How a National Role Model in Restaurant Management Makes “Impact Globally”

Baldrige Award-winning K&N Management—developer of the Mighty Fine Burgers, Fries and Shakes fast-casual restaurant brand based in Austin, Texas—is featured in the cover story of the October/November 2016 issue of Facilitator, a trade publication for members of the Restaurant Facility Management Association.

Among other unique practices of the small business, K&N Management’s cross-sector training program for other organizations is highlighted in the article, “Pursuit of Excellence” (pages 54–63). Offerings include a half-day workshop on customer service. For more in-depth learning, one- and two-day sessions teach about the company’s Business Excellence Model, its focus on continuous improvement, and its strategic planning and other processes, which are aligned with the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The longer training also allows participants to experience K&N Management’s “guest-delight culture” through a tour of its restaurants.

The article notes that K&N Management’s brand director Allyson Young launched the training in response to the widespread interest expressed by other organizations in benchmarking the business’s processes and results after it won national recognition through the Baldrige Award in 2010. “More than 1,400 people from 70 organizations have enrolled in the training sessions,” states Facilitator staff writer Sherleen Mahoney. “While the majority were from the restaurant industry, Young has trained attendees from defense companies, schools, hair salons, video gaming companies, and hospitals and clinics.”

Mahoney also details the small business’s commitment to supporting local community organizations through volunteering and monetary donations. For example, Mahoney reports that for four years, Mighty Fine Burgers has helped raise funds that provide free breakfasts and after-school and summer meals for kids in need, as well as groceries to stock local food pantries in Texas. In addition, as part of its primary partnership with another charity, the company matches its employees’ monthly donations of more than $2,500 to provide various forms of care for children in Africa. Mahoney concludes that the Baldrige Award recipient’s commitment to quality in its restaurant business combined with its charitable giving are making “an important impact globally.”

K&N Management Co-Owner Ken Schiller said his business is “honored and thrilled” about the new article, adding that he particularly likes the title, “Pursuit of Excellence,” that describes the ongoing focus of Mighty Fine and K&N Management. “Since receiving the Baldrige Award in 2010 we have continued to rigorously apply the [Baldrige Excellence Framework] criteria to every aspect of our organization. As a result, we have continued to improve and innovate and have moved the needle in meaningful ways across our company,” said Schiller, who also is serving a three-year term on the Judges’ Panel for the Baldrige Award. “It has also been our pleasure to share our best practices and the Baldrige framework with organizations of all sizes and industries from around the world.”