AWARDS

from HT-0621-Summer

by ensembleiq

SPECIAL REPORT

Working Together to Rise Above Challenges

INDUSTRY HERO

RECOGNIZING RESTAURANT INNOVATION

OUT-OF-THE- BOX THINKING, CLEVER AND QUICK PIVOTS AND VALUABLE COMMUNITY

ASSISTANCE ARE HALLMARKS OF THESE EIGHT WINNERS. BY ANNA WOLFE

After a year like no other, Hospitality Technology presented the Industry Heroes awards to recognize both restaurant operators and technology solution providers for their out-of-the box thinking, quick and clever pivots, and assistance to their communities. This group of eight winners are awe-inspiring for their accomplishments. For inspiration, read on.

CMX: Repurposing a Restaurant Favorite

CMX launched its COVID-19 Response, Reopening & Recovery Kit, providing fast-casual and quickserve restaurants with out-of-the-box templates for Employee Wellness Checks, Health and Sanitation Shift Logs, COVID-19 Related Incident Reporting, and Reopening Checklists.

The action plan centered around a product already in their toolkits: ActivityStudio. Restaurants use ActivityStudio to digitize operating procedures in order to measure performance and compliance against KPIs. Restaurants could leverage these templates as-is or modify them to their specific needs.

Leading brands including Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Firehouse Subs, Checkers and Rally’s, Taco Bell, Sizzling Platter, and more have used ActivityStudio daily to support their operations during the pandemic.

Concept Entertainment Group’s Creative Food Hall Concept

The saying, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” definitely applies to the team behind Concept Entertainment Group.

When Concept Entertainment Group halted dine-in service at its Thirsty Lion locations due to the pandemic, it pivoted to create an online food hall concept called Central Kitchen Online Food Hall to house different dining concepts integrated within Thirsty Lion’s kitchens — allowing customers to pick and choose from a variety of cuisines in one order, for delivery or at some locations for curbside pickup.

Concept Entertainment Group embraced technology and new ways to improve operations, speed of service and guest satisfaction. Thirsty Lion locations reopened with contactless menus, available via QR code on tables and signage. Guests now pay at the table and are able to order from their mobile phones in designated areas.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Tech Overhaul

At the beginning of the pandemic, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit completely redesigned its e-commerce site to optimize functionality for mobile users. Spearheading the tech overhaul: CIO Carissa De Santis, HT’s 2019 Top Women in Restaurant Technology award winner. The upgraded website features enhanced speed and performance, an elevated user experience with fewer clicks and and better website navigation, all of which contributed to a 42% increase in Dickey’s digital sales and 122% increase in site traffic.

Dickey’s also integrated Chowly, a third-party delivery consolidation platform, into its online ordering system. After onboarding the new service, average sales across all locations increased 133.8%, with one Dickey’s franchisee seeing an on-premise sales growth of more than 400%.

Two of Dickey’s franchisee-facing resources, an intranet portal and Dickey’s proprietary reporting system were also restructured, giving franchisees mobile access. Franchisees embraced the improvements and Dickey’s saw a 50% decrease in reporting and resource issues.

Fazoli’s Off-Prem Pivot

Fazoli’s saw record-breaking sales − and traffic − in 2020, thanks to a streamlined pivot to drive-thru, curbside and to contactless payments.

The entire team, from operations to marketing and IT, including Top Women in Restaurant

Technology Lifetime Achievement winner Johanna Miner, collaborated cross-functionally to develop a plan and launch initiatives. Fazoli’s placed team members in the drive-thru with tablets, making it quick and easy for people to order, and launched curbside pickup in less than one week.

Fazoli’s leaned in on their established digital presence to deliver on CX. Fazoli’s leveraged its partnership with Olo, expanded its capabilities, streamlined mobile ordering. The brand also capitalized on insights to create more intentional experiences and offers to the 800,000+ members of Fazoli’s rewards program.

Fazoli’s initiatives paid off in 2020 and beyond. In April 2021, the brand reported a 60% sales and 56% traffic increase compared to the year prior.

Jersey Mike’s Big Online Ordering Pays Off

Jersey Mike’s robust e-commerce platform allowed it to accommodate increased online orders and third-party and native delivery. And even more impressive: Jersey Mike’s donated more than $4.5 million to Feeding America in 2020.

In February 2020, Jersey Mike’s introduced White Label Delivery so customers could order delivery directly through the Jersey Mike’s app. When lockdowns rolled out across the U.S. in March 2020, Jersey Mike’s worked with franchise partners to address operational challenges needed to limit person-to-person contact.

Jersey Mike’s also teamed up with Feeding America, donating 20% of sales during two weekends to help their network of 200 food banks. Jersey Mike’s raised more than $4.5 million for Feeding America, helping to provide 45 million meals. These were some of the busiest days in Jersey Mike’s history, and technology ensured seamless ordering despite the increased volume.

OneDine’s Contactless Tools

OneDine offered its Park – Order – Pay product to thousands of restaurants, no matter the size, location, or menu, at no cost and no obligation, enabling restaurants to turn their parking spaces into revenue-generating real estate via large QR codes printed on freestanding signs. In most cases locations were completely onboarded in less than 72 hours.

As dining rooms reopened, restaurants were seeking contactless solutions to help with social distancing, order flow and labor issues. Eureka! Restaurant Group was among the hundreds of restaurants that added OneDine’s web-based ordering system that is accessible to guests by either scanning a QR code or tapping an NFC sensor.

Punchh’s Marketing Automation

At the onset of COVID-19, Punchh felt a responsibility to help its customers navigate through the most challenging of times by delivering enhanced marketing automation technology and new data services to help clients not only recover from the pandemic, but in many cases, achieve doubledigit growth.

During 2020, Punchh’s customers, including Papa John’s, Yum! Brands, and Casey’s, were able to leverage Punchh to manage loyalty and marketing to quickly adapt to the changing needs of their customers and generate record sales. With access to a growing suite of marketing automation technology, brands used Punchh to help launch or enhance existing solutions including mobile ordering and contactless pickup/delivery, allowing them to operate efficiently while prioritizing safety for employees as well as guests. In 2020, Punchh delayed billing and waived fees in some cases to help brands stay profitable while adjusting their services to the changing times — without sacrificing quality or customer relationships.

Revel Systems’ Flexible Online Ordering

Revel System’s product team reimagined the company’s entire product roadmap to accommodate the evolving needs of restaurants. Among the list of robust features and products added in 2020: delivery management, SMS order updates and contactless payments.

Revel debuted a new standalone online ordering solution, Revel Go, that could be added to a business’s operations — regardless of their POS solution, and also created the Revel Relief Program, allocating $1 million in relief funding for clients experiencing excessive hardship due to COVID-19.

Last year more than 4,000 clients added Revel’s native online ordering solution as safety precautions and lockdowns forced businesses to rethink the way they reached customers.

As a corporate sponsor of the Giving Kitchen, Revel helps back a critical outlet for the food service industry. Revel also promoted the Step Up to the Table movement, a challenge designed to promote the purchase of gift cards to support local restaurants. HT