The Createur Podcast

From Fast Food to Faithful Fortitude The Tony Allegro Story

• McGraw School of Business • Season 1 • Episode 12

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When passion and faith intertwine with the fast-paced world of franchising, you get Tony Allegro. As the COO and President of All-Star Management DBA Wendy’s, Tony sits down with us to offer a quick and enthralling narrative that fuses Christian virtues with the cutthroat drive needed to thrive in the business. His rise from a fervent youngster in his family's Wendy's establishment to a commanding figure in the industry is a testament to the power of dedication and spiritual conviction. Through tales of growth, giving back, and maintaining respect, Tony's reflections are a treasure trove for anyone eager to navigate their professional journey with integrity and purpose.

But it's not all about the bottom line. Tony's dialogue with us transcends mere business acumen, delving into the profound influence of his father's legacy and the guiding light of Christian principles on his career path. This episode isn't just a glimpse into the franchise world; it's a moving narrative that showcases how to blend professional milestones with personal fulfillment. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or seeking to enrich your current path, Tony's insights are a beacon of inspiration, offering both wisdom for the boardroom and lessons for the soul.

To learn more about other entrepreneurship opportunities and the McGraw School of Business’s very own Createur Conference and Pitch Competition, go to Createur.Olivet.edu.


Karli:

What does it mean to be a Christian entrepreneur? How can I turn my ideas into an actual business? How do I navigate my path to entrepreneurship?

Spencer:

Welcome to Creator, the podcast brought to you by Olivette Nazarene University's McGraw School of Business to unlock the secrets to Christian entrepreneurship and fuel your path to success.

Karli:

I'm your host, Carly Bird, graduate assistant of Olivette's Entrepreneurship Program.

Spencer:

I'm your co-host, Spencer, James and Olivette undergraduate marketing management and business administration major.

Karli:

Join us, fellow students, as we embark on a journey to discover the call of the entrepreneur.

Spencer:

This week, tony Allegro joins us to discuss the practice of owning and operating a franchise. Hello everyone, this week, carly and I have the honor of being joined by someone who has continually fueled and influenced the success of the well-known Fast Food Chain, including right here in our own backyard of Bourbonnet, illinois Tony Allegro yes.

Karli:

Tony is the COO of All-Star Management DBA Wendy's. He's been in the company for 31 years and currently resides in Bourbonnet Illinois, with his wife and two children. Tony, thank you so much for joining us today.

Tony:

Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure and I'm excited to give my experience and guidance, if I could, for the young person out there looking to do something we do.

Karli:

Tony, before we dive too deep into our conversation, I think it's important to just explain a little bit about who and what All-Star Management is. And then, because a follow-up question why Wendy's? What made Wendy's the right fit for you?

Tony:

My dad's been doing this for 41 years and I joined the company in 1992, believe it or not, 31 years ago. I remember going to church on Sundays and after church we always went to our store on Route 50 in Bradley and we had breakfast back then on a breakfast super bar, and I was so excited to get out of church to be able to go and help out and I used to just clean trays and wipe countertops and I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. So I grew up in this since I was a young person and at 15 years old I joined the store in Bourbonnet on Latham Drive when it was first built. That's where my career started and I guess it's been with me my entire life. So it's all I really know.

Tony:

And the other question that you have of why Wendy's? I guess when you're a young person, at 15 years old, you're just there for a job, not really understanding or seeking to understand why you're really there. You're just there to make a little bit of money, have some fun and be part of something. As I grew through the years and developed into different roles with the company, I started getting more desire and passion to be in the Wendy's brand. I think they stand for a lot of different things, but one thing that Dave Thomas has is he's got five values. I just think it's a great foundation and a great company to work for.

Spencer:

We have a lot of students who are really, really interested in the franchising side of business. What advice or career advice would you have for students who are looking to get into the franchise industry or even the food service industry?

Tony:

The advice I'd give a person that is looking to get into a field of entrepreneurship is first, you got to have faith, and to be able to lean on God to guide you is just the right place for you. And after you get that answer, if this is the right place for you, the next piece of advice I'd give you is the desire and the hunger to want to do what you're going to go do every single day. In my experience, is everyday great? No, I mean, this is just the world we live in and not everyday is a great day. But if you have the love and passion behind what you're doing and you're happy with what you're doing, you got to be able to go home happy as well.

Karli:

I think this kind of stems off of what you mentioned earlier about the five values which we want to touch on as well. What exactly? Because, as we know, this is a very competitive environment, this industry that you're in. I think that a lot of our listeners would be wondering how do you maintain your competitive edge and your competitive advantage in this industry? Part of that, I think, would stem from, of course, I'm sure you'll touch on this, but Wendy's being known for being a quality service and really taking care of their customers and creating that value within their brand.

Tony:

There's five days values and one is quality is our recipe and when you read that tagline or it's under in our reader board quality is our recipe isn't just about food. It's about quality of your restaurant, it's about quality of your people. It's quality of food. So quality means a lot of different things in one, just one word. Doing the right thing is another value of Dave's and that's doing the right thing at all times. I like to always say you know what are you doing when I'm not watching or when a supervisor's not watching. That's where your integrity comes in. Treat people with respect. That's your internal customer, which is our employees, and our external customer, which is your customer.

Tony:

Giving back is a huge thing that Dave Thomas has instilled in us. We do Dave's for adoption it's called DTFA and we do our Boo Books, which is currently running now, and then in December through January we do Frosty Key Tags and all those proceeds go right back to the foundation. We buy them extra from the company and then they get those proceeds right back. The franchisee or the company-owned restaurants don't keep a scent of that. That goes right to the kids to find them a forever home. So giving back is a huge part of our organization and the company of Wendy's itself. Profit means growth. That is, we got to make money to be able to provide for our people, provide a great establishment, be able to be updated in our equipment, be able to give personal raises to our employees and our management staff and just to be able to keep ourselves operating as a company so we could provide jobs for people.

Karli:

I'm glad that you brought up your faith and how that kind of impacts what you're doing every single day. How do you think that you personally can you see the impact in some people, your Christian faith, being brought into this industry?

Tony:

When you have a strong faith and you try your hardest to live by that and people sometimes look at you in a little different lens at first, that I've, I guess, noticed through my time. But after they start seeing the consistency in your approach, in the words that come out of your mouth, the treatment that you give to others, they start wondering, I think how is that happening? Why is he so happy? Then they start asking some of those small bits maybe of why is it this? Why are you so positive?

Tony:

Every day they ask me a lot of times Could be the worst thing happening in a restaurant or something that they're knowing that isn't right, that I'm not going to be happy with. But I don't show that to the degree of anger. I'm still positive. So they start to understand and question and then when they do ask that question legally I can't get too far into it at the store level, but I can top surface of why I'm so happy Now asking that question that you did. There are people in my life that have seen the difference in me and have changed to the better of them maybe not being that bad person or not being into the word. Now I can see that development through the years and it's a rewarding experience sometimes and I sometimes don't give that reward to them maybe, but I get to see the work through that I've done.

Karli:

We like to end our podcasts with what we call the quirky question of the week. So, Tony, are you ready for your quirky question?

Tony:

Give it to me. I'll tell you if I'm ready or not.

Karli:

It may not be the most quirky actually this time, but I think that we all want to know what is your favorite item on the Wendy's menu.

Tony:

One of my go-tos is gonna be the Dave's single cheese or a spicy chicken. That's good.

Karli:

Can't go wrong there, no.

Spencer:

Well, tony, thank you again so much for just taking time to share a little bit of your story and your insight. I think it's just absolutely wonderful to have you here and see the impact that you're doing for the kingdom of God right and also in the community. It's really been a pleasure.

Tony:

It's been a pleasure being here, thank you.

Karli:

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much and it's been fascinating as well to hear your story and just a little bit about your family history as well, you know, with your father being so deep into this industry and the history there, I love that Also. Listeners, if you want to connect with Tony, you can email him at Allegrotony at gmailcom or he even gave his phone number, so please feel free to call him at 815-482-1684.

Spencer:

And to connect with all of its entrepreneurship program director, chris Perez, or discover other entrepreneurship opportunities the program has to offer, such as the McGraw School of Business's very own Creator Conference and Pitch Competition. Go to allofetedu slash creator MUCCAMP.