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Veggie Grill taps QSR Automations to improve speed, accuracy

May 24, 2013

Veggie Grill has implemented a new solution from QSR Automations in hopes of serving its customers faster and with greater accuracy. The California-based chain is now relying on ConnectSmart Kitchen kitchen display and ConnectSmart TeamAssist recipe viewer graphical software solutions to achieve and track its goal of completing orders within five minutes. TeamAssist puts accurate preparation instructions at the cooks' fingertips, said Greg Dollarhyde, chief energizing officer for Veggie Grill.

"Everyone at Veggie Grill is a part of a mission to change the way people eat, think and talk about vegetarian food," he said. "Our accountability to our team is to give them the tools they need to operate at top efficiency, and our partnership with QSR allows us to deliver consistent convenience to our guests. With QSR's CSK, we capture our kitchen timing and know our performance while meeting goals at high-volume sales periods."

With the CSK, the kitchen is coordinated to improve throughput because each item from an order is displayed at the specific kitchen station responsible for preparing that item, Dollarhyde said. The Veggie Grill team members know with a glance the status of items and orders at the expeditor stations. Ease and accuracy of customization is crucial to the Veggie Grill guest experience, and QSR's CSK helps the kitchen team prepare modified items more accurately. TeamAssist enables Veggie Grill to graphically present key recipe information — including photos and videos — to in-store team members when, where, and how the information is needed, said Dollarhyde.

"With TeamAssist, cooks can reference assembly instructions and photos or video on any item at their command quickly and without leaving their stations. This increases order accuracy and consistency of presentation," he added.

In addition to the efficiency benefits, the CSK gives Veggie Grill access to extensive production data and speed of service metrics. For example, Veggie Grill operators can compare the kitchen data to sales and labor data, and share key findings with the restaurant teams that improve throughput and team efficiency.

QSR's flexible solutions also allow Veggie Grill to use different hardware based on the needs of the various kitchen stations, Dollarhyde said. With QSR's xCeed kitchen controller powering each station, Veggie Grill uses touchscreens to perform bump actions at certain stations. QSR's KP-7500 keypad and QSR's patent-pending TouchBump power the stations that require a combination of touch and key functionality.

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Veggie Grill was recently named to the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers. Click here to see who also made the 2013 list.