St. Paul, Minn. — Ecolab Inc., a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services, has launched Ecolab® RushReady™, a new AI-powered program within its Ecolab® KitchenIQ™ platform. Designed to help restaurant leaders improve shift performance and profitability, RushReady combines real-time data, intelligent recommendations and human coaching to tackle the complexities of daily operations and elevate the overall experience for guests. The engagement begins with a connection into each restaurant’s unique data sources, enabling the platform to work on transforming back-of-house operations through: • RushReady AI-driven …
kitchen equipment
Let Them Cook
— By Nathan Willard — Regular conveyor oven cleanings help extend their lifespan and significantly reduce fire risk. Commercial conveyor ovens (also known as pizza ovens or pizza conveyor ovens) play an essential role in busy commercial kitchens as pieces of equipment that are used yearly to cook over 3 billion pizzas in the U.S. alone. However, while there are few things better than a cheesy slice of pizza, conveyor ovens — as well as your entire kitchen operations — have the ability to go up in flames when they …
New York City — Bikky, a customer data platform built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants, has partnered with with Playa Bowls, the nation’s leading acai shop, serving superfruit bowls, smoothies, juices and more with sustainability and community in mind. Playa Bowls started as a makeshift pop-up in Belmar, N.J., in front of a pizzeria. The brand expanded from a single blender and a small cart to more than 300 U.S. locations in just 11 years. With ambitious plans to add another 90 shops in 2025 and a need to improve its …
Clear Standards
— By Alex Lundy — When fryers are at the heart of a kitchen, complete oil management protects profits. For restaurants where fried chicken, french fries, and other deep-fried dishes dominate the menu, fryer oil is not just an ingredient — it’s a cornerstone of the business. As one of the most significant recurring expenses, its management can directly impact both costs and customer satisfaction. Despite inflation’s squeeze on operating budgets, cutting corners on fryer oil is a risky gamble. The freshness and quality of the oil are fundamental to …
11 Preventive Maintenance Services Retailers, Restaurants Need
Restaurants and retailers move fast. There’s no time for unexpected maintenance issues to slow you down. Preventive maintenance (PM) programs can help you avoid disruptions. “For retailers and restaurants, preventive maintenance programs are vital, but often overlooked,” says John Catanese, senior vice president at Chain Store Maintenance, an MCS Company. “They ensure your business can provide the best service to your customers consistently, safely, efficiently and cost effectively.” Why PM Matters Preventive maintenance delivers several key advantages: Enhanced reliability. By addressing minor issues before they escalate, you can prevent unexpected …
How Facility Maintenance Drives Success in Restaurants
When ranking the maintenance and repair challenges associated with everyday commercial real estate spaces — especially those that could just as easily be owned by smaller investors as by institutional capital — putting restaurants at the top of the list is a pretty easy argument to make. The issues that arise in retail stores or even offices usually aren’t as messy or varied as those that emerge in food-and-beverage operations, points out Bill Schaphorst, vice president of business development at MaintenX, a Tampa, Fla.-based company that provides “curb-to-roof” facility maintenance …
Arlington, Va. — Golden Corral®, the nation’s largest buffet restaurant chain, is evolving beyond its in-store dining roots with a full-scale technology transformation. Partnering with Qu, Golden Corral has launched an advanced cloud-based platform that modernizes operations, expands digital ordering and sets the stage for long term growth. Founded in 1973, Golden Corral Corporation and its franchisees operate 351 locations across 39 states and Puerto Rico, serving all-you-can-eat buffet meals. The Golden Corral system has achieved a 31% increase in Average Unit Volume (AUV) since 2019 — making it arguably …
— By Nathan Willard — Kitchen cleaning and maintenance is a marathon, not a sprint. For restaurant managers who already have enough on their plates, preventative maintenance (PM) can easily get swept away in the busyness of a daily routine. As a result, PM items that need to be performed on a regular basis often get pushed to the side. In the blink of an eye, a fire safety inspection that restaurant managers and owners should be prepared for is only weeks away, catching managers and their kitchen staff off …
Pasadena, Calif. — Dave’s Hot Chicken is enhancing operational capabilities with the integration of Qu’s unified commerce platform. Designed to streamline the brand’s expanding network, Qu’s real-time data management and offline resiliency with Edge computing provide a critical upgrade to the brand’s in-store processes, ensuring seamless operational and guest experiences across locations. “Qu has been a game-changer for us because it provides an easy-to-connect API that allows us to push and pull data in real time,” says Leon Davoyan, chief technology officer of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “Its flexibility and stability …
New York City — Checkmate, a leader in AI-powered ordering solutions for enterprise restaurants, has secured $10 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global. The round will enable Checkmate to accelerate the adoption of its voice AI and kiosk technologies across the industry. Checkmate has already developed expertise in integrating digital orders into restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems. This foundation serves as a critical advantage in entering these new business segments. Checkmate offers best-in-class phone ordering and drive-thru AI solutions to some of the country’s largest brands, all seamlessly …