What You Need to Know
Processing payroll is never easy, but it can be especially fraught when your workforce stretches across multiple states and changes jobs frequently. That’s the situation faced by many companies that run Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs). Primarily described as fast food outlets, these QSR chains face a number of common challenges, such as recruiting, hiring, and retention, while complying with the regulations of the different jurisdictions they serve.
Among those companies is Leemar United Group, which operates 26 El Pollo Loco and Farmer Boys restaurants in California, Utah, and Colorado. Like others in the space, Leemar United heavily relies on technology, not only in addressing the details of the business but in its recruiting and workforce management, as well.
Compliance is particularly challenging for QSRs, which usually operate in multiple jurisdictions. Just keeping up with payroll is another priority because QSR employees frequently change jobs. That’s an important consideration: Because of their regular, up-close interactions with customers, employees are integral to the QSR’s success. The employees who take orders, assemble dishes, and address problems on the fly are more than “the face” of the restaurant. Their performance is an important reason behind how customers feel about a brand and become regular visitors.
The industry’s financial dynamics present other complications. QSRs operate with low margins, so managing people-related costs can mean the difference between a healthy and a struggling business. That means employers worry about even small details of the employee experience, in addition to facing the complexities of payroll.
Of course, employees don’t consider payroll to be a “small detail.” Even if the difference in wages between employers is minimal, employees and employers both want the process to be as timely, accurate, and simple as possible. That’s particularly challenging in California, where laws and regulations frequently change, and employers are expected to keep up.
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