MWB Restaurants, a burgeoning Whataburger franchisee with 10 locations in North Alabama, has a current workforce of over 600 employees — with plans to open more than 90 restaurants across multiple states. 

With their fast growth, the company faced the challenge of maintaining consistent training and development across their rapidly expanding network, and they needed a scalable solution to standardize their onboarding process and support ongoing employee development. The MWB Restaurants leadership team recognized the need for a more robust training management system that could keep pace with their growth. 

Enter Trainual: the training platform that has transformed how MWB Restaurants onboards, trains, and develops their team members across multiple locations.

An onboarding program for consistent, wide-scale training

Before implementing Trainual, MWB Restaurants relied on a basic system using Zoho forms to track certifications and food safety training. However, this approach lacked the real-time capabilities and role differentiation necessary for their expanding operations. 

“We were using a training management system that really just wasn't going to function for us, with growth being what it is,” explained Jay Cox, director of training and development. “So we tested [Trainual] in one restaurant specifically just to kind of see if the platform was going to be there for us. And we're really starting to see some traction with it gaining momentum as far as the usage and completion percentages.”

Trainual offered the perfect solution for scaling their onboarding process in a visually compelling and efficient manner.

"The largest thing is really just at our team member role," explains Jay. "We converted our orientation from a PowerPoint presentation to the Trainual app, making sure it looked good and was easily accessible."

The new onboarding program includes company history videos, MWB-specific information, and clear expectations for new hires. This foundation is now the first step for every new employee, regardless of their position. The platform's user-friendly interface has been particularly beneficial for MWB's rapid growth, allowing them to onboard large groups of employees simultaneously.

"When we're bringing in 45, 60, sometimes even 100 team members into a restaurant, being able to have a platform that we can validate that foundation has been set is crucial.”
<blockquoteauthor>Jay Cox, director, training and development at MWB Restaurants<blockquoteauthor>

Trainual's testing function also enables MWB to verify learning comprehension and track completion percentages, ensuring that all new hires receive consistent training. This standardized approach has been instrumental in maintaining quality across their expanding network of restaurants.

Click "Next" 👆 to see how MWB Restaurants uses Trainual. Want a closer look? Click to explore the training in a new window.

A training management platform for tracking required completion

Beyond initial onboarding, Trainual has become an invaluable tool for MWB Restaurants in managing ongoing training and certifications. The platform's ability to differentiate roles and track completion has significantly improved their training management process.

"We use the test function a lot to acknowledge the learning [employees] have done from an e-learning standpoint and make sure that we can track that, see the completion percentage," Jay noted.

This functionality has been particularly useful for leadership development, a critical aspect of MWB's growth strategy. Jay was able to integrate existing leadership training programs into Trainual, making it easier to track progress and support emerging leaders across multiple locations.

The platform's mobile app has also proven to be a game-changer. "The ease of use with the app has been insanely beneficial," Jay remarks. "Everybody's on the phone, everybody's on the tablet. That's how they're going to get their training."

By making training accessible and easy to complete, MWB has seen increased engagement and completion rates among their employees, contributing to better-prepared staff and more consistent operations across their restaurants.

“[Trainual] sets the foundation, not only from company history and culture, but also expectations, standards, what to be, what to expect in your first level of training. And that's the foundation for anybody that is hired at any level for us.”

A documentation tool that simplifies operations across multiple locations

As MWB Restaurants continues to expand, Trainual's role as a centralized documentation tool has become increasingly important. It allows the company to create and update content that spans across different locations and roles — ensuring consistency in their operations.

"We use the group function a lot in Trainual to be able to define our restaurants," Jay explained. 

This feature enables operating partners at individual restaurants to access and assign relevant content to their teams.

One unique way MWB utilizes Trainual is for their station trainings and certifications. They've broken down their 13 operating stations into a single subject within Trainual, complete with e-learning modules and certification tests. This approach streamlines the training process and provides a standardized method for skill verification across all locations.

Looking ahead, Jay sees Trainual as a valuable asset for managing the complexities of multi-state operations. "We will be growing into very different demographics... There might be different labor laws, different food handler expectations. It'll be very great to be able to manage that through Trainual."

By centralizing their training and documentation in Trainual, MWB Restaurants has created a scalable system that can adapt to their growing needs and diverse operational requirements.

“It's just a tool that makes life easier from a training standpoint, and you can capture everything right there.”

Trainual has proven to be a game-changer for MWB Restaurants, providing a comprehensive solution for their training and development needs as they rapidly expand their Water Burger franchise. From streamlining onboarding to supporting leadership development and simplifying operations across multiple locations, the platform has become an integral part of MWB's success strategy. 

As they continue to grow and face new challenges, Trainual's flexible and easy-to-update platform allows MWB Restaurants to maintain consistent, high-quality operations across their entire network — supporting their ambitious growth plans and evolving training needs.