The Rise and Fall Of Boston Market

Boston Market closed it's doors and ceased operations in Concord last week.  This closure and future closures by Boston Market should come as no surprise.

I can speak to this topic precisely as I was the training manager for Boston Market back in 1995-1997 and I opened several units for the company before landing in Concord and running that as a training store for the New England area. 

When I joined Boston Market, the company was on the rise and the franchise owner for the Pittsburgh Market also owned most of the Boston Area with the exception of a couple of original franchisees who remained independent.  It was an exciting time and opening a new unit about every 6-8 weeks was unheard of in the restaurant business.

I came on board at a time when the production of the food was intense.  The equipment needed to produce everything was very extensive including floor mixers for the mashed potatoes.  For anyone cooking, and managers had to learn how to cook, it was exhausting.  The product, however, was the only thing like it on the "market"; to make a pun!  Spiting chickens using their special recipe was a messy and thankless job and overall, it was labor intensive, even before it was placed on the line for people to order.

Boston Market made several blunders during my tenure there and here they are:

1)  They changed over to a sourced product for all side orders, mashed potatoes, etc.  In other words, the product came into the restaurant frozen and already to steam and heat and be placed on the front line.  The freshness of the preparation was replaced by convenience.  The creamed spinach, butternut squash, mashed potatoes were now just a heat and serve product.

2)  They added turkey, ham and meatloaf.  The issue was that they compromised their core product, chicken, adding other proteins in an attempt to increase sales.  It did work but it took focus over their crowning glory...chicken.

3)  They took a concept that was loosely based on a "market" and attempted to change it over to "fast track", which was by all measures, a fast food approach.  Concord was a fast track store and I opened that prototype.  It was very difficult to operate and Boston Market lost some of it's lustre and uniqueness as we herded through guests like cattle.

4)  The idea behind fast track was that all stations behind the line were manned by a person like this:  2 cashiers, 1 person working the salad station, 2 people on sandwich station, 2 people carving proteins, 2 people cooking chicken, 1 person handing off the food, 5 people cooking out back, 1 person cleaning the dining area, 1 person washing dishes and a manager,  That was an average of 17 people on a shift during peak periods.  Remember that number.  8 months into the operations of Concord the company developed a labor matrix and cut the hours in half.  Now, on a busy night there were only about 10 people working.  Service began to wane as did sales.

5)  Boston Market grew too fast and some of the corporate executives broke laws; some went to jail.  The race was on to get to store #1000.  That happened in 1997 as the master franchisees worked on a plan to sell the stores back to Boston Market corporation.  It was all a perfect storm of events as they opened a new concept down South offering prepared meals.

6)  They cut back portions and rationed the side orders.  Then they raised prices.....it was all leading to a disaster!

7)  Boston Market filed for Chaper 11?  I believe in 1997.  The corporate office was slashed and some corporate execs became area managers, just to stay employed.  Most, had no idea what being an operator meant and they further cut labor as sales tanked in most stores.

In 1996, Keene, NH opened to record sales.  No other Boston Market store opened as high as Keene, not one in the entire company.  I was there and let me tell you that it was smooth but the pace was grueling.  Keene closed a couple of years ago with a whimper and sources tell me that it was doing 1/10 of the sales as it was our opening week.  West Lebanon was a store that I opened and was there from ground breaking until handing it off to the new manager.  A year later or so, it was closed due to poor sales.

Concord opened to sales that were 2/3 of the Keene opening.  After labor cuts, it took a 25% drop in sales.  The company struggled with the shared bathroom with Einstein's and access for the handicapped.  It went round and round with the health inspector and city.

With the bankruptcy and the stock dropping from, I believe $40 per share to pennies, came austere, draconian measures and a new team of management that 'managed down' the business nationwide.  By managing down, I mean that they threw the culture of celebration of the team members, consistent reviews, fun atmosphere and pride in your work into a labor camp.

I remember that Concord was always in the top ten out of about 65 stores in the franchise area.  My boss, who was one of the best individuals that I have ever worked for was summarily dismissed and replaced with a corporate exec with no clue on how to run a restaurant, much less how to manage people.

In 1997, I won the much coveted "Top Performance in the Development of People" at the national convention.  In late 1997 the new boss came into the market and it was my job as the regional training manager to train him.  He was told that he had to learn how to run a restaurant so after my training, he was sent to West Lebanon to get his hands on training.  He would call me for advice in the morning and afternoon and then show up at the Concord store on his way home and act like my boss.

One day in late 1997 he came into the Concord restaurant and said this:  "what is wrong with you anyway?"  I was taken aback and said:  "what do you mean".  He stated, "You are an "A" player but you are doing "B" work". Then he said:  "Let me tell you that when I take over, I will straighten you out in short order boy!"  I was dumbfounded as I had no idea what he meant or why he said it but later found out that he made similar threats against others.

Immediately I started looking for a job and in short order found a great position, one that catapulted me to the next level and hence, where I am today.  I never forgot that bas**** and for the first time in my life made sure that I mentioned him in my resignation letter. (I told the truth and set the record straight).

A year later, the Vice President of OPs in the Northeast for Boston Market came to search me out and pleaded with me to come back.  He stated that I could report to him and avoid this other guy.  I declined and I never regretted it as Boston Market had begun it's slow decline into mediocrity.

McDonalds bought Boston Market which would be like Wal-Mart buying Macy's; it makes no sense.  Then it was sold again to a holding company.  Why anyone would want it at this stage is inconceivable?

Boston Market in Concord also declined in many ways and my sources tell me that there has been a revolving door of managers over the years. 

One of the principal franchise owners once made this point:  "to build consistency, service and product  that guests can count on, our managers must treat their stores like they own them.  That means that we have to pay better, treat everyone better and  keep the same managers the same store for a long period of time"  He was right, but events played out that ruined the concept and ruined the future for Boston Market.

I took several things away from my time with Boston Market:  I was able to run a training store and trained 45+ managers and supervisors over thsoe 2+ years, I learned how NOT to run a business and most of all I learned that the jerk who took over the area was dead wrong in his approach and today I practice and live by the motto:  "you have to catch people doiing things....RIGHT!"