News Briefs

Encore, a global event technology and production services provider, confirmed today the launch of its pioneering ‘Overtime Savings Program’ in the United States, along with additional people-first programs to further support its ongoing workforce in a seasonal industry.

Powered by UKG’s payroll technology, this first-of-its-kind program aims to enhance financial wellness and stability for Encore’s frontline employees, many of whom work in markets that experience seasonal ebb and flow of business volumes.

With 12,000 team members providing event technology and production services at 2,200 hotels and conference venues in 20 countries, Encore faces the same challenges common in the hospitality industry. Seasonal fluctuations often result in workers’ hours varying from ample overtime during peak times to reduced schedules in off-season periods. This seasonality makes it difficult for workers to maintain consistent earnings and creates challenges for companies to retain talent in the off season.

“Encore has always believed its team members are the heart of our story. This people-first mindset motivates us to constantly evolve our team member experience and innovate around challenges, like the impact of seasonality, that the industry previously viewed as immutable,” said Ben Erwin, president and CEO of Encore.

In addition to the Overtime Savings Program, the company launched a Seasonal Leave of Absence Program, which offers team members the flexibility to take time off during slower seasons while retaining full benefits, accruing paid time off, and maintaining their tenure. This unique program enables employees to explore other work opportunities, pursue education, or focus on personal goals without sacrificing benefits or career progression. Both the Overtime Savings and Seasonal Leave of Absence Programs are active nationwide, with plans for global expansion.

“We established the program as another way to support our team members so that they can be at their best in delivering for our customers,” Erwin added. “With this innovation, they can better plan and save their premium overtime pay for periods of the year when they might not work as many hours. Providing this capability and funding a company-paid match for a portion of the savings should motivate financial wellness and enable them to continue to build their career with Encore. Team member reactions tell us we are onto something,” he said.

With a launch just after Labor Day, usage of the UKG Wallet™ increased tenfold compared to the prior year’s period. he company offered an initial savings match, similar to a 401k program incentive match, to reward healthy financial behavior.

“Financial stress is not a problem isolated to our industry, it’s a stressor for nearly everyone,” said Charlie Young, chief human resources officer at Encore. “Nearly 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck¹ and Americans spent $9B in bank overdraft fees in 2023. The more we can do to reduce stress for our team members, the more focused they can be on our customers. We are successful in the event production business because of the unique combination of our technical expertise, hospitality mindset and ability to work under pressure and through challenges. Seasonal fluctuations are part of our business, but with a partner like UKG that understands every industry has unique challenges, we were able to innovate to support those unique needs to make our team members’ lives better.”

Cody Browne, a technical lead with five years of service for Encore in Las Vegas, said he will try the Overtime Savings program, in addition to accruing and saving his Paid Time Off, for the slow season in December in Las Vegas. He hopes the vacation time, in addition to the saved overtime funds, will afford him an out-of-state vacation to visit family. “I love that Encore is creating new opportunities, that’s one of the reasons I am interested in growing my career here,” he said.

Epson's  new TrueOrder™ Kitchen Display System (KDS) is now available on select hardware from Elo. TrueOrder KDS is an affordable, simple and easy-to-install kitchen display system for restaurant workflow needs and is available on the Elo I-Series with Linux touchscreen computer and Elo Backpack   Linux PC for touchscreens.

Ideal for quick-service restaurant (QSR) and small-restaurant environments, the easy-to-use KDS solution digitizes kitchen operations to help enhance productivity, from food prep to order fulfillment. Offering several features to help boost kitchen experiences, including custom views for the kitchen, expediter and customer-facing stations – all with intuitive touch control – the availability of TrueOrder KDS on Elo devices gives customers more opportunities to easily digitize kitchen operations.

“Elo has a long history of providing rugged, industrial-grade products designed to withstand the demanding environments of commercial kitchens. Our unified architecture enables restaurants to unite tableside ordering, POS, self-service and food preparation within a single hardware line up,” said Kristin Roubie, director, Business Development, Elo. “Our new partnership with Epson complements our offerings to create an intuitive, out-of-the-box KDS solution that will greatly benefit fast-paced quick-service restaurants.”

Adding to Epson’s existing TrueOrder KDS offerings from Microtouch and Logic Controls, this partnership with Elo gives customers more options for implementing the intuitive and robust TrueOrder KDS software. TrueOrder KDS is easy to set up and can be customized to fit a kitchen’s workflow with easy-to-use, browser-based configuration utility.  The system can support as many as nine stations throughout the kitchen, to help ensure order information is handled by the right station.

“There is an increased need to optimize kitchen efficiency, especially managing orders coming from a wide range of third-party ordering and delivery apps,” said Tessa Kohl, product manager, Epson America, Inc. “We are excited to partner with Elo to add TrueOrder KDS to their existing options of robust solutions that can withstand the hard environment of kitchens.”

For more information about TrueOrder KDS, visit www.epson.com/kds.

3Natives, a Florida-based nutrition-focused concept, announces its collaboration with GiftAMeal, an innovative cause-marketing program that turns customer photos into meals for local families in need. GiftAMeal will be implemented at 38 3Natives locations, marking a significant step forward in their shared mission to combat hunger and support local communities.

Renowned for their fresh, high quality menu of açaí bowls, smoothies, juices, wraps, and salads, 3Natives offers nutritious, fast-casual dining options and is not only committed to satisfying taste buds but also to making a positive impact in the neighborhoods it serves. This partnership comes at a time when many of 3Natives’ neighbors need it most after suffering devastating impacts from Hurricane Helene. Through this strategic partnership with GiftAMeal, 3Natives customers can play a direct role in supporting their local communities. Guests are invited to scan a GiftAMeal QR code at 3Natives and upload a photo of their food, drink, or even a selfie. For every customer photo, a donation will be made to a nearby food bank, covering the cost of distributing one meal’s worth of healthy groceries to a neighborhood pantry.

"We’re thrilled to partner with GiftAMeal to make a difference in the communities we serve,” says Brittney Scott, 3Natives Director of Marketing. “This partnership gives our guests a meaningful way to give back locally by simply snapping photos of their 3Natives experience, while also amplifying our brand through increased social media engagement. We love how GiftAMeal aligns with our commitment to fresh, healthy food and community impact, and we can’t wait to see the positive difference we can make together!"

GiftAMeal recently celebrated a milestone, surpassing 2,200,000 meals provided, equivalent to 2,640,000 pounds of food through its platform. The collaboration with 3Natives is expected to significantly contribute to this growing impact, fostering a strong sense of community engagement and social responsibility.

"We’re excited to partner with 3Natives to offer a simple way for diners to support their communities,” says Andrew Glantz, GiftAMeal CEO. “With many still recovering from Hurricane Helene, this initiative serves as a reminder of how small actions, like sharing a selfie, can make a meaningful impact right where it's needed."

GiftAMeal and 3Natives invite the community to join them in making a difference one photo at a time. Together, they aim to create a ripple effect of positive change, turning shared moments into tangible support for those facing food insecurity.

Brinker International announces the appointment of Mike Wesley as Vice President of Marketing for Maggiano's Little Italy. In this role, Wesley will be instrumental in further amplifying and building the Maggiano's brand as it enters its next era of classic Italian American dining, driving key marketing and promotional strategies. 

Wesley's passion and guidance will be pivotal in the evolution of Maggiano's culinary offerings and dining standards, which has been in motion since the appointment of Dominique Bertolone as Maggiano's Little Italy's President last year and more recently, the addition of Chef Anthony Amoroso, VP of Innovation and Growth.

"We couldn't be more pleased to welcome Mike to Maggiano's and know his experience will provide valuable insights to guide the brand toward new heights of growth and success as we craft this next chapter of the Maggiano's story," said Dominique Bertolone, President, Maggiano's Little Italy, and SVP, Brinker International. "We are certain that his visionary leadership style combined with his experience in driving brand relevance will enable us to elevate our marketing strategy in the months and years to come."

Wesley joins Maggiano's after a 14-year tenure at Yum! Brands, where he most recently served as VP of Brand Marketing, KFC U.S., strategizing key initiatives across the national calendar, including notable menu and brand innovations. Before Wesley transitioned into the food service industry, he held brand positions at Procter & Gamble in the North America Oral Health and Global Home Care categories, where he led strategies to enhance brand awareness, loyalty, and market share.

"This is an exciting time at Maggiano's, and I am looking forward to working with the team to continue building upon the great progress they have made, while finding new opportunities to celebrate this iconic Italian American brand," said Wesley. "I have had a lifelong passion for hospitality, having grown up in the restaurant industry working alongside my father. My experience at KFC allowed me to partner with various disciplines in service of creating great products and experiences for our restaurants. This next phase of my career certainly builds upon that passion, and I look forward to opportunity to work with all of the amazing Maggiano's Team Members."

Year over year, restaurants saw growth in both total sales (+8.1%) and foot traffic (+8.7%); however, average ticket sizes continued to decline (-1.3%) compared to 2023, accoring to  Fiserv Small Business Index for November 2024.

Food Services and Drinking Places, which includes restaurants, indexed at 131 in November, a 4-point increase compared to October.  On a monthly basis, both restaurant sales (+3.1%) and transactions (+1.9%) also rose, marking a second consecutive month of strong growth.

Published monthly, the Fiserv Small Business Index is derived from point-of-sale transaction data, including card, cash, and check transactions in-store and online across approximately 2 million U.S. small businesses (restaurants, retailers and services), including hundreds of thousands leveraging the Clover point-of-sale and business management platform.

“Holiday sales are critical for small businesses, with restaurants and retailers in particular benefitting from consumers getting out and patronizing local establishments during the final months of the year,” said Prasanna Dhore, Chief Data Officer at Fiserv. “Notably in November, food sales accelerated across both restaurant and grocery while Retail maintained the positive momentum from October, a significant increase when compared to 2023.”

Grocery Sales on the Rise

Nationally, the Fiserv Small Business Index for Retail was 150, holding steady compared to October. Year-over-year sales (+5.6%) and transactions (+9.5%) grew and average ticket sizes (-3.8%) continued to decline. Year over year, the fastest-growing retail categories were Grocery (+11.1), General Merchandise (+11.0%), Clothing, Shoes and Jewelry Retailers (+7.3%), and Furniture, Electronics, and Appliances (+6.8%).

On a monthly basis, sales (-0.1%) and transactions (+0.3%) were generally flat with no change in index value compared to October; a positive sign given the significant month-over-month growth retail saw the month prior. The strongest month-over-month gains were seen in Grocery (+2.4%), Furniture, Electronics and Appliances (+2.2%), and General Merchandise (+0.6%).

Services

Service-based small business sales grew compared to 2023 (+5.1%) but declined compared to October of 2024 (-1.8%) as consumers shifted more dollars to restaurants and retailers.

On a yearly basis, the fastest growing service categories were Information Services (+15.0%), Food Manufacturing (+14.8%) and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+11.1%), and Truck Transportation (+7.9%). On a monthly basis, Food Manufacturing (3.6%) and Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (+1.9%) were the only service-based categories to grow sales compared to October.

Regional Trends

• Nearly all 50 U.S. states saw small business sales growth year over year. Nebraska (+13.1%), Florida (+11.5%), Alaska (+11.4%), South Carolina (+8.7%) and North Carolina (+8.0%) showed the most growth compared to 2023.
• Washington (+3.8%), Florida (+3.7%), Alaska (+1.8%) and Nevada (+0.3%) were the strongest performing states for small business sales growth month over month.
• Miami (+11.4%) and Atlanta (+7.5%) were the strongest-performing large cities for small business sales growth year over year.