Positivity

We take pride in many things at Lenny's, from the fresh products to the satisfied customers. Still, one of the things we're most proud of is our high standard of customer service and the outstanding employees that make it possible. The internet makes it easy and convenient for complaints, but we're often taken back and touched when people go to great lengths to give a compliment. We feel that praise deserves to be heard, not for us, but for the employees who represented themselves in such upstanding ways. We're proud of you.

From Shop #49 in Memphis, TN:

"I am filling out this comment card to send some due recognition to the PM staff. During my visit tonight, another customer was being extremely rude to the employees preparing her food - to the point that other customers were looking around at each other shocked. Rather than respond harshly (or worse, as we all wanted to do), they continued to give her the same level of service they give every other customer and did what they could do to diffuse the situation while she continued to pepper them with rude comments. I was impressed by their professionalism and the manner in which they treated her with infinitely more respect than she gave tot hem or than she deserved. Their manager/owner/operator deserved to know that quality people are running the store on the PM shift in particular."

From Facebook in regards to Shop #350 in Ft. Walton Beach, FL:

"The other day, I was on my way home from the grocery store, and I saw an older woman pulled over. Then, I noticed the kind stranger who had pulled behind her to change her tire. I wasn't surprised to see it was the local Lenny's vehicle, since the employees there are some of the nicest people I've come across, but I was impressed. I was a little surprised when I saw that it was he owner of my favorite two shops. No wonder everyone there is so incredibly kind. It starts at the top."

Lenny's Featured in Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Lenny's was featured in an article titled, "Jump-StartYour Career With a Franchise" in the April 2013 edition of Kiplinger'sPersonal Finance.

The article features various franchisees discussing why they chose a career in franchising and how they have found success in the industry. Edith Kelly-Green, who owns ten Lenny's Sub Shops in Memphis and Oxford, Miss., says she knew when she started back in 2005 that her business would have to compete with other sandwich shops, some on the same block. Kelly-Green, who retired from Federal Express in 2003, says her stores stand out because they offer larger sandwiches than her competitors. She also works hard to provide a welcoming environment. "The key is customer service," she says.

Click HERE for the full article or begin reading below:

Jump-Start Your Career With a Franchise

A franchise is quick way to invest in a ready-made enterprise

By: Sandra Block

When Rowley Mayo, 62, was downsized from his job as a finance executive in 2009, he wasn’t ready to stop working. But Mayo soon learned that companies weren't lining up to hire workers in his age group, especially those accustomed to earning six-figure salaries

Rather than accept early retirement, Mayo, who lives in Elk River, Minn., decided to start his own business. While researching opportunities, he consulted with a franchise broker who introduced him to Mr. Appliance, a home-service appliance-repair company with 148 locations in the U.S. After talking with franchise owners and company executives, he launched his franchise serving the Minneapolis suburbs in December 2010.

Lenny's Sub Shop featured in 1851 Magazine

Lenny's Sub Shop was recently featured in an article in 1851 titled “Give to Gain: How Lenny’s Built a Fan Base Through Customer Service.” The article focuses on how Lenny’s Sub Shop puts an emphasis on customer service and uses that business model to drive sales. With a focus on engaging the customer, Lenny’s has been able to continue its growth by integrating a quality product with a personable service. Lenny’s also utilizes social media and their Substantial Rewards Program to give back and engage their loyal fan base. Click here for the full article, or begin reading below.

Give to Gain: How Lenny’s Built a Fan Base Through Customer Service

You just finished eating a “large” Deluxe Club weighing a pound, chips and a drink from Lenny’s Sub Shop. As you loosen your belt two notches, you begin looking around for a place to throw out your trash and all you find is a friendly employee ready to clear your table and refill your drink. Your mind is racing because you thought you were in a quick service restaurant, but then it hits you–this isn’t just another sub shop, this is Lenny’s.

Substantial portion sizes have always been a staple of Lenny’s Sub Shop since its inception in 1998, when founder Len Moore created the first Lenny’s Sub Shop in Bartlett, Tennessee. The company has carried the tradition of hearty sandwiches into its franchising stages and relied on the value of their subs and word of mouth to increase traffic generation as opposed to a constant barrage of promotions.

(Read More)

Guest Service 2.0 from Lenny's Sub Shop

Pretend you’ve just gotten home from a long day at work. Exhausted, your one goal in life is to microwave whatever is hiding in the back of your freezer and collapse on the couch. After fishing out a passable frozen dinner and waiting five minutes while cosmic rays bombard it, you make a sad discovery. Inside the black plastic tray is not the sesame chicken with noodles you expected but a greenish-gray mass of indistinguishable origin. What do you do? manyny would curse their luck and reach for the peanut butter, but for some it’s the start of a guest service encounter.

Guest service is one of the most important duties of any venture, no matter if it’s a $15 billion corporation or a mom and pop down the street. Although it’s impossible to keep everyone happy all the time, doing your best to keep guests content with your service and products helps create and maintain a positive brand image and increases word-of- mouth traffic.

In decades past, guest service has been handled over the phone, by mail or in person. Television not working? Call Sears. Chocolate malt milkshake not malty enough? Write a letter. Steak too bloody? Ask to speak with the chef.

The problems plaguing these methods are painfully familiar. They’re slow, unpleasant and, more often that not, rather inefficient. So why is it that so many companies still adhere to these tired and outdated forms of guest service?

Great guest service has always been a key part of the mission at Lenny’s Sub Shops, but recently they’ve taken the concept to the next level by using social media as another point of connection between the franchise and its loyal guests. By addressing guest service issues through Facebook, Lenny’s can solve problems more quickly and in a format many consumers are more comfortable with.

Take Robert, a Lenny’s guest from Arkansas. On a trip to his local Lenny’s, Robert was unsatisfied with a particular element of his trip and, instead of writing an email or calling corporate, he sent a message to Lenny’s Facebook page. Within 24 hours, he had a response from the Facebook page, apologizing for his bad experience and explaining the process by which the local manager would be informed of the situation. In addition, Lenny’s was able to send Robert some swag as an additional form of apology. The exchange clearly impressed Robert, who left a message saying, “I was thinking was never going to hear from somebody at Lenny’s again.”

Social media has many applications, but one of the newest and most promising is guest service. Lenny’s Sub Shops have blazed a trail by responding to guest complaints and questions through their Facebook page, transforming a traditionally slow and tedious process into a quick, efficient way to maximize guest satisfaction and build positive brand image.