When the average unit volume at your 19 restaurant locations throughout Virginia has consistently been twice that of the rest of the Arby’s chain, you’re probably doing more than a few things right. “There are three major points to our approach,” explains Bill Lowe, president of The Restaurant Company, which owns the 19 Arby’s locations. “Number one is the food. You have to absolutely protect the integrity of the food. Number two is our people – the backbone of the business. Number three is our facilities.”
On the surface, it may sound simple enough, but in practice there are multiple challenges. “Our food is prepared fresh,” says Lowe. “Every sandwich is made to order. We do not have sandwiches made up before the next meal rush and sitting on a heated board.”
But how do you do that in the fast food business when customers expect their orders immediately, if not sooner? “This is where Maitre’D's restaurant POS has been a big part of our success,” notes Lowe. “Their CVM Kitchen Display System has allowed us to fill orders on the fly, ensuring the freshness of our food.”
He explains how it works. “As the customer is ordering in front, it is immediately showing up on the backline. Our kitchen staff is getting a jump on assembly, while the customer is still finalizing the order. By the time they finish ordering, their food is ready. (...) The system is easy to use. It’s been a tremendous value to us.”
From scheduling to payroll, Maitre’D has been a big part of The Restaurant Company’s approach to employee management. “We use the labor program with a fingerprint reader,” notes Lowe. “We can lock in and lock out schedules to control who is actually clocking in and prevent anyone from clocking in early. These kinds of features help to keep everyone honest. Labor is one of the largest cost factors in any restaurant.”
All labor information from the 19 locations is transmitted to the corporate office and interfaces with the ADP Payroll system. “In our corporate office we use the E-Global Enterprise Solution to receive and send data such as payroll information, menu changes for the point of sale and daily sales back and forth to all of our restaurant locations,” explains Lowe.
Other tools and features The Restaurant Company utilizes includes inventory, yields analysis, a gift card solution and reporting. “Maitre’D's restaurant management software gives us everything we need to effectively manage all of our locations and make intelligent business decisions,” says Lowe. “The system provides a wealth of valuable data and allows us to continuously improve everything we do.” When asked about the deployment process, Lowe indicates everything went smoothly. "The deployment was basically uneventful. There were no unexpected glitches.”
Regardless of how the future shapes up for The Restaurant Company, Maitre’D will be a cornerstone of their ongoing success. “We’ve been using the Maitre’D system since 2003 – almost 10 years,” says Lowe. “It’s a great system with solid architecture, made by restaurant people for restaurant people. They understand our needs on every level. Maitre’D has done an
exceptional job for our company.”
