ATLANTA -- After leading retail at Susser Holdings Corp.'s Stripes Convenience Stores for several years, Steve DeSutter is driving franchising success for Focus Brands' six restaurant chains. CSP Daily News sister publication Restaurant Business caught up with the former Stripes and Burger King executive to learn the value of a multi-brand portfolio.
Franchisees are known to worry when their franchisor has multiple and potentially competitive brands in its fold. How do they know the secrets and strengths of their chain won't be shared with a sister operation, undercutting the distinction of where they've plunked considerable money?
Focus Brands is sensitive to that concern, said DeSutter, who assumed leadership of the six-concept franchisor in March. But his first eight months as CEO have convinced him that his prime mission is harnessing the power of a multi-brand portfolio.
Sustaining the firewalls between Focus' six chains is a given, he said. His goal is to make Focus Brands as a whole worth more than the sum of its parts.
"I used a lot of the first six months as a period of discovery," he said. That included familiarizing himself with Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, the Schlotzky's sandwich chain, Cinnabon, Carvel and Auntie Anne's Pretzels.
"Now I'm working on strategies to unleash the power." For instance, "consumer insights are very expensive to get," he said. "If you're big enough, you can go get them."
DeSutter's already hired a new talent czar, chief human relations officer Bob Swan, with whom he'd worked at Susser Holdings, and a new chief information officer, Michael Verdesca, formerly of Jack in the Box and Qdoba.
"That's a real muscling up for us as we learn to use our systems and our technology to our advantage," DeSutter said.
"Building teams and winning strategies, I'd say those are my strengths," he said. "I hope I'm successful. I may be CEO, but that just means I have a different job. It doesn't mean I'm important. A Cinnabon crew member's responsibility might be baking rolls. A CEO's is keeping our goals aligned, and leading people to achieve. I aspire to be good at it, and it's what I get excited about."
The broader the job, he said, the more an executive has to understand that management breaks down into three dynamics: control, empowerment and influence. DeSutter said his leadership style is 10% control, 30% empowerment of subordinates and 60% influence of the organization.
"I like to bring energy" to any situation, he continued. "Work by its nature requires energy, and I like to bring that to the effort."
Click here to view the full Restaurant Business report.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.