Posted on 12/02/2009 9:10:26 AM PST by Borneo1
TIFTON — Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q on U.S. Highway 82 West is now The Smokehouse Restaurant because local franchise owner Bill Davis refused to sell beer, wine or liquor in the “family restaurant.” Also, the Sonny’s corporation didn’t believe it was appropriate for employees there to wear “I Pledge...I Pray” T-shirts at work.
(Excerpt) Read more at tiftongazette.com ...
If he wanted his employees to wear muslim burka’s and quote the Koran the ACLU would be all over them for refusing him a franchise
As it stands, they are correct- it is THEIR name he wants to use, but he does not want to follow all their rules
I hope he starts his own franchise and makes a million, though
I bet if he hired a server and they refused to serve pork bar-b-que because of their muslim belief the ACLU would sue to keep their job!
I wish I was in Georgia now, but I be torn between getting some good bar-b-que or fried catfish, damn I miss the south!
If he owned the establishment, I would say bully for him.
He bought the franchise. Sonny’s still sets the rules.
If Sonny’s policy is to sell liquor, then he should abide by the policy. As for the religious shirts, that is not something sanctioned by Sonny’s.
Folks, as Christians we have to be reasonable. When you’re affiliated with a parent organization, you need to abide by that parent organization’s rules.
If this guy had enough money to buy the Sonny’s franchise establishment, he probably had enough money to open his own establishment or buy one where he could set his own policies. IMO, that’s what he should have done.
I don’t think Sonny’s acted improperly here. Sonny’s has a right to establish it’s own polices. A good Christian should abide by them, or avoid situations where they would have to.
When A&W came through and started making drastic changes -- including the elimination of the drive-up stands -- the franchise owner went independent and renamed it "Rudy's." Their root beer is better than A&W's remix, their food is terrific and their prices are awesome. It's the only place that makes me crave a coney dog.
They're only open during the summer and they're always packed. Good food, good service and reasonable prices make for loyal customers.
I hope this former "Sonny's" franchise turns out just as well.
When will our society come back to the basics?
God
Family
Country
Job
Other interests
That’s the way it’s going to be, folks, has been too. The politically correct crowd has man-handled the laws.
I hope this owner takes action.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you. Still, the owner had the franchise for over 20 years and wasn’t required to sell alcohol. It just came up when he had to renew his franchise license. They wanted him to change. He didn’t want to change. He has never said anything negative about Sonny’s as far as I know. He just stuck to his beliefs and decided to go in a different direction rather than make the changes they required. I admire him for his actions.
There’s no action for the owner to take. The Sonny’s corporation sets the rules to be one of their franchises, they even gave him a two year grace period to think it over, he decided he’d rather do things his way than their, and they parted company. That’s how franchising works, they set the prices, uniforms, decor and menu, and you get the name recognition and customer loyalty.
He should sell the franchise rights and open his own business (he already has the training from the franchise).
Or, he could open a Chik-Fil-A - they’re a good Christian franchise company and worth supporting, I might add.
Not trying to be a smart-aleck here, but did some of you actually read the entire article or just glance at the excerpt?
In the article, he says he has had a Sonny’s franchise for 20 years and they have always been cordial. They backed off requiring the liquor sales, but gave him 2 years after the franchise agreement ran up to reconsider beer and wine sales. His two years were up, he hadn’t changed, so they said they wouldn’t renew. They also cited servers wearing apparel promoting a specific religion, which was against their policy.
Nowhere does the article say he was upset, wanted to sue or anything like that. He agreed it was their franchise and their rules, but he thought they were wrong to not renew after he had enjoyed many years of success. They parted ways amicably and he continues his restaurant under a slightly different menu and a new name.
No hostilities on either side, just a parting of the ways and a good article about a God-fearing man and his decision to stick with his beliefs.
I have no doubt his “new” restaurant will succeed because his clientele is the same, they have no problem with him not selling alcohol and his wait staff wearing Christian apparel.
The owner IS sticking by his beliefs and Sonny’s is doing what countless other corporations have done and go into CYA mode because of the politically correct environment we live it these days. I don’t like it either, but as a business, you have to do what you have to do and a company the size of Sonny’s has to operate under different rules than a local restaurant.
Bottom line is no one is FORCING him to close, just telling him to keep his franchise, he has to abide by THEIR rules. Obviously, he can’t do that, so they parted ways on good terms and he is moving along and doing just fine.
Davis said his 20-year license for his Sonny’s franchise expired two years ago. He drove to Orlando to the Sonny’s headquarters in February 2008 to meet with officials there; he said the company offered a new agreement with the stipulation that he sell beer, wine and liquor drinks in the restaurant.
“I just told them we didn’t want to,” Davis said. “They didn’t understand because they acted like that was the future of restaurants.”
Davis also takes issue with Sonny’s disapproval of employees wearing clothing with American flags and Christian logos on them and with such items in the restaurant.
There was also a ‘Jesus’ memento/trinket on the shelf at the cash register. The T-shirts are not an approved uniform along and the ‘Jesus’ memento/trinket are not within Sonny’s System Standards,
Good for Davis! Jesus may not meet Sonny’s standards, but clearly He meets Davis’ standards!
I didn’t read the article. If it mentions (and I’m not doubting you), that he had the franchise for years and hadn’t served alcohol, you’ve got a good point. Ultimately, the franchiser does set the rules though.
Alcohol sales raise significant dollars. The franchiser is able to review sales policies and see room for improvement. I don’t think it’s unfair for them to realize they are not getting their full bang for the buck, and ask the franchisee to adopt their policy recommendations.
It sounds like this guy is a guy trying to do what he thinks is right. I appreciate that. I’m just not convinced the franchiser is a bad entity because they want the establishment to realize it’s optimal capabilities.
You and I might agree with the franchisee that liquor shouldn’t be served, but it really doesn’t matter other than to provide moral support.
I cannot come down on the side that the franchisee is right here.
I agree. Those are good suggestions.
Is that just a matter of personal taste, or do you think there is something less "family friendly" about beer drinkers?
Freddd, I think your heart is in the right place, but I can’t agree with you.
Do you think people have to be “anti-Christian” or “sinners” if they don’t have religious materials posted throughout their business?
I don’t agree with that. Sonny’s can wish to see each Sonny’s look pretty much like the others inside without being an evil organization.
As for liquor, it really is the franchiser’s decision. That’s the way it works.
It is nice to see both sides stand up for what they think is what's best for their businesses. If you want to make your living off of someone else's name, they have a steak in how you run the business. In this case the restaurant owner was able to get out of the franchise contract. Both sides were right, they just weren't compatible.
“I be torn between getting some good bar-b-que or fried catfish, damn I miss the south!”
Darn it - now you did it! reminded me of the fried catfish I miss... These folks in WNY think there’s only one way to fry fish - beer batter!
Why? I'm sure nobody held a gun to his head when he signed the franchise agreement.
Most franchise conflicts have an exit clause. Those clauses are in place for just this situation. Our local Golden Corral franchisee ditched his franchise with an escape clause and runs the place pretty much the same way but with different food distributors and a new name, of course.
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