Hooters: Creating a Culture of Empowered Employees and Elevating the Customer Experience

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Hooters, founded in Clearwater, FL, in 1983, is now one of the largest employers of women in the service industry. With 198 corporate stores and approximately 370 stores in total, including domestic and international franchisees, and a footprint encompassing 42 U.S. states and 29 countries, the brand is celebrating 40 years of delivering memorable guest experiences.

The I AM initiative recognizes the women who have “worn the orange shorts” — the Hooters Girls — and empowers employees through educational initiatives and tuition reimbursement. The brand boasts a 70% female demographic within the organization and supports employees as they develop the competencies and skills to build successful careers.

Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Cheryl Kish, Chief People Officer at Hooters, about collecting valuable employee feedback to drive successful training programs, the I AM initiative, and the brand’s HootClub Rewards program.
Read the full interview on Loyalty360 here: https://loyalty360.org/content-gallery/in-depth-exclusives/hooters-creating-a-culture-of-empowered-employees-and-elevating-the-customer-experience

Chapter

1. Hooters: Creating a Culture of Empowered Employees and Elevating the Customer Experience (00:00:00)

2. Intro (00:00:05)

3. Tell us about you (00:00:30)

4. How has the female perspective shaped Hooters' strategy (00:01:34)

5. Employee satisfaction and customer loyalty (00:03:08)

6. Changes or initiatives in place because of employee feedback (00:04:33)

7. How has employee training shifted back to optimize in store dining (00:06:07)

8. Challenges in training employees with less dining experience (00:07:36)

9. Personalization in branding (00:09:44)

10. Overview of loyalty program, Hoot Club Rewards (00:12:35)

11. Programs you are loyal to (00:13:34)

12. How can Loyalty360 help you (00:14:48)

13. Quick-fire questions (00:15:26)

14. Outro (00:17:35)