The foodservice industry is navigating an unprecedented wave of change in the wake of the pandemic. As operators consider new ways of working, along with methods to attract and train new employees, maintaining food quality, as always, will remain a top priority.
One tech solution that is helping to quickly train employees is NSF EyeSucceed, an augmented reality (AR) smartglass solution that delivers hands-free, step-by-step instructions at the workstation on how to complete restaurant tasks, eliminating the need for peer-to-peer training. The result, says Jen Tong, co-founder of NSF EyeSucceed, is a workforce that is uniquely prepared to hit the ground running.
“This industry has always been dynamic, and we’re facing more change than ever before,” Tong says. “New hires require a significant amount of employee training to get them restaurant-ready. Our smartglass solution introduces a training modality that brings employees up to speed and creates consistency in both products and the guest experience, saving businesses time and money.”
Here’s how it works: The team member puts on a pair of lightweight glasses equipped with a small display window that appears just above the employee’s line of sight. If the employee is, for example, tasked with overseeing the fryer that day, the display window begins breaking down how to cook an item step-by-step and in real time, allowing them to learn and complete tasks in real time at the workstation.
“This has the potential to become the preferred training method in the industry.”
Jen Tong, co-founder, NSF EyeSucceed
Wendy’s® began a pilot program with the NSF EyeSucceed solution in 2020. Initial findings from testing the smartglasses in supply chain management and quality assurance processes have shown strong results, and the brand is now testing NSF EyeSucceed at the restaurant level.
“The glasses enable real-time, two-way, hands-free communication via live streaming for inspections, approvals, training, and demonstrations over any distance,” says Jorge Hernandez, vice president of the Quality Assurance Team at The Wendy’s Company. “We pursued a partnership with NSF EyeSucceed because we share a commitment to innovation. We believe technologies like this have the potential to change the way we work, including how we approve products, equipment and suppliers, and—eventually—how we train our teams. NSF EyeSucceed has the potential to ensure operational consistency beyond just the training period, with the ability to give feedback on tasks where an employee might need added support.”
This type of application of NSF EyeSucceed is also valued by restaurant employees from the C-suite to the frontline. Tong reports that executives love the technology because it makes their restaurants more efficient, supports consistent quality execution, and helps reduce the amount of time spent traveling and training employees. Operators appreciate NSF EyeSucceed because they have practical onboarding support and can more efficiently train new employees. Finally, frontline workers enjoy it because they feel confident and capable from day one on the job.
“We’ve invested a lot of time, passion, and effort into making a solution that creates operation-specific efficiencies,” Tong says. “This has the potential to become the preferred training method in the industry. As more consumers return to in-person dining, consistency and quality are more important than ever before, making it a perfect time to implement this technology.”
For more, visit nsf.org/qsr_eyesucceed.
