MALE ANNOUNCER: Tonight on Undercover Boss,
Cindy Galardi Culpepper, CEO of Wienerschnitzel,
goes undercover in her own company.
(dramatic music)
This Orange County socialite trades in
her high heels for hot dogs,
leaves the fast lane...
Hi. Welcome to Wienerschnitzel.
ANNOUNCER: For the drive-through...
Okay. Hold on. (horn honks)
- Is that enough or no? - No.
Go ahead and pour it out and do it again.
ANNOUNCER: And struggles to pull her weight
as just another link in the chain.
- Gotta let 'em go. - Oh, no! Oh!
ANNOUNCER: Along the way, she'll discover the hard
workers who've overcome incredible odds...
My mom's disabled,
and I have a four-year-old daughter
I also take care of by myself.
I was in and out of juvenile hall.
ANNOUNCER: To keep her company at the top of the hot dog heap.
He needs to learn how to talk to people.
ANNOUNCER: What happens when this take-charge CEO
hears the frank truth from her employees?
Our area director wouldn't listen to us.
This is crazy.
ANNOUNCER: Find out next on Undercover Boss.
(upbeat music)
♪ On the run, on the run ♪
♪ Wienerschnitzel's famous hot dog in a bun ♪
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Headquartered in Irvine, California,
Wienerschnitzel is the world's biggest hot dog chain.
♪ ♪
With 5,000 employees and 350 locations...
I would like a number one, please.
ANNOUNCER: This $250 million-a-year empire
is led by one woman.
♪ ♪
My name is Cindy Galardi Culpepper,
and I'm CEO and chairperson of Wienerschnitzel.
♪ ♪
♪ Wienerschnitzel started back in '61 ♪
♪ And to this day we're still family-run ♪
Wienerschnitzel was founded in 1961 by John Galardi.
He chose hot dogs so that he wouldn't compete
with his best friend, Glenn Bell,
the founder of Taco Bell,
or the McDonald brothers.
Wienerschnitzel's first store
was built in Wilmington, California.
Within five years,
there were 20 throughout California and Arizona.
By 1968, there were 100 spread
across the western United States.
In 2003, Wienerschnitzel
purchased Tastee-Freez,
and began offering its dessert products
in a majority of the stores.
Wienerschnitzel is now
the world's largest hot dog chain,
with 350 stores
serving over 120 million hot dogs a year.
We're starting to go international.
There's... there's no stopping us.
♪ ♪
I met John back in 1980 in Hawaii.
We got married in 1982.
Once I married John,
I got involved in the business.
I was a silent partner.
John and I divorced in 2009,
but we remained very good friends,
and I was still involved in the company
as a silent partner.
(somber music)
Three years ago, John passed away.
♪ ♪
When he passed away, I became the CEO
and took over the company.
For me to walk in and take over,
it was really scary.
All I'd ever done was go to conventions,
Christmas parties,
so nobody really knew me,
and I walked into a male fraternity.
Management team was totally male.
They perceived me as a blond bimbo in a bikini.
I never envisioned myself as being anything,
let alone a prominent business leader.
(dramatic music)
I came from a middle-class upbringing.
I ran away from home on my 18th birthday,
because I wouldn't have survived staying there.
The abuse between my parents stemmed from alcohol,
and then my mother was abusive to my brother and I.
I had to leave.
I had to get out of there.
- Hi, guys. - Hey, Cindy.
CINDY: Unbeknownst to me, my prior life
prepared me for this position.
So, Doug, what do you have there?
So this is gonna be our new product
we're gonna launch here in about a month.
My childhood helped me develop an inner strength.
All right. So with the new buildings,
when will you have the design?
We should have that done in another 30 to 60 days.
CINDY: Over the years, I also developed various hobbies
that prepared me for what I'm doing today.
I started weight lifting two to three hours a day,
and that made me competitive,
and then I started riding horses and racing cars.
Let's do it.
I like the adrenaline rush.
♪ ♪
You can't have fear.
You have to be aggressive.
It's the same thing with business.
I've taken that,
and I've brought it into Wienerschnitzel,
and I'm totally focused.
♪ ♪
- Hi. - Hi.
What are we doing today?
- A whole redo. - Okay.
Heavier makeup, kind of spikier, different hair.
All right. Let's do it.
CINDY: I want to go undercover to talk to the crew members
and find out their perception
of who we are as a company.
Pout that together a little for me... perfect.
CINDY: Nothing is off the table.
If you say that we need a purple bun
and a green hot dog,
if it seems feasible, we'll do it.
I think we should try some glasses on with it.
- Okay. - But I think it's looking good.
Yeah.
CINDY: When I go undercover,
my name is Louise.
My employees think I am the focus
of a different reality show.
They will have no idea that this is really Undercover Boss.
♪ ♪
- Do you feel ready for this? - I feel awesome.
Look at this lady.
♪ ♪
(upbeat music)
♪ ♪
CINDY: Today, I'm in Bullhead City, Arizona.
It's right on the Colorado River,
and I'm gonna be working with the shift manager.
Thank you for choosing Wienerschnitzel.
How are you doing today?
CINDY: This particular franchisee
is in the average range.
He's in the top 100.
So I want to see how I can help
this particular franchisee improve.
- Hi. - Hi. How are you doing?
Great. Is Brock here?
- Hi. I'm him. - Louise.
- Nice meeting you. - Nice to meet you too.
So I'm one of the shift managers here at Wienerschnitzel.
So we're gonna take you in the back.
We're gonna start you as our fry tech today.
- Awesome. - That sound like a good idea?
- Let's try it. - All right. Let's start.
Let's go.
- Wow. - These are our fryers.
BROCK: You want to get some gloves first.
CINDY: This is amazing.
Look at all the equipment you have.
Go ahead and put a pair of gloves on.
When Louise walks in,
she seems a little out-of-place.
Very careful. It's gonna be very hot.
I'll do my best.
This is where we cook our French fries only.
- Okay. - And this is our corn dog,
our jalapeño poppers, and our mini corn dog side.
- Okay. - So now we're gonna take it.
- Flip it over here. - Okay.
These are our smalls, medium,
- and these are our larges. - Okay.
These are our chili cheese fry boxes.
- Okay. - And corn dogs,
- in case we get really busy. - Oh, my God.
- There's so much to know. - Well, kind of.
You give them a good salt.
- Okay. - And grab this,
and you're gonna take the bag.
Slide it on.
Get your scoop of fries.
Shake them.
Small fry. Turn it.
If they fall out, they're not good.
Do you want to give it a try?
So do another one? Okay.
So I do this,
and I get it so it's open.
- And slide this on. - Okay.
And then I go...
- Scoop it. - Bounce it around.
Shake it.
- Hold it from the bottom now. - That enough?
Give it a good shake, and now slide this out.
- Okay. - There you go.
- Okay. - See, all the loose fries...
- Right. - Fall out, and the ones
that are good stay in the bag.
Okay. This goes like this.
- Other way around. - This...
You want the writing facing you.
- This way. - And there you go.
Okay. The writing facing me. Okay.
You don't have to hold the bag on the side.
You could actually just hold it
just from the bottom with your hand.
- Okay. - I do not believe Louise
has worked in fast food.
Letters forward. Here.
Try it again. Try it again.
Ever.
- Is that enough or no? - No. Just go ahead and pour
- it out and do it again. - Okay.
We're gonna need, actually, seven small fries total
and a chili cheese.
So you could pour the rest of that bag in this.
- Okay. - Yeah.
A little bit more. There you go.
Right there. Perfect.
- Now, do I shake it? - Shake it up a little bit.
Kind of level them out. There you go.
- Now, drop them in the oil. - Okay, Brock, all together,
I need seven small, one chili cheese.
- I got it. - Okay.
Sorry. Hold on. Give me one sec.
- Am I in your way? - No. Not at all.
Yeah. I'm gonna.
♪ ♪
You must burn a lot of calories during the day.
- I mean, you're moving. - Yeah.
It gets a little crazy back here sometimes.
Yeah. You're so fast.
Brock has a tough job.
Those people in the kitchen have a really tough job.
How many you need?
- Nine small? - Wow.
How many corn dogs do you need? Just three?
CINDY: You have to be exhausted at the end of the day,
or maybe I'm just old. I don't know.
I mean, I feel like a huge accomplishment
just doing fries.
Just being able to look up here,
do this, do this...
Well, see, the only thing
that kind of throws you off sometimes
is the color change. Just like that.
See, well, this one says three original chili.
- Those are chili dogs. - Yeah.
But they're in the yellow.
And the yellow is gonna be over there.
On this fry station, all we need to worry about
is mainly the white and the green.
- See? - Wait a minute.
That looks like the same color as that.
That's what might sometimes confuse you.
Wouldn't it be better if it was really white-white,
and one was really green?
Or even if this screen
even was just... just for fry station.
- Oh, what a good idea. - You know what I mean?
The screen that you look at for your orders
definitely has to be improved,
and that's something I'm gonna look into.
All right, so now what are we doing?
We're gonna get our world-famous Wienerschnitzel chili made.
You get to scoop that in.
- Oh. Okay. - That's all right.
- We ready? - Mm-hmm.
We're gonna get 136 ounces
of fluid ice water total that we're mixing in.
Okay. So tell me about yourself.
Where did you come from? From here?
I moved here from Huntington Beach, California.
- Oh, yeah. - I was living with my mom,
and at a young age,
I got into a really bad... really bad way of living...
really bad drug use.
I had a really severe problem.
I was using meth for four years and heroin for three.
Wow.
Like, all the time. Every day.
I didn't go to school. I didn't have a job.
I was in and out of juvenile hall,
in and out of youth facilities.
I quit high school.
All I saw in the end was either prison
or even death, so...
What did your mom think of all this?
My mom... she wasn't really around a lot.
She was a user too.
My older sister
pretty much raised me from when she was around 12.
One day, I was just... I was using,
and I looked at myself in the mirror,
and I didn't even recognize myself.
I was slowly dying. I was 160 pounds.
When I saw myself, I was like,
"I could do way better than this,"
and I knew I could, and I called my older sister,
Annika, and I said, "I was wondering
"if I could move away with you guys to Arizona.
"I mean, just give me a fresh start.
I need a fresh start."
I've had this job since the first day
I moved out here.
Look how great you are at it.
Yeah. And here I am to this day.
You know what I mean? I mean...
- You're just amazing. - Thank you.
I mean, I could always keep doing better.
I believe in myself that I could always just keep going
and keep going and keep striving for bigger and better things.
Do you want to go back to school or...
Yes. I do. I want to start school,
actually, after summer, so this fall.
CINDY: I see a lot of potential in Brock.
A person like him can accomplish anything,
because I think he's already done the hardest thing
you could possibly do.
I'm so happy I had an opportunity to meet him.
Oh, yeah, and we got to get the chili made.
All right. So what do you want me to do?
ANNOUNCER: Coming up...
- Gotta let 'em go! - Oh, no! Oh!
ANNOUNCER: Louise can't hold up on the weenie line.
Think you could do this for 12 hours?
- No. - ANNOUNCER: And later...
Me and my mom, you know, we had a lot of troubles
back when I was living with her.
ANNOUNCER: The boss connects with an employee
with a common past.
If I had stayed, I would've killed myself.
I had already tried.
(upbeat music)
CINDY: Today, I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
at Kent Quality Foods,
the hot dog supplier for Wienerschnitzel.
♪ ♪
Kent Quality Foods is one of the largest
hot dog manufacturers in the world.
They process 100 tons of meat per day.
Wienerschnitzel gets
about 200,000 hot dogs a day from them.
Food safety in our industry is extremely important.
- Good morning. - Hi. I'm Louise.
I'm here for Channing.
Wienerschnitzel has never, ever had a food safety issue
in 54 years in business,
and I just want to make sure that we never do.
♪ ♪
- How you doing? - Hi.
- I'm Channing. I work here. - I'm Louise.
- It's nice to meet you. - I'm a peeler.
I'm actually the only woman peeler here
since they opened in 1967.
- I'm ready. Let's go. - You're ready? All right.
High five. Get me excited.
The first thing that I thought of was,
"I'm gonna try my best because this lady looks like
she's never done this type of work before."
All right. Ready?
- I am ready. - Let's go.
♪ ♪
All right. This black and white right here,
this is the casing that's on it.
That machine, it has a blade inside of it,
and it splits it on the top, and there's gonna be steam
and air that blows the casing open.
So that's what we're gonna be doing.
You're gonna be taking two or three sticks
of this at a time off, throwing it on the table.
Step back, if you will. I'll show you how it's done.
♪ ♪
That is amazing.
So what I want you to do
is grab these two and throw it on this table for him.
Lift, girl. Pull out.
You can do one at a time. One at a time.
Try one. There you go.
You've got to be fast.
- Gotta let 'em go! - Oh, no! Oh!
Get another one.
I got it. (groans)
CHANNING: There's, like, a certain way that I wanted her
to drop the hot dogs, you know, on the table.
Let me show you how to do it.
- Oh, you got to pound it. - Yes.
Go fast.
Oh! (grunts)
And she just kept, and it all stuck on the stick.
I'm like, "What are you doing?"
(grunting)
- You can do it. - I can do it.
Moving, ain't you, girl?
(grunting)
Well, having had a weight-lifting background,
I had a lot of confidence that I wouldn't have any trouble.
Got to be quick. Can't run out of meat.
♪ ♪
And I proved myself wrong.
You think you can do this for 12 hours?
No!
♪ ♪
You got to do all that.
- Today? - Today.
I'm really a weakling compared to Channing.
I got to show you how to throw these sticks down,
girl, because your stuff is all tangled up.
♪ ♪
That is hard work.
Woop-woop!
I gained a tremendous respect for the employees.
We're doing an outstanding job.
This is what we call sorting.
You're gonna take off the bad hot dogs,
and you'll put it in here,
and you're gonna put in good ones
to keep the line full.
Anything that has casing on it,
you're gonna toss it over there.
The quality and the protection they take...
That's bad.
They really take food safety seriously.
♪ ♪
- I'm going to lunch. - Now?
Put it in the small barrel. Come on, girl.
It's time to eat.
(pensive music)
All right. I usually sit right here.
♪ ♪
- Okay. - Okay.
- So this is hard work. - I love it.
I requested it when I first got here, and they were like,
"Oh, it's too physically demanding. Women don't do this.
- This..." - What do you like about it?
It's just the whole physical labor part.
The hard work about it is what I like about it.
- Do you get tired? - Sometimes.
Kind of got to keep going, pushing.
Pay the bills. My mom is disabled.
She can't work because of a lot of medical issues she has.
She's constantly in pain,
and I have a four-year-old daughter
that I also take care of by myself,
and my twin sister also lives with me
because she can't afford to live on her own right now.
So you're supporting three people?
- Yeah. - Plus yourself.
Plus myself.
I pay for food, rent, all the bills.
I pay for my car, gas, insurance.
Everything is being paid for by me.
I was working since I was,
like, 12 years old to take care of my mom.
She started getting sick. I had to stop.
Well, you finished high school doing... still working?
Oh, yeah. I finished high school.
I got one class of college to go,
but I had to stop because of my daughter,
and I had to work so much I couldn't go to school.
My mom can't physically watch my daughter.
CINDY: Channing is amazing.
- It's time to go? - Yeah.
- Okay. - We got to stop.
CINDY: She's very strong, physically,
but she's also strong in her personal life.
She's the only source of income in her home,
and she takes care of everyone.
You just can't quit. Anything you go for,
you got to do it with all your heart.
That's what I do.
CINDY: She doesn't give up. She keeps driving ahead,
and I really admire her fortitude and her strength.
Boom. You got it.
That's all you got to do.
(upbeat music)
CINDY: Today, I'm in Midvale, Utah,
a suburb of Salt Lake City.
I'm gonna be working with the night manager,
doing the closing shift.
Order number 65.
CINDY: This store is one of our lower-performing stores.
It's been increasing through better management,
but it can increase at a better rate,
and that's why I'm here.
- Hey. - How you doing?
Good. Is Zavier here?
- Zavier? - Awesome.
- There she is. - Are you Zavier?
- Yes, I am. Hi. - Hi. I'm Louise.
Zavier, night manager here at Wienerschnitzel.
So tonight, we're gonna kind of get you
on some drive-through,
and then we're gonna shut down the store.
All right. Come on back.
My first impression of her
is that she's a nice person, you know?
Here. I'll hang it up for you.
- Oh, thank you. - Yeah.
ZAVIER: I'm a little nervous
because I don't normally train people of her age.
I mean, I don't know how old she is.
I'm afraid to guess.
It's not nice to guess a woman's age.
All right. There's this, your glorious headset.
Okay.
When someone comes through the drive-through,
and you hear the ding, you press it one time.
- You're talking to them. - Oh, okay.
You press it one more time, you're not.
(beep) Welcome to Wienerschnitzel.
Go ahead and order as soon as you're ready.
- Five corn dog special. - All right.
And then I would also like a large fry.
All right. Five corn dogs and a large fry.
Your total is $9.32 at the window.
- Thank you. - All right.
So let's come over here really quick.
Let me show you how this works.
So you take it over here. It'll send to this one.
It'll pop up with their total.
You just click on it.
It's $9.32. You just open it up.
Tell them, "Hi. How's it going?"
- Hey. Hi. - Hey.
(Cindy gasps)
What kind of dog is that?
It's so cute. Oh, is it soft?
You're very pretty.
She talks a little bit too much.
- I'm in training. - Are you in training?
- I'm in training. - Okay.
Ooh, I like your sweater.
In fact, your sweater and her pants go together.
ZAVIER: Most people don't come to have
a conversation with the person at the window.
- How are you doing? - Oh, not bad.
- Nice night, huh? - Yeah.
(horn honks)
You're getting a line back there.
Yeah.
What's going through my head is, "Come on. Hurry up.
"These orders need to get out.
"Like, you don't need to talk
to every single person that comes through."
You got to be friendly. You got to talk to them.
But then you got to also, you know,
- keep to your business. - Okay.
(beep)
I'm gonna go start some stuff. You got this.
Holler if you need me.
Hi. Welcome to Wienerschnitzel.
I'll take your order when you're ready.
Let me get two chili cheese fries.
Okay. Anything else?
And you know what? You know what?
Can we take off one of those chili cheese fries,
and then let's make it a number one?
Oh, so do you want only one chili cheese fries now?
All right. So we can start all over.
All right. Let me start over.
Hold on.
I don't know if I'm just stupid,
but I have the hardest time with all the buttons.
(giggles)
So I was in a panic mode.
Okay. Hold on.
When that happens to me, my mind starts
sending off alarms, and I can't think.
So that even makes it worse. (alarm blaring)
Do you know how to get into it? Click on it.
- Click on here? - No. The order.
- This here? - The order.
- Oh, this is the order. - Yeah.
(alarm blares) Why is it so confusing for me?
I'm hopeless.
Your total is $5.36.
We'll see you at the window.
- Is that good? - It's good.
- They can still hear you. - Oh!
So you click it one more time, and then they can't hear you.
(laughter)
The headset's confusing, and I can't tell when it's on or off.
I forgot to give the amount. Oh, [...].
Yeah. That's what I'm saying.
(chuckles)
I may have said some bad language.
(spout hisses) Oh, [...]! Ooh!
(laughs) Sorry.
She is not cut out for fast food business at all.
One medium Dr. Pepper float.
No. Totally wrong.
(upbeat music)
(horn honking)
We need to hurry these orders up.
- They're starting to pile up. - Okay.
Here you go. Have a nice night.
Thank you very much. You too.
(beep) Welcome to Wienerschnitzel.
Please take a look over our menu.
We'll be with you in just a moment.
There's your two chili cheese dogs and your corn dog,
and then we'll get your ice cream right out.
All right.
Zavier is really good with customer service.
The only problem I have is it gets really busy.
I'm sorry about that wait, man, and that's $10.72.
I think it's the lack of staffing.
ZAVIER: These people drove away,
so we have to go ahead and cancel that order.
There were three people on this shift.
Your two mustard dogs, all, they'll be right up.
There should be four.
All right. Sorry about that, sir.
- There's that for you. - No problem.
ZAVIER: So now that we are done here,
we're gonna go close up the store.
Make sure my lobby looks nice and clean
- for the people in the morning. - CINDY: Okay.
(pensive music)
All right, starting off, every table needs to be cleaned off.
So just from here back, just spray it down.
Wipe it down.
Wow, this stuff's strong.
Oh, yeah. It's strong.
- That's great. - And we water it down.
Have you worked here a long time?
- Two years. - Two years?
Right now, my goal is to get a car.
I've been paying for God knows how long... like almost over
a year on a car that I haven't been able to drive
because the transmission went out.
Once I get a car, move up...
you know what I'm saying?
Like, I'm going to college this fall.
So I don't know. I want to go, like,
for business.
- Can I ask you how old you are? - I'm 19.
So you started working at a young age.
Did you have to support yourself or...
I mean, kind of. Me and my mom, you know,
we had a lot of troubles back when I was living with her.
I mean, my mom at that point was on drugs.
I was always kicked out of my mom's house,
like, living in parks and stuff at, like, 15 years old.
So are you living on your own now or...
Me and my girlfriend live with her mom.
I pay rent, though.
CINDY: I started working at 17,
but my whole goal was to run away from home.
My family was extremely violent.
If I had stayed where I was,
I would've killed myself.
I had already tried.
Just luckily, it didn't work.
- Yeah. - But I couldn't...
I couldn't stay there.
I was in the same position, you know, with my family,
with... I was just done.
I was... you know, I was... I don't know.
I was just really emotional about it.
Everything just kind of came festering up to one big thing.
So I mean, I understand. I've been there, you know?
I basically woke up in a hospital,
and they were asking me all these questions
and basically told me I had no choice but to go here
because they were concerned for my safety.
What do you mean, you woke up in a hospital?
What happened?
Well, because I tried overdosing, so...
- You and I are still here. - Yeah. Still trooping along.
- Right? - You must be a survivor.
- Huh? - Still trooping along.
- Right? - Yeah.
CINDY: Zavier and I have so much in common,
as far as our childhood.
We both did whatever we could to get out of that situation.
- Let's sweep this up. - Okay.
- Let's get going. - Okay.
Luckily, from the time I left my parents' home,
my life continued on a very positive course.
I think we're just about good up here.
- Everything looks good. - Okay.
And I just pray that that's what happens to him.
♪ ♪
(upbeat bluegrass music)
♪ ♪
This morning, I'm in Amarillo, Texas,
and I'm gonna be working with the franchise owner.
The franchise owners,
to Wienerschnitzel, are everything.
Without them, we don't have a company.
This franchisee took over the business about two years ago,
and in the last six months, he's really improved his sales.
I'm hoping to see what he's done because it might be
something that we can use to help other franchisees.
- Hi. How are you doing? - Good.
- I'm Louise. - I'm TJ.
- How are you? - Nice to meet you. I'm...
- Nice to meet you too. - Yeah.
I'm the operator,
owner here at the Amarillo store.
Before we get started, let's get you a name tag.
Okay. Great.
We'll go over here, to the office over here.
- What time do you open? - 10:00 a.m.
- There you go. - Thank you very much.
- I feel official. - Oh, yeah.
You know, before we get going, what is your business?
- Wanting to have a cafe. - Oh, okay.
Hopefully, we can franchise it.
- Yeah. - I'm just curious.
- What is the best plan? - Oh, yeah.
There's two different sections.
There's a full franchise,
and then there's a limited franchise.
The full franchise... it costs a little bit more money
to get into.
You got a little bit more control over the business.
You're gonna make a little bit more money.
But when it comes to the limited side,
it's more of, like, a "glorified" store manager.
I do exactly what they tell me to do.
If I had the money... full franchise.
That would be my dream. Right now, it's just,
you know, working hard, and trying to get there.
You know, it's trying to save the money up
because it's a lot... it's a lot more
to get into a full franchise than a limited.
You seem like you like what you're doing.
Oh, I do.
I mean, I've been around... I've been around Wienerschnitzel
since I was 19. I'm 27.
I'll be 28 in August. I'm just, you know...
- Are you married? - No, no.
I just... I have a girlfriend,
and you're gonna be working with her here
in a little bit... Rhondelise.
- Wow. - Yeah.
So let's go and meet her.
- I'll follow you. - All right.
♪ ♪
- Rhondelise? - Hi!
This is Rhondelise. This is my general manager.
Hi. Louise. It's nice to meet you.
Rhondelise. Very nice to meet you.
All righty. Are you ready to go?
I am so ready.
Okay, first thing that we're gonna do
is get ready and make sure all the registers are counted.
Add it all up to make sure it's 100.
There is no rush... we just want to make sure money's right.
Okay. 25, 30, 35, 39.
Awesome.
We have quite a few people check the drawers
all the time, just to make sure, so...
- Oh, they do? - Yeah.
We've had a lot of people very not-trustworthy,
kind of, unfortunately.
And so now, we have this chain safe.
It used to be just in a bank bag down here.
I'd rather have one that's, like, bolted to the ground.
Yes. They actually used to have one
of those down there, and do you see where
- all this kind of... - Yeah.
Previous owners took everything out.
- Is that insulation? - Yeah.
That's insulation.
CINDY: For us not to replace the equipment
when it's our responsibility... that's part of our job
for a limited franchisee,
to make sure his equipment is always working.
Our area director wouldn't listen to us.
CINDY: The franchise area director doesn't say,
"You need a new safe."
This is crazy.
Our area director... any of our repairs,
we always submitted to him.
We actually just got a brand-new steamer,
thank goodness, but we actually submitted for it
well over about two years ago.
Heating stuff up in a microwave,
like, food quality was lost.
CINDY: The steamer's used to steam the buns,
and it keeps them moist.
To hear that they've had to use a microwave
for two years is so infuriating.
Now, do you still have the same area director
that wouldn't listen to you?
Yes. We do. Yeah.
Unfortunately, and so then...
Unfortunately? You don't like him?
I don't really know him as a person,
but with Wienerschnitzel, they teach in every kind
of literature that I see, like, positive reinforcement,
and if you have negative attitudes floating around,
it just kind of brings down the whole ship.
You know, with corporate, he's our only person
that we can talk to.
You know, like, I've never really met anybody else.
Yeah.
TJ and Rhondelise are successful,
even though they haven't received any support from us.
Do you know how to dice an onion?
Kind of, yeah.
That has to change.
Let me show you how to do this.
Cool. We get a cutting board here.
So you want to cut off the ends.
Cut them in half. There we go.
And then it creates...
Yeah, a smooth surface.
Yep. Now, all you got to do is do that.
And you go with the grain.
Yes. Mm-hmm.
So Rhonda was talking to me
a little bit about your... is it franchise area director?
- Mm-hmm. - Is he really,
really a bad guy?
He needs to learn how to talk to people.
The best way of putting it is,
we all see Wienerschnitzel as our family.
So how am I supposed to make my family happy
when I got an uncle coming in every three months,
focusing on what I'm doing negative
instead of what I'm doing positive?
I do exactly what they tell me to do.
I'm up double digits in sales,
and even if you do get that, it's not appreciated.
Another instance was December 28th.
It was a Sunday, and there was a blizzard coming through.
You might've heard about it in the news.
They closed the whole city down,
and we all made a decision as a team, as a family,
that we were gonna close that day,
because a lot of our employees don't have cars.
We can't make them walk through the blizzard like that.
So we didn't hear anything about it until the phone call
from the area director being like,
"You know you're not supposed to close without permission."
We got written up, and it was a breach of our "contract."
A letter of default means it's against your contract.
- And that's what you got? - Yes.
And after two or three of them,
they can just take your store away.
I am so disappointed with the lack of compassion,
the lack of support.
That was a big downer, a real big downer,
because I've been so passionate
about Wienerschnitzel since I was 19,
and I knew we made the right decision.
But they didn't see it as... like we saw it,
and so we were all shamed for doing the right thing.
CINDY: When I get back, I'm gonna have a talk
with the franchise area director.
He's obviously not doing his job, and what he is doing
is discouraging them when they're trying so hard.
Perfect. Yeah. It looks good.
And it's absolutely unacceptable.
Whenever you begin your business, just make sure
your employees are what's gonna help you drive your business.
You want to have their back so they can have your back.
There's been times where I had employees
that couldn't afford eyeglasses and... or, like, eye exams.
So me and Rhondy packed them all up in our car,
and we drove them to the eye exams and paid for them.
- Oh, wow. - Another...
Are those employees still with you?
Yes. So...
CINDY: One of the best things
that has come out of this journey
is the people that I've met.
They work so hard,
but we're not giving them the support they need.
You ready to teach her how to put together
- the ice cream machine? - I sure am.
CINDY: I want to give them every opportunity to grow
with this company, and I'm gonna do everything in my power
to see that they succeed.
- And you do this every day? - Yes, ma'am.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, Cindy's employees
think they're participating in a different reality show.
If I put a nose ring in, would it help?
ANNOUNCER: How will they react
when the boss reveals her true identity?
You are on Undercover Boss.
Oh, my gosh!
(dramatic music)
Bye-bye, nose ring.
This journey has been absolutely amazing,
because it's given me the opportunity
to see things in a different way.
I cannot wait to start instituting the vision
that we have for our company.
♪ ♪
- Howdy. - Hi. How are you?
I'm good. I'm Zavier.
Hi, Zavier. It's nice to meet you.
Do you know who I am?
You look familiar.
If I put a nose ring in, would it help?
- What? - Oh, my gosh!
I'm Cindy Galardi Culpepper.
I'm CEO of Wienerschnitzel.
- You're Ms. Galardi. - Yes.
And you are on Undercover Boss.
- Are you kidding me? - No.
Well, we did a good job, then.
You did a great job.
Brock, you're amazing.
Here you are, having gone through such a tough time.
I was using meth for four years and heroin for three.
- Wow. - I was like,
"I could do way better," and here I am to this day.
- I admire you so much. - Thank you.
And I think you're such a remarkable young man...
- Thank you. - That I'd like to mentor you.
Great. Thank you.
Also, going through your store, that colored screen
- you had was terrible. - Yeah.
I couldn't tell the yellow from the yellow,
and so I think that I can make it a little easier
- by working on the screen. - Totally.
Great.
The other thing is I want to do something
very special for you.
- Okay. You ready? - No.
I'm gonna give you...
$50,000.
I'm giving you the $50,000
to go to school, to help with your car,
whatever your needs are,
to make your life better.
(uplifting music)
- Can I hug you? - Yes, please.
♪ ♪
BROCK: I don't think I've ever been told
I deserve anything in my life.
♪ ♪
There's gonna be so many things
that I can accomplish now with this opportunity,
and it's gonna help me so much.
♪ ♪
It's incredible that...
that it's happening to me.
♪ ♪
Rhondelise and TJ,
you gave me so much information.
It was invaluable,
especially the situation you brought up
about your franchise area director.
We all see Wienerschnitzel as our family.
So how am I supposed to make my family happy
when I got an uncle coming in every three months,
focusing on what I'm doing negative
instead of what I'm doing positive?
I ultimately take responsibility for that,
and so I will resolve that for you.
And as far as the communication,
he will not be your only point of contact.
- Thank you. - Oh, thank you.
And I'm so impressed as how you work as a couple.
- Thank you. - So what I thought I would do
is I want to give you the store.
Oh, my goodness.
Wow.
The value of that store
is in excess of $500,000.
- Oh, my gosh. - You will be a full franchisee.
Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, my goodness. - This is like a dream.
It is.
Oh, I am speechless.
You embody what we want going forward.
- Thank you so much. I... - Thank you so much.
Oh, my gosh. This is definitely
a dream come true. Thank you.
- Let's have a group hug. - Have a group hug.
TJ: For Cindy to do this for us,
it definitely opens up a lot more pathways for us,
and we just have so many things that we can do now.
Wow.
- I love you. - I love you too.
♪ ♪
Zavier, first of all,
I don't recognize you because of the haircut.
- You look great. - Thank you.
You and I have some similarities in our background.
My family was extremely violent.
If I had stayed, I would've killed myself.
I had already tried.
I was in the same position, you know, with my family.
After telling me the hard times you had growing up,
and to see who you've become at 19, you are amazing.
- Thank you. - You said something to me
about how you wanted to continue with school.
♪ ♪
So I'm gonna give you $10,000
to go towards your schooling.
Oh, my God.
You're joking with all of this.
- Right? - No.
You're gonna make me cry. Really?
Oh, jeez.
And then you were talking to me about that car
that you still owe money on that doesn't work.
Yeah.
How much do you owe on that car?
1,491... so 1,500.
Well, I'm gonna pay it off for you.
- Are you serious? - Yes.
- You're joking. - No.
Oh, my God.
But you know, I have one more surprise for you.
What is it?
What can Zavier really, really use?
And I thought, "Well, maybe he should get a new car."
Really?
Oh, jeez. No way.
So give me a hug.
- Thank you so much. - You're so welcome.
And go see your new car.
♪ ♪
No way.
♪ ♪
Oh, my goodness.
♪ ♪
Oh! (laughs)
It's beautiful!
My car is paid off, and I get a new one.
What?
Oh, with that new-car smell.
I never thought I'd have a brand-new car until I was,
like, 30, 40 years old,
and I could afford to have a brand-new car on my own.
♪ ♪
Oh-ho-ho-ho! Oh, yeah.
Channing, you are so amazing.
I can barely lift one rod with those hot dogs on it.
- Gotta let 'em go! - Oh, no! Oh!
Get another one.
I got it. (groans)
I was so impressed
with the food safety the company takes,
and it's all because of the people that work there.
So I would like to do something
- for the employees at Kent. - Wow.
And so I'd like to give you $10,000.
- What? - And you and I will collaborate
on, "What can we do to show Wienerschnitzel's appreciation?"
That is amazing!
I don't even know what to say right now.
You are amazing, and you've told me something
about what you do for your family.
I do everything for them I can.
Like, financial stability and love...
that's all I want in my family.
I want to do something special for you.
I'm gonna give you $40,000.
No way! (laughs)
♪ ♪
(sobbing)
Oh, my God. My mom... oh, my family.
That's all I ever wanted, was to make them happy.
That's all I care about.
If that 40,000 enables you to buy a house
or whatever it is
that you think will make your life more complete,
that's what it's for.
That's crazy. Thank you so much.
I have no idea how to thank you for this.
Thank you, ma'am, so much.
You're so welcome, and you're so deserving.
Thank you so much for everything you do.
- Hey, Mom! - Hey, Channing!
- How'd it go? - Okay.
So the real show
that I was on was Undercover Boss.
- Oh, my God. - I know, Mom. Okay.
So she gave me $40,000, Mom,
- to do what I want. - No, Chan...
- Yeah, she did! - No, Channing!
Yes. I told you I'd always take care of you.
This is a blessing from her, Mom.
I get to help my family even more than what I dreamed of.
That's like a whole two years' worth of salary right there.
(both laughing)
We're getting 40,000!
Whoo!
(upbeat music)
♪ ♪
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