Yapping with...Ollie Humphries, Managing Director of Frankie & Benny’s
“We have two ears and one mouth. Use them in proportion.”
This week, we had the pleasure of yapping with Ollie Humphries, Managing Director of Italian-American-themed restaurant chain, Frankie & Benny’s. But before delving into the intricacies of his most recent position - and with our beers poised and at the ready - we asked Ollie to take us on a whistle-stop tour through his broad and highly impressive career history.
Ollie started out in the service industry in his late teens as a part-time cashier in WHSmith, and it wasn’t long until he became the cluster manager of their superstores. Nine years of dedication later, he embarked on a new venture at Travelex as a Regional Manager before moving over to Yum! Restaurants. There, he managed all customer touch points and internal communication before leading the franchise operations for over 600 restaurants.
With a treasury of skills safely tucked under his belt, Ollie became the Divisional Director of William Hill, accountable for the people and P&L of 1250 branches. Four years later, Ollie is now the MD of a well-established and much-loved restaurant chain overseeing - well, just about everything.
What does it take for a new leader to effectively reinvigorate a brand ‘from the outside in’?
It’s no surprise that with a career trajectory like Ollie’s, retail and hospitality leaders flocked to the Propel Operations Directors’ conference earlier this year in search of some insightful expertise. And he didn’t disappoint. So, now here we are asking him another big question: What does it take for a new leader to effectively reinvigorate a brand ‘from the outside in’?
When Ollie started working for Frankie and Benny’s, he recognised that its sparkle had - for want of a better word - dimmed. He was the first to admit that the menu had become “too big”, and the drive to attract families had “turned [other] people away.” However, research revealed that regardless of the brand’s woes, they still had a 65% affinity with consumers, and a 93% awareness. “Almost everyone knew who we were.” And it was this consumer loyalty that gave Ollie the confidence - and leverage - to effectively refresh the brand.
His strategy was simple, “we needed to bring Frankie & Benny’s back to its roots”. And so, black and white photos, a switch of playlist, and a social media campaign giving customers the chance to bring back old dishes were implemented. But although externally, Frankie & Benny’s had found its brand heart again, internally, unaddressed comms issues threatened to spoil its polished exterior.
“The solution to prevent comms-related issues from happening?” asked Ollie, rhetorically, “Top down leadership”. With poor communication between managers and front line in need of addressing, the hunt for a way to improve internal communication began. “That’s the irony about hospitality,” Ollie said, “it might be a people industry but it’s highly corporate, and corporate organisations don’t really want to communicate.”
Ollie argues that it’s not uncommon for large organisations like Frankie and Benny’s to suffer from leadership deficits. The starkest communication gap is often between senior leaders and general managers. In fact, he found that some of his own general managers were failing to regularly engage with their teams. Yet, unsurprisingly, those teams wanted - and expected - an engaged leader.
“That’s the irony about hospitality. it might be a people industry but it’s highly corporate, and corporate organisations don’t really want to communicate.”
This led Ollie to tell us briefly about his son. “When something good happens to him, he’s got into the habit of saying, ‘Dad can you share a photo of this on your Instagram!’” He’s seven-years old.” It goes without saying that positive reinforcement through social recognition has become a prerequisite of almost everyone’s day-to-day lives, children included. And so, Ollie claims, this also has a part to play in business. “Those managers that are failing are those who aren’t keeping up with the times.”
“Ultimately”, he continued, “employees want just two things. One, to know that their employer is a human being. And two, to know that they are being listened to.” In the same way the ‘Bring It Back’ social media campaign empowered consumers by giving them a voice, Ollie wanted to empower his people internally by providing them with improved communication to make sure they, too, were voicing their views, and being listened to. That’s where we come in.
While Yapster functions to prop up that middle tier between business leaders and general managers, it also - more importantly - encourages staff engagement, driving the potential to positively impact sales and the consumer experience. Take Frankie & Benny’s newsfeed - it’s being utilised as a digital pinboard for chefs to post pictures of their food. By giving chefs a view of their colleagues' dishes, they can all repeat the quality and therefore control customer expectations. Ollie proudly explained that, as a result of this, the general food standard across the company has seen a noticeable improvement.
With our beers finished and Ollie’s train about to pull into St Pancras (he was on the last leg of his tour to meet every one of his 240 GMs; face to face still plays a huge role in communication), he gave us a few takeaways to mull over. “What are the keys to success?” he asked, counting off his fingers. “A strong brand, high standards and inquisitiveness.”
And it is that final key, inquisitiveness - one of the fundamental components of communication - that is, and always will be, central to the progress and success of any organisation. The most successful leaders are those who ask questions and listen in return. “After all, it’s [this], along with humility and emotional intelligence, that differentiates us from robots. But remember,” Ollie said, “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Make sure you use them in proportion.”
Lara Businaro
