One of the biggest challenges for restaurants has been the continued use of paper-based records in the back-of-house, which are often kept in a filing cabinet for local health inspectors and brand auditors to review. This makes it difficult for corporate and franchise management to understand what’s happening in the restaurant, prior to these inspections, which may result in failed audits.
Furthermore, as some brands have adopted point solutions for managing critical operational tasks such as these, it has created another challenge. Brands are now having to manage multiple systems, with various reporting capabilities all produced by different vendors, without having a single source of business intelligence for the whole organization.
Now, with the launch of the BOHA Restaurant Operations platform by TransAct, restaurants have another option.
“Paper-based systems and inefficient digital systems have been used across the industry to manage checklist tasks and compliance tasks like temperature taking,” says Miguel Ortiz, vice president of marketing at TransAct. “Now, with COVID, it’s more important than ever for brands to make sure they are hygienic and executing the plans they spent a lot of effort developing. By combining functions like task management, temperature taking, food freshness labeling, timers, and more into a single technology stack, restaurants, franchisees and corporate management can become aligned with a single vendor, which helps ensure each restaurant and each department is more efficient.”
Just ask Owen Miller-White, manager of restaurant food safety and environment at A&W Canada, who says the brand began using BOHA’s temperature tracking system, labeling solution, and media library as an option for restaurants because the operators wanted to digitize its record keeping in order to simplify operations and increase efficiency.
“Digitizing and simplifying certain key operational processes and procedures was very much top of mind for our operators, and many had started looking for solutions,” Miller-White says. “At Home Office, we wanted to find a solution we could make available and manage that would be beneficial for all operators and across the entire system. For this reason, we began to look at what that system should include and exploring partners that could offer us the best solution. We chose BOHA! because of the willingness to partner, the scope of the system included the areas we had identified, and the flexibility of the system to fit into A&W operations.”
Miller-White says TransAct has allowed A&W Canada to provide operators one system that simplifies several key food safety and operational procedures. For example, these operators are now able to use BOHA! Temp to digitally track food temperatures throughout the day, as well as BOHA! Sense, which features a freezer sensor that monitors refrigeration and dry storage temperatures. BOHA! Timer alerts can also be implemented to tell employees when condiments on the make line need to be changed, while BOHA labeling can help the brand manage ingredient and expiration date labeling. Meanwhile, A&W Canada can also use BOHA’s media library to store key food safety documents, such as the brand’s cleaning manual and food handling instructions, so they are always up-to-date and available when team members need them. Miller-White also notes that interest from operators in the BOHA! Platform has been high, and the system offers flexibility for the brand to add other key features down the line. “Interest has been high and feedback from Operators that have chosen to implement the system has been positive. The Transact team have been very responsive to suggestions and feedback from Operators.”
“The entire BOHA! System allows us to replace paperwork with digital records accessible in-store on an iPad,” Miller-White says. “Not only does this system increase efficiency and free up time for staff, but digital temperature tracking, labeling, and timers ensure there’s no risk that a critical task is forgotten. Additionally, now the data is all in the cloud rather than on paper, the system provides better visibility and data that allows A&W Canada to identify areas of opportunity more quickly. The level of insight in one dashboard will be very helpful, since it replaces paperwork and adds assurance for operators that important tasks are completed.”
Additionally, by storing vital compliance data in the cloud, Ortiz says restaurants can ensure records, such as temperature logs, are easily accessible if the health department requests to see them. Similarly, corporate offices can gain insights into whether each store serves food at the correct temperatures, not only for food safety, but also to ensure proper food quality. Meanwhile, with 24/7 refrigeration monitoring, brands can also rest assured that food storage stays within acceptable ranges.
“Restaurants have so many tasks that need to be completed throughout the day, from temperature tracking and food labeling to cleaning the bathroom and putting out the proper signage,” Ortiz says. “Simply by automating task management in a single, intuitive, mobile-first system, we’ve seen some managers save as much as 16.5 hours a month. BOHA! Restaurant Operations Platform gives restaurants, franchisees and corporate management their time back so they can focus on why they are in business: making great food, providing great experiences, and delighting customers.”
To learn more about how the BOHA! Restaurant Operations Platform can help your brand, visit the TransAct website.
By Peggy Carouthers
