Escalate App Pilot Reduces McDonald’s Callouts in Maryland

In 2025, startup Escalate received a Maryland grant to run a six-month pilot with Hopkins-Navies Ford Management, a McDonald’s franchise operating seven locations in Prince George’s County. Employees used the app to request last-minute assistance—primarily Uber vouchers, grocery or Visa gift cards for childcare support. The franchise paid $250 per month per store for the service and covered voucher costs, averaging another $250 per store each month.

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Escalate was founded by Sienna Daniel and Sean Segal, veterans of nonprofit job-seeking programs that identified barriers such as broken cars, unreliable childcare, and food insecurity. “Opportunities might be there, but if they aren’t stabilized…there’s a problem,” Daniel explained.

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McDonald’s operators lose at least $300 per missed shift, plus overtime and customer loss. The franchise’s HR manager, Chantel Johnson, had previously driven employees herself, limiting her ability to focus on other duties.

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• About 50 % of employees at the seven stores registered for the app; roughly half of those submitted a request.

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• Each employee may make up to three assistance requests per month; additional needs trigger a coaching session.

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• More than 80 % of requests were for Uber vouchers; 5 %–10 % addressed childcare.

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• Average monthly cost per store for vouchers was about $250, on top of the $250 service fee.

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• Sean Segal estimates the app saved the franchise roughly $35,000 per month in call-out costs across the seven locations.

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Imani Ford, who operates the franchise with her mother Mary Hopkins-Navies, said the app has been “crazy beneficial” for staffing and retention, noting a marked decline in callouts. Hopkins-Navies emphasized the financial pressure of each missed shift.

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Chantel Johnson described early staff skepticism and noted that translating the app into Spanish increased adoption. She observed that during a winter storm the app enabled workers to secure rides rather than abandon their shifts.

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Daniel highlighted safeguards, including request limits and confidential handling, which she says “helps build trust among employees.” Segal pointed to the projected savings and expressed confidence the model can be replicated.

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Ebert Velasquez Ramos, a recent high-school graduate, used the app to obtain an Uber voucher when he lacked a ride, arriving on time for his first McDonald’s job. Veronica Allmon, a manager who relies on an electric scooter, credited the app for getting her to work during a January ice storm, maintaining perfect attendance and earning a promotion. Kitchen manager Jason Guevara noted that the bilingual interface was “very helpful” for Spanish-speaking staff.

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• “Opportunities might be there, but if they aren't stabilized and they don't have what they need to be able to get to where they need to go, there's a problem,” — Sienna Daniel

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• “Having that app, and having our employees make it to work, has been crazy beneficial for us,” — Imani Ford

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• “If it's taking too long, they'll pull out of line,” — Mary Hopkins-Navies

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• “It kind of puts them in the space of, 'Okay, I have a support, I have a plan, and I'm going to put some skin in the game, too,'” — Sienna Daniel

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After the grant-funded pilot, the franchise continues to pay for the service and plans to expand usage to additional McDonald’s owners. Escalate will present the program at a National Black McDonald’s Operators Association meeting in Atlanta next month, where Daniel will introduce the app to other franchisees.

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