Frozen Yogurt Franchise CEO Amit Kleinberger learns lessons while teaching millions about Menchie’s

The slogan on the cup says it all: Menchie’s makes you smile.

Can you really learn important lessons from a television show? Yes, if you’re a CEO who’s willing to risk exposing something unpleasant in exchange for big rewards. And yes, if you’re interested in finding out what really goes on behind a successful international frozen yogurt franchise.

Menchie’s has been featured twice this season on the two-time Emmy award-winning CBS hit TV series “Undercover Boss.” In October, our CEO Amit Kleinberger followed the show’s traditional format and went undercover as an employee in his own company. As “Alan,” Amit worked at a Menchie’s in El Paso, TX, where he was inspired and moved by team member Jenni Lutz’s positive attitude and enthusiasm.

The March episode of the reality show tried something experimental with Amit and two other CEOs: Instead of the bosses going undercover, they sent in employees while they watched on closed-circuit TV at a nearby location. In Amit’s case, he went back to Jenni and asked her to go undercover in other Menchie’s locations. The results were very rewarding.

In both cases, viewers who were paying attention could have picked up some insights about Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt franchise:

1. Positive Attitude and atmosphere go a long way toward welcoming guests. When Menchie’s was first founded in 2008, the idea was to provide a gathering space where family and friends can share a smiley cup of frozen yogurt while creating lasting memories. Menchie’s team members like Jenni demonstrate how far a genuine smile can go when it comes to making people feel like they belong. Shift leader Christina, who works at the Santa Monica, CA, Menchie’s and is featured in the March episode, embraces the same friendly, smiley attitude that brings in guests and drives revenue. It’s also the reason we’ve been able to build a franchise system with more than 400 locations worldwide.

2. Menchie’s cares about families. From the family-owned California dairy where Amit-as-Alan helped birth a calf to our company’s mission to provide places where families can celebrate and have fun, it was clear in the two “Undercover Boss” shows that families matter to Menchie’s. Amit was touched by the birth of the calf, even naming it “Alan” after his “Undercover” persona. He was deeply moved by the family stories of the team members he met in both episodes. Single mom Christina received $5,000 to start a college fund for her 5-year-old and a trip to Hawaii for herself and her family. Jenni was gifted with plane tickets to see her parents every 90 days during her college years, along with $25,000 for tuition. He awarded team members with family vacations, cash and more to help them spend more time with their families, as well as pursue their career goals.

CEO Amit Kleinberger donned a disguise as a worker in his own frozen yogurt franchise for his first appearance on “Undercover Boss.”

3. Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt franchise is a business you can feel good about. For some investors, the dollar is the bottom line. Menchie’s investors, however, have a passion for people and a positive attitude. If “Undercover Boss” teaches viewers nothing else, it shows how important it is for a company’s philosophy to be embraced from an entry level person on the career ladder to the person on the very top rung. The episodes featuring Menchie’s made it evident how much our CEO cares about our team. We even source the milk for our Private Label Collection of frozen yogurt from a single family-owned dairy that treats its cows humanely. Menchie’s isn’t really about frozen yogurt, it’s about smiles. It’s about making the guest experience more important than anything else. And we know that the root of a happy guest experience is happy franchisees and team members. Amit came away with an even richer understanding of what Menchie’s means to people, and it strengthened his underlying mission for Menchie’s to spread smiles across the globe.

Learn more about Menchie’s

We hope you were able to catch the episodes of “Undercover Boss” that provided a rare inside glimpse of the fastest-growing frozen yogurt franchise in the world. If it piqued your interest in becoming a franchisee, you can fill out this form or call us at 818-708-0316. You also can learn more about Menchie’s in the research section of our website. We look forward to hearing from you!