Romulus Restaurants Rolls ConnectSmart System for all IHOPs

Romulus Restaurants, a multi-site operator of IHOP restaurants, has selected the QSR Automations®  ConnectSmart® software and hardware kitchen display solution. The setup includes QSR's ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) graphical software, xCeed® kitchen controllers, KP-4000™ keypads, and brackets, and it is targeted for implementation in all of the Romulus IHOP locations over the next one to two years. 

 

"Even in this challenging time, Romulus is expanding our company by adding IHOP restaurants, and we are able to do this with the right leadership and the right type of technology," said Chris Sumners, chief operating officer for Romulus Restaurants.

 

Romulus made the decision to replace manual processes in the kitchen with QSR's ConnectSmart technology. The Romulus IHOP restaurants have as many as twenty servers and nine cooks working during peak periods. In the four IHOP restaurants already installed with QSR's CSK, Romulus reports a significant reduction in mistakes, resulting in less waste and lower food costs, as well as enhanced productivity and better ticket times, adding to throughput and sales.

 

"Just as important as the reduction in mistakes for our guest satisfaction has been the improvements to our food quality we have gained from using the CSK," said Sumners. "Our IHOP guests have their own personal twist on how they want their order. The CSK coordinates and times every item and order so that each guest gets fresh food at the right time."

 

With the CSK, each 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, team members know with a glance the status of their items and orders. The CSK ensures that all of these items and item components, with different cook times and prepared at different kitchen stations, are completed at the same time so that all guests at a table receive their meals together, hot and fast. 

 

"The CSK has truly improved the working relationships between our cooks and servers," added Sumners. "With the CSK, our cooks are happier because our kitchens are much quieter and more organized, and our servers are thrilled at the food coming out together. Plus, our managers appreciate the real-time speed of service information displayed at the top of the kitchen screens, as well as the access to historical production data we now have."

 

Romulus is now planning to review QSR's ConnectSmart Hostess, which provides and manages quotes for the wait list while ensuring effective suggested seating and server rotation, all based on rules that are designated by the user and taking into account real-time changes from the kitchen and dining room. With Hostess, the in-restaurant team members are able to see up-to-the-minute table statuses via a graphical floor view, and they have access to data about guests, such as their favorite meal or the date of their last visit.