JOEY Restaurants Lifts Employee, Guest Satisfaction with Kitchen Mgmt, Reservations Tools

JOEY Restaurant Group has tapped QSR Automations for a comprehensive, customizable solution to aid in team member retention and satisfaction, reduction of training time, and enhanced food quality and guest relationships JOEY is implementing software and hardware from QSR's ConnectSmart solution for kitchen display; in-store seating, wait list, call aheads, reservations management; and, online and mobile call aheads and reservations. 

 

“A critical component of our success at JOEY is hiring and promoting for key positions from within the company, so we first started working with QSR Automations when we needed to lower stress for our chefs in our extremely busy and highly complex kitchens," says Derek Boyd, director of information technology for JOEY Restaurant Group. "QSR's ConnectSmart solution has allowed our head chefs to become the conductor of a well-tuned orchestra, rather than a highly paid and struggling tuba player in the center of the band. And when we started relying on ConnectSmart to make our kitchens more peaceful – we also grew our food quality, table turns, and guest satisfaction."

 

Before ConnectSmart, the JOEY chefs had to be more focused on managing the timing of items in the kitchen than on ensuring quality and execution. With the ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK), each menu item from an order is displayed at the specific kitchen station responsible for preparing that item based on the cook times of all items that are part of the order. At the order display station, servers and managers know with a glance the status of their items and orders. Therefore, if an order is running late, the server can proactively communicate with the guest. In addition to the added efficiencies, improved table turn times, and better food quality gained from the CSK, the JOEY managers and headquarters team members have easy access to production data and speed of service metrics. 

 

Boyd adds, "Our next step was to connect our kitchen to our hostess stand to ensure accurate wait times and table status updates along with efficient seating. And now we are also adding online and mobile call aheads and reservations capabilities in a way that helps us reinforce our own carefully crafted branding. Ultimately, ConnectSmart is giving us even greater ability to enhance service because our team members in the restaurant are informed about guests while also keeping guests informed, we can reduce guest frustration during peak periods, and we can cater to guest convenience."

 

By adding ConnectSmart Hostess, which accurately provides and manages quotes for the wait list while ensuring effective suggested seating and server rotation based on rules that are designated by JOEY, the in-restaurant team members are able to see up-to-the-minute table statuses via an intuitive graphical floor view. Additionally, Hostess provides servers with access to data about guests, such as their favorite drink or the date of their last visit. ConnectSmart Hostess Mobile keeps up with team members on the move, making it possible to greet parties and update table statuses from anywhere in the restaurant. With the combination of CSK and Hostess, the entire restaurant team is empowered with critical guest data at all times in order to provide the most personalized guest service.

 

A highly recognized and respected restaurant brand, JOEY is able to leverage ConnectSmart to extend the brand to guests no matter where or when the guest would like to enter the wait list or make a reservation. With ConnectSmart WebAhead and ConnectSmart WebReserve, guests can see the wait list in real-time and add their name to the list, or can choose to make a reservation via the JOEY website or the JOEY app on their mobile phone.

 

“JOEY offers a truly unique environment, with a combination of extraordinary fine dining cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere perfect for romance, fun, and families – and we must partner with innovative companies who can help us stay front of mind when our guests make their dining decisions," concludes Boyd. "With the comprehensive ConnectSmart solutions, we gain touch points to reach and care for our guests throughout their entire guest experience.”

 

Later this year, JOEY is planning to implement ConnectSmart TeamAssist to add recipe viewer functionality at the kitchen stations. Fully integrated with the CSK or able to run stand-alone, TeamAssist is another powerful tool to help JOEY make training easy and fast while ensuring high quality for guests.