Calloway Consolidated Group: Five Guys Burgers & Fries

The Company

Calloway Consolidated Group owns and operates 14 Five Guys fast food restaurants in four northeast Florida cities, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach. The company, consistently listed on the Jacksonville Business Journal’s “BJ50” list of the region’s fastest privately held companies, employs about 400 employees. With an average annual revenue growth of 33.1 percent over the past three years, the company recently announced a commitment to open 11 more restaurants.

The Challenge

“We’re focused on a simple menu of great burgers, fries and hotdogs, delivered quickly,” says Lynn Thorsen, Managing Director at Calloway Consolidated Group. “That means every facet of our operation must be running smoothly. If it doesn’t, we can’t perform, and we have unhappy customers.” Calloway Consolidated relies on its online presence on a daily basis, including reordering food products for each restaurant, and extends to online training delivered to every new employee. “Consistent uptime, quality and reliability are key for us. Our clients demand it from us; we demand it from our vendors,” Thorsen says.

The Solution

“We have managers who are busy; the last thing they can worry about are problems with their stores’ phone or DSL service,” Thorsen adds. Since Calloway Consolidated began working with Windstream, there have been no systems issues and service has been consistently reliable. “The systems are always working when they need it. If they weren’t, I’d get a call,” Thorsen says.

Calloway Consolidated relies on Windstream for high-speed Internet, fax and phone service to power its communications abilities, from telephone to the connections needed to power the POS system at each restaurant location, including instantaneous credit card approval.

Thorsen also values the relationship she’s built up over time with her Windstream consultant, as part of Windstream’s “Hi-Touch” approach, where each client’s needs are addressed individually, helping them craft a solution that meets their specific requirements. “Our account manager has taken excellent care of us. On a scale of 10, she’s an 11,” Thorsen says. “I’m very grateful for her. We’ve never had any complaints from our store managers about the quality of Windstream’s service; if they call in with a problem, they’re helped immediately.”

The Future

As Calloway Consolidated continues its expansion, it continues to rely on Windstream to provide each new location with on-time delivery of its communications needs. “We’re in customer service, so we know what good service looks like,” Thorsen says. “And I know we get it with Windstream.”