I could tell you but I'd have to kill you.
Kidding aside, speaking as someone who worked for them for three years, two of them having my own store as a General Manager, their secret is very simple. They believe in taking care of their people so that their people in turn take care of their customers. Seems like the simplest concept, but it's amazing how many people don't seem to get it. When I came on board there were seven stores in the DC area. I joined their team after having managed full service restaurants for years, and I was looking for a position with daytime hours. But I quickly learned they were a good match for my personality in that they really wanted you to have fun at work. When I took on my own store I saw it as my personal responsibility to create a fun, enjoyable environment for my staff to work in every day. And I think our regular customers could feel this on the other side of the counter. It is extremely difficult to keep employees who are making $7-10/hr motivated to take a line-out-the-door butt kicking on a daily basis. Showing interest in employees as people, asking them about their weekends or finding out what kind of movies or music they like, seeing pictures of and sometimes meeting their children and families made them feel like I truly cared about them as people, which I did (and still do).
I've since gone back to full service restaurants of a different caliber, but I can honestly say those three years I worked for them I learned so much about the importance of taking care of your people. Regardless of how anyone feels about chains, corporate blah blah nonsense, I just can't view that as a negative thing.
