By John Meyers
In recent years, restaurant operators have faced no shortage of labor challenges, shrinking applicant pools, rising turnover, and shifting expectations. While many continue to treat labor as a cost center to control, the more strategic operators are viewing it as a core pillar of long-term business health.
With over two decades of operations experience, I’ve seen first-hand that retention doesn’t begin on day one of employment, but far earlier, before a team member even applies.
That realization has now folded into our strategy at Marco’s Pizza, where we are driving a system-wide shift across our 1,200-plus locations. Our franchisees are not just hiring; our training programs are designed to address how to attract, support and retain team members at every level. In doing so, we’ve identified three foundational changes that have significantly improved our labor model to best support franchisees: prioritizing purpose, systematizing culture, and leveraging technology to empower and optimize our people.
Whether you are a first-time leader or seasoned veteran, here are actionable tips to rethink restaurant labor and combat falling employee retention.
Attract for Alignment Rather Than Hire for Fit
The traditional model of hiring for “fit” assumes the right candidate will seamlessly adapt to your culture. But today’s workforce isn’t simply looking for a job; they’re evaluating potential employers the way consumers evaluate brands. What do you stand for? How do you support your people? Is there a mission behind the menu?
With those questions in mind, it’s not enough to promote benefits or wage rates. Employers must lead with clarity of purpose by showing the bigger picture of what your brand represents. At Marco’s, we’ve worked to ensure cultural beliefs are emphasized as more than internal talking points; they’re part of how franchisees show up in communities. For example, through the Marco’s Pizza Foundation, we support initiatives from workforce development and hunger prevention to team member emergency funds. Importantly, our mission at Marco’s to grow as a business by lifting people up has trickled down, where franchisees are consistently activating to impact their local communities.
These hyperlocal efforts by franchisees not only reflect a brand’s commitment to community but create a sense of shared mission among team members. Purpose becomes part of the employee value proposition.
Develop a Culture System That Resonates
There’s a persistent myth in the industry that culture is intangible, a byproduct of personalities or chance. But if we’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that culture can, and must, be built intentionally. Especially in franchising, where consistency across locations is essential, culture must be operationalized.
One powerful way to bring your culture to life is through situational-based empowerment training. This involves equipping your teams with clear, practical strategies for handling customer-facing scenarios. When employees are trained in effective service recovery and empowered to act without needing managerial approval, they not only deliver exceptional guest experiences but also gain greater job satisfaction. A critical part of this approach is demonstrating trust—when your team knows you trust their judgment, they’re more likely to extend that trust to your customers.
I experienced this firsthand early in my career while working in operations at Walt Disney World. There, we were thoroughly trained and empowered to make the right decisions, which consistently led to more positive outcomes for our Guests. Empowerment wasn’t just encouraged—it was embedded in how we operated.
That’s why we launched We’re Golden, a platform designed to give our franchisees practical tools to elevate team member experience. This isn’t about posters or perks. It’s a structured system that includes performance recognition programs, clear career development paths, situational based empowerment training, coaching resources and real-time feedback mechanisms.
By implementing programs such as these, stores are positioned to develop stronger engagement, higher team moral, and lower turnover. By treating culture like any other core function, something with inputs, outcomes and accountability, you’re enabling franchisees to lead in a way that’s proactive, not reactive.
If your culture isn’t identified, documented, measured, or reinforced through daily systems, it’s not built to last.
Utilize Tech to Elevate Team Members and Operations
The restaurant tech space has grown rapidly, often focused on automation and analytics. But the question to prioritize is: How does this technology serve the people using it?
When technology supports clarity and communication, it directly impacts retention. Team members know what’s expected, managers can give timely feedback, and the entire store runs with more confidence.
At Marco’s, we developed our proprietary cloud-based Marco’s Ordering Management System (MOMS) that is designed not just to streamline transactions, but to empower managers and team leaders with data they can use in real time. Whether it’s hourly labor trends, sales pacing or performance metrics, the goal is to make store-level leadership more informed and agile.
As a brand, don’t implement tech for tech’s sake. Ensure every tool is deployed with the intention of helping improve the daily experience of those closest to the customer.
Anticipate Labor Shifts Ahead of Time
The past five years have been marked by volatility—from the COVID-19 pandemic to supply chain shocks and economic uncertainty. The labor dynamics of tomorrow may look entirely different, shaped by emerging technologies, shifting demographics and evolving employee expectations.
Positioning franchisees with the resources for a future-proof labor model means building flexibility today. That includes cross-training team members, creating roles with upward mobility, and ensuring your systems can adapt as the market shifts.
It also means being willing to question long-standing assumptions. For instance, do your part-time roles offer enough stability to attract reliable talent? Are your managers trained to coach, not just schedule? Are your benefits and incentives aligned with what workers actually value?
Don’t optimize for the last labor crisis. Instead, create the systems and tools that ensure you attract and retain talent during the next crisis.
The bottom line: Retention isn’t just a metric; it’s an outcome of leadership choices made long before an employee clocks in. Owners and operators must commit to building a labor model that prioritizes purpose, culture and empowerment.
Franchise growth, guest satisfaction and operational excellence all start with one thing: a motivated, supported team. And that journey begins well before the first shift.
John Meyers is chief operating officer for Marco’s Pizza.
