Chef Anthony Leone

How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Anthony Leone of Energy Kitchen Interview

Question: Tell us about your concept.

Answer: We have one portion size of everything, and it’s all under 500 calories. It’s simple. You want Pepsi? I’ve got it: Pepsi Zero. We are a one-stop shop, but are very transparent. We post calories on everything. We are diligent in testing our products and have internal and third-party testing of our products.

Question: With guest satisfaction in mind, how do you recruit and train your employees?

Answer: First and foremost, if you have good employees here, you will have good employees throughout your whole organization. Good people hang out with good people. The first line of defense is that we ask our good employees to recommend any of the friends. They know their jobs, and they know who will be good at it. If they are working shoulder to shoulder with the people that the recommend, they don’t want to recommend someone who is going to be lacking. We also look at different organizations like head hunters for management positions. We even go around to our competitors with our business cards. When we get great service from someone, we give them our business card and let them know that if they are ever looking for a job, come see us.

Question: Do you incentive your employees if they bring someone into the organization?

Answer: Yes, we give them $250 after the new hire has worked for three months. Also, all of our employees get food for half price. We also have contests to see who can sell the most of a certain item, like smoothies. We take the winner out to dinner, me and my partner. I offer health benefits to everyone, no exceptions. When you add all of these things together, we try to give our employees reasons to want to work here.

Question: How do your employees interact with guests to ensure their happiness?

Answer: One example is that when our employees answer the phone, they say, “Hi, how can I energize you?” We encourage our employees to know our regulars, and know their orders so we can have their food waiting for them. Since most guests pay with credit cards, it’s easy to learn someone’s name. We develop a relationship between our front-line employees and our customers, and engage them every time they visit. Question: Do you have special equipment that helps you to keep customers coming back?

We have also just rolled out a loyalty plan in a few stores that uses a point-per-dollar plan. For every dollar spent, a point is given in return. After accumulating 100 points, we give the guest a $10 gift card. The guests have to sign up online, and have to give us some demographic information to do so. This gives us more data, and in turn, we give the guest a free prize and their first 10 points for free. This helps us learn more about our target market.

Answer: From the time an order is placed for one of our burgers, the burger is cooked to order in 7 minutes or less with the specialized grill that we have. Our guests know that while this is quick, it may take a moment or two longer than with our competitors, but it is well worth it.

Question: Tell us about your concept.

Answer: We have one portion size of everything, and it’s all under 500 calories. It’s simple. You want Pepsi? I’ve got it: Pepsi Zero. We are a one-stop shop, but are very transparent. We post calories on everything. We are diligent in testing our products and have internal and third-party testing of our products.

Question: What technique do you use to boost check averages?

Answer: Upselling. We have some Energized Meals that bundle together our products. The loyalty program will also contribute. Honestly, we don’t have to really boost our check averages, but we do a good job getting brand ambassadors out there. We do jump rope contests. Gyms approach us to sponsor triathlons, health fairs, yoga studios, Weight Watchers, and more. They all want to partner with us. It’s flattering, really. We are very strategic with who we partner with.

Question: Who is your competition?

Answer: The pizza guy. The dirty water hot dog guy on the corner. Cosi and Panera. If you have $10 in your pocket, lots of options are out there. But, when you want to eat healthy fast, where do you go? Not many restaurants have devoted their entire restaurant to healthy eating. We have. We don’t allow you to get off your healthy eating plan. It’s all healthy.

Question: Has your concept changed at all?

Answer: Recently, no. Our franchises all have to carry the same items, and have the same equipment. The only difference are colleges where we have restaurants and cannot sell certain items due to conflict of interest.