Boosting efficiency
When 19-unit fast casual The Melt added new burgers, chicken, salads and fries, it soon became obvious that it would need a new production system. Engineers built a kitchen in a warehouse, equipped it and videotaped staff at work. “Employees were spending a bunch of time trying to ID items from several tickets,” explains Greg Flandermeyer, head of operations services.
To solve the problem, The Melt set up a system with a display at each line (grilled cheese, burgers, sides), and a screen and iPad at the expo station where a manager assembles orders and pages guests. When there’s a glitch, employees can be switched to another station to meet the targeted six-minute ticket time.
“We put out a daily speed report,” says Herb Billinger, The Melt’s chief operating officer. “Restaurant GMs can look at all the variables that affect inputs and know exactly how they are doing every hour.” Year-over-year comps have been up 2-5% every month since installation of the KDS, he reports.