Culver's franchisee sees 3x applicant volume thanks to better communication and HR efficiency

Owning a Culver’s franchise has been a dream come true for Jake Kendall, who now runs nine successful locations alongside his family and business partners. However, managing the workforce without a standardized HR system was a big challenge. After switching to Workstream, Jake saw improvements in efficiency and communication, significantly cutting down the time to fill roles.

"Managing our workforce is a top priority, but I can't personally oversee the 350-500 different team members that we have at any given time across all our locations. I have to trust not only my team, but I have to trust the technology that's available to our team. That's where Workstream comes in."

Jake Kendall

Owner and Operator, Culver’s

The problem

Finding the right HR tools was a lot of trial and error

About Culver's

Culver’s got its start in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin—the beloved hometown of founders Craig and Lea Culver. Along with Craig’s parents, George and Ruth, Culver’s built a loyal following by serving up their now legendary signature combination of ButterBurgers with Frozen Custard.

Since day one, the Culver family has realized that the secret to lasting success is always about putting people first. In 1990, the first Culver’s franchise opened in nearby Baraboo, WI, quickly followed by more beyond state lines in 1995. Today, Culver’s can be found across 26 states in the US.

Jake Kendall owns and operates nine successful Culver's locations in Iowa, Michigan, and Arizona. Each new location brings its own set of challenges, however, like the need to hire more employees, increase revenue, and improve operational efficiency.

For example, they struggled with disorganization before implementing a standardized HR management system. Kendra Rustebakke, an Administrative Manager at Dall-Haus, LTD, Jake’s franchise group, experienced this challenge firsthand: “We started with paper employee files and eventually moved to an online applicant system. But it made it more complicated and made it harder to really track everything.”

As Sandi Anderson, Director of Operations at Dall-Haus, LTD, notes, “You would have to look through resumes, and then individually call them, or send a message, or an email to the applicant and try to get a hold of them.” Going through applications alone could take up a good chunk of the day—without any guarantee of reaching someone or setting up an interview.

Their previous hiring and onboarding tools were also limited when it came to managing an existing workforce across several restaurants and multiple states. They needed a system designed for greater efficiency.

Even a beloved QSR like Culver’s isn’t immune to retention problems. Turnover remains a huge deal throughout the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data suggests a 75% annual rate of employee turnover, meaning three out of every four restaurant workers hired quit within one year. For Jake, clear and easy communication was essential to improving retention.

It would all be so much easier with one solution to address the needs of his growing business.

The solution

A more efficient HR workflow

While searching for an HR management system that would streamline the recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process across his nine Culver’s locations, Jake discovered Workstream. Right away, its automated, user-friendly, and mobile-first functionality proved to be a winning combination.

Simplifying day-to-day operations

Jake loved just how simple Workstream was to get up and running from his first log-in.

“In this day and age, we have information overload, which is a great thing. But sometimes getting that information and using it correctly is a bit of a challenge,” Jake notes. “But I can get into Workstream easy. I don’t have to use a cheat sheet for how to access stuff. Any given time I can log into Workstream and get a quick snapshot on where we’re at, whether it’s high level or if it’s down to the details of any particular applicant.”

Improving communication

“When you’re going between multiple locations, the goal is keeping to that schedule,” Sandi says.
And her schedule often includes finding, contacting, interviewing, and hiring great candidates.

“With Workstream, it’s a lot faster just to get a hold of them. It sends out automated messages. I think that’s really nice for the applicant because they immediately hear back right after applying.”

She estimates the time to fill roles at her Culver’s locations has been cut by 50% simply by how Workstream reduces the usual back-and-forth communication needed just to reach an applicant.

the wins

Personalization and speed = hiring success

Every day, Jake and his team find new ways to get the most out of Workstream. Sandi likes how managers can add their names to direct messages for a personal touch. Faster response times resulted in a higher volume of applicants than before. Their Waterloo Culver’s location alone received 3X the amount, with Cedar Falls now close behind with 2X the applicant volume since joining Workstream.

Learning she had the option to limit an applicant’s ability to schedule their own interviews until after a manager gets a chance to review their resume is yet another game-changer for Sandi. It’s this ability for customization that assures the team they’ve found their HR solution.