Applebee’s® Dine Brands Conference Awards – November 2018

At the annual Applebee’s Conference, the Rose Group was recognized for our partnership and brand leadership.  As a respected franchisee, our Rose Group leadership team actively participates on various councils to provide leadership for the Applebee’s brand.

People Partner of the Year - Jeff Warden was acknowledged for his role as Chair of the (FPC) Franchisee People Council.  Under his leadership, the council is committed to the continual development of progressive people practices.  The FPC is comprised of a small number of Franchisee HR Leaders including Paul Rockelmann, who are charged with developing strategies that will benefit the greater Applebee’s system.  The Rose Group provides leadership in various areas, whether employment onboarding or risk management, our HR team leads the Applebee’s system in these programs.

Technology Partner of the Year - Our IT team was recognized for our Rose Group leadership.  Both Rob Fuller and Bonnie Lippincott are part of the FTC (Franchise Technology Council) providing brand leadership.  Robert Fuller is a respected leader in the IT community, providing IT guidance for the brand.  Our operations team partners with IT on numerous projects to forward brand initiatives.  This past year we provided leadership on various IT initiatives including POS updates, KDS & Menu, EMV, On-Line Ordering, Applebee’s App, delivery systems, Presto pilot, BYOD (Bring your own device- currently testing in Roosevelt), etc. Thank you to Rob, John, Dave, and Rob who are continuously involved in various IT projects that will lead our team into the future.

President’s Partnership Award – Our President and CEO, Jeff Warden was recognized by the President of Applebee’s, John Cywinski, for his thought leadership and partnership in all aspects of the business.   Jeff provides brand leadership on numerous councils- the FBC (Franchise Business Council), Chair of the FOC (Franchise Operations Council) , Chair of the FPC (Franchise People Council), FMC (Franchise Marketing Council).  It is a tremendous honor that Jeff was recognized by John and Dine Brands before our peers in the Applebee’s community for his spirited involvement and effectual impact in the resurgence of the brand in recent times. Dine Brands left no doubt that they recognize Jeff’s exceptional leadership.