How thousands of convenience store workers stay informed, engaged, and connected

• • Royal Farms
  • Success story

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Key results

Improved engagement and retention of the company’s 5,700+ frontline workers

Ensured compliance with labor relations regulations at the state and federal regulations, mitigating the risk of potential lawsuits

Created a positive environment conducive to better service quality and sales growth

Highlights

Challenges

Solutions

Results

About Customer

Brian Roche, Chief People Officer at Royal Farms, and the IT team chose Beekeeper to improve communication with the company’s frontline—majority workforce and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations at the popular convenience store chain.

Beekeeper has revolutionized the way we communicate at Caribou Coffee. Our teams are more connected, our managers are empowered, and there's a genuine sense of community across the entire organization."

Jessica Monson

Chief Legal Officer, Caribou Coffee

Challenge

Royal Farms was growing its workforce by 10-15% annually, the lack of effective communication with its 90% frontline workforce hindered productivity and compliance. With email proving ineffective, the company needed a better way to engage and stay connected with its store associates.

Solution

Beekeeper’s mobile-first Frontline Success Platform — with features like chat, streams, and videos — was implemented for its ability to meet the unique needs and communication preferences of deskless workers.

Beekeeper has enhanced employee engagement, empowering frontline workers with unprecedented access to vital information. With increased engagement comes the promise of improved retention, better service, and, ultimately, higher revenue.

Communication is the backbone of any successful organization, and Beekeeper has transformed the way we connect and
collaborate with our teams, especially in
the field.”

Lindsay Bosley

Brand Communications, Manager, Caribou Coffee

Frontline employees are the backbone of our company, making up 90% of our workforce. We needed a communication solution tailored specifically for them, and only Beekeeper fit the bill.”

Brian Roche

Chief People Officer, Royal Farms

Finding an effective, compliant way to communicate with store associates

Premium coffeehouse chain, Caribou Coffee is beloved for its commitment to quality, exceptional customer experiences, and strong community ties. But with over 800 locations and ambitious plans to double its U.S. presence by 2030, maintaining the company’s consistent quality and close-knit culture became increasingly difficult.

Premium coffeehouse chain Caribou Coffee is beloved for its commitment to quality, exceptional customer experiences, and strong community ties. But with over 800 locations and ambitious plans to double its U.S. presence by 2030, maintaining the company’s consistent quality and close-knit culture became increasingly difficult.

From New Jersey to North Carolina, Royal Farms employees are a lifeline for their communities, ensuring they have access to everyday essentials in 285 store locations. Despite their pivotal role, these workers often missed crucial communications — from training opportunities to district-wide announcements — sent by store managers and corporate leadership.

“More than 90% of our 6,200 employees are frontline workers in our stores, without email access during their shifts,” says Brian Roche, Chief People Officer at Royal Farms. “We relied on email to communicate with store managers and office staff, but this channel was ineffective for reaching and engaging our frontline workers.”

With research showing that 18% of frontline workers say poor-cross team communication inhibits productivity, Roche recognized the role that timely, relevant communications could play in engaging frontline employees and helping them provide a better customer experience.

The need for improved frontline communication became urgent as the organization expanded exponentially — growing 10 to 15% annually. It was also crucial that Royal Farms maintained compliance with regulations as it grew — not only at the federal level but also at individual state levels.

“Our rapid growth made it clear that we needed a more efficient way to communicate across all levels of the organization,” adds Roche. “We aren’t a small company anymore. We need programs and systems in place so we can continue to grow — and ensure we remain compliant as we do so.”

Rolling out a mobile-first communication platform for frontline workers

Seeking a solution tailored to frontline workers' communication needs and preferences, Roche and his team evaluated Beekeeper’s mobile-first Frontline Success Platform and were immediately impressed.

“Beekeeper was the only solution specifically designed for our frontline-majority workforce. We compared it to solutions like Microsoft Teams, but those platforms weren’t easily accessible or suitable for deskless workers,” says Roche. “We needed something intuitive and easy to use, with features like chat, streams, and videos — all in one place.”

Initially drawn to Beekeeper for its chat functionality and a recommendation from its IT director, the sales and implementation process revealed unexpected benefits. Most notably, Beekeeper could consolidate and replace many of Royal Farms’ existing systems and processes, leading to cost efficiencies.

During the implementation, Roche focused on frontline workers by assembling a project team that included representatives from all levels of the organization. “Many companies forget about the end user, but we knew having the right team was crucial for success.”

With a strong project team and Beekeeper’s hands-on guidance, the implementation was swift and painless. The three-tiered rollout began with a pilot in three stores, expanded to four districts, and finally extended company-wide. This phased approach, completed in just two months, allowed Royal Farms to learn and adapt at each stage.

With Beekeeper fully implemented, the HR team is monitoring activation levels and ensuring that frontline workers continue to use the platform regularly. The team prioritizes daily content — including polls, surveys, and video updates — to maintain employee engagement.

Communication as a catalyst: Driving engagement, retention, and revenue

With Beekeeper, Caribou Coffee has significantly improved frontline operations, driving efficiency and strengthening team communication. The platform has made it much easier for critical updates to be shared quickly and for training to be consistently rolled out, saving managers valuable time and smoothing out daily operations.

Products used

Royal Farms has already seen a positive impact from Beekeeper in just a few months. “We’re delivering information to our frontline workers that they’ve never had access to before,” explains Roche. As a result, employee engagement has increased.

“We’re already seeing likes and comments within Beekeeper, from frontline workers who are loving feeling informed. It’s been a real ah-ha moment,” adds Roche. This has led to employees feeling more engaged, leading to better performance.

Roche also sees Beekeeper as a tool for boosting retention — a common challenge in the retail sector, where 30% of all frontline workers changed jobs last year. “We want to retain employees and not wonder why they left. The need for better communication often came up in exit interviews, and Beekeeper is helping us address that.”

Looking ahead, Roche also expects Beekeeper to contribute to higher customer satisfaction and revenue. “In retail, our frontline workers are the face of our organization. Happy employees lead to happy customers,” he notes. “By increasing frontline engagement with Beekeeper, we anticipate a downstream effect of better service quality and, ultimately, higher sales.”

About Royal Farms

Founded in 1959, Royal Farms is a popular Mid-Atlantic convenience store and gas station chain known for its fresh, made-to-order food — particularly its famous fried chicken. With nearly 300 locations spanning seven states, Royal Farms’s 5,700+ frontline workers serve up a diverse menu of quick, tasty meals alongside traditional convenience store items.

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