The holidays are an extra-special time to be a part of the HoneyBaked family. It’s a time where we all share the Christmas spirit, from our franchisees, to HoneyBaked associates, to, of course, our customers. William Smith, our franchisee in Shreveport, Louisiana, is the perfect example of how the HoneyBaked holiday spirit touches every member of the HoneyBaked family.
Franchisees
“My favorite memory of the holidays at Honeybaked is actually a collection of years of the same event. My daughter and I are always the last two people at HoneyBaked on Christmas Eve. We started this tradition about 10 years ago when she was a young teenager. She would wrap all the gifts I had purchased for my wife in the last hour we were open.”
More family time is one of the biggest motivators for leaving the corporate world behind and forging a path to business ownership. And William’s story proves that even during HoneyBaked’s busiest season, there is always time to make memories with your loved ones.
Customers
“We also began a tradition, at the same time, of giving the very last customer on Christmas Eve their order free, no matter what they intended to purchase. My favorite memory is the annual blessing of seeing the emotion this created in our customers. The spirit of generosity elicits emotion in people at Christmas in a unique way and it’s always a blessing to experience this. We’ve never had a repeat; we have earned some permanent business with it, though. We have one lady that comes in every year that just cried like a baby the year she was the last customer—which was probably between 2011 – 2013. She had lost her job that week. She did get back on her feet and comes in every year now to buy a ham and always asks to see me. It’s kind of a gift that keeps on giving. In that last hour of Christmas Eve, many of those customers are stretching that last available dollar to get something good to eat for Christmas — you can just tell. We often try to do something a little extra for those folks. My daughter, who is now an adult, and I will never forget these experiences and the blessing those moments were.”
Giving. That is the meaning of the holiday season. And our franchisees, like William, know the impact a gift can have. Not only will you make someone’s holiday, but you might just earn a life-long customer. The holidays are an excellent time to honor HoneyBaked’s value of community service and build valuable customer relationships.
Associates
“Something else I always do now—I got this from our Annual Conference one year— I give each associate at Thanksgiving and Christmas peaks a ‘delight’ budget, so they can find those customers they can really make a difference with. It gives my associates the ability to give something away without getting permission (which makes it a policy). Honestly, this blesses some of my associates as much as it does the customer. I’ve had associates have to leave the counter in tears to go gather themselves before they resume work. It has to be spontaneous and you have to have associates that are empathetic enough to recognize the opportunity.”
By empowering his associates to make a difference during the holidays, William is able to touch even more families each year. If you are ready to be a part of a franchise that truly shines during the holiday season, reach out to our franchise development team to start your journey toward HoneyBaked ownership.
