Embracing the New Normal Both on the Inside and Outside

Steve Smyth, Director of Restaurant Technology, Taco John’s International

Throughout the pandemic, what measures did you take to stabilize your work environment and ensure business resiliency and continuity?

Right from the onset of the global pandemic, we embraced mobile ordering and delivery to accumulate the cumulative habits and expectations of today’s consumers. This approach was a step-up for restaurants in small towns or having a vast franchise in a region. Though the pandemic has forced us to adopt the mobile ordering trend, we are fortunate to capitalize on these opportunities and engage effectively with the modern guest.

Today, this trend isn’t news, but with the increased advancement of mobile apps, the trend is becoming a cookie cutter ‘must-to-have’ approach to grab the attention of consumers’ preferences and habits. As a matter of fact, the total online food ordering revenues are expected to grow by $200 billion by 2025.

On the road to optimize on such technology-driven business operations, the expected levels of return to lobbies were not that high. However, with the online-offline symbiosis coming back into practice, we have employed self-ordering kiosks wherein the consumers can place an order directly at the kiosk. What was once seen as costly and impersonal technology is now considered a cost-effective solution for quick service restaurants (QSRs) and a convenient option for customers. And convenience is not the only benefit. Self-ordering kiosks have also helped us reduce wait times, improve order accuracy, and, most importantly, boost check sizes – benefits that just about increased footfall.

Alongside, we have taken special care to effectively communicate and collaborate with our POS and mobile ordering vendors to ensure that the customer experience is met across all platforms. In doing so, a guest is not given the picture of 18 different ways of ordering options. It’s just seen one method and is consistent throughout every touchpoint.

Can you elaborate on how you are promoting the modern restaurant initiative?

Not only have we been working towards mobile ordering and delivery services, but we are also building the ‘fancy Taco Bell’ by advancing our kitchen areas. 

In pursuit of this, we have enlisted one of the leading modular kitchen solution providers, Well Bill, who has helped us construct a modular kitchen to produce tacos in a new way. This approach has become necessary to focus on the consumer demand to deliver hot, fresh food and hygiene—all the elements to stand as the best QSR. To that end, we have done a deep data analysis to understand the business operation. While looking at all these pieces, we also focused on making it easier for our employees, resulting in increased production with less time consumed and minimum errors.

Over the last few years, Taco John’s has undergone tremendous changes to optimize the current development of technology in space. The most highlighted initiative is recent. We have brought a new point-of-sale (POS) system, which can integrate easily with kiosk ordering. The reason behind this approach was to make the whole process (from order to the consumer table) seamless both for our manager and guests. As a small company, we always seek to coordinate work together with each employee to deliver a memorable experience to guests associated with the best possible way in this day and age. With such a cooperative mindset, not only guests but also provide quick and easy jobs for our team members.

"Business should always be customer-centric, with a massive investment in the latest technologies available to engage, retain and expand their business base to succeed even in a competitive world"

What are some of the most significant challenges you have faced while dealing with such transitions?

One of the most significant challenges is embracing new technologies or bracing new equipment. We are a legacy brand, doing business the same way for the past 50 years, and a sudden change in the operations can be a tough road for Taco John’s and many other QSRs in the space.

Technology has the potential to assist humanity greatly. Tacos that used to take hours to cook at a restaurant may now be done in half the time using modern technology such as robotics, AI, and others. Though technology is required, successful coordination with vendors and franchise partners allows us to stand out in the market and provide a positive client experience. We also have a few board councils that are franchise driven and provide us with their ideas on improvements and the precise action to take. Based on my experience as a general manager at Taco John’s, when I walk into a restaurant, I view things in two ways: on the one hand, I look at the technology and decide what has to be done to enhance it. 

On the other hand, when it comes to monitoring the operator side, I concentrate on talking to team members and getting user input on what they feel are the critical items that need to be improved.

What are some of the technological advancements you see on the horizon in the coming years?

Having extensive knowledge and experience in the industry, the only thing I have noticed is technology is advanced to the point now where existing QSRs in the market can have an open relationship with their competitors. This can give QSRs a clear idea of their initiative or strategy and provides a revolutionary thing as far as this industry is concerned because we all are competing for the same guest and the consensus to be successful in the market.

The restaurant industry is already jumping into the bandwagon of digital transformation, with advancements like intelligent kitchen equipment, digital twin restaurant, and digital timing systems that don’t require drive-thru loops. Apart from leveraging technologies, it is necessary always to have a wise choice and proactively decide what the future will hold for you. Alongside, a brand investing adequate time and effort in each piece will automatically pay off as long as you continue down the path and get implemented correctly into your restaurant.

What advice would you give to other leaders in this industry or any other industry for taking bold technology decisions in-house for their workflow efficiencies?

First of all, sustaining a cross-functionality with all the departments in a restaurant is necessary to include it as a ‘culture of work’ to maintain and enhance the business operations. Doing so can give you diverse thoughts (good and bad) while leading you with opportunities to learn and make everything better. Taking guidance from managers and team members will help to focus on providing practical customer experience and an increased ROI simultaneously.

It doesn’t matter what the size of your brand is, but one business should always be customer-centric, with a massive investment in the latest technologies available in the market. This approach can eventually lead brands to engage, retain and expand their business base to succeed even in a competitive world. Besides, maintaining good teamwork would ensure a smooth business operation and be worth that investment.