'We've Been An Elite Restaurant': Chick-fil-A Manager Started Offering a Three-Day Workweek. It Now Has 100 Percent Management Retention.The Miami-based operator began offering employees the option to work full-time hours in three days, and retention, cleanliness, and recruitment are all up.

ByGabrielle Bienasz

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Brandon Bell I Getty Images
A Chick-fil-A in Houston, Texas.

Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A franchise ownerJustin Lindsey began offering employees and managers the option to work three-day, 13- to 14-hour shifts — and manager retention has climbed to 100%, he toldQSR magazine.

Lindsey said he dialogued with employees at his Miami restaurant extensively before implementing the program. Workers were also allowed to choose if they wanted to participate, he told the outlet.

"A lot of companies talk about providing their team members with true work/life balance. At CFA Kendall we are actively doing something about that," he wrote in an earlier LinkedIn post about the change.

Here's how the program works: There are now two "pods" (groups of workers) at the restaurant. Instead of people swapping throughout the day, a consistent crew takes care of the establishment and works together as a team straight through the entire day, Lindsey told QSR.

The pods work on being the best at speed or inspections, which have become "literally perfect" since introducing the arrangement, he told the outlet.

“我们是一个精英的餐厅,”他补充道。

And the proof is in the (shift) pod. Lindsey's Chick-fil-A location is on track to bring in $17 millionin sales this year. The averageannual sales volumefor a Chick-fil-A location like this, that is not inside a mall or some such, in 2021 was $8.142 million.

Related:Considering franchise ownership? Get started now and take this quiz to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Chick-fil-A typically allows people to franchise one restaurant with an initialinvestmentof $10,000, per its website.

Lindsey's philosophy on keeping his joint going: "lead with generosity," he told the outlet.

Wavy Line
Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at Entrepreneur. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine.

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