for restaurants and retail establishments. Dunkin’ franchisees face higher real estate costs for prime locations, some of which may not allow for a drive-thru. “It will be a challenge to find good sites,” says Gordon, the DDIFO analyst. And, he says the inventory of drive-thru sites is limited in many Golden State cities. To combat

" It’s a big undertaking, but as we have been growing contiguously across the country from the north-

east, this is just a continuation of our strategy of moving across the country.”

NIGEL TRAVIS

Founded in Berkeley, California, Peet's Coffee & Tea will be an established competitor for Dunkin' Donuts in California.


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One significant challenge in California is finding optimum locations that can offer drive-thru service.that challenge, Gordon says, franchisees

will have to build stores and menus that are inviting and quickly identifiable. One Dunkin’ on Seventh Street in Long Beach is hoping that by preserving an iconic 15-foot doughnut sign left over from a cof-fee shop that closed in the same location, it will draw crowds.

Many of the locally-owned coffee shops are in, what Gordon calls “grade-B or grade-C locations.” Dunkin’ may have an advantage over those mom-and-pops by securing better sites—particularly away from the over-developed cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Even as the economy is booming in some parts of California, the cost of doing busi-ness here is high and the state’s politics are prone to volatility. Still, Travis has no trepidations about the company’s foray into the state. “We’ve done some really great work with our unit economics; any issues in California we feel we can overcome by outright unit economics,” he told CNBC.

And, franchisees appear to share his enthusiasm. “The power of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand is truly incredible. We feel our restaurants will play an important role in the daily lives of people who live, work and visit the southwest and western states,” according to a company statement from Ted Morton, president and CEO of Sizzling Platter, LLC, which has a 46-unit develop-ment deal for greater Sacramento. “We are excited to bring Dunkin’ Donuts to Califor-nia, and look forward to breaking ground on the first of many California locations.”

A-list celebrities like Brad Pitt, Julian Moore and John Krasinski are fans of Dunkin’ Donuts and will soon be able to start their day with a fresh, hot cup of Dunkin’ coffee. Travis says the brand’s expansion to the left coast has been highly anticipated.

“Since the day I joined Dunkin’ Brands, one of the questions I’ve been asked most is, ‘When will Dunkin’ Donuts open in California?’” said Travis. “Now that day has come.” •


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T hinking of attending the Dunkin’ Donuts Independent Franchise Owners’ 25th Anniversary Conference in Las Vegas on October 20-22?

You won’t be alone.

In addition to the other DDIFO conference attendees, you’ll be joined by countless other organizations, Vegas hospital-ity employees, entertainers, gaming personnel and others who have all come together to make Las Vegas the most popular conference and business meeting destination on the continent, if not the world.

Vegas has consistently ranked number one out of 40 North American destinations by major meeting and convention decision makers, according to STR, a leading authority on hotel industry performance trends. Vegas has also been named the top trade show destination in the United Sates for a record 20 consecutive years, according to Trade Show News Network.

Heidi Hayes, public relations manager of business for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LCVCA), notes the city has hosted 53 of the largest 250 shows in North America.

Why?

“It’s in our DNA—we’re founded on tourism,” says Chris Meyer, Vice President of Global Business Sales for the LCVCA. “And we don’t close up at 9 at night.”

Vegas ValueWhat makes Vegas so attractive for business meetings beyond the entertainment options after the work day

Destination Las Vegas

Left: Heidi Hayes, public relations manager of business for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LCVCA); Right: Chris Meyer, Vice President of Global Business Sales for the LCVCA

By Cheryl Alkon


is done? Value for everyone, Meyer says. In 2013, there were 22,213 meetings in the area, ranging from a ten-person board of directors meeting to an electronics show with more than 160,000 attendees.

Such range requires many options, and Vegas has them all. “They’re at every price point, whether it’s a value proposition or a very high end proposition,” says Meyer, who has worked in the Las Vegas hospitality business for the past 35 years. “We have the infrastructure, the latest and greatest with regards to business presentation technology, and we do it better than anyone else.”

Meyer remembers the time, early in his career, when Chicago and New York were more popular meeting destinations. Over the years, San Francisco, Orlando, and Las Vegas have since eclipsed them—with Vegas coming out on top.

Space – and lots of it – has made it possible to build whatever business travelers need. According to vegasmeansbusiness.com, Las Vegas has more than 10.8 million square feet of exhibit space and features three of the country’s ten largest convention centers, including the Mandalay Bay Convention Center (1.7 million square feet), the Sands Expo and Convention Center (1.7 million square feet), and the Las Vegas Convention Center (2.2. million square feet).

And if you build it, they will come. According to the LVCVA, more than 219, 000 resort industry employees work in the city, and there are nearly 151,000 hotel and motel rooms – at various price points – in Las Vegas. Providing an exciting and enjoyable site for meetings of all sizes is big business in Las Vegas and the city wants every visit and every meeting to be a big success.

History as a HotspotA lot has happened in a relatively short time to make Las Vegas the destination it is today. The area itself was named Las Vegas – Spanish for “the meadows” – by Rafael Rivera, the first European to discover the valley in 1829. By 1855, Las Vegas was noted as a halfway point between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles; mem-bers of the Mormon Church built a fort in Las Vegas to use as a stopover as they travelled to and from the two locations to gather supplies. You could say that marked the beginning of using the area as the site of a business meeting.

Eleven years later, Nevada was named the 36th state in the United States, with mining, agriculture, and – by1900 – railway travel, helping establish the state economy. In 1905, Las Vegas was chartered as a city. It would go on to become the most

populous North American city established in the twentieth century, according to Meyer.

It didn’t take long for the entertainment industry to spring to life in the desert. Vegas’s first theater, the Isis, opened in 1909. While gaming flourished illegally for quite some time, it officially became legal in 1931, right around the time air conditioning systems were created to control the climate inside large spaces.

Throughout the 1940’s hotels with names like the Last Frontier, the Thunderbird and the Flamingo – owned by famed mobster Bugsy Siegel – offered a glitzy getaway and the promise of riches. Airplanes provided direct flights from Los Angeles and others drove across the desert to soak in the scene. In 1944, Liberace made his Vegas debut; seven years later Frank Sinatra first performed at the Desert Inn.

After the state of Nevada assumed control over gambling and tax collection – the area boomed even more. From 1950 on, Vegas saw the opening of a lavish new hotel and/or casino nearly every year into 1970s. By 1977, gambling revenues in Clark County totaled more than $1 billion.

As of 2013 (the latest figures available from the LVCVA), Clark County welcomed more than 5.1 million convention or meeting attendees and collected $9.7 billion in gaming revenue. The place works because after the last conference session of the day is over, attendees have a mind-boggling array of activities and events to occupy their evenings.

Numerous Nightlife OptionsOne might think that people come to Vegas under the guise of attending a business meeting, then skip out to have fun, but Meyer says that’s not the case.

“That happens a lot in destinations with beaches, that people are leaving the conferences early, but here, you’re not missing out on anything,” he says. According to research reported on vegasmeansbusiness.com, attendance increases an average of

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eight percent when trade shows are held in Las Vegas and declines three percent when held in other locations.

“While we have tons of daytime activities, most of our entertain-ment is at night. Our destination is about adult freedom and we deliver on that promise: we have shows, fine dining and spas. We have gambling too, but that’s not people’s main reason to go to Vegas anymore.”

And, he adds, because the city never closes, people aren’t scram-bling out of their conferences to grab a reservation at just one really well-known restaurant.

“We are constantly evolving, and if someone hasn’t been here in a while, they will be surprised by how much there is to do,” says Meyer. “Just walking around the Las Vegas Boulevard—it’s sightseeing at the highest possible level. There’s a lot to see and do. It’s visually stimulating.”

Some of the newest attractions to open this year include the indoor El Loco roller coaster at the Adventuredome amusement park at the Circus Circus Hotel. With only four people allowed in a car at a time, the open-air El Loco takes you on a twisting, stomach-churning 72-second ride of a lifetime. The High Roller at the LINQ is the world’s largest observation wheel—a giant Ferris wheel that holds up to 40 people each inside one of the 28 glass spheres. The wheel takes 30 minutes to rotate once, giving people the opportunity to look out onto Vegas’s lights and sights from up to 550 feet high. The LINQ is a new outdoor entertainment, shopping and dining mecca from Caesars Entertainment. The Voodoo Zipline at the Rio Hotel and Casino is a high-flying ride 490 feet up in the air at about 33 miles per hour. Riders can go solo or with a partner and zoom between the Rio’s Voodoo Lounge to the Ipanema tower, and back again to the starting point.

Such amusement rides aren’t your thing? Take in one of Vegas’s legendary shows. Britney Spears will perform on Oct. 18 and Oct. 22 at Planet Hollywood. Shania Twain headlines at Ceasars Palace on Oct. 21. Other ongoing area shows include several Cirque du Soleil performances, David Copperfield, Donny and Marie Osmond, Jersey Boys, and more—there’s truly something for everyone on the Vegas entertainment scene, which helps make Las Vegas a destination like no other. •

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Be sure to register to attend the DDIFO National Conference in Las Vegas this October 20-22. It is your opportunity to join other Dunkin' Donuts franchise owners from around the Dunkin' footprint to exchange ideas, successes and experiences within the Dunkin' family. You'll also have ample opportunities to learn about the challenges on your business horizon or to share some food, fun and camaraderie with other franchise owners.

Those attending the Conference - where we'll celebrate our 25th Anniversary as an independent organization representing Dunkin' Donuts franchise owners - will also experience some cutting edge information with an out-standing program of presentations, the DDIFO Hall of Fame Induction, and an exceptional Exposition Hall with our sponsor/exhibitors providing the goods, services and products that can ensure your continued growth and success as a Dunkin' Donuts franchise owner! Against the backdrop of the glitz, glamour and excitement that is Las Vegas, the 2014 DDIFO National Conference is a winning roll you will not want to miss!

Carlos Andrade When the time came in the late 1980’s to establish an independent franchisee organization

for Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners, Carlos Andrade was there. Over the years, Carlos has consistently supported DDIFO while also helping individual franchisees get their start in the system.

A natural leader, Carlos has served in the Advisory Council system, on the DDIFO Round-table and on countless commit-tees—always ready to listen and share his opinions. He is passion-ate about the Dunkin’ brand and shares his time and energy to making it better for all involved

We honor Carlos Andrade through his induction into the DDIFO Hall of Fame and thank him for his outstand-ing contributions to the system and his generous philanthropic support of charities large and small.

Joe Batista Joe Batista got his start in Dunkin’ Donuts in 1970 working as a baker for

Manny Andrade. One year later he opened the first of eight shops he would eventually own in Rhode Island.

He served on the Ad Com-mittee and the Advisory Council. He was on the board for the DCP and, in 1982, helped establish Dunkin’s first locations in Brazil. A quiet man, Joe’s actions always spoke louder than his words.

It’s those actions which have defined Joe Batista as a dedicated family man who always put his own needs after those of others. We honor Joe Batista with induction into the DDIFO Hall of Fame for his commitment to Dunkin’ Donuts and the community of franchisees.

Bill Daly Bill Daly is one of a handful of former Dunkin’ Brands employees

who became franchise own-ers. A former sales and mar-keting executive, Bill spent 29 years at Dunkin’ before taking over a network of shops in New Bedford and Fairhaven, Mass. As a franchisee, Bill was immediately recognized as a leader. He was elected to Ad Committees in Providence and Tampa. He was a DAC representative and served on the Board of Directors of the DCP. Bill always walks into a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant and waits in line to buy a coffee. He’s always wanted to be treated as a customer and understand the experi-ence. We honor Bill Daly for his commitment to improving the Dunkin’ system for all.

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Hall of Fame Inductees

Conference AgendaMonday, October 2010:00 AM - 1:00 PM DDIFO Board of Directors meeting Lambada Meeting Room2:00 - 4:00 PM Opening General Session, Brasilia Ballroom

• Opening General Session 2:00 - 2:45 PM Clayton Turnbull, Chairman, Brand Advisory Council

• “Talking BAC” - An Open Forum Dialogue 4:30 - 6:00 PM Welcome Reception, Vodoo Lounge

Tuesday, October 219:30 - 10:00 AM Continental Breakfast, Brasilia Ballroom10:00 AM - 4:30 PM Exhibit Hall Open, Brasilia Ballroom10:00 AM - 12:30 PM General Sessions & Presentations, Brasilia Ballroom

• “Conversation with Dunkin Franchisees” 10:00 - 12:00 PM Rob Branca, Bryce Bares, Charles Cutler, Brianne Medeiros and Vishal Shah

12:30 - 1:30 PM Lunch 2:00 - 4:30 PM General Sessions & Presentations, Brasilia Ballroom

• “Cyber Secure: Safeguarding Your Customer Info–And Your Business!” 2:15 - 3:15 PM Mark Wayne, Executive VP, ANX eBusiness Group & FBI Cyber Crime Agent

• “The View From Wall Street” 3:30 - 4:30 PM John Gordon, DDIFO Restaurant Analyst, Pacific Management Consulting Group

6:00 PM - 7:15 Hall of Fame Cocktail Reception, Pallazzo Gardens7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Presentations, Miranda Ballroom

Wednesday, October 229:30 Continental Breakfast, Brasilia Ballroom10:00 AM - 12:00 General Sessions & Presentations, Brasilia Ballroom

• “The National DCP: Past, Present & Future” 10:00 - 11:00 AM Manoochi Fallah, Chairman of the Board and Scott Carter, Chief Executive Officer, National DCP

• “The New Face of Labor Activism: Restaurant Operators Under Siege” 11:00 - 12:00 PM Franklin Coley, Campaign Director, Center for a New Economy

12:00 - 12:30 PM Lunch• Closing Keynote Address 12:30 - 1:30 PM

Robert J Hoffman, RJH Hospitality Consulting; former franchise executive, Miami Subs Grill and Ponderosa Steakhouses

1:30 - 2:00 Conference Wrap-Up, Brasilia Ballroom• General Discussion and Recommendations

2:00 - 4:00 Conference Closing, Exhibit Hall breakdown and Conclusion

Room Block is available now through September 19, 2014 for rooms on the nights of October 19 through October 21. $109/night for Run of the House suite.

TO RESERVE, members must call the hotel directly at 888-746-6955 and identify themselves as part of the Dunkin Donuts Independent Franchise Owners (DDIFO) room block – Group Code # SRDNK4.

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It’s been called Sin City and the Entertainment Capital of the World, but six years ago, many

described Las Vegas a different way. “It was nasty and bleak,” says Arvind Menon, president and CEO of Meadows Bank in Las Vegas. According to Menon, when the U.S. economy crashed, Vegas “looked like a battle zone. A lot of businesses closed and there were empty shopping centers.”

Jason Duffy co-owns 54 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in the United States, with 11 of them in the Vegas market. He also remem-bers how the downturn hit Las Vegas.

“When we bought the Vegas stores in 2010, it was one of several markets in the country that were hardest hit by the economic downturn,” he says. “There was high unemployment of almost 20 percent and massive foreclosures. There was less con-sumer spending and the current Dunkin’ stores were also not being run well.”

Bouncing BackThroughout the years, Vegas has depended on two industries – gaming and construction.

“When the recession hit, we lost about 170,000 construction jobs,” says Menon. “Today, gaming is doing better and there are more people coming to town compared to prior years, but the average amount they are spending just isn’t what it used to be.”

“For the longest time, downtown was the stepsister to the strip if you will,” says Menon. “All the ritzy new places were opening on the strip, but nothing new was opening in downtown. Downtown was in pretty bad shape, but, now, the mayor is putting a strong emphasis on fixing it.”

Thanks to an improving economy, the vision of Mayor Carolyn Goodman and the passion of local business owners – like Duffy – who saw the community’s potential, Vegas is “all in” when it comes to bouncing back. Today, the city’s Rede-velopment Agency is strongly promoting downtown Las Vegas through two designated redevelopment areas and is working with developers, property owners and the community on several revitaliza-tion efforts. The effort is helping create jobs and eliminate urban decay.

“We are well into recovery,” says Mayor Goodman. “In the early 2000s, we were in a boom, our population grew unbelievably and then, in 2008, things sort of stopped everywhere. We tightened our belt while we led the state in foreclosures. But, we started climbing back in 2011 and now we are really enjoying the turnaround.”

Goodman points to several new develop-ments off the strip as signs that Vegas is back. “We have a new performing arts center and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. We have museums, outdoor malls and 36 new

stores in the heart of downtown. There’s also the excitement of the Fremont Street Experience.”

Boasting the world’s largest video screen, the Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment district in downtown Vegas, which hosts free nightly concerts featuring 12.5 million lights and 550,000 watts of sound.

Running a Small BusinessAs a small business owner opening new Dunkin’ shops during the economic downturn, Jason Duffy needed a plan of action to overcome Las Vegas’s economic struggles. “During that time, our goal was to change the general perception in the market while battling the market conditions.”

Duffy says he examined the issues and started focusing on things they could con-trol, like operations and customer service. “We knew that by doing that, the other things would work themselves out,” says Duffy. “We got our operations team aligned and, within a year, had built their confidence back, and the confidence of the customers. That allowed us to be proactive and get back out to the

BETTING ON THE VEGAS ECONOMYBy Lisa Iannucci

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Jason Duffy co-owns 11 Dunkin’ franchises in the Vegas market



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community. We did this by reaching out to a five-mile radius. As a result, our sales started to show increases every year.”

Even as the Vegas economy was in a nosedive – with construction frozen and unemployment approaching 20 percent – Duffy says he and his partners remained committed to their contract which called for opening nine Dunkin’ Donuts stores.

“What’s the positive of a high unemployment rate? We were able to pull from an employee base that needed work. Now, unemployment is down to eight percent, companies are having conven-tions again and tourists are going on vacation again. Building permits are also happening again,” Duffy says.

According to Cara Clarke, senior director of com-munications for the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, “Nevada is outpacing many states in job creation. We’re listed as number three by the National Federation of Independent Business for our friendly climate. We have no corporate income tax, estate tax, franchise tax, personal income tax, inventory tax and corporate shares tax and our property tax has been capped.” And, Clarke says. The Las Vegas Valley had nearly 9.7 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2013.

With its resurgence, Clarke says, Vegas is a prime area for small businesses. “We have about 5500 members and, of those, 3300 are small busi-nesses. It mirrors Nevada’s economy. We tend to have large businesses and small businesses. There aren’t as many middle-sized businesses.”

Recently, two major corporations – Zappos and IKEA – decided to call Vegas home. Zappos, the online shoe retailer, is moving its headquarters and 1800 employees into downtown Las Vegas. IKEA will open its newest furniture store in 2016 on 26 acres in the Spring Valley area. The deciding factor for the company—the Vegas population growth.

“We’ve been looking here on and off for about 10 years; we’ve had our eyes on Las Vegas,” Joseph

Roth, director of public affairs for Swedish-influ-enced IKEA, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The population has been hovering around the two million mark and now it’s big enough to support a store, and we found a perfect site so it’s perfect synergy and here we are.”

Menon, the CEO of Meadows Bank, says any franchisee considering the Vegas area should consider the population growth. “There’s a direct relationship to the population in the area. If you’re in a small town, you have a limited number of people. Clark County has two million residents. That’s a big number. On top of that, add in tourists who visit the city and that’s a tremendous amount of potential customers for Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s the same number that IKEA used to decide to open their store here too. It’s an important number to think about.”

Clarke says that while there is opportunity in the strip and downtown, the development of the Clark County Beltway, which connects three of the region’s largest population centers, is creat-ing new development opportunities away from downtown.

Obstacles RemainWhile things are looking up, metro Las Vegas still has obstacles to overcome.

“I wish Vegas wasn’t as reliant on tourism and construction as it is,” says Duffy. “Looking out 10 to 20 years, if there was a more concerted push toward, say, biotechnology or other industries.” Diversity, he says, would prevent the kind of volatility that plunged Las Vegas into the depths of the Great Recession.

Leaders recognize that Las Vegas is prone to the ups and downs of the, sometimes fickle, housing and tourism industries. The question, according to Duffy is: “How do you offset that so businesses don’t feel the same effects?”

Even as that question remains, Vegas is making great strides and remains optimistic more busi-ness owners will lay down their chips and bet on the local economy. •

Hi-Tech Sound has served Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners nationwide since 1996. Its Mixhits Radio music service is designed to enrich the in-store guest experience.

Dunkin’ Radio powered by Mixhits Radio is real radio featuring local and national DJs talking exclusively about Dunkin’ products. The service delivers a commercial-free and family-friendly blend of today’s hits and yesterday’s classics along with:• Daily content features including current news, sports, local weather and entertainment• 30+ Dunkin’ branded messages updated with each new marketing window• Real morning radio personalities

Dunkin’ Radio’s “Plug-N-Play” technology means there are no satellite dishes to install, no monthly discs to rotate and no hard drive required. A solid state music player connects to the store’s high-speed Internet and amplifier. Just turn it on and start listening. Plus, all music licensing and royalty fees are covered.

“Franchise owners and guests find Dunkin’ Radio entertaining and educational with conversational sounding messages. It entices guests to come in, stay a while and return again and again,” said Hi-Tech CEO Gary Hanna.

For more information, visit DunkinRadio.com or contact Lisa Smith at 800-649-4487.

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Ready to Roll in RenoNicole Hansen is Eager to Establish Dunkin’ Donuts in Western Nevada By Matt Ellis

Nicole Hansen loves coffee. As a teenager, she would drink iced mocha with whipped cream, but as she matured so did her taste. “As I became older and trained my pallet,

I began to discover some good blends of Arabica beans. Now I prefer an iced coffee or Café Americano with a splash of cream.”

Coffee has always appealed to Hansen—as a beverage and a commodity. One of her first jobs as a high school student in Washington state was at Shotzys, a local coffee shop in Spokane. When she moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washing-ton, she prepared hot and iced drinks at a place called Tully’s, a Starbuck’s competitor best known around Seattle for its green, neon letter T, which has been a fixture in the city’s skyline since 2000. After graduating with a degree in Communications/Public Relations in 2005, Hansen, whose maiden name was Younker, launched her own small chain of coffee bars called Nikki Jean’s.

This fall, she will open her first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant, in Carson City, NV (about 30 miles outside of Reno).

“Last September, we signed a store development agreement (SDA) for nine stores in the Reno market,” says Hansen, who at the time of her interview with Independent Joe was still in the design phase having chosen the Dark Roast theme for her inaugural restaurant.

While it’s easy to take a double-take at Hansen – she is 6’1” tall with thick, shoulder-length brown hair, an athlete’s build and a visible sense of self-confidence – some might think her entry into the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners community was a long-shot. At the time she made her pitch to Dunkin’ Brands for the rights to develop the Reno market, Hansen was just 30 years-old. She had no family connection to Dunkin’ and no experience in the system.

“I had to sell myself and what I could do for the brand,” Hansen says. “My biggest thing is customer service. When I had my business, I knew every customer’s drink when I saw them in line. Customer service is what I take pride in. That and speed of service; I’m known for being fast!”

In 2006 and 2007, Nikki Jean’s was a well-known espresso bar in and around the Tri-Cities of Wash-ington State (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland).

“I had a vision, an idea, I wanted to do an espresso stand,” she remembers. To get the business going, Hansen convinced a local banker to finance her dream. It didn’t matter that she was 22. As Gina Brown, her banker with Numerica Credit Union, remem-bers it, “I knew by her personality that Nicole is someone who gets what she wants. She came to us with a business plan and her projections and we just went from there.”

With her confidence, determination and hard work Hansen overcame her inexperience as a business owner and, Nikki Jean’s quickly grew from one espresso stand to six, providing morn-ing shots of high-octane caffeine to the hipsters of the Pacific Northwest. A Yelp post still declares Nikki Jean’s as, “One of the best drive through coffee shops I've ever donated my cash to.”

Eventually, Hansen expanded the hours – and menu – turning the espresso bar into a wine bar where some of those same customers could stop by after work to wind-down from their day.

“It was a great business,” Hansen remembers. But, she wanted more. “If we do this right, we could open 15 Dunkin’ stores. I am young and I can help grow the company out west.”

The challenges of establishing a Dunkin’ beachhead in western Nevada are significant. Reno was battered by the Great Reces-sion. According to Moody’s Analytics, unemployment peaked at over 13 percent in 2010 and has stabilized at 7.1 percent today—though still above the national average. Housing values plum-meted as well when the housing bubble burst. Today they are just starting to climb back. Historically, Reno’s economy rose and fell based on the gambling industry; after all, this is the place where Caesar’s Entertainment was born. But the city is working hard to diversify its economic base. A recent story in the New York Times reported Reno is now home to many new e-commerce ventures, as well as an Apple data center. The city is also vying to be the


" I had to sell myself and what I could do for the brand. My biggest thing is customer service. When I had my business, I knew every customer’s drink when I saw them in

line. Customer service is what I take pride in. That and speed of service; I’m known for being fast!"

NICOLE HANSEN


home to a new factory that will build Tesla cars.

Hansen believes Reno’s new and old workforce will run on Dunkin’. She is particularly interested in appealing to the region’s large military and veteran population. She and her husband, who served in Iraq and has signed on to help manage the business, will offer discounts to veterans and plan to take advantage of Nevada’s incentives for hiring veterans. The Hansens began advertising their new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant with a wrapped Ford SUV featuring patriotic imagery and Dunkin’ iced coffee. They are working with the local veterans’ council and are plan-ning job fairs in the weeks prior to their opening.

“We will hire about eight shift leads in the month prior to open-ing and then we will hire 60 crew members two weeks prior to opening,” Hansen says.

She has already been to Dunkin’ Donuts University and is working closely with a new development team Dunkin’ Brands assembled from Colorado. She can’t say enough about the support she has received from DBI—especially because, unlike many franchisees who are developing western territories, this is Hansen’s first rodeo.

“They are helping oversee everything to make sure it works in our best interest. They have recommended brokers and builders and are helping us scout potential sites for new development. They give me their opinion and we work together. I feel blessed that I have a good team working with me. They want to set you up for success.”

Now, with the first opening just weeks away, Hansen is working hard to manage not just the opening; but also her long-range plans.

“I’ve learned a lot of things during this process,” she says. “Num-ber one is to be more patient. I keep thinking I need to roll out my business faster.”

It’s not just the caffeine that’s fueling her enthusiasm and optimism. Hansen is naturally a high-energy person who has found success at every level. She was a star on her high school basketball team who, after a knee injury ended her hoop dreams,

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joined the crew team at UW, where she also excelled. Her fierce sense of independence comes, she says, from growing up as an only child and losing her father when she was just 11 years-old. Her mom, Norma Jean, is now part of her Dunkin’ team and will provide support and comfort as the process wears on.

“We have taken this leap because, you never know. The Dunkin’ brand speaks for itself and we have seen how people flock to new Dunkin’ shops. There was a two-and-a-half hour wait at the drive-thru at the grand opening of a Dunkin’ in Salt Lake City,” she says.

“We’re spreading the word wherever we go around Reno, and the response we get is, ‘It’s about time.’ It seems everyone has a story or an experience about Dunkin’ they want to share.”

Since its early days as a destination for gold miners, Reno has battled a hard-luck image. Today, the region’s population is steady after a growth spurt from 2000 to 2010 and new jobs are coming. It’s the perfect time, Hansen says, to establish Dunkin’ Donuts as the go-to coffee and snack place. “Whatever happens,” she says, “We’ll have no regrets." •

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Hansen, with members of her construction and development team, at the site of her inaugural Dunkin' shop in Carson City, NV. Right: Hansen with her husband Drew.


My Perspective: Social Media

Not everyone is comfortable navigat-ing social media, but

it’s hard to argue the benefits that a well thought out social media strategy can have on your business.

Consider these numbers: There are nearly 1.3 billion Facebook users on Planet Earth, about 60 percent of whom log in at least once per day. This one website is responsible for connecting over 750 million people. So, what does that mean for you?

Anyone who comes in contact with your shop can help reinforce the Dunkin’ brand. And, while a single interaction may not guarantee future sales, we have seen how sustained positive contact builds valuable loyalty. Here are some keys to suc-cess we’ve learned through our experience using social media to drive our Dunkin’ business.

Step one: Location, location, location. On which social media sites do you want to be? There are dozens of potential sites where you can post photos, videos, stories and more. But, in the world of social media, more is not always better. Besides, who has the time to keep the content flowing on six different sites? We’ve learned it’s better to have no account than one which is inactive; dead accounts make your business look outdated, or worse, even closed. That said, you have to have a Facebook fan page. Remember, there are 1.3 billion Facebook users out there so you need to exist in their world.

Creating and managing Facebook is relatively simple. You can develop a page for your company, or for each individual shop. These can exist as a secondary page(s) to your personal account, or as a stand-alone. We’ve had success appointing someone to run the page, but we restrict their access. So, for example, they can post a photo or message, but can’t send private messages or purchase advertising.

Also, remember that Dunkin’ Brands maintains a Dunkin’ Donuts Facebook page (facebook.com/DunkinDonuts), so it’s important to keep an eye on what they’re doing so you can be in sync. Your

profile and the materials you post on your page should fit your market. The Dunkin’ Donuts official page cannot forge the same personal relationships with your customers that your page can. Dunkin’ doesn’t know your customers’ prefer-ences or opinions, but you do!

One of the key metrics on Facebook is the “like.” It’s a virtual thumbs-up from people who approve of you. Something we’ve found is that all likes are not created equal. There are companies that advertise the chance to buy a “Promote Page” function, which can boost your likes. The problem is that you are buying likes from so-called click-farms, which are typically third world companies that pay workers to like the Facebook pages of their clients. While it might sound like a good idea, these kind of phantom engagements can harm your positioning.

Facebook’s algorithms rank your posts based on how your fans interact with them. When a large number of your fans are phantoms only, there is less interaction and, as a result, your future posts can be ranked lower and buried in a news feed. In essence, you are trading potentially meaningful engagement for short-term inflated numbers.

It’s better to build your statistics by engaging with your audience. Then, the likes you get are real.

Step two: Incentivize, incentivize, incentivize. Building a social network means your fans are sharing your posts on their profiles. One way to encourage them is to offer incentives. This summer we are giving away tickets with two of our partners, Six Flags and the New York Mets, to those people who share our posts about the contest. Thanks to the partnerships we can engage amusement park and baseball fans, along with our customers and friends. If they like us and participate in the conversation, they can win.

It works. When we launched the first contest post, we received 130 new likes in just the first two days. We also use coupons to encourage engage-ment; we will post coupons on our Facebook page or give discounts to people who can show the cashier that they have liked our page.

Step three: Photos and videosThe best posts include a video or photo. So, as an obvious example, in Window 7 when we reintro-duced the Southwest Steak Burrito, we posted

By Adam Goldman and Sarah ResnickA division of PepsiCo,

Quaker has been a leader in nourishing families through great-tasting, oat-based products for more than 135 years. Quaker has been involved with Dunkin’ Brands on various product ideations and tests over the past 10 years. In 2011, the company became a DDIFO sponsor.

Quaker Oatmeal provides the whole grains and healthy fuel Dunkin’ guests can use to keep them going throughout the day. Additionally, it is a natural add-on item for beverage-only customers—providing a good margin for franchisees.

In 2012, Quaker introduced two flavors of Dunkin’ Oatmeal nationally: Original and Maple Brown Sugar. Today, these products are available through the DCP and shipped with 48 individual pouches per case.

“With Dunkin’, our goal was to develop a product that would appeal to consumer demand for healthier options at a compelling price point,” said Ed Bowes, Director of Sales for PepsiCo Foodservice. “We continue to work on innovative products and packaging solutions to help Dunkin’ stay on the leading edge of this rapidly growing category.”

For more information, contact Ed Bowes at [email protected] or 610-948-8309.

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a photo of the sandwich along with the announcement that it was back. When we give away samples in our shops, we post a picture of a crewmember interacting with customers to help encourage people to come in and have a taste.

Photos and videos are perfect for posting on Twitter and Insta-gram. Twitter, in particular, benefits from visuals because you are limited to only 140 characters of text in each post—so, to borrow from the age-old adage, the picture becomes worth a thousand words. As an example, you can post a photo of the Southwest Steak Burrito on Twitter and simply write, “It’s back...”

When used correctly, Twitter can be extremely powerful, because you build a loyal group of followers who read your posts as part of their news feed. You can interact with your customers on an individual level, while also allowing the general public to follow your news. That means every successful contact impacts that relationship and potentially thousands more.

Twitter can also serve as an information source for you. Say a customer has a negative experience in your shop, they may choose to tweet about it. As long as you are tuned into mentions of your store – which are identified by a hashtag (#) before the store’s online identity, like #35MainStDunkin – you can address any situation immediately by posting a response, an apology or an explanation. By responding in real time, your customers will see that you care and that is step one to limiting bad publicity.

Like Twitter, Instagram is designed for pictures and video. Its visual appeal is making it one of the fastest growing sites among younger viewers. Instagram has a neat function which allows you to link it to your Facebook page. By doing so, you can quickly populate both sites with the same content. Whatever you post on Facebook will appear on Instagram. In fact, you can also link Twitter to Facebook so your news feed is shared among all sites. That way, you appear active and engaged on multiple sites with minimal effort.

Social media is an important tool for developing and nourish-ing relationships with your customers. And, while we’ve been successful using the tips described here, you may come up with new and better ways of using social media sites to benefit your business. In either case, you need to jump right in and give it a try—that way you can see what works for you and your store.

The beauty of social media is that it is an intuitive experience, especially for younger people who have grown up with it. It may be worth tapping one of your children or a twenty-something crewmember who knows his/her way around a social media site to help you get started. After a while, you will become more comfortable with the platform and eventually be able to run the sites on your own. •Adam Goldman is a DD franchise owner with a successful multi-store network in Northern New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]. Sarah Resnick is a student at Case Western Reserve University majoring in Marketing and Finance and currently working as an intern for Adam’s network.


Medical Marijuana and the Workplace: Increasing number of states provide employees protection for legal pot use In the mid-1990’s, California became the first state in the

country to allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons. Although the effectiveness of marijuana in treating many

medical conditions has not been established, an increasing number of states have nevertheless followed California’s lead and enacted laws permitting medical use of marijuana. Colo-rado and Washington State have taken one step further to allow recreational use of marijuana and permit licensed sales for this purpose. While twenty-three states have now passed laws permitting dispensing and use of marijuana, federal law continues to criminalize the use of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. This conflict raises questions for employers about handling employees who use marijuana when permitted by state law, including whether employers may test applicants and employees for marijuana use; whether medical marijuana users can be disciplined; and to what extent employ-ers must provide workplace accommodations. Because medical marijuana laws differ from state-to-state, the answers to these questions depend largely on the details of the laws in the jurisdic-tion in which the employee works as well as future court inter-pretation of this relatively new legislation. Case law will almost certainly further restrict how employers can screen prospective employees and discipline existing employees who use marijuana legally.

Only Seven States Of the twenty-three states that have enacted laws permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, only seven provide express employment protections: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Rhode Island, and New York. In Con-necticut, for example, it is unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire a person or discharge or otherwise threaten an employee who uses marijuana “solely on the basis of such person’s or employee’s status as a qualifying patient or primary caregiver.” This provi-sion is similar to the laws in the six other states that provide express workplace protections.

The seven states providing workplace protections do not prevent employers from barring marijuana use at work. For example, Connecticut, like most states, does not restrict an employer’s “ability to prohibit the use of intoxicating substances during work hours or restrict an employer’s ability to discipline an employee for being under the influence of intoxicating substances during work hours.” While New York law provides special protections for certified medical marijuana users (by establishing that being a certified patient is the equivalent of having a disability for pur-poses of New York’s anti-disability discrimination laws), even New

York employers are able to prohibit their employees from work-ing while impaired.

The Maine law bars employers from refusing to employ or from otherwise penalizing a person solely for that individ-ual’s status as a qualifying patient. However, like several other states including Arizona, Maine provides an exception where penalizing an employee would put the employer “in violation of federal law or cause it to lose a federal contract or funding.” By including this exception, Maine law acknowledges that certain federal laws require employers to prohibit the use of marijuana by employees in order to receive certain contracts or grants. Employers that are subject to these rules and regulations should continue to comply with applicable federal law. It is also worth noting that, despite the protections it provides medical marijuana users, the Maine statute also allows a business owner to prohibit the smoking of marijuana for medical purposes on the premises of the business, if the business owner prohibits all smoking on the premises and posts a notice regard-ing the prohibition.

Workplace Drug Testing Protection for Licensed Users of Medical MarijuanaThe Delaware and Arizona statutes are unique among the states that provide express workplace protection for licensed medical marijuana users in that they specifically address drug testing. A Delaware employer, for example, cannot discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment if the discrimination is based on the person’s status as a cardholder, or solely based on a failed cannabis-based drug test. Rather, the employer has to prove that the employee used, possessed, or was impaired while on the premises or during work-ing hours. These requirements acknowledge that an individual may fail a drug test, but claim that they were not impaired while working based on the extended period of time that marijuana metabolites remain in the individual’s system. Therefore, it is important for employers in Delaware and Arizona to carefully train supervisors and managers to identify signs of impairment independent of drug testing.

Guest Column By Daniel S. Field and Andrea E. Zoia

All employers who conduct drug testing, regardless of whether they are required to do so under federal rules and regulations, should review their policies with regard to how they match their state medical marijuana laws. Generally speaking, state laws allow employers to test applicants for drugs as long as they follow the state’s rules regarding notice and procedures intended to prevent discrimination and inaccuracies are followed. When it comes to current employees, some states limit the ability of the employer to conduct across the board drug tests of all employees or to conduct random drug tests. Instead, the testing is gener-ally required to be focused on an individual—either because the individual is in a position that carries a high risk of injury or property damage if performed by someone under the influence, or because the employer has good reason to believe that individual is impaired. For example, an employer would have good cause to drug test an employee who drives a company truck if the driver is demonstrating unsafe driving practices. As indicated above, employers in states that provide protection for medical marijuana users must be particularly careful not to administer these tests in a manner that discriminates against these users.

Considerations for Employers of Potentially Qualified Disabled Marijuana UsersMost states other than Maine, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Rhode Island and Arizona, where the licensed use of medical marijuana is allowed, do not provide express protections to employees who are qualified individuals, whether cardholders or primary caregivers. In Massachusetts, for example, nothing in the statute legalizing the use of medical marijuana “requires any accommodation of on-site medical use of marijuana in any place of employment…” New Jersey law is analogous to Massachusetts in that the statute is explicit that the state does not require any accommodation of on-site medi-cal use of marijuana. Similarly, the District of Columbia’s law addressing medical marijuana use specifically does not permit a person to undertake any task while under the influence when doing so would constitute negligence or professional malpractice. Neither New Hampshire nor Vermont statutes exempt any person from arrest or prosecution for being under the influence at work. However, under New Hampshire law, if the employer provides permission to the individual, the individual may be exempt from arrest or prosecution.

Despite the lack of express employment protections in these states, employers are encouraged to treat employment decisions involving the use of medical marijuana with particular care. For example, if an individual has a disability, it is unlawful under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to discriminate against or harass that employee on this basis. The ADA further requires an employer to make a reasonable accommodation for a disabled employee, if needed, so that the employee is able to perform the essential job functions of their position (or, in the case of an applicant, so that the individual is able to interview and/or apply for the job). Even in states where there is no express protection for medical marijuana users in the workplace, an employer will likely still have to engage in an interactive process with the employee and reasonably accommodate a potential underlying disability that necessitates an employee or prospective employee’s use of medical marijuana.

Final ThoughtsEmployers in states with medical and recreational marijuana laws are encouraged to review their substance abuse policies to ensure compliance with local and state law. As mentioned above, federal law, including transportation regulations covering drivers, continues to criminalize the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. Employers who are subject to federal regulations concerning drug-free workplaces need to comply with federal law and should maintain their practices accordingly, which includes conducting federally-mandated drug-testing. Employers in all states should periodically review their drug policies, and, in particular, consider whether or when they will conduct drug testing. It is important that employers train supervisors to recognize signs of impairment and establish best practices for dealing with inquiries from employees regarding their use of medical marijuana and other medication which may have similar side effects. Finally, it is essential that employers understand their obligations under the ADA and ensure that they are in compliance with both state medical marijuana laws and discrimination laws protecting qualified disabled employees and applicants who use marijuana lawfully. •Daniel S. Field and Andrea E. Zoia are attorneys with Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP and may be reached at (617) 788-5016 or at [email protected] or [email protected]. Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP focuses exclusively on representing employers in employment and labor matters. www.morganbrown.com The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Northeastern Law School student Michael Varraso in preparing this article.


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“ Our late-night business has grown from .04% to 4% of sales. It’s a HUGE increase.”

- Matthew Tenore Dunkin’ Donuts®, Brockton, MA

Learn more atwatchfiresigns.com/donuts


ACCOUNTINGAdrian A. Gaspar & Company, LLP, CPAsRobert Costello617-621-0500 • [email protected] Cambridge Street, Suite 14, Cambridge, MA 02141www.gasparco.com

Bederson LLP - CPAs and ConsultantsRobert Fischbein, CPA 973-530-9100 • [email protected] 100 Passaic Avenue, Fairfield, NJ 07004www.bederson.com

Cynthia A. Capobianco, CPACynthia Capobianco401-822-1990 • [email protected] Quaker Lane, Suite 61, Warwick, RI 02886-0114

Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. Ryan Hauber608-620-4794 • [email protected] Progress Way, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53597www.honkamp.com

Neovision Consulting Inc.Nish Parekh609-531-4444 • [email protected] South River Road, Suite 101 Cranbury, NJ 08512www.neovisioninc.com

Sansiveri, Kimball & Co., LLPMichael A. DeCataldo401-331-0500 • [email protected] Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903www.sansiveri.com

Thomas Colitsas and Associates, CPATom Colitsas 609-452-0889 • [email protected] 103 Carnegie Center, Suite 309, Princeton, NJ 08540

BACK OFFICE Jera Concepts Wynne Barrett508-686-8786 • [email protected] Fruit Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748www.jeraconcepts.com

BUILDING Poyant SignsBill Gavigan125 Samuel Barnet Blvd, New Bedford, MA 02745508-717-4930 • [email protected]

Trane HVACJonathan Ralys225 Woldwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801781-305-1335 • [email protected]/commercial

WatchFire SignsDevon Mourer217-442-0611 • [email protected] Maple Street, Danville, ILwwwwatchfiresigns.com

BUSINESS BROKER National Franchise SalesEllen Hui 949-428-0498 • [email protected] 1601 Dove Street, Suite 150, Newport Beach CA 92660www.nationalfranchisesales.com

COMMUNICATIONSCharter Business Mary Ewals • 303-267-9964 • [email protected] South Fiddlers Green Circle Suite 600Greenwood Village, CO 80111www.charter.com

Comcast Business ServicesComcast National Sales • 866-407-6338 [email protected] South Gravers Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462www.business.comcast.com/internet

Sonu SatelliteNeil Doshi1-877-999-7668 • [email protected] Commerce Lane, Suite F, West Berlin, NJ 08091www.sonusatellite.com

SprintHeath Stone603-793-2129 • [email protected] Van De Graaff Drive, Burlington, MA 01803www.sprint.com/ddifomembers

Time Warner Cable Business ClassTricia Petway(919) 654-4115 • [email protected] Paramount Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560www.twc.com/business

COST RECOVERYEF Cost RecoveryEd Craig774-263-7388 • [email protected] Box 79361 North Dartmouth, MA 02747www.efcostrecovery.com

Performance Business Solutions, LLCJeff Hiatt508-878-4846 • [email protected] Lafayette Road, Suite 11, Hampton Falls, NH 03844www.revenuebanking.com

ENERGYPlotwatt, Inc.Marc Bodner919-614-2293 • [email protected] Six Gables Road, Durham, NC 27712www.plotwatt.com

FINANCE Bank RITom Fitzgerald 401-574-1119 • [email protected] Turks Head, Providence, RI 02903www.bankri.com

BMO Harris Bank N.A.Angelo Maragos 949-293-0152 • [email protected] Irvine Center Drive, Suite 510, Irvine, CA 92618www.bmoharris.com/franchisefinance

Brendon PiersonJeffrey Kotch 732-681-4800 • [email protected] North State Highway 161, 4th Fl., Irving TX 75038www.brendonpierson.com

Business Financial ServicesScott Kantor • 954-509-8019 [email protected] N. University Dr, Suite 800 Coral Springs, FL 33065www.businessfinancialservices.com

DDIFO® does not endorse or recommend commercial products, processes, or services. A DDIFO® sponsor is paying to advertise, and it is not to be considered a product or service endorsement by DDIFO®. Furthermore DDIFO® does not control or guarantee the currency, accuracy, relevance or completeness of information provided by sponsors in their advertising.

Directory of SponsorsPlease Visit The DDIFO Sponsor Directory online at www.DDIFO.org


Centrix Bank & Trust Deborah Blondin 603-589-4071 • [email protected] Atwood Lane, Bedford, NH 03110 www.centrixbank.com

Direct Capital Franchise GroupRobyn Gault603-433-9476 • [email protected] Commerce Way, Portsmouth, NH 03823www.franchise.lendedge.com

Fidelity BankSally Buffum508-762-3604 • [email protected] Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604www.fidelitybankonline.com

First Franchise CapitalRichard Riecker201-326-4021 • [email protected] 13th Street, Columbus, NE 68601www.firstfranchisecapital.com

GE Capital, Franchise Finance Christine Keating203-229-1804 • [email protected] Merritt 7, 2nd Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851www.gefranchisefinance.com

Joyal Capital Management Franchise DevelopmentDaniel Connelly508-747-2237 • [email protected] Resnik Road, Plymouth, MA 02360www.jcmfranchise.com

Pacific Premier Franchise CapitalSharon Soltero402-562-1801 • [email protected] 18th Avenue, Suite 3, Columbus, NE 68601www.ppbifranchise.com

Marlin Franchise Finance Groupwww.marlinfinance.com856-813-2783 • [email protected] Fellowship Rd, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054www.marlinfinance.com

Santander Bankwww.santanderbank.com508-890-6880 • [email protected] Main St., Worcester, MA 01608www.santander.com

TCF Franchise FinanceBill Johnson & Brittney Weber952-656-3268 • [email protected] Wayzata Blvd., Ste. 801, Minnetonka, MN 55305www.tcfef.com

TD BankBrian Frank203-761-3818 • [email protected] Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06857www.tdbank.com

United Capital Business LendingTrey Grimm410-771-9600 • [email protected] Schilling Circle Suite 100, Hunt Valley, MD 21031www.unitedcapitalbusinesslending.com

FOOD PRODUCTS Quaker Oats A Division of PepsiCoEd Bowes610-948-8309 • [email protected] Kilarney Way, Royersford, PA 19468www.pepsico.com

HUMAN RESOURCES ADPJohn Stefko 908-625-7966 • [email protected] 99 Jefferson Rd. MS 322, Parsippany, NJ 07054www.adp.com

Bill.comBecky Riffis 650-353-3301 • [email protected] 3200 Ash Street, Palo Alto, CAwww.bill.com

CareerBuilderKylie Cox781-343-4351 • [email protected] Crown Colony Dr., Suite 301, Quincy, MAwww.careerbuilder.com

First AdvantageSuzanne Cormier317-245-1665 • [email protected] Crosspoint Blvd., Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN www.fadv.com

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Heartland Ovation PayrollJim Ferreira 203-530-3512 • [email protected] Linden Oaks Suite 110, Rochester, NY 14625www.ovationpayroll.com

HK Payroll Services, Inc.Laurie Fleming563-556-0123 ext.1190 • [email protected] JFK Rd, PO Box 3310,Dubuque, IA 52004www.hkpayroll.com

INSURANCE Insurance World Agency Inc.Anil K. Sharma630-654-6067 • [email protected] E Ogden Avenue Suite 203, Westmont, IL 60559 www.iwainsurance.com

KK Insurance AgencyAshish Vadya866-554-6799 • [email protected] Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740www.kkquote.com

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Wells Fargo Insurance ServicesMark Stokes813-636-5301 • [email protected] North Rocky Point Drive, #400, Tampa, FL 33607wfis.wellsfargo.com

LEGALLisa & Sousa Attorneys at Law Ltd.Carl Lisa, Sr.401-274-0600 • [email protected] Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02904www.lisasousa.com

Paris Ackerman & Schmierer LLPDavid Paris973-228-6667 • [email protected] Eisenhower Parkway, Roseland, NJ 07068www.paslawfirm.com

OPERATIONS 3M CompanyBill Muenkel 952-484-4875 • [email protected]. 223-2N-20 St. Paul, MN 55144www.3M.com/communications

3 Wire Group, Inc.Derek Knapp518-563-3200 • [email protected] Broadway Street West, Osseo, MN 55369www.3wire.com

Bunn-O-Matic Corporation Todd Rouse800-637-8606 • [email protected] Stevenson Drive, Springfield, IL 62703www.bunn.com

Cardtronics Doug Falcone973-599-0600 • [email protected] Route 10 - Suite 8, Whippany, NJ 07981www.cardtronics.com

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DTT SurveillanceMira Diza800-933-8388 • [email protected] North Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031www.dttusa.com

Dunbar Security Products Dustin Gosewisch • [email protected] Kelso Drive, #L, Baltimore, MD 21221www.dunbarsecurityproducts.com

EcolabArliene [email protected] Capital Drive, Greensboro, NC 27409www.ecolab.com/Businesses

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Hi-Tech SoundGary Hanna508-624-7479 • [email protected] Brigham Street, Unit 10, Marlboro, MA 01752www.hitechsound.com

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Payless Shoe SourceMatt Lemke785-368-7530 • [email protected] SE 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66607www.payless.com

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R.F. TechnologiesJennifer Morales 618-377-4063 ext. 121 • [email protected] South Prairie Street, Bethalto, IL 62010www.rftechno.com

QualServBecky Dubose 800-643-2980 ext. 256 • [email protected] 28th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72906www.qualservcorp.com

Directory of SponsorsPlease Visit The DDIFO Sponsor Directory online at www.DDIFO.org

DDIFO® does not endorse or recommend commercial products, processes, or services. A DDIFO® sponsor is paying to advertise, and it is not to be considered a product or service endorsement by DDIFO®. Furthermore DDIFO® does not control or guarantee the currency, accuracy, relevance or completeness of information provided by sponsors in their advertising.


SensoScientificZary Lahouti 800-279-3101 ext. 475 • [email protected] Cochran St, #200, Simi Valley, Ca 93065www.sensoscientific.com

Shoes For CrewsPaola Kerns561-683-5090 • [email protected] S. Australian Ave. West Palm Beach FL 33401www.shoesforcrews.com

SKAL East, IncKevin Huerth508-238-0106 • [email protected] Box 303, 31 Eastman Street, Easton, MA 02334www.skaleast.com/index.cfm?keyword=dunkin

UAS Security SystemsChris McGurk800-421-6661 • [email protected] Abbott Drive, Broomall, PA 19008www.uas.com

PCI COMPLIANCEANXeBusiness Mark A. Wayne 313-268-1606 • [email protected] Town Center Suite 2050, Southfield, MI 48075 www.anx.com

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That’s a lot of football: Las Vegas has more than 10 million square feet of meeting space, which is equal to 185 football fields.

Bring a jacket. While the weather is typically sunny and warm, with low humidity and temps around 78 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit in mid-October, the area gets a bit chillier at night, to around 56 degrees.

It’s got award-winning advertising. The “What Happens Here, Stays Here” ad campaign that launched in 2003 is one of the most iconic tag lines in advertising history. It was inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in New York City in 2011.

Fewer transportation hassles. The McCarran International Airport is just a mile away from Las Vegas Boulevard and only 3.5 miles from the Las Vegas Convention Center, which means you’re less likely to need to rent a car. “In many cases, the close proximity of Las Vegas hotels eliminates the need for transportation as delegates can walk to many destinations,” according

to VegasMeansBusiness.com.

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Thought Vegas was just a bunch of slot machines, Blackjack tables, lights and action? Think again. Here are five things you may not know about Las Vegas:

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OVER 95 Channels3 FREE Months of HD AccessUp to 4 FREE ReceiversLocal Channels Included3 FREE Months SonicTap® Music Channels

DIRECTV SERVES UP WHAT EVERYONE’S CRAVING. THE ULTIMATE TV EXPERIENCE.

Pick the package that fits your needs!

O MIDSIZED BARS WITH AN ESTIMATED VIEWING OCCUPANCY OF UP TO 100

COMMERCIAL XTRA™ PACK

INCLUDING

BEST VALUE!

$84MO.99**

FOR 12 MONTHS

SAVE $49/MO. FOR 12 MONTHS with 24-month agreement and Auto Bill Pay

OVER 180 Channels

3 FREE Months of HD Access

4 FREE HD ReceiversLocal Channels Included

3 FREE Months SonicTap® Music Channels

Authorized DIRECTV Dealer

Offers end 10/26/14; on approved credit. New commercial customers only. Pricing based on EVO 1 -100 only. $19.95 Handling and Delivery fee may apply. To access DIRECTV HD programming, HD Access fee ($25/mo.) and HD equipment are required. Number of HD channels varies by package. Applicable use tax adjustment may apply on the retail value of the installation. Additional outlet fees $15.00/mo. apply for the third and each additional receiver.

(888) 706-1205SONU SATELLITE

2Local channels eligibility based on service address. Not all networks available in all markets. 3Blackout restrictions and other conditions apply to all sports programming. Actual number of games varies by market due to blackout rules and other conditions. *BUSINESS INFORMATION BILL CREDIT OFFER: Purchase of 24 consecutive months of BUSINESS INFORMATION (regularly $48.99/mo.) with local channels (if available in your market) required. Upon DIRECTV System activation, beginning in the second month, DIRECTV will credit the new customer’s account $9/mo. for 12 consecutive months for BUSINESS INFORMATION with local channels packages, plus an additional $10/mo. when customer activates and maintains BUSINESS INFORMATION and enrolls in Auto Bill Pay for 12 months with credit card at the point of sale. COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK BILL CREDIT OFFER: COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK (regularly $89.99/mo.) includes local channels, COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT ($56.99/mo.) and outlet fees for two receivers ($33/mo.). Additional outlet fees of $15/mo. apply for the third and each additional receiver. Purchase of 24 consecutive months of COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK required. Upon DIRECTV System activation and beginning in the second month, DIRECTV will credit the new customer’s account $17/mo. for 12 consecutive months for COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK, plus an additional $10/mo. when customer activates and maintains COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK and enrolls in Auto Bill Pay for 12 months with credit card at the point of sale. COMMERCIAL XTRA PACK PROGRAMMING/BILL CREDIT OFFERS: COMMERCIAL XTRA pack (regularly $133.99/mo.) includes local channels, COMMERCIAL XTRA ($74.49/mo.), SPORTS PACK ($12.99/mo.) and outlet fees for two receivers ($46.51/mo.). Additional outlet fees $15.00/mo. apply for the third and each additional receiver. Purchase of 24 consecutive months of COMMERCIAL XTRA Pack with local channels (if available in your market) required. Upon DIRECTV System activation and beginning in the second month, DIRECTV will begin to credit the new customer’s account $39.00/mo. for 12 consecutive months for the COMMERCIAL XTRA Pack with local channels packages, plus an additional $10.00/mo. when customer activates and maintains COMMERCIAL XTRA PACK and enrollment in Auto Bill Pay with credit card at the point of sale. Account must be in “good standing,” as determined by DIRECTV in its sole discretion, to remain eligible for all offers. IF BY THE END OF PROMOTIONAL PRICE PERIOD(S) CUSTOMER DOES NOT CONTACT DIRECTV TO CHANGE SERVICE THEN ALL SERVICES WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONTINUE AT THE THEN-PREVAILING RATES. IN THE EVENT YOU FAIL TO MAINTAIN YOUR PROGRAMMING AGREEMENT, YOU AGREE THAT DIRECTV MAY CHARGE YOU A NON-PRORATABLE EARLY CANCELLATION FEE OF $480. LIMIT ONE BILL CREDIT OFFER PER ACCOUNT. In certain markets, programming/pricing may vary. HD ACCESS OFFER: To access DIRECTV HD programming, HD Access fee ($25/mo.) and HD equipment are required. Number of HD channels varies by package. Upon DIRECTV System activation, DIRECTV will credit the new customer’s account $25/mo. for three consecutive months for HD Access, provided account is in “good standing,” as determined by DIRECTV in its sole discretion. In the fourth month, HD Access will automatically continue at the then-prevailing rate. LIMIT ONE HD ACCESS BILL CREDIT OFFER PER ACCOUNT. HARDWARE OFFER: Programming agreement, as defined by customer’s Commercial programming rate card, required. Up to four free HD or SD Receivers per BUSINESS INFORMATION or above commercial location. HD equipment also requires HD Access fee of $25/mo. Offer available to new Commercial customers in commercial structures no more than three stories high. No single-family residences allowed. Make and model of system at DIRECTV’s sole discretion. Offer void where prohibited or restricted. All DIRECTV Receivers must be continuously connected to the same land-based phone line. SONICTAP MUSIC CHANNELS OFFER: 24-month agreement to a Commercial base programming package required. Upon DIRECTV System activation, DIRECTV will credit the new customer’s account $35.99/mo. for three consecutive months for SonicTap Music Channels. Unless customer calls to cancel, in the fourth month SonicTap Music Channels will automatically continue at the then-prevailing rate. INSTALLATION: Free standard professional commercial installation for COMMERCIAL XTRA PACK customers. $49 standard professional commercial installation for COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT PACK and BUSINESS INFORMATION customers. Complex/custom installation extra. DIRECTV programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Taxes not included. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to terms of DIRECTV Commercial Customer Viewing Agreement; copy provided with new customer information packet. ©2014 DIRECTV. DIRECTV and the DIRECTV for BUSINESS logo, BUSINESS INFORMATION and COMMERCIAL XTRA are trademarks of DIRECTV, LLC. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Keep your clients and customers informed with the best TV. CALL NOW!

Start a Relationship Today: 1-800-56-JOYAL

Find out how JCM can help you grow and plan today. We have helped many Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees and we can do it for you.

Total Plan Integration and Commitment to Client ServiceSince 1990 we have enjoyed amazing personal relationships with Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisees.

Gary F. JoyalManaging [email protected]

Daniel F. Connelly Managing [email protected]

Richard P. Joyal, Jr. Managing [email protected]

Kathy Rebello Managing [email protected]

Stephen M. Stabile [email protected]

Sean O’ Brien Chief Financial [email protected]

Watch client testimonials at: www.JoyCapMgt.com OR www. JCMFranchise.com

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OUR EXPERtIsE

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independent joe magazine august/september 2014 #27

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