Extension of KFC and QSR Automations partnership creates new kitchen efficiencies to answer in-restaurant and off-premise dining growth.
London (Restaurant News Release) KFC UK & Ireland has announced its roll out of QSR Automation’s ConnectSmart® Kitchen (CSK) software across 900 locations, following a successful pilot period. QSR Automations has been supplying solutions to KFC globally for more than 22 years. In an effort to deliver new digital platforms, whilst enhancing customers’ in-restaurant and delivery experiences, KFC looked to its long-term vendor partnership with QSR Automations, enlisting its help to drive improvements.
The new installation follows a successful CSK pilot in which the software helped reduce order errors, whilst improving speed and efficiency on order times. KFC will manage all locations using ConnectSmart kitchen’s centralised database, Enterprise Portal, allowing a secure environment to distribute setting configurations and reporting for each site.
Additionally, QSR Automations’ Head of Client Management Nick Freeston listed other factors that have contributed to the success of the project:
- Live metric data, which includes scorecards that depict the performance of kitchen teams
- The ability to select activity levels dependent on trading period/staffing levels, which gives onsite teams greater operational flexibility that ensures optimised productivity and efficiency levels
- Use of delivery specific stations, which has helped restaurants manage dine-in and delivery/off-premise orders in an efficient, well communicated manner
Freeston stated, “The CSK upgrade will help to future-proof KFC UK & Ireland, considering that the demand for delivery and click and collect continues to grow at a rapid rate; CSK is an essential part of KFC’s digital technology programme.”
When choosing delivery, CSK is helping KFC ensure that the food is of a high quality and order errors are eradicated. Through customer-facing screens, OrderReady, will give guests greater visibility of the order process by showing when orders are being prepared and when they are ready.
Brad Scheiner, Chief Technology Officer at KFC UK & Ireland said: “ConnectSmart Kitchen has become an integral part of our kitchen operations and has helped to ensure in-restaurant and delivery demands are not only achieved but exceeded. We have seen reduced order errors since the pilot and are looking forward to operational improvements in the entire estate roll out.”
Ashley Sheppard, Vice President of Sales, QSR Automations, commented: “We are delighted to continue our relationship with KFC through the installation of CSK and be part of their journey as they branch further into the digital world. We strive to continuously enhance customers’ experience through our latest technology.”
For further information, please visit www.qsrautomations.co.uk
About KFC
In 1952 Colonel Harland Sanders opened the first KFC restaurant in Utah. Since then, his perfectly crafted Original Recipe chicken and its secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices has become famous all over the world, and today we have over 900 restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
The Colonel was all about doing things the right way. That means our chicken is delivered fresh from farm to restaurant in 48 hours. It’s prepared carefully by hand in-restaurant by trained cooks, using the very best chicken reared to strict welfare standards. In July 2019 we took the next big step in our welfare journey and signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, a set of six criteria that have been designed to improve the lives of all chickens within the KFC supply chain, by 2026. That’s what makes our food so finger lickin’ good.
The right way also means serving fresh proper food, packed with flavour. So, we’ve worked hard to make nutritional improvements across our menu, so our fans have as much choice as possible, and we’ve committed to removing 20% of calories per serving by 2025.
The Colonel also believed in feeding promise, wherever it’s found. So that’s why we invest heavily in the development and careers of our 27,000 employees – we were the first restaurant to launch an honours degree. And since its 2015 launch, our KFC Foundation has paid out grants totalling £5 million to our charity partners who are passionate about developing and nurturing young people across the country.
To find out more about us visit www.kfc.co.uk, or follow the Colonel on Twitter @KFC_UKI and Instagram @kfc_uki.
About QSR Automations
QSR Automations is a global technology company with leading positions in kitchen automation and guest management services. Since 1996, we have empowered independent, multi-unit, and large chain operators with smart management solutions that improve the dining experience and make restaurants of any size and concept more successful. Working side-by-side with customers, we develop customized solutions that integrate seamlessly to add more efficiency, insights, and better control for restaurant operations.
For more information, visit www.qsrautomations.co.uk or contact QSR at 502-297-0221.
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