With thousands of competitors in the restaurant industry, operators must find ways to get their brands to stand out from the competition. The cleanliness of the store entrance, the freshness of food on display, and other aspects of a visit may not always be noticed by visitors, but operations leaders know that the key to creating repeat customers is to provide outstanding service to customers consistently.
One brand fulfilling the promise of great customer experiences every visit is RPM Pizza, Domino’s largest franchise. RPM Pizza strives to achieve operational excellence by tackling some of the industry’s toughest challenges using technology that supports its in-store teams and above-store leadership daily.
Below are the three main strategies RPM Pizza employs to deliver a high-quality customer experience every visit.
1. Product Consistency
Customers return to brands time and time again when they know what to expect. Having consistent operations across different locations, cities, and even states means that wherever customers go, they know they can rely on the brand to deliver on those expectations. Former Chief Operations Officer for RPM Pizza, John Richards, explains that “It’s our job to ensure that everything from New Orleans, LA to Kalamazoo, MI operate the exact same way.”
To help drive product consistency, RPM Pizza employed the photo-submission tool in Zenput, Crunchtime's operations execution platform, where team members easily submit photos of their pizzas so that teams can be praised or coached depending on their execution. This also allows operators and leadership to gain more insight into what is happening inside each location and opens a communication pathway that can be used to talk about consistency and product quality. Utilizing this photo-submission tool helps instill a sense of accountability and integrity in stores, leading to greater product consistency and great customer experiences over time.
2. Food Safety Culture
Food safety is a hot topic amongst operators in the foodservice industry, and for good reason – a fast-casual establishment could lose up to $2.1 million with one foodborne illness outbreak. RPM Pizza recognizes the importance of maintaining a strong food safety record at each of its 170+ locations. Being a trustworthy brand when it comes to food safety does not just protect customers and staff; it also helps maintain customer loyalty.
RPM Pizza has made food safety a part of its culture by implementing specific policies and procedures to help keep all of its ingredients and menu items safe at all times, while also holding team members accountable each day in every store. Plus, the food safety mindset doesn’t just apply to the restaurant teams because RPM ensures that their vendor interactions comply with food safety standards as well. To reinforce their efforts, they work with a third party to evaluate their stores quarterly to ensure food safety compliance in all locations. Through these combined efforts and their consistent use of Zenput, RPM has turned a reactive safety culture into a proactive one, allowing them to be more proficient and prepared for operational assessments (OA) and audits.
3. Thorough Training
A restaurant can only be successful if it’s staffed with a knowledgeable team, and RPM recognizes the value of a thoughtful training program to help get new employees shift-ready, broaden the depth of knowledge for existing employees, and develop leadership skills for those in management. RPM Pizza utilizes many different training methods, from digital to in-person, to help each team member learn and grow. Once through initial training, digital checklists are used to measure performance and understanding, helping reinforce training material in the process.
While the foodservice industry is constantly changing, one thing will always remain constant: brands like RPM Pizza that can provide consistently great customer experiences will find success regardless of socioeconomic conditions. To learn more about elevating your restaurant’s customer experience, download The Restaurant Operator's Guide to Ops Excellence.
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