Wendy’s centralizes data management at POS
The Wendy’s Company is capturing POS data for better decision-making.
The fast food hamburger chain is obtaining data services via the NCR Commerce Platform, by leveraging the enterprise solution to more easily gain access to, manage, and utilize data obtained from the NCR Aloha POS system. As a result, Wendy’s intends to enable its franchisees and corporate users to better understand and leverage sales, cash management and transaction data to make informed decisions and quickly maximize operational efficiency.
Looking ahead, Wendy’s plans to further leverage the NCR Commerce Platform and add additional cloud-based services to enhance visibility into its store, sales and product data. The retailer hopes this expanded visibility will help it identify trends and provide insights to improve operations.
“This platform is highly impactful for our restaurants,” said Kevin Vasconi, CIO, The Wendy’s Company. “We now have streaming real-time transaction data that goes down to the product level and gives us the ability to make on-the-spot decisions that keep our stores running smoothly and give our customers the best experience.”
“Our next generation of Aloha uses the NCR Commerce Platform to provide a single source of reliable, timely information. Wendy’s can easily connect to millions of pieces of data it can use to reduce the complexity of running the restaurant,” said Dirk Izzo, president and general manager, NCR Hospitality. “This gives operators the confidence to pivot operations and drive continuous improvements to deliver a consistently great customer experience.”
Wendy’s adopts innovative technology
Wendy’s has been rolling out a variety of leading-edge technology solutions in the past year. In October 2021, the retailer announced plans to utilize Google Cloud data analytics, AI, machine learning (ML), and hybrid cloud technology, such as speech-to-text and Google search and maps to create new ways customers can order food via touchpoints, including drive-thru and mobile device.
Specifically, the company expects to leverage Google Cloud solutions including the Looker business intelligence and analytics tool, as well as the Anthos modernization platform, to both modernize operations and create brand-new services. Key elements of the partnership could include new ways of ordering food through mobile, web, and other touchpoints at the restaurant.
In addition, Wendy’s plans to reimagine the restaurant experience for customers and employees using the Google BigQuery and Looker solutions to improve business analytics and reporting. And with Google Cloud Anthos, an open-source-based platform that unifies the management of infrastructure and applications across on-premises and edge computing, Wendy's anticipates providing a next-generation restaurant experience by enabling store applications and real-time AI/ML to run anywhere – including in a modernized restaurant infrastructure or in the cloud.
This came on the heels of Wendy’s launching a new effort to enhance its online delivery capabilities with ghost — or delivery-only — kitchens. The company is partnering with Reef — the largest operator of delivery kitchens in North America — to open and operate 100 to 150 delivery kitchens during the next five years across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The rollout follows Wendy’s successful test of eight delivery kitchens in Canada in late 2020.