Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands succeeds by selling burgers, wings and hospitality

While to the casual observer it might seem like Allentown-based Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands sells juicy hamburgers and spicy hot wings; its leadership knows it takes something more than that to become a top company. And so, beyond the food they sell, the group of 45 restaurants in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania concentrate an equal amount of effort on selling service and hospitality – making the employees part of the experience they sell. 

The effort has helped put LVRB on Lehigh Valley Businesses‘ list of Top 100 Publicly Held Companies. 

On a list heavily dominated by construction companies, tech firms and manufacturers, LVRB stands out as a leader in the restaurant industry. 

This year the company came in at number 19 on the list, up from 24 on last year’s list. 

Its growth is evident by its expanding number of Red Robin and Wing Stop franchises it owns and operates. Currently, LVRB has 24 Red Robin locations and 21 Wing Stop eateries. 

The company has seen its revenue grow from $86.8 million in 2024 to a projected revenue of more than $119 million for its current fiscal year. 

LVRB also has a staff of 2,000 employees including cooks, servers, managers and back-office support. 

It’s the employees that make the restaurants LVRG restaurants the success that they are, said Mike Axiotis, president and CEO of the company. 

Axiotis said the theory that happy workers serve better burgers started out when the company first began in 1991. That’s when Stephen J. Hanzlik and a group of friends founded the company as Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group with the original Red Robin location on Tilghman Street in Allentown. 

He said all too often people think of jobs in the restaurant industry as being “dead end” with long hours, nights and weekends. 

LVRB sought to change that by offering a work-life balance and an opportunity to find a career with the company’s policy of hiring from within. 

“You can start work as a dish washer or host and move up to the C suite,” Axiotis said. “We believe if we take great care of our employees, they’ll take great care of our guests.”  

Jodie Stetz, chief people and culture officer for LVRB, said the company does that by offering benefits other employers in the industry don’t. 

“Our shareholders are very focused on making sure this is a great place to work and making people feel like they’re part of what we’re doing,” Stetz said. 

For example, managers are encouraged to work only 40 to 45 hours per week, where long hours and long gaps without a day off can be standard at many restaurants. 

She said they don’t just encourage it, they enable it, by making sure staffing levels are high enough that shifts are covered if a manager wants or needs to take off. 

Restaurants even have shift managers that can take over management duties in an emergency. 

LVRB also makes sure it offers strong health benefits to its staff and other perks such as “bottomless vacation” — named after the chain’s popular bottomless fries. 

LVRB also offers four weeks of paid time off a year for each employee, while at many restaurants time off is unpaid. 

“We want them to know that they can take that time off to take care of themselves or their families,” Stetz said. 

There is even a retirement plan. 

“A lot of this is not normal for restaurant companies,” said Axiotis. “Restaurants don’t typically offer these benefits. This may not be new to people working in other industries, but in the restaurant industry it definitely is.” 

Axiotis said the attitudes of people working in the industry have changed greatly since the pandemic when many people left to pursue different jobs because of the long hours and lack of benefits. 

While he said the tide is turning with people returning to the industry, having benefits that are above and beyond gives LVRB a competitive advantage in hiring. 

T.J. Arrowood, executive vice president of operations, said the executive team always endeavors to make employees feel appreciated. 

“We reward them for reflecting our values,” Arrowood said. “We recognize the GMs, who are often nominated by their boss for going above and beyond.” 

And they don’t just get a plaque with their name on it, but gift baskets and gift certificates to say thank you for their work. 

He said they also have a number of events for restaurant staff where they bring in cake and candy or host a “have fun at work” day to keep morale high. 

Meanwhile, Axiotis said LVRB still has its eyes on the future, expanding its footprint of the Red Robin and Wing Stop brands it already operates, but also looking for new opportunities. 

While no decisions have been made, he said LVRB is looking at different restaurant industry franchises that won’t compete with the company’s existing brands. 

“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” Axiotis said.