Undercover Boss Analysis of Rick Silva: CEO of Checkers & Rally’s

Brief Overview:

In this week’s episode of “Undercover Boss”,  Rick Silva, CEO of the fast food restaurant chains Checkers and Rally’s, goes undercover as “Alex Garcia” to gain a better understanding of the inner workings of his company.

Analysis

This branch was in some deep fried doo-doo.

Position 1: Grill and Fry Station Crew Member

Overview: Todd trains Rick to use the grill and fry station.

Result: Rick struggles to get the cooking timer use correctly from Todd. Further investigation leads Rick to discover that Todd was never actually trained to do so, much like the rest of the staff – in fact, neither was the general manager!  It turns out that he’d only had the job for maybe 6 weeks, and the previous manager never provided him with the training he clearly needed.

Rick overhears the manager ridiculing and speaking the crew in a very disrespectful manner, and it pushes him over the top. In one of the more memorable Undercover Boss moments, Rick drops the charade and reveals to the entire crew that he’s the CEO, and that this branch is being shut down immediately.

How he made amends: Rick sets a new company wide mandate that requires every new employee to be trained on the company values, and how to respect one another.

Todd is provided a full scholarship to go back to school to earn a culinary degree. He is also awarded $15,000 to help take care of his family at home.

What he should have done: Shutting down the branch immediately was quite the bold decision. That being said, it was a correct one. How many repeat customers would you expect selling burnt burgers and soggy fries? Every schoolboy knows its much easier to keep a loyal customer than to earn a new one.

Rick was also right in determining that it was not Todd or the other crew members faults. Without proper training, what more could have been expected from them? Get them some real training before making any hasty decisions.

Peek a boo.

Position 2: General Manager

Overview: Joyce shows Rick the general duties of a general manager, specifically taking orders through the window and intercom systems.

Result: Joyce is bursting with charisma, and Rick is certainly aware. He finds it terribly hard to hear through the old speaker system. (And all this time, I thought fast food joints were just messing up my order for the heck of it.)

Rick learns that Joyce has run into some tough times recently, including losing both her parents, and her brother. On top of this, she is struggling to stay afloat financially. Somehow she manages to stay joyful and full of energy through the midnight graveyard shift. She also has a number of great marketing ideas, that are probably overlooked by corporate because they might be too focused on her local area.

How he made amends: Rick replaces the antique speaker system, and institutes a new general managers counsel, in which managers like Joyce have an opportunity to describe their thoughts and ideas to executive management. Joyce is awarded a $10,000 for all that she has done for the company, and another bonus $10,000 that Rick requires that she spend on herself, rather than caring for others as she normally might do.

What he should have done: Rick was presented with essentially two main issues: how to solve the speaker system problem, and how to capitalize on Joyce’s ideas. He came up with fine answers for both.

Johanna ramps up the assembly line.

Position 3: Sandwich Maker

Overview: Rick tries his luck as a sandwich maker under the guidance of Johanna.

Result: Rick finds it very difficult to keep up with the pace, while Johanna has no trouble at all, and even multitasks.

Rick learns that Johanna and the other crew members find it unfair that the managers have an incentive program but not the crew members. She notes that many other fast food business pay more for the same role. When asked if she ever thought about pursuing a career as a manager, she replies that she’d consider it, but without a reliable means of transportation, it probably was not feasible.

How he made amends: Rick decides to institute an incentive program for not only managers, but crew members as well. Rick also informs Johanna that she is promoted to a manager-in-training position (with more compensation), and that he will be personally mentoring her as she works her way up in the company. Johanna is also awarded $20k to assist with her vehicle trouble.

What he should have done: Every good manager knows how incentives work. Need some instant motivation? Perhaps you just want to make sure your star employees don’t leave for greener pastures? Either way – incentives work. Rick knows it, and acts on it.

Grade:

Order up.

Rick Silva earned an “A” grade for hisappearance on Undercover Boss.

Rick was faced with one of the more challenging scenarios ever showcased on Undercover Boss during his first position, and right out of the gate starts pulling ahead big time. He comes off perhaps more genuine than some of the previous bosses. He earned a few bonus points for his disguise – a realistic stick-on mustache and hairpiece.

Rick – treat yourself to a Big Buford, on us.

Don’t like our grade? Drop us a rebuttal, and leave a comment below.

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