Software Helps Bar and Grill Improve Ops While Providing Access to Data
Granite City Food & Brewery Ltd. is implementing a comprehensive ConnectSmart kitchen display and table management software and hardware solution from QSR Automations within its two casual dining concepts, Granite City Food & Brewery and Cadillac Ranch All American Bar & Grill. With the rollout scheduled for completion in 2014, Granite City is experiencing improvements in consistency and capacity management while gaining access to critical data that allows the company to track the overall guest experience.
To drive food quality and accuracy in its made-from-scratch kitchens, Granite City relies on QSR’s ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) kitchen display software and ConnectSmart TeamAssist recipe viewer software. With the CSK, each menu item from an order is graphically displayed based on cook times at the specific station responsible for preparing that item, so that every item efficiently completes together. TeamAssist puts customized preparation instructions, including photos and videos, at the fingertips of chefs and assemblers.
Granite City powers the CSK and TeamAssist with QSR’s purpose-built xCeed® and eXpert® controllers, designed for fast-paced restaurant environments. To provide flexibility for maximum ease and speed, Granite City installs QSR’s KP-7500™ keypads as well as touch screen monitors at each display station, offering kitchen team members a choice of bump or touch for each action. And because the kitchens are in view of guests, QSR’s aesthetically pleasing bracketing is crucial.
Granite City further increases table turns and guest satisfaction with QSR’s ConnectSmart Hostess for seating and wait list management and ConnectSmart GuestView to graphically display wait list information to guests. QSR’s eXperts also run the stationary hostess stands while off-the-shelf iOS devices are used for mobile greeting and seating, ensuring Granite City can best care for their crowds as they come in the door and while they wait.
To further boost productivity and service, Granite City uses pagers to alert team members for certain kitchen events, and utilizes busser buttons that talk to the hostess stations so that as a table clears, the hostess is already paging the party that will be seated at that table. Managers carry smartphones, so they can view the wait list and seating information from anywhere at any time. Additionally, Granite City collects kitchen and hostess data at an enterprise level.
To drive food quality and accuracy in its made-from-scratch kitchens, Granite City relies on QSR’s ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) kitchen display software and ConnectSmart TeamAssist recipe viewer software. With the CSK, each menu item from an order is graphically displayed based on cook times at the specific station responsible for preparing that item, so that every item efficiently completes together. TeamAssist puts customized preparation instructions, including photos and videos, at the fingertips of chefs and assemblers.
Granite City powers the CSK and TeamAssist with QSR’s purpose-built xCeed® and eXpert® controllers, designed for fast-paced restaurant environments. To provide flexibility for maximum ease and speed, Granite City installs QSR’s KP-7500™ keypads as well as touch screen monitors at each display station, offering kitchen team members a choice of bump or touch for each action. And because the kitchens are in view of guests, QSR’s aesthetically pleasing bracketing is crucial.
Granite City further increases table turns and guest satisfaction with QSR’s ConnectSmart Hostess for seating and wait list management and ConnectSmart GuestView to graphically display wait list information to guests. QSR’s eXperts also run the stationary hostess stands while off-the-shelf iOS devices are used for mobile greeting and seating, ensuring Granite City can best care for their crowds as they come in the door and while they wait.
To further boost productivity and service, Granite City uses pagers to alert team members for certain kitchen events, and utilizes busser buttons that talk to the hostess stations so that as a table clears, the hostess is already paging the party that will be seated at that table. Managers carry smartphones, so they can view the wait list and seating information from anywhere at any time. Additionally, Granite City collects kitchen and hostess data at an enterprise level.