At the October 2011 Taco Bell Franchise Management Advisory Council Convention, attendees stressed that, in this time of  fluctuating commodities prices and cautious consumers, franchisees need to get back to the basics of focusing on customer service and quality food.  As a preferred vendor to Unified Foodservice Purchasing Co-op, LLC (“UFPC”), which is the exclusive supply chain management organization for Yum! Brands, Inc. and its five national restaurant systems including A&W, KFC, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, Property Works is well aware that managing a real estate portfolio is time-intensive.  This work consumes man hours that corporate staff could be spending on the basics of improving the customer dining experience while maximizing profitability. Property Works supports our clients by taking all lease-related issues off their desks, freeing up the staff to dedicate all of their energy to the basics of their businesses. Recognizing the value Property Works has offered to numerous Yum! Brands franchisees for over ten years, UFPC recently selected Property Works as its preferred solution to lease management needs.  With its user-friendly lease management software and team of real estate professionals experienced in handling all aspects of lease management, including services from managing accounts payable to all manner of vendors  to lease negotiations to tax appeals, Property Works can develop a tailored and cost-effective program to support your business. Would you like to find out more? Contact Paul Crain at 678-795-3839 or pcrain@propertyworks.com.

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Once in a rare while, we at Property Works run across a business that shares our commitment to customer service, cutting-edge industry expertise and creative approaches to controlling our clients’ costs.  We discovered Secure Energy Solutions, LLC (“SES”), a few years ago and we would like to introduce you – we think SES might be a good partner for our clients in negotiating energy purchases and controlling energy costs in our volatile energy market.

SES is a licensed energy aggregator, meaning that their team can work with

We don’t make a habit of sharing information about other businesses with our clients, and we won’t ever share our clients’ information with any other business.  If you would like to set up a free initial consultation with SES, please contact Christopher Wayte at 413.478.9109 or cwayte@sesenergy.org, or ask your Account Manager to get you connected.

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Responding to suggestions from our clients, Property Works has added a Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) calculator module to REport ms.  Ever missed a CPI cap and found yourself overpaying? Our new module automatically pulls any CPI caps or floors from the lease data already recorded in REport ms, runs all calculations simultaneously and within a few seconds selects the appropriate CPI increase based on the calculations and lease terms.  The CPI calculator will significantly decrease time dedicated to CPI calculations while increasing accuracy.

As always with our system improvements, this module is immediately accessible to all clients at no increased cost.  For current clients: to use the CPI calculator, select the unit for which you need to calculate CPI, expand “Financials” and select “CPI”. Click on “Add New” to create a new record that will reflect the rent after CPI escalation.  Enter the relevant data into the CPI fields, including current base rent, index amounts, and any minimum or maximum caps.  When you click “Calculate,” the CPI calculator will run the numbers, select the correct rent amount based on the calculation and any applicable caps, and provide you with the CPI-adjusted rent amount.  This record can be saved as a basis for future CPI adjustments.

Property Works is developing more automated features for this module, such as establishing a live link to both the lease data and the Bureau of Labor Statistics tables and automatically adding the escalated rent amount to the Payment Schedule.  If you have ideas for features you would like to see included in the CPI module or to schedule a brief training session,  please contact your Account Manager or Sarah Grathwohl at 678-795-3832 (sgrathwohl@propertyworks.com).

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 Restaurant Owner and Operator Bob Evans Selects Property Works as Lease Management Partner 

Property Works recently expanded its collaboration with nationwide restaurant owner and operator Bob Evans Farms, Inc. to support  the company’s  entire portfolio of over 550 Bob Evans Restaurants located in eighteen states. Bob Evans selected Property Works’ proprietary web based application, REport ms, to manage lease and property data for its extensive portfolio.

For over ten years, Property Works has supported lease administration for Mimi’s Café, a French inspired bistro owned by Bob Evans that is over 145 restaurants strong.  Property Works has worked with Mimi’s Café to tailor our REport ms offerings to meet Mimi’s Café’s specific needs, and the Property Works team is looking forward to offering the same targeted service to a combined  portfolio of approximately 700 Bob Evans restaurants across the nation. 

Property Works provides lease management software and services to companies that operate in multiple retail locations. Property Works’ current client list includes dozens of retail and restaurant companies representing over forty nationally known brands and it is a preferred vendor to the exclusive supply chain management organization for Yum! Brands, Inc. Using a combination of its industry-leading web based application, Report ms, and personal customer service to manage lease and property data and activity, Property Works saves its clients hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in occupancy costs and administrative expenses. Visit us at www.propertyworks.com.