I’m just back from the Arby’s 2016 Worldwide Franchise Convention. We had the chance to interact with many of our existing franchisee customers and greet prospective new customers, meet with our industry partners such as kitchen equipment manufacturers, and learn more broadly about what is happening in the Arby’s universe. It...
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Last month, The Daily Meal announced its annual selection of America’s Greenest Restaurants. The top 20 restaurants are chosen for their dedication to green and sustainable operation, while at the same time, serving “standout cuisine.” Restaurants selected for the list must demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by earning a 3- or 4-star Green Restaurant...
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We’re just back from a fantastic RFMA 2015 Conference — this year held in beautiful San Diego. Hats off to the RFMA team for once again putting together a fun and productive event. I must admit to feeling somewhat guilty for leaving my family, friends and colleagues and narrowly escaping yet another winter storm...
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At MUFSO today, we attended an interesting presentation about an important topic for all restaurant organizations: safety. Customers and employees are the driving forces behind any successful restaurant so their safety and well-being is a top priority for restaurant managers. When a restaurant is identifying opportunities to keep its customers and employees...
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This afternoon at MUFSO, I listened to a compelling discussion about emerging technologies and the disruptions they pose to our current business models and strategies. David Starmer, vice president of Global IT Store Systems at Dunkin’ Brands, Gary Price, president of Corner Bakery Café and Mark Freeman, senior manager of Global...
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In a recent post, I wrote about how next-generation Energy Management Systems (which we call “EMS 2.0”) are enabling facilities management firms to be heroes to their clients by providing unprecedented visibility and automated analytics down to the equipment level, allowing service companies to respond more proactively to equipment issues. Similarly,...
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With the increasing availability of cost-effective networked thermostats, controls, and sensors, many companies and service providers have unprecedented remote access and visibility into their facilities. We call this emergence of increasingly intelligent building systems Energy Management 2.0, or EMS 2.0. So for companies that provide facility maintenance services to their clients,...
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Powerhouse Dynamics’ new patent, which we originally applied for in 2009 (yes, five years is not an unusually long time for a patent to make its way through the USPTO), has to do with SiteSage’s ability to identify under-performing equipment. Essentially, the patent covers our combination of: sensors placed on electrical...
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Energy bills can often be one of the larger expenses for an organization – especially for companies managing chains of restaurants or convenience stores, which typically consume three times more energy per square foot than other commercial facilities. Energy costs can also be frustrating to try to control, and...
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What’s an Economizer? An economizer is a simple, elegant idea intended to save businesses money by delivering cooling to their buildings with much less energy consumed and much less cost. In a nutshell, an economizer is a mechanical vent attached to a roof top unit (RTU) that opens to draw-in...
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Any amount of searching on the web these days for commercial energy efficiency programs shows that the bulk of efforts are focused around mid- to large-sized commercial facilities: big box retail, office buildings, municipal buildings, etc. In many ways, this makes perfect sense. Big facilities offer big potential efficiency gains...
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This is a portion of a post on MultiBriefs Exclusive. As the economy and the foodservice industry appear to be gaining steam, are you prepared to reap the full benefit? There are still plenty of business challenges that require both business acumen and financial agility. Whether it’s food costs, labor...
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