News Briefs

Marketing platform SOCi Inc. released an enhancement to the platform’s Listings solution, SOCi GeoRank. SOCi GeoRank gives brands a complete picture of their local search performance through an easily consumable, visual map display of how a brand’s locations are ranking against top local competitors at the hyper-local or block level.

Rankings Matter

With one out of every two consumer searches now having local intent, how often a brand appears in Google's top three local search results is more important than ever, especially considering that 78% of local searches result in an offline conversion. 

“Multi-location brands need to be able to monitor how well their locations rank in local search results to create a successful localized SEO strategy. Securing a top ranking for your business locations not only requires good SEO know-how and persistence, but a sophisticated toolset as well,” said Alo Sarv, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, SOCi. “SOCi GeoRank provides multi-location businesses a scalable way to not just check, but keep track of their local business rankings through the ability to see ranking averages and changes over time by target keyword at the hyper-local, group, or corporate level.” 

With SOCi GeoRank, multi-location marketers can dive deeper into ranking insights to see competitors’ total reviews, average review scores, and Google Business Profile categories to further investigate how to make informed SEO decisions. To assist in making and acting on these decisions, SOCi provides professional services.

Focus Brands says dual branding is the future of QSR, and the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, is leading the charge. Today, the Focus Brands portfolio boasts 175-plus open dual branded units with at least 65 more in various stages of development across the country. 

Drive-Thru Convenience

The Focus Brands portfolio brands have signed agreements to open more than 50 dual and tri-brand locations in the coming year, many of which include drive-thrus for added convenience as interest in dual branded franchise opportunities continues to surge.

Flexible Store Formats

Focus Brands is among the brands introducing new store formats, including Krystal, Jack-in-the-Box and Panera Bread, which opened its Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Focus Brands has long pioneered the concept of dual branding, predominately in malls and non-traditional locations with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. Now, the company’s portfolio brands have found new opportunities with streetside dual branded units, which is paving the way for immense franchise growth. 

“Dual branding is the future of our brands, especially on the specialty side of the business,” said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer at Focus Brands. “There will always be a place in malls, but there is an immense amount of growth opportunity in streetside venues, and, by dual branding, there is more opportunity for enhanced revenue.”

The company invested heavily in consumer research to identify how to create combinations of its iconic brands to resonate with consumers and meet them where they want to be met.

Focus Brands has identified four dual-brand concepts:

• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon
• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon/Carvel
• Auntie Anne’s/Jamba
• Cinnabon/Carvel – Cinnabon Swirl. 

While key consumer benefits vary by dual-brand combination, one consistent benefit has been convenience. Having these brands together in one location makes them far more accessible than they are individually. This convenience also creates opportunity for franchisees, as co-branding leads to an expansive menu that drives enhanced unit-level volume. 

 

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is making its largest technological investment in brand history.

Walk-On’s is implementing a systemwide aggregator to consolidate third party orders, partnering with Lunchbox to upgrade its online ordering platform and guest loyalty program, and introducing a partnership with Toast to level up its POS management system.

71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

Walk-On’s new loyalty program and app, designed by Lunchbox, are scheduled to launch in the first half of 2023 with an improved interface and back-end integration that will create a more seamless user experience for guests and operators alike. 

Continuing with marked enhancements to the guest experience, Walk-On’s is also partnering with BOWEN to modernize the brand’s website presence and streamline the online ordering experience. 

In addition to the upgraded Toast POS system, Walk-On’s is installing Toast Kitchen Display System, and rolling out Toast Go 2 mobile handheld POS devices for tableside and curbside use at current and future locations. 

Walk-On’s will implement a phased rollout across all current locations throughout 2023 and begin immediate implementation at all new restaurants in their development pipeline. 

​​Nomadix® Inc​., a technology prover to the hospitality and multi-tenant industries, announced the expansion of its Nomadix Networks portfolio with two new wireless access points (APs) and a significant firmware update. The APs include a wall plate model (AP 6WB) to address the one-AP-per-room requirement and a wall/ceiling model (AP 6SA) for medium, indoor coverage needs in areas such as corridors, staircases and individual rooms. These new additions further enhance the company’s existing WLAN range, offering increased flexibility and competitiveness for projects in and around hotels, multi-tenant communities and any Wi-Fi Hotspot implementation.

According to 2023 predictions from wireless infrastructure analysts Maravedis, Wi-Fi 6 will continue its fast market penetration due to its ability to “deliver significant KPI improvements, particularly high throughput, reduced latency, and better performance in crowded environments.” Keeping one step ahead of these trends, Nomadix has an available stock of wireless access points, controllers, LAN switches and internet gateways, while its latest firmware update brings new performance and security features.

Latest Nomadix Networks Updates:

AP 6WB: This access point complements Nomadix’s existing entry-level wall plate model (the AP 6WA), adding increased performance and capability to power an in-room device such as an IP phone. It delivers a maximum throughput of up to 2.976 Gbps, has one 2.5 Gbps port for backhaul uplink and four 1 Gbps LAN ports, including 1 PoE Out.

AP 6SA: Setting a new standard for connectivity in low-density areas, this wall/ceiling-mounted access point is an affordable, energy-efficient product for this use case. This provides another option to Nomadix’s model for high density areas (AP 6NA). It delivers a maximum throughput of up to 2.976 Gbps and has two ports - one 2.5 Gbps SFP port and one 1 Gbps PoE port for backhaul uplink.

Firmware Upgrades: This release includes several major features, including wireless client isolation, RADIUS security (RadSec), group pre-shared key (GPSK) - critical for multi-tenant deployments, Passpoint (Hotspot 2.0) support and configuration, and a documented application programming interface (API).

“The launch of Wi-Fi 6 technology saw the fastest adoption in Wi-Fi history. Our wide range of access points, switches, controllers and gateways that comprise our family of Nomadix Networks supports that Wi-Fi 6 growth. With available stock of the latest products designed to address properties of all sizes and performance requirements, customers can quickly upgrade or build new networks that meet the connectivity demands in hospitality, multi-tenant communities and additional verticals,” said Tammy Estes, Chief Product Officer at Nomadix.

 

Church’s Texas Chicken hired Will Cash for the brand’s Vice President, Purchasing role. Cash will implement his extensive procurement and supply chain expertise starting this week as he takes on this new role with the brand.

“Amid current supply chain challenges and the overall pace of innovation in the QSR industry, it’s an exciting time to join this company and make an impact on the business,” said Cash.

92% of operators say food costs are a significant challenge, according to a NRA Survey

Cash will oversee the company’s purchasing function, leading the organization’s ability to efficiently source ingredients, equipment, and raw materials that are needed to support its growing operations. He will report to Randy Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Supply and QA.

Previously Cash held Procurement and Supply Chain leadership roles at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, flyExclusive, and Pinkbox Doughnuts.

Equally AI, a tech provider of web accessibility solutions, announced the launch of Flowy. Powered by ChatGPT, Flowy is a game changer for innovative developers looking to build web products that are accessible and for website owners globally to improve web accessibility for all in the content they serve online.

“At Equally AI, we believe that accessibility should be a fundamental part of every web product," said Ran Ronen, Co-founder and CEO, Equally AI. "With Flowy, we've automated the process of accessibility compliance, making it super-fast, scalable, and cost-effective. Developers can now create truly innovative products without worrying about the technicalities of accessibility.”

One of the key features of Flowy is its recommendation engine, which provides developers with suggested code fixes to easily address accessibility issues. This helps developers ensure the quality of their product at every stage of the development process with minimal effort. Ultimately this empowers website owners from global brands to SMBs to improve web accessibility for all.

Accessibility headaches end with Flowy, the all-in-one platform that helps developers ensure the accessibility of their web products. With proprietary technology and features like providing recommendations, guides, explanations, and creative solutions for implementing necessary changes, Flowy streamlines the entire accessibility testing process. Developers can easily scan and categorize accessibility issues, prioritize and address them, and access regular monitoring and compliance reporting to ensure that their products are compliant 24/7 and avoid legal risks for not providing web accessibility for all. Flowy saves developers time, energy, and money while helping them build innovative, accessible products that will empower how websites will operate in better accessible ways for all users.

“We are excited to see what developers will create with Flowy," said Dani Zeevi, Chairman of the Board, Equally AI. "With this cutting-edge technology, the possibilities are endless. We can't wait to see the impact Flowy will have on the industry and the lives of people with disabilities.”