Wouldn’t it be great if our bodies could diagnose and fix themselves so we wouldn’t have to worry about going to the dentist, or visiting the doctor and you’d never fall foul of the usual round of cold and flu viruses that magically appear at this time of year? 

Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a Matrix style programme that we can download into heads to sort out our health. And yet most of us, if we stopped to listen to our bodies and took some simple measures, could actually prevent a lot of the illnesses we have. 

Ok so you’re rushing around trying to meet with clients, grabbing a quick lunch and preparing an important presentation, but a small amount of time spent on yourself and the welfare of your staff could pay dividends in the future. It’s one of those investments that we should make but often don’t to our cost. 

Healthy Environment
Providing a healthy environment for you and your staff is vital to help reduce accidents and keeping people safe. It everyone’s responsibility to ensure not only that their working area is tidy but that their equipment is up to scratch. It’s also good to check they are sitting in the correct positions and are following the correct guidelines when using equipment. However, as their boss, it’s up to you to make sure they are aware of their responsibilities and that all new staff are given adequate guidelines and the appropriate training.  

Reduce Stress
A tense environment can quickly escalate causing staff to burn out and is one of the main factors why people fall ill. They may even end up leaving if this pattern keeps repeating itself, and in extreme cases this can result in staff taking their employer to court.

WAtoday:

AUSTRALIA’S largest pizza maker, Domino’s Pizza, has committed to ramping up its franchise footprint across Australia and New Zealand during the next 12 months.

Its franchise development manager, Pat McMichael, said the shop growth would include strategies for metropolitan as well as regional stores.

”We launched our three-year strategic plan recently and we are very keen to grow our store presence in metro areas such as Melbourne and Sydney, where we haven’t had a lot of store-count growth in recent years,” he said.

Domino’s recently posted an annual net profit of $15.4 million, up 29.7 per cent on the previous year. The profit was generated from total network sales of $676.4 million, an increase of 14.4 per cent. It was one of the few listed companies this reporting season to issue a profit upgrade.

Mr. McMichael said regional areas were another aspect of the business that were yet to be fully exploited.

”Currently we have approximately 55 new store territories across Australia and New Zealand, which we are actively looking for franchisees for,” he said. ”These territories include both metro and regional locations which Domino’s has selected as areas of significant growth potential.”

USATODAY.COM:

Lane Cardwell has one of the toughest jobs in the restaurant business: trying to revive Boston Market. The once-highflying rotisserie chicken chain and pioneer in home meal replacement continues to shrink nine years after emerging from Chapter 11 reorganization and seven years of ownership by McDonald’s.

Along with other recession-weary chains, its same-store sales have tumbled double digits in the past year. But Cardwell, 57, a former Brinker International senior executive (Chili’s, Maggiano’s) and former CEO of Eatzi’s Market & Bakery, came out of retirement in June, because he believes he can make Boston Market fly again.

He tells USA TODAY marketing reporter Bruce Horovitz that he’s even thinking about rejiggering the familiar hot-food format.

Q: Boston Market sounds about as contemporary as Bob’s Big Boy. Can you fix that?

A: You’re probably right about our image. We have to fix the way people view us. In a lot of markets, we’re just a part of the sea of places you drive by but don’t stop at. It wasn’t that way when Boston Market was one of the most-talked-about (restaurant) concepts. It’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle, but certainly we can polish the bottle.

Q: How?

A: We can carry forward the vision that founder Scott Beck had when he changed the name from Boston Chicken to Boston Market. The name was supposed to connote a small convenience market where people could go buy meals. It’s been in a financial coma for years.

Cape Business News:

IN the late nineties there was a lot of froth blowing around the pub ‘n grub industry. One of the big movers and shakers was entrepreneur Basil O’Hagan, who tested the limits with a forecast that his fast growing O’Hagan’s pub chain could top 150 outlets by 2001.

Unfortunately by 2001 O’Hagan’s – which was formidable enough to be listed on the JSE – was suffering from a debilitating debt hangover caused by an expansion binge (which included shifts into other branded restaurants like Baron’s).

The group was placed into liquidation, and O’Hagan – who at one stage held a net worth of over R100 million - was shuffled off the JSE with barely enough to buy a round of Guinness.

But it seems O’Hagan – who must have learnt some harsh lessons about gearing up a fast growing business in late nineties – has quietly been re-establishing himself on the pub grub scene (see our separate report on the latest developments at Kingco below).

CBN was rather surprised to see an advertisement for Irish Restaurant and Pubs under the banner ‘Let’s get ready for World Cup 2010’.

The Irish themed franchise pubs are marketed under the ‘Brazen Head’ brand, which CBN has established is the brainchild of none other than Basil O’Hagan.

PR Newswire:

Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its most recent location in Evansville, Ind. as Little Caesars franchisee Michael Coe opened his doors for business at 2007 Washington Ave. “I’m excited to bring the very best in pizza carry-out to Evansville,” Coe said. “I look forward to offering a large, fresh pepperoni pizza that’s ready when my customers are, with no waiting or need to call ahead.”

Before becoming a Little Caesars franchisee Coe held several positions in the restaurant industry. “When I was researching franchising opportunities, I was looking for a simple operating model and winning concept,” Coe added. “I chose Little Caesars since the concept is especially well positioned to grow in today’s economy since it offers consumers outstanding value: a high-quality, convenient product for a great price. The value Little Caesars provides is something families can really appreciate at a time when they are looking to stretch their dollars.”

Giving back to the communities in which Little Caesars does business has been part of the company’s philosophy since 1959. As a new business owner, Coe plans to support local organizations and community events in Evansville and the surrounding area.

“Customers have been excited about our store opening,” Coe said.

PR-inside.com:

Famous Dave’s of America, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: DAVE) website has been voted Best Restaurant Website by the Web Marketing Association’s 2009 WebAwards. The visually engaging site, www.FamousDaves.com : , was designed by Denver-based digital marketing agency Xylem Digital and conveys the vibrant Famous Dave’s brand and voice to the Web.

A member of the judging panel commented on the Famous Dave’s website, “This site was by FAR one of the best combinations of art and usability that we’ve seen. The use of graphics made the site sharp, but it didn’t get in the way of speed, or ease of use. This was a best in class site.”

The WebAward Competition, now in its thirteenth year, is open to all organizations and individuals involved in the process of developing websites for organizations. Award submissions are critiqued on seven categories, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use. The Famous Dave’s website received high praise in the categories of content, technology and copywriting.

“The Web Marketing Association’s Best Restaurant Website Award marks more than 400 awards for the Famous Dave’s brand,” said Aric Nissen, Vice President of Marketing for Famous Dave’s. “It’s nice recognition for the team which has spent countless hours creating, designing and updating this important communications tool. We are proud to offer Famous Dave’s fans a fun, engaging, interactive and one-of-a-kind experience to learn more about our menu, history, special offers, restaurant locations and more.”

Earth Times:

Del Taco, the nation’s No. 2 Mexican quick serve chain, today announced the company has strengthened its franchise support services with the addition of two new franchise business consultants. Chip Bialzak has joined Del Taco as senior franchise business consultant and Chris Carr has joined the company as a franchise business consultant. Both will be responsible for helping Del Taco franchisees grow sales, implement marketing programs and continue to improve operations.

“Franchising and the success of our franchisees are key parts of Del Taco’s future growth and our franchise business consultants provide critical support for our franchisees. We are excited to have Chip Bialzak and Chris Carr on our team,” said Jim Lyons, Chief Development Officer at Del Taco.

Irish Franchise Magazine:

Telecommunications giant O2 has started franchising its successful retail concept in Ireland, and plans to have 35 new franchised stores up and running by the end of 2009. O2 is aiming to recruit 25 franchise owners by the end of September and already has signed franchise agreements with 20 independent retail businesses that are keen to re-brand as O2 telecommunication retailers.

Director of consumer sales at O2, Tony Hanway said: “Following a strategic review of our retail business in Ireland we decided to franchise the retail business model. The franchise is something we have been looking at for some time. The days of buoyant double-digit growth are over, and we needed to change our nationwide network to reflect this.

TCPalm.com:

The KFC at 1226 U.S. 1 in Vero Beach has closed, Louisville, Ky.-based KFC Corp. said Thursday.

“We greatly appreciate the loyalty of our customers in Vero Beach, but our franchisee was unable to negotiate an extension of his lease on the property when it expired,” said KFC spokesman Rick Maynard.

“We hope our customers in the area will continue to visit our other Vero Beach location and our other restaurants in the area.”

EMAILWIRE.COM:

Richmond, VA – Mr. George Hostetler, franchisee, of Dryer Vent Wizard, a dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation company, finds his business a rewarding. “I purchased the dryer vent cleaning franchise this summer, after my neighbor had a dryer fire,” said George. “Over 15,000 dryer fires are reprted every year; I’m committed to making a difference and educating my community to reduce dryer fires and help save energy.”

The company Dryer Vent Wizard, Dry Clothes Safe Homes is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and the largest chain of dryer vent cleaning, repair, replacement and alternation specialists in the U.S. with over 50 franchisees in major markets. In joining efforts with the NFPA, Dryer Vent Wizard is providing advice to consumers to minimize the risk of dryer fires.

George Hostetler and other Dryer Vent Wizard owners are encouraged to write articles and post them to blogs on tips to prevent dry fires and to increase public awareness in the importance of proper dryer vent installation. “Dryer vent cleaning is recommended annually to prevent fires and increase dryer efficiency,” said Hostetler. “In addition, dryer vent cleaning and proper dryer vent installation also increases the life of your clothes dryer as it decreases drying time and reduces wear and tear on your clothes.”