CHICAGO -- The 7-Eleven empire spans five continents and has more than 28,000 locations worldwide. Joe DePinto is the man who oversees this billion-dollar corporation, but for his Undercover Boss covert mission, he swapped his high-powered position for a uniform and mop. DePinto is one of several top corporate executives to see their operations from the bottom up on this new CBS reality series.
DePinto appeared yesterday on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote his episode of the show. Undercover Boss premieres February 7 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. DePinto will [image-nocss] appear on the February 21 episode.
While undercover, DePinto's alias was Danny Rossi. "My cover story is that I used to be in real estate, I'm out of work, and I'm looking for new opportunities," he said.
For his first assignment, he signs on for the night shift at one of the franchises. His co-worker, Waqas, asks him to greet customers, stock merchandise and perform the regular cleaning duties. "We have to keep these restrooms clean, four or five times a night," Waqas said.
The yawns start after a few hours on the job. "This night shift is a tough time to work," DePinto said. "You're taking care of the 1,000-plus customers a day. So the challenge for me will be keeping that energy up."
Next, he switches to the early-morning shift to see why one 7-Eleven store in Shirley, N.Y., sells more cups of coffee than any other franchise. "I need to figure out what makes their coffee business so great so I can share it with our other stores," he said.
DePinto reports to work at 5:30 a.m. and meets the secret to their successDolores. This coffee queen has been working at 7-Eleven for 18 years, and she knows many of the customers by name. Outside of work, Dolores is raising five kids and dealing with serious health problems. She only has one working kidney and must have dialysis twice a week. "To have a person like Dolores in there, that's why we're selling 2,500 cups of coffee," he said. "Not because we have great coffee, but because we have Dolores."
After revealing his true identity, DePinto rewarded Dolores' hard work by giving her a special surprisetwo season tickets to the New York Yankees, her favorite team.
7-Eleven also donated $150,000 to Donate Life America, an organization that encourages organ donation, in honor of Dolores. "What I recognized is, once again, how hard our folks work. They don't ask for much," DePinto said. "They're trying to support themselves, their families, and what we need to do is better support them as an organization."
DePinto's undercover assignment also takes him to Dallas, where he meets Igor, a delivery truck driver who immigrated from Russia years ago. Before coming to the United States, Igor was a college-educated business manager and decorated officer in the Army, but, due to the language barrier, he was forced to take entry-level jobs in the United States.
Igor doesn't seem to mind, however. "I'm living the American dream now. America is the best country in the world. You guys just do not really know how blessed you are," he said. "I am so motivated because I am so thankful for this country, which allowed me to survive and be happy."
DePinto said Igor's energy, enthusiasm and positivity are inspiring, and he's the type of man 7-Eleven wants to invest in.
When DePinto's real identity is revealed, he makes Igor an offer he can't refuse. "I know you've been interested in a 7-Eleven franchise, and you were concerned about the financing. But 7-Eleven wants to waive the financing on a 7-Eleven store and [bring] part of the American dream to you," DePinto said. "So Igor, here are the keys to your new 7-Eleven franchise."
Now, Igor is his own boss. "Well, that's fantastic!" he said.
Click hereto watch Igor on Oprah.
Click herefor previous CSP Daily News coverage.
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