Jason’s Deli: People, Food and Choice
Number three on Forbes 12 Best Franchises to Own for 2014, Jason’s Deli is quickly becoming a number one choice for many health-conscious consumers. The restaurant ranked number one in annual sales in QSR magazine’s 2008 Top Ten list of restaurants with under 300 locations. Headquartered in Beaumont, Texas, Jason’s Deli is a fast-casual, high volume, deli-style restaurant chain, providing fresh food and premium, more natural ingredients. It was the first major restaurant to ban artificial trans fats in the U.S., and the first to eliminate high fructose corn syrup.
Those with energy, drive and the will to lead may want to consider the company for their core values: 1) Great Place to Work, 2) Highest Personal Standards, 3) Out of this World Service, 4) Highest Quality Food and 5) A Healthy, Growing Company. If management is a future goal, the company says that being a leader is only part of the equation. They look for employees who are nurturers, encouragers – people who love people.
Founder Joe Tortorice, Jr. believes in making investments in employees and treating them like family. The company’s Leadership Institute offers free classes in money matters, ethics, marriage, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence, which has received “rave reviews” because of its effect on home and work life. In addition, a non-profit foundation helps employees in crisis.
The Food—Fresh, Natural, Variety
Jason’s Deli was the number one consumers’ choice for “Availability of Healthy Options” among fast-casual restaurants for the 2014 Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Awards conducted by Technomic research and consulting firm.
Tony Bridges, one of four managers at the Charlottesville, Virginia, franchise quoted one of their tag lines, “If you can’t read an ingredient, it shouldn’t be there. There is no high fructose corn syrup, MSG (an additive in most commercial ranch dressing) and no trans fats. Four new menu items are added per year and the soups are made in house.”
In addition to an enhanced salad bar with organic choices and unique deli sandwiches with whole grain options, main course items, soups, pastas, breakfast items, desserts, and a children’s menu are offered.
The company began getting rid of trans fats from its menu eight years before the FDA ban; forty-seven ingredients were converted over five years. In April 2005, Trans Fat Freedom was declared at every Jason’s Deli – 137 locations at that time. Three years later, high fructose corn syrup was eliminated – and more recently MSG and artificial colors. Gluten-free items have also been added.
Besides being a great career opportunity, perhaps PVCC’s dining area might be a perfect spot for a scaled-down version of Jason’s Deli, which is being tested in other areas and on college campuses.
