70. Bart Milligan – Chick-fil-A – The Power of Branding

Bart Milligan:

Just explosive type of company. It was a very solid company, very highly respected, very well thought of, but it was still... So if you roll the clock back to the '80s, that was when the transition of, Hey, let's get out of the malls and let's go into freestanding units and let's have our own restaurant, our own staple.

Robert Wagner:

From HoganTaylor CPAs and advisors, I'm Robert Wagner, and this is "How That Happened." A business and innovation success podcast. Each episode of the show, we sit down with the business and community leaders behind thriving organizations to learn how business and innovation success actually happens. Thank you for joining us on "How That Happened." If you enjoy the podcast, we invite you to give us a rating and a review at wherever you listen to your podcast. Just a reminder, our podcast is sponsored by HoganTaylor CPAs and Advisors, and it's provided solely to help make you a better leader on your journey and success and innovation.

If you'd like to receive the podcast automatically, please hit that subscribe button on your podcast app, and you'll be certain to never miss an episode of "How That Happened." Our guest today is Bart Milligan. Bart is the operator of two Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Tulsa, Oklahoma market. Bart has an accounting degree from Georgia State University and spent the early part of his career in the Chick-fil-A corporate office in Atlanta, and then eventually transitioning to be a store operator. Bart, welcome to the "How That Happened" podcast.

Bart Milligan:

Thank you.

Robert Wagner:

I'm very excited to have you and I know our listeners will be really interested in hearing more about Chick-fil-A because it's an exciting brand and people love the brand and are always interested to hear more about it. So I'm looking forward to our discussion. So let's start at the beginning. So you got an accounting degree. What was the plan? Were you going to have an accounting degree? Was that the plan?

Bart Milligan:

So, I originally thought, Hey, I would like to do something in business. Took a few courses, few classes, felt like accounting gave me the most versatility. So I began to proceed in the typical public accounting world with audits and tax and all that stuff. Quickly realized that, I'm not so sure this is exactly what I'm looking for, so I actually made the decision to leave the accounting world, transitioned into sales for Nestle. I did accounting for about two and a half years, left, went to Nestle and was in restaurant sales. If you don't know Nestle at the time anyway, provided olive gardens sauce and things like that. That was more what I was doing.

Well, that died. So they were transitioning all of our group from Atlanta to either Chicago or LA. So I had a decision to make. Stumbled back into Chick-fil-A in which that was the natural course to proceed because that's what my background was, was accounting. So I started back in accounting and the thought was more, well, maybe it was the audit side, maybe it was the tax side that was just like, man, this is really boring. This is hard.

Robert Wagner:

Were you working at a public accounting firm?

Bart Milligan:

It was a small one, but yes, yes.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah, okay.

Bart Milligan:

In Atlanta.

Robert Wagner:

Okay.

Bart Milligan:

We did a lot of bookkeeping, a lot of tax planning, a lot of smaller audits on that scale, but nobody wants to do audits because you walk in, everybody hates you right off the bat. So I'm like, nah, this isn't working for me. But got to Chick-fil-A corporate and it was just a natural transition because it was like, Hey, this is a company that's going somewhere. This is a neat opportunity. But the only thing that I really have to offer is the fact that I've got accounting background. So I retransitioned back into accounting, but thought, Hey, maybe it was because it was the public side and maybe the private side. That's more, maybe what I'm looking for. Got into that and just was uneasy about that as well.

It's a lot of digging through things and a lot of investigating stuff on your own. One of the things that I had learned about myself years prior, I took it the time, it was like a career planning type of test. And one of the things that I stood out high on was coaching. So I think from an early phase, I just love the aspect of teaching and seeing people be successful and things like that. That just wasn't really being fulfilled there. And so that was the, I guess the eye opening side of like, man, I may have just missed it with accounting like this. I don't know what I was thinking, but this is not working. So, transitioned from accounting at Chick-fil-A corporate to marketing at Chick-fil-A corporate.

Robert Wagner:

Just pause a second. Can you give us a view of where Chick-fil-A was in its evolution at that time?

Bart Milligan:

Yeah. It was smaller, way smaller because you're talking about over 20 years ago. I think I was number 400-ish employee.

Robert Wagner:

Oh wow. Okay.

Bart Milligan:

So it was not a thriving, growing, just explosive type of company. It was a very solid company, very highly respected, very well thought of, but it was still... So if you roll the clock back to the '80s, that was when the transition of, Hey, let's get out the malls and let's go into freestanding units and let's have our own restaurant, our own staple. They had come out of that. This is '90s. So they had been in this world of like, Hey, let's stand for this, let's be this. They were finding their ground and it was proceeding toward greatness, but I was probably on the earlier side of it.

It was a really neat time because I got to see that explosive side. By the time I left, after almost five years, I think it was almost doubled in corporate size. Restaurants were exploding, sales growth was off the charts. And between the Cathy family's leadership and the gentleman at the time, COO was Jimmy Collins, between the Cathy family and Jimmy Collins, it was like, wow, they're figuring this thing out, not to mention the fact that they had to taken a stand for Christ. And I think Christ was very much rewarding that stand. So it was the perfect storm of Christ is all in, Mr. Collins is locked and loaded, and the Cathy family was tremendous leaders of what they wanted to be with the company.

I would say it was that earlier phase, but it was a neat phase because it was a little bit smaller and we did have some just really neat relationships and Christmas parties at leaderships houses and inviting us to their homes and people eating lunch together in the lunchroom that was provided and people just really got to know each other. It was a neat time at Chick-fil-A corporate. But I think God laid on my heart that something's not at rest, something's not at ease. So I was going through just trying to figure out, what am I missing here? Where am I going? That began the transition out of really the traditional accounting corporate world to what's next?

I don't want to do this for, at the time I think I was 25-ish, 26, [inaudible 00:08:46] there, and I don't want to do this for the next 35 years. Oof, this is not the direction, but I loved Chick-fil-A the company. I loved what it stood for, I loved where it was going. I loved that the leadership was headed in the direction that it was headed in. That was what began the transition from, Hey, accounting, no. Corporate in general, probably not. Where am I going now? That's where that journey led, but the plan originally was, Hey, I'm going to... I think I thought I was probably going to open my own tax planning thing or tax thing or something like that. I think that's probably what I originally thought, but it just wasn't in alignment with what God's plan was.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah. Very good. It's so good to figure that out about yourself early, right?

Bart Milligan:

Mm-hmm (affirmative), yes.

Robert Wagner:

Not 10 or 15 or 30 years later.

Bart Milligan:

Exactly.

Robert Wagner:

That's good. Okay. So let's talk about this shift to being a CFA operator. It is probably good to just describe... The Chick-fil-A model's very different than most others. I guess they call it a franchise model, but it's very, very different. I think I have this correct. They own all the real estate, they do all the site selection, they own the store, buy the store, all of that. First thing, your role as an operator, I guess describe that and then let's just get into the interview process. What is the interview process like for-

Bart Milligan:

Legendary.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah.

Bart Milligan:

Yeah. It is a very unique, as they call it, franchise model. It's not in the traditional sense. So if you look back over time, Truett's passion was, "Hey, I had a dream, I had a vision of what I wanted to do. I didn't have the funds. I didn't have the resources. I didn't have the capacity to go and say, Hey, give me a million bucks because I think I can make this restaurant work." He felt that many, many times people were not allowed to pursue their dream because of financial resources. So he made the decision early on that that's not what's going to be keeping me from getting the best qualified people that are in alignment with my values, that are in alignment with my leadership design.

So he really pulled that off the table and said, "Hey, that's not going to be the determining factor. I want great people. I want the right people. I want the people that are in alignment with my values, with my structure, with my beliefs, that can take this business to where it needs to be. Whatever that looks like. If that's three restaurants, great. If that's 2,000, great. But I don't want that to be the issue." Because of that, that's where it started. But yes, it's very much driven toward, Hey, if you have a passion for this, if you have a heart for serving, if you have a desire to be in this world, we're going to remove that off the table. Now there's a buy-in, there's an entry, but it's not to the point where it's like, oh my gosh, I could never get to that place.

So your role as a operator is really more focused on, Hey, what is my place in the community? What is my place with my team? What is my ability to have influence in the community? Because the reality is I don't have to worry about, how am I going to pay rent this month? Or I don't have to worry about, oh my gosh, if the AC unit goes out on the roof, I'm toast. I don't have the resources to pull this together because that in essence has been taken off the table for us. So it really frees you up to really focus more on your leadership, your personal development, it frees you up to be present. I think that's one of the things that Truett desired for all of us, was to be present in the community, to be present with our teams.

I think he was a big believer in, Hey, you gain influence when people... He said this comment many times that people... And he's probably not the only one that said it because I've heard it a lot. But people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. He was a big believer in that. And presence means oftentimes leads to that. Because if I'm present with you, if I'm present in the business, if I'm present in the community, the chances go way up that I'm going to be bought in. They go way up that I want to be part of it, that I wanted to succeed. And his desire was that, "Hey, this is what I feel like the business model should be. We're here to be present with this community. We're here to be present with this team. We're here to serve. We're here to be a shinning light. We're here to do all those things. And yes, running a business, and yes, running a profit."

All those are important, but I think because of the way it's designed, it frees us up to be able to do a lot more of that type of function versus, Hey, I need to go in here and figure out the tax structure this week, or I need to go in here and figure out how am I going to pay for this new AC unit that's going to be going out. I know that in 10 years, I need to be able to do this big remodel that's going to cost hundreds thousands of dollars. We don't have to spend an enormous amount of energy thinking through those things and were able to focus more on what I think he originally wanted the business model to be.

Robert Wagner:

Right. That is vastly different.

Bart Milligan:

Yes.

Robert Wagner:

Right?

Bart Milligan:

Yes.

Robert Wagner:

That's very, very different. So how did you get this role? How do you get this gig?

Bart Milligan:

I was fortunate because if I had to go through the process now, no way. I don't make it through. That's not happening. But I had a couple of things going for me. One was that I worked at corporate, and so I had connections. I had relationships. I had people that believed in me that said, "Yeah, I think you could do that." But I knew them. So I did have an inside track that a lot of people don't have. But at the end of the day, they have very clear things that they're like, these need to be met. What are you going to be like in your community? What are you going to be like as a neighbor? What are you going to be like from a business standpoint?

One of the things that they really do a lot of homework on is, what has been your financial track record? And that's not necessarily to look at it and go, well, how much money do you have? Did you pay your bills on time? It more, are you going to be a faithful steward? They talk about that a lot, being a faithful steward to all that God has entrusted to us. And it's more about, are you going to represent that? Are you going to be that in the community? They do a lot of background checks on, have you paid your bills? Are you paying them on time? Did you default on? Did you do all those things? That's one piece of it. And it's really to gauge, are you going to represent our brand well? Are you going to be fighting people and not paying people? What does that look like? That's part of it.

It's becoming more and more common now that college degree is just almost one of those things that you just have to have to get past the initial hurdles, to get in the game. They want you to be competent. They want you to know that, Hey, I have the ability to lead this. I have the ability to comprehend the business side of this. I have the ability to lead people. I have ability to work well in those groups. What kind of neighbor am I going to be? Am I going to be the guy or the lady that nobody wants to be working beside? Because you're stealing everything, you're fighting, you're fussing, you're argumentative. They do a lot of background on that. And so, because of these things that they're examining and trying to gauge and trying to understand, process takes a really long time.

There's a lot of homework done because their position is that, we are going into this partners for good. This is almost similar to a marriage. We're going into this, and if we're not in alignment, then let's walk away now because we don't want to have to go through a divorce, so to speak. We want you to be bought into what we're bought into and we want to be bought into what you're bought into. And we want to be one coherent group, one partnership pushing the brand of Chick-fil-A in the same direction. They're very passionate about that. So because of that, it takes a while. I think if you work to probably look at some numbers, you're talking about two to five years for most people to get through that journey of, am I the right fit?

So once you get through that, then it's like, okay, yeah, you're probably somebody that Chick-fil-A wants to go into business with, but oh, by the way, now we got to find the right store. We got to find the right location. Just because you're a candidate that we feel good about, doesn't mean that you've been selected for a store. So then you go through that whole journey of. Is this the right community for me? Why do you want to be in this community? Why do you want to be here? What does that look like? Because one of the things that they aren't super high on, that happens because it's just life, but somebody that's just bouncing around all over the place. They want you to be in that community because it's a community that you love, a community that you want to take care of, a community that you want to serve. So they put a lot of emphasis on that.

So you've got the first part of, Hey, is this the right candidate? And now you go to, Hey, is this the right place for you? So those two combine. If you look at Chick-fil-A's turnover rates, if you look at Chick-fil-A's satisfaction scores, those types of things, that's the secret. Because I think what they understand is, if we make good selections here, yes, somebody might have a learning curve, yeah, somebody might go through peaks and valleys, but they're the right person. We've invested in the right person long-term. And so because of that, this is probably going to go really well in the end. They're banking on the long-term deal.

They're banking on, "Hey, if we get the right person, then we'll figure the rest of it out, but we've got you and you're the right one." I think that's the magic of the process, but it is hard and it is long and it sometimes feels like invasive. Sometimes it feels like you're just out there like, well, I don't really know what's going on here. But it just takes time. They do a very deep dive. Because like I said, when they make the decision, they want it to be right. And they put a lot of emphasis on getting it right on the front end.

Robert Wagner:

So I think the first Don mall stores were in the 1980s, 1986 or whatever. So if we think of that, and I realize there was stores before that, '86, and the operators who were in that wave, we're just now seeing those retired, right?

Bart Milligan:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Robert Wagner:

So this is like going to second and third generation operatorship, if you will. Well, that's still a new thing at Chick-fil-A, right?

Bart Milligan:

Yeah, I think so. There's father, children, groups that exist that has certainly happened in the past. I think you are seeing that become now. Because I think one of the things that are children see in our journey through Chick-fil-A is that it does provide a financial income that provides stability. That brand of Chick-fil-A is very, very strong. And because of that, most operators are not in a situation where they're worried about, Hey, how am I going to put food on the table next week? That combined with the freedom of schedule that they allow us to have, I don't have a boss asking me, "Hey, you left at two o'clock yesterday. What's that all about?" And because of that, I'm able to experience things with my children, whether it's a track me, whether it's a football game, baseball game, whatever it may be, I'm able to experience those things and I don't miss a whole lot of them. So our children see that and they're like, "Wow, this is a pretty cool opportunity. This is a pretty cool deal."

Not to mention, you get to eat lot chicken. Because of those, it really, I think lends itself to a lot of children of operators going, "Wow, that's pretty cool. So you are seeing that happen more and more and more, but yeah, I think the second... There probably is third generation out there, but I don't personally know any. But second generation for sure is a big thing. It's weird for me because I see some of the people that were operators when I first came on 20 plus years ago, and they are transitioning to other things in life, whether it be retirement or volunteer or whatever that may look like. And it's these just monster names, these people that were just heroes, that were whatever, and they're walking away.

I think that's one of the things that Chick-fil-A is going to have to wrestle with, is like, yeah, we're losing people that were connected to Truett at his very core. What does that look like? How do we carry his legacy on? And I know they do a lot of work around that with vision, values, tours, and talking about him and that kind of stuff. But people knew the culture and they known it for a very, very long time. So how do we, as a company not lose that? How do we maintain that? And when you see these just mountaintop guys retiring, it's like, whoa, that's big shoes to feel. Whoa, who's going to do that?

You see it through all sorts of places and over all over the country, because now Chick-fil-A's been expanded for a while. So it's not just the Southeast that's got these put them on the mountain faces. It's some real people. We are seeing that transition a little bit and it's odd because these were my people, these were the ones I looked up to, these were the ones that were leading. So it's unique. And I think it's going to force Chick-fil-A to be very, very intentional about maintaining in the spite of losing that first generation, so to speak.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah. Am I right though, there's no mega franchise guys, right?

Bart Milligan:

Yeah. At this point, Chick-fil-A has used the guideline. I'm not going to say rule because I don't know, to be honest, if it is a exact rule, but I do know it's a guideline that three is the max. So I think they feel like, Hey, based off the way [inaudible 00:25:26], based off the way we evaluate it, three is that max number of where they feel like influence is still very, very strong, community is still very, very tight. That is the general guideline. I want to be careful not to say rule, because I don't want to put words in their mouth, but that is definitely the cap out point, so to speak. So yeah, mega franchises do not exist.

Robert Wagner:

Which is just, again, so very different.

Bart Milligan:

Yes.

Robert Wagner:

HoganTaylor, as a firm, we have clients, family groups and stuff that this is their business. They're franchisees and they own dozens of X, Y, Z franchise and sometimes hundreds even. So again, just a very, very different model. You mentioned just the power of the brand a minute ago and this one thing I wanted to highlight. Of course, Chick-fil-A is well known for not opening on Sundays and people can go understand what that's all about. But just in doing research for our conversation today, there was a comment and something I read about, there's just no exceptions to this.

Bart Milligan:

Correct.

Robert Wagner:

So if you think about... And there's Chick-fil-As in NFL stadiums and they're closed on Sunday.

Bart Milligan:

They are.

Robert Wagner:

And that's when the NFL happens.

Bart Milligan:

Yes.

Robert Wagner:

How do you feel the power of a brand like that? Again, in the business world just negotiating a lease that says, [inaudible 00:27:05] closed-

Bart Milligan:

One of the biggest days of the week.

Robert Wagner:

One of the biggest days of the week. Chick-fil-A is known as a huge following in the Christian world. Some of these would be huge for them just with their loyal rating customers. So how do you feel the power of the brand, I guess?

Bart Milligan:

Yeah. As they go through the selection process, I think one of the things that stands out is, are you in alignment with where we are? Are you in alignment with our brand? I think anybody that knows Chick-fil-A knows that very, very early on, Truett established this as a pillar of success. I think it can be debated as to, Hey, is this about rest? Is this about church? What is this about? I think the answer is yes to all of them. But at the end of the day, it was a pillar that he... If you look at business models, most people have some pillar that they built their business on. This was one of his, and so you're right.

There are no negotiations, there are no exceptions, there's no thing. And because of that, I think it gives us a platform. Because I think oftentimes people don't always agree with everything Chick-fil-A says or don't even agree with things that I say or do, but I think most people respect the fact that you stand for something. I may not like it. I may not think it's right. I may think, good Lord, you're missing a whole bunch of money here. But at the end of the day, you're standing for something and I respect that. I think that's connected us to both the Christian and the secular world of like, that's pretty impressive because you are foregoing a lot. And I think that the goodwill that it builds in our teams to know that, Hey, on Sunday, I'm going to be able to be with my family. I'm going to be able to rest.

What you choose to do with that day obviously is on your decision. But I think the fact that Truett established this is a pillar, it gives us a fantastic platform to be able to do that for our team. It gives us a thing in the community. If you're at the store on a Sunday, having a meeting or cleaning up or just swinging by or whatever, you're going to see people come in and you know they're frustrated and you know they're like, "What? Oh man, it's Sunday." They forget. Yeah, in that moment, there probably is some frustration around, "I just came to this drive through and it's closed. God, that's what I really wanted." But I think there's also a piece of that that's like, man, I'm a little bit proud of you. That's pretty cool.

So, because it's something that resonates, because it's something that people can respect, I think it just builds on that power. But I think the fact that Chick-fil-A is able to go in and say, "Hey, this is what we are, this is what we do," I think really stems from the fact that on certain pillars of the business, on certain pillars of who we are, the Cathy family, especially, has established the fact that these are non-negotiables. And if you want to be with us, sorry, but you're going to have to get on board. We're not bending this for anybody at any time. The fact that the brand stands for things, like I said, agreed or not agreed, but the fact that it stands for things, I think has given people a tremendous amount of respect for it.

I think that has allowed God to look at it and go, "Wow, this is pretty cool. This business is going to have my hand of blessing on it." And I think if you look at Chick-fil-A's history, if you look at Chick-fil-A's past, if you look at what has happened, the fact that God's hand is on the business is undeniable. God has blessed it because I think Truett made these pillars. And I think that when the brand is blessed and the brand resonates with people, one of the things that the brand is really trying to pursue right now is, "Hey, we want to be a voice of care in the community. We want to be a voice of, people know that we want something better than just good. We want something great for people. We want to serve people great. We want to see great things done in our communities."

SO it just keeps resonating one after the other from multiple different ways. And I think it has just steamrolled into this powerhouse brand, which quite honestly, I think a lot of it has to do what people are looking at and going, one, wow, that's successful, two, wow. I respect what they're doing. I respect the decisions that they've made. I respect the fact that some things are just non-negotiable. That's pretty cool because in this day and age, so much of the world is like, "Hey, I don't want to offend people. I don't want to... So we just end up trying to please everybody.

I think Chick-fil-A has done a pretty good job of saying, "Hey, we want everybody to be happy. We want everybody to feel cared for. But if you want to be with us, if you want to ride with us, there's some pillars here that aren't negotiable." So we're going to be about closed on Sundays. We're going to be about being a faithful steward to what God has entrusted to us. We're going to be about these pillars. I think it's just steamrolled into this massive brand that people respect and admire and I want to be affiliated with.

Robert Wagner:

Right. Right. Very good. Okay. So the customer experience is also well known at Chick-fil-A and people ask themselves, they ask their friends this question all the time, how do you do it? You're drawing from the same well of talent that everyone else is. How do you get this customer experience from really young people?

Bart Milligan:

That's true. Sometimes we have 15 year olds trying to lead the experience that we expect. I think at the very, very basic point of it, I think the expectation has been set that this is just what we do. This is just who we are. This is one of those pillars of the business. If you look at Chick-fil-A's decisions for innovation, for pioneering, for all of these things, they all go back to research around, Hey, how is this going to impact the customer experience? That's the filter, at the end of the day, that Chick-fil-A runs everything through. What is this going to do to this customer at this store? Are they going to like this?

They have done this many times where they have made it decision that probably wasn't the most popular because it didn't enhance the customer experience. It didn't make what they wanted better. At the very core of it, it's just like, this is who we are. And you hear it all the time in every meeting and every seminar and everything, it is drilled into us at every angle. The experience is the difference maker. The experience is what we're all about. The experience, the experience, the experience. I think that's what establishes it. And I think then you transition to the partnership that we're in with Chick-fil-A in which they select people that are like-minded. They select people that we know the value of it. We know that this is a staple to the business. This is something that we need to be about if we're going to be successful.

Then it transitions to the local operator. Because at the end of the day, we really have freedom to design our customer experience under the guidelines of what their parameters are. But we have the ability to design our customer experience whatever way we choose. So if they hadn't selected well, you'd have a lot of operators out there that'd be like, "Hey, I don't care. Just do whatever, it's on you." But because they've selected well, are there exceptions to every rule? Sure. But the vast majority of us are like-minded in the sense that, Hey, this is a staple to our local business and wealth.

So it's established at the root of it corporately, it's established through like-minded selection locally, and then it's on us to lead that. So for me personally, I have modeled my guest experience off of a book by Andy Stanley called Deep and Wide. In this book, he talks about how he... Some of the chapters, I should say, not the whole book, but some of the chapters talk about how he was very, very intentional about selecting in doing and how he figured out how to best accommodate the people. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, from traffic, what are they seeing? What are they-

Robert Wagner:

Andy Stanley's a pastor of North Point Church, right?

Bart Milligan:

Yes. In Atlanta, Georgia.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah.

Bart Milligan:

Uh-huh (affirmative). Son of Charles, Dr. Charles Stanley, but very, very successful, has a tremendous business influence, tremendous leadership influence. So even if you're not a Christian person, the book is legit. I've modeled it after that. So it's a mentality of when that customer pulls in to when this customer leaves, what are they seeing? What are their eyes seeing? Are they seeing chaos? Are they seeing clutter? What are they seeing? What are they getting? What value is there? They are giving us their hard earned money. What are we giving them in return? Are we tossing a five hour old chicken sandwich at them and saying, "Hey, good luck. Don't chip a tooth." What is the value that we're providing in looking at what the experience is with the team?

Because as customers, we know that if I walk up to the counter, and I don't care if you're 15 or you're 55, and you're just a jerk and I'm inconvenience in you, I'm done. We're done here. I got the message. I promise I'll try not to come back. So it's training at the store level, it's training at the 15... We have some corporate training models, but at the end of the day, we adapt it to what fits our style and that kind of thing. Everybody's training, well, it's a little bit different, but there are some core pieces that are coming from corporate in which that's just drilled into the team member and it's modeled. I think that's one of the things that for me, is that I want to model it, but I also want every person that is in leadership there, because we all are setting the tone. And if we set the tone and we say, "Hey, this is what it means to be part of our group because we're the leaders. So you have to follow if you want to be part of this group." Leaders that model that...

I'm very intentional about not saying, Hey, everybody has to have a smile from ear to ear and be super chipper and Hey, how are you doing? Because that's not people's style. We encourage people to be like, you have to serve, you have to be kind, but do it in your way. The only exception into that obviously is my pleasure because that'll get you in trouble real quick. So people aren't saying my pleasure, but with the exception of that, we want people to feel freedom to do what they see needs to be done. Whether that's, Hey it's somebody's birthday and I'm a 16-year-old team member having the freedom to go, "Hey, you know what, I'm going to give that 80-year-old lady that's celebrating her birthday in the dining room today, I'm going to give her an ice cream. You're not going to get in trouble for that. You're going to get rewarded for that type of behavior. So, modeling that, rewarding that.

At the end of the day, probably the last thing I would say is that it goes back to selection of our teams. If you look at most operators, they're very, very intentional about who's selecting that team. And it's typically a person that understands the culture, understands what we're looking for, understands, Hey, you may have some quirks, you may have some differences, but at the end of the day, you get what we need you to get. So we're very, very intentional about... And I'll say that in this day and age, with the labor market, the way that it is, that's gotten harder. We have to sometimes take some risk on some people that maybe we think we can get them there or maybe we think with training they'll get bought in. But even in this day and age with that mentality of, it's hard. Like, Hey, if you can fog a mirror, you might be working next week, you want the uniform today.

That's the reality of the state that we're in. But even in spite of that, we're still trying to maintain those standards of, are you getting the right person? Because that goes back to the corporate belief of if we get the operator right, then everything else will fall into place. So we as operators take that same mentality of, if we get that right, we're going to be way better off down the road. Sometimes that costs us a little bit more, sometimes that requires a little bit more investment. Sometimes that requires a little bit more development. A lot of times that requires more of our investment, but that's one of the beauties of the Chick-fil-A model, is that because we're not worrying about, Hey, let me negotiate paprika, we have more time to focus on those aspects of the business.

Robert Wagner:

Got you. Got you. So last Chick-fil-A question, what'd you learn during the pandemic?

Bart Milligan:

Be flexible. I think that was probably the thing that I would say was the biggest learning because customer requests, almost say demands, the customer requests changed. We went from a hospitality, come in here and let us love on you and let's all be together mentality to, Hey, I'm a little bit fearful of you getting too close to me. I don't really understand this virus and I just need to stay away because I got to go home to my family and I got to go home to my grandparents or whatever. That little bit of fear, but that cautiousness really altered, Hey, what are customer's expectations? What are they really looking for now? And I think it drastically changed. We had to adapt and say, "Hey, loving on, on you in the dining room maybe a little bit of a thing of the past right now, but Hey, we can find ways to appreciate you when you're really pretty much just driving through and we're just throwing the food in the car because we don't want to breathe on each other. We don't want to pass something."

So we had to adapt and we had to figure out, Hey, customers' requests are changing very, very quickly and if we want to be successful, we had to adapt quick. And I think for the most part, most people in the Chick-fil-A world figured it out. But I think some of that also goes back to the selection process that corporate goes through. They select people that aren't going to accept, Hey, we're just stuck. So I guess we're just going to have to close the doors. That's just not in most operators' DNA. That's just not how we're hardwired. We were going to figure it out. Yeah. And so, because of that, I think most Chick-fil-As we're able to figure out a way to be successful.

When we came out the other side, I think we are seeing now that customers' expectations are again changing a little bit and there's some aspects to the pandemic style of, "Hey, don't really look at me because I don't know that I want to make eye contact." So there's some aspects of that have lingered on, but there's also some aspects of wanting to go back to feeling normal and feeling like, Hey, I'm sitting in the dying room again and, Hey, I'm with people and there's life and there's energy. I think one of the things that's neat for me personally, is to see people back in the dining room and seeing the energy in the life, because I'm big on when I walk into a place, being able to sense there's something positive going on here. There's something good. I want to be part of this.

I think because as the dining rooms have reopened and there is that coming back, it's like, oh this is cool. This is that energy. This is that thing that's been missing through the pandemic. So for me, I'm grateful that it is coming back around that. But I do think there are aspects that people are cool with. They're excited that they stuck around because they figured out that, Hey, being able to put an order in at my house and tell you that I'm going to come at some point and I'm going to go run a few errands and I got my kids in my car, and then I'll pull onto your parking lot and then magically, somehow everything's just ready to go.

I think customers have gone, "Wow, that's a cool experience in this moment or in this setting." So we've had to adapt, we've had to figure it out. But I think flexibility was probably the key because there were some instances when it first started happening, it was almost like, Hey, I don't know if I want to leave my house. I don't know if I even feel good about putting my team out there in danger. If that was my child, would I want them doing that? So early on it was very tricky. And then it proceeded to more of a comfortability as people began to understand the virus, how it worked and that kind of stuff. I think it did help that it made opportunities to be successful a little bit easier, but we were just having to flow and figure it out.

We came up with new ways to do the drive through, new ways to get the food, new ways to do this. At Tulsa Hills, we had people running out crazy places, jumping, flying through the air, all sorts of stuff, but it really put us in that sweet spot with customers where I think customers responded positively to it like, "Hey, they care about me. Hey, they are intentional about trying to still provide a service to me and I'm cool." I think we were rewarded for that as well.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah. All right. Bart, fascinating conversation. I appreciate so much of the insights into all things Chick-fil-A and this success that you've had, the success the brands had. So it's great conversation. So we're getting down to the end, but we do have five questions we ask every guest.

Bart Milligan:

Oh-oh.

Robert Wagner:

All right. You ready?

Bart Milligan:

I'm ready.

Robert Wagner:

Okay. So what was the first way you made money?

Bart Milligan:

Cutting grass.

Robert Wagner:

Okay.

Bart Milligan:

My grandfather lived in a neighborhood, and so super, super amazing guy. He would come and pick me up from my parents' house or my parents would meet him or my parents would drop him off or whatever. And he would take me around and he'd drop me off and he would give me a gas can, a rake and a lawnmower, push mower, and I would literally walk up to doors, knock on the door, ask people in their neighborhood, "Hey, could I cut your grass? Is there a job that I could do?" Sometimes they would give it to me. Sometimes I got the old slam the door in the face, get out of here little kid. And then I would come home and my grandmother had this little red book, I think I still have it, in which she taught me how to account for the revenues coming in and the expenses going out. That started when I was, I believe, 11. That was the beginning of it for me.

Robert Wagner:

Wow. Not many people get cold calling and accounting in the same-

Bart Milligan:

Yeah. The same experience with their grandparents.

Robert Wagner:

That was awesome. Wow. We had a lot of law knowing, but not the cold calling case. So if you were not a Chick-fil-A operator, what do you think you would be doing?

Bart Milligan:

Ooh, it's good question. I think it would be coaching of some sort. Because one of the things that I think I get tremendous enjoyment out of is working with somebody, getting to know them at the store. Maybe they've had questions about school or maybe they have questions about something personal, maybe they have questions about leadership, or maybe they have questions about whatever it may be and getting to do my best to answer those or do my best to lead them or connect them to the right person in the right place. I get tremendous fulfillment out of seeing that accomplished in that journey. I think it would involve coaching of some aspect. Now whether that's business coaching, whether that's basketball or base or whatever, I don't know, but I think coaching of some sort.

Robert Wagner:

Got you. Got you. All right. What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Bart Milligan:

I think I would really want to teach my 20-year-old self that it's my responsibility to do things to the best of my ability. But at the end of the day, it needs to be my desire, your desire to pursue God's plan ultimately. Because if you are not in the center of that, real joy, real happiness, real satisfaction is happening. You hear people talk about, well, if you find something that you love, then you'll never work another day in your life and all that. I think it's really bigger than that. I think it's really more when you find the place that God has led you, that's when it really connects. And I think for me, it took me a while to figure that out and it had some pit stops and some journeys, but I think at the end of the day, what really I wish I would've known then is put your nose to the ground.

Get after it, work hard, do everything to the best of your ability, but pursue God's plan and let him direct your path. Because I think too many times I try to take control and I try to say, "Oh, well this is going to be great. Oh, I can make a lot of money here. Man, this is such a status thing if I can get to this point." I think I was driven by my own control and by my own desire to attain certain things. And it wasn't until probably I was really, honestly, it was probably in my 30s, early 30s that I really began to realize, just stop, work hard, do your best, but just trust God's plan. Because if you can find that, you're good. Peace is coming. I think that's probably what I would say to myself.

Robert Wagner:

Very good. That's really good stuff. So what will the title of your book be?

Bart Milligan:

Probably don't take yourself too serious. I think that is my, as I've gotten older, I think that's just the thing that I've realized, is I'm really not that big a deal. You're not. In the gram scheme of things, we're a blip on the radar. And if I'm caught up in what I've accomplished or what I may have done or not done, or who I've met or who I've not met and I get caught up in those things, it robs me from seeing real people and being on real journeys and understanding real situations. I think for me, that's what I want to be about. I don't want to take myself so seriously and think that, man, I've gotten to a certain point or, oh, I've accomplished so much. No, you really didn't. You put your nose to the ground and you were blessed and you got at least close enough to God's plan for it to work out pretty well for you. So let's don't make this more than what it really is.

This was God's design. This was what he... So when he gave you something, you did at least well enough with the little things to get bigger things. So let's remember that and let's don't think about, oh, well, man, it was my wisdom. Oh, it was that chart that I wrote out. Not really. Yeah, God laid that on your heart. But at the end of the day, let's be real where this comes from. I think for me, that would be the thing that, don't take yourself too serious.

Robert Wagner:

Got you. All right, last question.

Bart Milligan:

All right.

Robert Wagner:

So what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Bart Milligan:

I think it would center around prioritization of what's really the most important thing. One of the Cathy sons is Bubba Cathy. And one of the things that he talks about are the three Ms. And if I've heard it once, I've heard it 1,000 times in which he talks about selecting your master. Who is your master ultimately? Who is your mate? And what is your mission?

Robert Wagner:

Got you.

Bart Milligan:

I think that has resonated with me tremendously because once you select your master and you realize that, Hey, I do serve a risen Lord, that's what I'm about. At the end of the day, you can strip everything else away, but that's what it's about. And then obviously met Shelly, we've been married almost 20 years and the blessings and the things of life that have come, they have just the made it so much better. Our children, that all came from selecting the right mate.

And then the mission. What are you going to be about at the end of the day? Because you're going to be here for maybe 100 years if you're lucky. That's a long time. What are you going to be about? I'm 48 years old. Oh, no. Yeah, I'm 48 now. I'll be 49 in September. But you are getting on up there. What's your mission? What are you trying to accomplish? What were you placed on this earth for? I think hearing, and I don't know if Bubba is the originator of that, but that's the one that I've always heard say that a thousand times, choose your master, choose your mate, choose your mission. I think that would be some pretty cool things to live by.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah. All right. Again, Bart, thanks so much for the time. Really fascinating conversation. I encourage folks obviously to, if you're in the Tulsa area, stop by the Tulsa Hill store. There's another one out in Glenpool. So eat more chicken, right?

Bart Milligan:

Exactly. We appreciate it. Thanks for the time and the opportunity to come in and answer a few questions.

Robert Wagner:

Yeah. Thanks, Bart, appreciate it. That's all for this episode of "How That Happened." Thank you for listening. Be sure to visit howthathappened.com for show notes and additional episodes. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher. Thanks again for listening. This content is for information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Copyright 2022, HoganTaylor LLP. All rights reserved. To view the HoganTaylor general terms and conditions, visit hogantaylor.com.