Leading up to Ops Summit 2024, Crunchtime customers were invited to submit nominations for Crunchtime’s 2nd annual Ops Excellence Awards. This program honors the outstanding achievements of restaurants and groups that have harnessed the power of Crunchtime to achieve unparalleled operational excellence. Awards nomination requirements included explaining how their organization has harnessed the power of Crunchtime solutions to manage profitability, deliver great customer experiences, and successfully grow their multi-unit operations.
Selecting the top five finalists for the 2024 Ops Excellence Awards was an incredibly challenging task, given the outstanding quality of nominations received. Crunchtime extends its sincere appreciation to every organization that participated and applauds the remarkable progress so many teams have made in advancing operational excellence.
The finalists—BBQ Holdings, Five Guys, Jersey Mike’s, SPB Hospitality, and Triple T Hospitality—were recognized for their exceptional dedication to operational excellence. These organizations have successfully leveraged technology and collaboration to address challenges and consistently exceed expectations.
Representatives from all five finalists took the stage at Crunchtime’s 2024 Ops Summit to present their success stories. Their achievements underscore impressive leadership, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to operational excellence in a highly competitive landscape.
Ops Excellence Awards Finalist Spotlight: BBQ Holdings
With a diverse portfolio of restaurant brands, including Famous Dave’s and Granite City Food & Brewery, BBQ Holdings is a dynamic leader in the dining industry. Their commitment to innovation, quality, and growth has driven the success of each unique concept under their umbrella, from fast-casual to full-service dining. BBQ Holdings consistently delivers exceptional food and service while focusing on value for both franchise partners and guests.
Background and Challenges
- In 2018, Granite City as a singular brand used Crunchtime to drive consolidated AvT to 1.1%
- In 2020, Granite City was acquired by BBQ Holdings
- BBQ Holdings, and the 10 brands and 292 locations across US, Canada, and UAE that it encompasses, was in need of a flexible, all-in-one back office solution, with must-haves including:
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- Integrating with HRIS system and multiple POS systems
- Supporting a range of menu architecture
- Supporting the aggressive growth through acquisition strategy
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Icing on the Cake: Prep List, Single Day Prep Report, Suggested Order, Flexible forecast assistance, Mobile App Suite
Results
Crunchtime has been a great partner to BBQ Holdings in consolidation from many POS systems to a single POS.
- Inventory Management
- Famous Dave’s AvT dropped 2.2% within the first year of implementation and continues to improve
- From 2022-2023, BBQ Holdings Corp Loc AvT improved 0.44% or ≈ $1.23M (Average ≈ $11K/Location)
- Learning & Development (TalentLink)
- Standardized compliance training across 10 different brands
- Expedited training creation by seamlessly cross-utilizing courses between brands
- Increased buy-in within the franchisee community
- Labor & Scheduling
- Average Schedule vs Act SPLH variance declined by $0.83 from 2022 - 2023, and an additional $0.84 from 2023 - 2024 YTD
- Expedited employee onboarding with HRIS integration
- Increased manager buy-in with intuitive UI
- Message Center and Manager Log improve team communication and morale
- Sales/hours graph reporting makes impactful scheduling easy
Future Plans and Goals
- Expand Crunchtime to additional MTY concepts
- Pilot location launch for Papa Murphy’s
- Will be supporting Taco Time Canada’s Crunchtime build in 2025
BBQ Holdings exemplifies what’s possible when innovation meets operational excellence. From streamlining processes across a diverse portfolio of brands to achieving impressive reductions in AvT and scheduling variances, their success demonstrates the transformative power of leveraging Crunchtime’s solutions. Their commitment to fostering growth, enhancing team communication, and driving results through data-driven decision-making is truly inspiring. We’re proud to celebrate BBQ Holdings as an Ops Excellence Awards finalist and can’t wait to see how they continue to raise the bar for the industry.
To learn more about all of the 2024 Ops Excellence Award finalists, click here.
