The company proudly recognizes long-term employee with surprise celebration
If anything has changed more drastically in the workplace in the last several decades is employee and employer loyalty. It is rare for companies to be able to retain employees longer than five or 10 years. But this is not the case with Church’s Chicken. The restaurant chain continues to celebrate long-term employees like Diane Liddell, who recently had a 40-year anniversary with the company. With her high energy, outgoing personality and a can-do attitude, Liddell has made a dramatic difference not just with guests and her employer, but also in the lives of employees through her motto: “never ask an employee to do something that you would not do.”
Church’s proudly celebrated Liddell’s success with a surprise bash at the Vicksburg restaurant in Jackson, MS. All the Restaurant Managers in her market, family and the other Market Leaders from Baton Rouge and New Orleans joined to honor her accomplishments.
“Diane is dedicated to her job and wants her team to be the same and be the best they can be. She is always willing to learn and cascade all her learnings to her team to make each of them successful,” said Jorge Sierra, Zone Director at Church’s. “Over the course of her career Liddell has trained and developed many employees. Some of them have gone on to become surgery techs, teachers, regional managers and counselors and some even bring their kids to work at Church’s to instill work ethics in them.”
If you ask Liddell she will say that her role has not changed since she started with the company in 1978 at the age of 16, when she lived one block away from a Church’s Chicken.. Every day after school she would visit the restaurant and beg the manager for a job. The manager finally hired her, and Liddell has made history at the company since. She moved up the ranks from her first job as a Team Member to other positions including Team Trainer, Shift Leader, Assistant Manager, Restaurant Manager and Training Manager. Five years ago, she was promoted to Market Leader in charge of eight restaurants in the Jackson and Monroe area. Her philosophy remains the same: “Treat others the way you want to be treated and make a difference in someone’s life every day,” said Liddell, now a grandmother of two boys and three girls. “And don’t serve anyone anything that you would not serve to your grandkids.”
Liddell is a contributing member of her community. She sponsors meals twice a year with the American Red Cross and the Veteran’s Hospital and has helped build a home with Habitat for Humanity. She donates to Toys for Tots, helps families in need during Christmas and provides meals once a month to the Springhill Christian Center bible class. She has also partnered with the Jackson Fire Department to sponsor a public academy for kids.
“Liddell has been a great team player and important leader that has impacted many employees and the community over the past 40 years and we are lucky to have her,” said Sierra.
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church, Church’s Chicken is one of the largest quick service restaurant chicken chains in the world. Church’s specializes in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Church’s (along with its sister brand Texas Chicken outside the Americas) has more than 1,500 locations in 23 countries and international territories and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information about Church’s Chicken or Texas Chicken franchising opportunities, visit www.churchs.com/franchise. For more information about Church’s Chicken visit www.churchs.com. Follow Church’s on Facebook at www.facebook.com/churchschicken and Twitter at www.twitter.com/churchschicken.
