Donatos improves productivity, accuracy with student helpDonatos improves productivity, accuracy with student help

A few years ago, the owners of Columbus, Ohio-based Jane’s Dough Foods hired the engineering department of Ohio State University to analyze its pizza manufacturing process.

They were so pleased with the results that they hired the same department to look at the pizza chain they also owned, Donatos.

“We figured that each one of our 155 restaurants is a little manufacturing facility,” said Tom Krouse, Donatos CEO. 

The result was a series of strategies to improve labor productivity, and a new strategy to ensure order accuracy that Krouse credits for improving the chain’s sales. Same-store sales have grown each of the past two years, Krouse said, including a 5.7-percent increase last year. 

“We’ve had a good two years straight of really, really...