ATLANTA —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Executives from Wendy’s and McDonald’s underscored the importance of employing “smart” equipment during a general session titled “‘Smart Equipment’ Takes Center Stage” at the 12th International Foodservice Technology Exposition here this fall. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Roy Hook, manager of equipment development for Wendy’s International Inc. in Dublin, Ohio, told FS/TEC attendees that the No. 3 burger brand recently deployed three new “smart equipment” upgrades—a high-tech hamburger grill, a coffee brewing and dispensing system, and cash-control safes. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Erik Krueger, senior manager of retail architecture and retail technology strategy for Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s Corp., discussed the chain’s budding strategic infrastructure initiative that is expected to result in a “smart” facility that will allow for improved overall communication throughout the facility. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Both acknowledged challenges operators face when they go shopping for smart equipment, such as higher costs, complexity of use, maintenance and reliability, and interoperability. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Wendy’s Hook cautioned that vendors are diverse and have little or no opportunity to interact with each other. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
“The operator can’t be the only conduit for technology provider interaction,” he said. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
During a question and answer session, the two panelists underscored the fact that not all operators are on the same page with regard to operating standards. While Hook called for a single standard—in particular data protocols developed by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers—Krueger said McDonald’s does not require suppliers to support the NAFEM standards. However, he said McDonald’s “is prepared to work together with everybody” and release the basic parameters it develops. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
While smart equipment often poses it own challenges, Hook pointed out that it also can help simplify operations by offering ease of training, reducing labor costs and helping to ensure consistency. In addition, smart equipment can help improve the customer’s experience by speeding up service and improving food quality and food safety. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
He said Wendy’s was involved “from the ground up” over the four years it took to develop its high-tech hamburger grill. Designers decided the grill must automate the hamburger production process to the greatest extent possible without requiring robotics, which were viewed to be impractical based on cost and field support requirements. The grill also had to be able to be operated intuitively and adjust to the operator’s action. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Calling user interface and reliability the keys to success, Hook said the new grill was outfitted with multiple processors that could make all predictable decisions and 19 graphic displays that can communicate with the operator without using English text. It also has designed-in redundancy in the form of dual master processors, split communication paths and redundant power sources. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Hook said the grill, which was in test for two years and is now in 3,000 Wendy’s outlets, has reduced labor by 20 hours per week and training time by 80 percent, while delivering a more consistent, higher-quality product. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
He said Wendy’s has had similar success with its new coffee system and cash-control safes. The chain was looking to rectify coffee problems, which included maintaining the quality when it is being held. Initially, the coffee system was too large and wouldn’t fit into all Wendy’s locations, he said. Consequently, design modifications were made that eliminated nonessential features and added tea production capability. The new coffee system is able to serve coffee on demand, reduce waste and increase product-offering flexibility, he said. In addition, it offers a simpler user interface and provides a “reasonable” return on investment, he said. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
The cash-control safes, which help to eliminate opportunities for theft by being integrated with the existing POS system, are more secure than earlier versions and allow for management labor savings of 14 hours a week by reducing the need to count cash and take trips to the bank. An armored car service makes the transfer, he said. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
When McDonald’s began to develop plans for its smart facility, it was agreed that the system should be capable of monitoring unit equipment and communicating with handheld devices while allowing for remote facilities management. It also should help further McDonald’s mission of “greening” its IT department. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Determined to “get it right for the future,” the McDonald’s team identified benefits that should be derived from a smart facility, such as improved energy management, the ability for proactive and preventative maintenance, better asset management, and labor optimization. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
Observing that a smart facility must operate like a “central nervous system,” Krueger said, “You need to develop an infrastructure that can do everything.” —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
As McDonald’s progresses toward the implementation of its inaugural pilot project, Krueger said some problems already have been identified, such as blind spots in units that negatively impact the use of Wi-Fi networking. He also said deployment is another challenge. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
“Some pieces of equipment might be 25 years old,” he said. “You can’t gut the facility. It would be too expensive. We’ll likely roll it out to a new restaurant or complete kitchen rebuilds. The challenge is that most people want quick projects. This is for long-term and organic growth. —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.
“You have to be prepared to articulate a strong business case for it. You have to focus on driving ROI, and chiefly that comes from energy savings.” —Tech-savvy operators increasingly turn to “smart equipment” as a way to improve operations, maintain consistency, ease labor pressures and increase the speed of service.