Happy 2018 to my Boloco Family

Happy New Year, Boloco Family!

I’m sending this to all 140 of our Boloco family members. We are a smaller family than we used to be, but, I hope, and I believe, much closer than ever before. I prefer small and close to big and disconnected. I know many of you do too!

2017 was a year in which we rebuilt our financial strength, our unique character, our spirit of generosity, our confidence in a brighter future. It wasn’t a perfect year, but it was a good year. Perhaps a very good year! I can’t remember any time where I felt better about the people who make up this team and family than I do today. We surround ourselves with kind-hearted people, who care about and help others, who use Boloco to better their lives and futures, and who speak up about how to improve our business more and more often.

It’s sometimes scary to say something like “I feel like 2018 is going to be our best year ever!” What if it isn’t true? People might say I wasn’t being truthful. But honestly, I feel like 2018 is going to be one of our very best. We have worked hard to be here. I find myself energized and hopeful this early morning of January 1. There are many good things happening that aren’t yet visible to all – and especially not to our customers… yet – that lead me to believe this.

A few things I would like to see happen this year:

• Minimum wage at Boloco for full-time adults moves to $13/hour by year end.
• Average wage at Boloco improves to $15/hour by year end (we are just over $14 today)
• Our focus on “Coaching” spreads to everyone in the company, with no exceptions, by September. No person at Boloco is left behind on receiving mentorship, a listening partner, a person to lean on in order to reach our individual goals and dreams.
• Team Leads who become true coaches (as opposed to “supervisors”) will see their minimum wage increase to $16/hour by year end, with potential to climb higher.
• Our standing as a certified B-Corporation will matter to each of us in a way that motivates and drives us… versus today where most of you reading this still have little to no idea what a B-Corporation means or why it matters. I’ll say this… to me, it matters as much as anything we’ve ever done at Boloco since 1997.
• Responsible profitability. Focus first on the lives and futures of our Boloco family, take extraordinary care of our guests, unique and delicious food and beverages, leading to respectable profits that sustain our businesses and allow us to invest further in our future and our mission.

Thank you again.

With sincere gratitude,

John Pepper

Feliz Año Nuevo, Familia Boloco!