Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite
How We’re Pivoting Our Sandwich Chain to Avoid Layoffs
After sales plunged 40% in one month, a Midwest franchise grapples with how to hold onto talent
For Christine Specht, there has never been life without Cousins Subs. Her father, Bill, co-founded the Milwaukee-based sub sandwich chain in 1972, two years before she was born. She joined as the company’s human resources manager in 2001, became the COO in 2008 during the Great Recession, and took over as CEO in 2015, after her father retired. Now, as the pandemic has gutted much of the restaurant industry, Specht is fighting to keep the doors open. Her company’s sales have plummeted 40% over the past month, and 11 of the company’s 72 franchises have shuttered. Specht is now working out of the company’s corporate office in the greater Milwaukee area, while her husband J.J. stays home with their two young sons, ages 4 and 7, while school is shut down. Specht spoke with Marker about the importance of doing everything possible to hang on to your team during a crisis.
During the financial crisis I was COO of Cousins Subs, and that was a wild time. We ended up consolidating our franchise partners and focusing on a remodeling initiative to strengthen our brand. From 2011 to 2016 we closed…
