The Internet of Things (IoT) is Changing the Game for Quick Service Restaurants

When the internet exploded onto the scene and into everyone’s lives in the nineties, there were a chorus of companies that understood the overwhelming wave of innovation happening in their time. Others thought the new online world was not applicable to their core business and mostly ignored it. For example, large groups of mechanics, salons, restaurants, and brick and mortar establishments thought they didn’t sell things over the internet, so it was useless to have a website. In the beginning of the web, they couldn’t see all the benefits of being found by anyone in the world or understand the power of being able to tell their own story.

Other business owners—even if they weren’t directly in the business of selling products online—saw the light and used this new technology to get a leg up on their competitors. Today, there is a similar fork in the road regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Which path will your business take?

Right now, quick serve restaurants are deploying IoT technology in their kitchens and dining areas. They are harnessing the data in their restaurants to optimize their operations and increase profits in many ways. Will you be in this group of early IoT adopters, or will your business keep falling behind?

Let’s look at some of the ways this new technology is already being leveraged.

Temperature sensors for fry vats, refrigerators, and freezers ensure consistency by providing alerts when there are temperature changes that could affect product quality. HVAC sensors maximize customer comfort at all times and anticipate equipment failures before they happen—so maintenance can be scheduled with the least disruption. To detect water issues, some establishments have deployed open-close sensors. Point of sales (POS) systems track inventory over long periods of time, while occupancy sensors compare how many people are in the store with how many orders are purchased.

The advantages of this kind of technology deployment are hard to overstate. This new IoT technology has the potential to increase customer satisfaction and retention throughout the quick service restaurant market via personalized digital services, while providing business owners and managers complete visibility into daily operations across multiple locations. Real time information for faster business decisions can be collected any time on any device, and time consuming daily tasks can be automated.

For enhanced food quality and compliance with food safety regulations, lower energy costs and reduced food waste, it’s time to find out more about which parts of your building and operation can be automated. Reduce your total cost of ownership for key assets such as refrigeration units, ovens, and fryers, and enjoy lower labor costs and greater employee efficiency and productivity.

If your quick service restaurant is ready to learn more about how to integrate the IoT devices into its facility and operations, it’s time to speak to the experts at Facility Solutions Group.

FSG is a leading single-source provider of lighting, electrical, energy, signage, and technology solutions, operating across all fifty states. From LED lamps to complete fixture packages, and architectural lighting to emergency signs, FSG knows it all and provides it all. Learn more about FSG today at fsgi.com