The company advertises it’s hiring and offers sign-on and referral bonuses. The hiring shortage is a lingering pandemic concern that continues to plague the industry, and it’s a challenge Black Bear Diner has met aggressively. Naturally, the pandemic sparked a pivot and an investment in technology channels to serve pickup and delivery on a large scale. ![]() The success is partly driven by a rise in off-premises business, which initially was not a focus of Black Bear Diner, yet now mixes 20 percent of sales. All 143 locations withstood the pandemic and fully reopened their dining rooms, prompting a strong recovery. The relationship is deepened, and we’re emerging here post-pandemic in a position of strength.”īlack Bear Diner’s efforts paid off. “And I feel like today, we’re even closer. “We had very strong relationships with our franchise partners,” Adams says. It was paramount to financially support franchisees, but it was similarly important to support them with personal guidance on navigating an unforeseen situation. Adams says looking back, the company wouldn’t do much differently if forced to experience 2020 again. The strategy included abating royalties and ad funds and subsidizing franchises near-term to ensure long-term viability. “Our strategy was really twofold: it was to protect our diner-level management team and then to protect our franchise partners.” “We felt like we were decisive out of the gate,” Adams says. “The uncertainty was the most challenging, and this is something that none of us have faced in our careers,” Adams says.īlack Bear Diner immediately began thinking about how to support franchisees. Of course, it proved far lengthier, shutting down businesses for months and changing the state of office work, consumer mobility, and guest routines as retailers and restaurants knew them. When COVID first hit, Adams says she and others believed the crisis would be a 90-day phenomena. Corrigan has more than 14 years of franchise development strategy experience, with stints at Jack in the Box, Qdoba, Tokyo Joe’s, and Quiznos. Industry veteran Chad Corrigan assumed the role of Vice President of Franchise Sales and Development as Black Bear Diner looks to grow following a strong coronavirus recovery. In early June, the company announced a move to bring in a fresh, but familiar face in the restaurant world as part of its goals to expand to the East Coast. The hospitality experience and authenticity continues to mirror what the founders put into motion 25 years ago, Adams says. The Black Bear Diner brand is not solely a West Coast-centric concept, something the company has explored throughout expansion. “What’s interesting is we sit in our diners, and we see our team members bring food to the table. It’s really, we call it the ‘wow factor,’” Adams says. For chains like Black Bear Diner, known for its hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner, preserving that day one magic throughout growth remains essential. And the result was Black Bear Diner.ĬEO Anita Adams joined in 2017 and has since fought to fiercely protect what was instilled in the brand by the founders, she says. There were only around 2,500 people in the town, but Dean and Manley set their sights on creating a gathering place for friends and family. The brand’s story began 25 years ago when friends Bruce Dean and Bob Manley founded the first Black Bear Diner in the small community of Mount Shasta, California. Three more Black Bear Diner locations will open this year, two corporate diners in Texas, and one franchise in California, adding to its 143 units across 14 states. “We 100 percent believe in bringing the biggest bang for our guest’s buck.The 25-year-old brand is targeting coast-to-coast expansion in the wake of covid-19.īlack Bear Diner is looking to move east as it implements a growth strategy into 2022. ![]() “Being local, I’m really excited to bring this to my local community,” Gemaehlich said by phone. Other fare include pancakes, omelettes, biscuits and gravy, burgers, burritos, salads, sandwiches and steak and pie dishes, among others.Īshley Gemaehlich, general manager for the Chino location, has lived in Chino Hills in the past and is familiar with the Inland Empire. Moncada said a big seller is the Bigfoot Chicken Fried Steak. These things are served in enormous plates and you get a lot of value,” Jairo Moncada, spokesman for the Redding-based Black Bear Diner. “I mean huge portions of comfort food classics. CHINO > A new family restaurant chain may have patrons thinking they’re in Big Bear when it opens its first location in the 909 on Monday in Chino.īlack Bear Diner,, just south of the 60 Freeway at 12325 Mountain Ave., is known in other parts of California and throughout the western United States for a log cabin aesthetic, a carved bear statue outside the restaurant and hefty servings, which the company calls “bear-sized portions.”
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