CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Captain D’s Restaurant has been recognized as the best in the nation out of 517 stores and has been awarded the Captain D’s PRIDE Cup. Captain D’s corporate officials from Nashville, Tenn., were in Cleveland Wednesday to congratulate the restaurant and employees.
Jim Stevens, Captain D’s Chief Operating Officer, said the company went through a three-month process of identifying the best facility in the chain and narrowed the search to nine finalists. As one of those finalists, the Cleveland restaurant was visited by company executives who examined different aspects of the operation.
Brad Reed Vice President of Franchise Operation talked about what they did when they visited and told the employees,
"We were totally blown away with everything from the time we pulled on the parking lot to how great the restaurant looks," Reed said. "All your landscaping, the building, the cleanness, the hospitality of the staff, the food quality, everything - y'all knocked it out of the park. Out of the nine restaurants, what really blew us away was your hospitality.”
Reed also said they talked with customers and came away impressed with the way employees connect with the guests.
Tim Ward, Vice President for Franchise Operations defined the PRIDE Cup as "Personal Responsibility In Demonstrating Excellence." The designation also includes cash awards for employees.
Jim McClure recognized the restaurant's General Manager, Ashley Butler, saying she started working there shortly after graduating from high school in 2009 when the restaurant opened and has shown dedication to her work in earning the position she now holds.
The Captain D’s in Cleveland is just one of the facilities the McClures own. The other locations are Dahlonega, Cornelia. Oakwood, Toccoa and soon to open in Franklin, NC.
