Leadership in the time of COVID-19: BHSU alum Tashi Braun

Headshot - Tashi Braun
Braun
Black Hills State University alum Tashi Braun, Class of 1993, is a co-owner of Culver’s Restaurant in Spearfish. As the business prepares to enter their typical busy season May through September, uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic still looms. Braun says her priority is ensure the four managers and more than 40 employees who work at Culver’s continue to be paid while taking steps to protect their health while on the job.

Currently, the drive-through is still open at Culver’s. Braun says the drive through is thriving. While hours of her employees have shifted, thus far she has been able to keep all members of her crew employed.

“It’s our goal to keep our employees on board. It’s a trickle-down effect – if business owners can’t pay our employees, the employees won’t be able to take care of their bills,” says Braun. “My advice for other small business owners is to establish a good relationship with a local bank in town and take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Programs through the Small Business Administration.”

Braun graduated from BHSU with a degree in business marketing. She attended a college in Montana for two years before enrolling at BHSU to be closer to family.

“BHSU is an asset to our community and the surrounding communities,” says Braun.

Braun bought the Culver’s franchise in Spearfish 12 years ago. March is typically a good month for Culver’s. The business benefits from the large gatherings in Spearfish including the Queen City Classic and Black Hills Nationals Wrestling Tournament. This year, those and many other large events were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Rather than hit the panic button, Braun says Culver’s carried on making adjustments as needed to protect customers and employees. Last week Culver’s employees began wearing face protection. Braun says the restaurant is doing extra sanitizing and using one-use sticky notes rather than reusable number signs for customers waiting for orders outside.

The most popular item on the Culver’s menu? Braun says the ButterBurger is the most popular, but the North Atlantic Cod Sandwich held its own during Lent. Like all of us, Braun is looking forward to the summer months when sales of custard and sweet treats will increase.