Sizzling Platter adapts to COVID-19 challenges with ActivityStudio®

Sizzling Platter is one of the fastest growing restaurant management groups in the world.  

From a lone restaurant in 1963, the group has grown to more than 500 Sizzler, Red Robin, Little Caesars, Dunkin Donuts, and Wingstop restaurants in 15 US states and Mexico. Their mission is to build lifetime guests across the portfolio utilizing lean enterprise techniques and technology to achieve Operational Excellence. And it's a mission that's serving them and their customers well; more than 250 million guests have been served – and counting.

With a passion always to build scale within their target markets, management processes were tested as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions started to go into effect.

Health and Safety a Top Priority

Identifying that the largely manual and pen and paper-based systems were preventing the business from easily analyzing operational information and making real-time data-driven decisions, the group began looking for solutions with several specific needs to address:

• Ensuring staff and customer safety against the backdrop of COVID-19 challenges
• Auditing in-store operations and compliance with brand standards
• Conducting more efficient store visits
• Assessing restaurants for acquisition

“At this very critical time in the restaurant industry, ensuring health and safety across our 500 locations is our top priority,” said Isaac Morton, Vice President, Information Technology, Sizzling Platter.

Overall, the goal for digitally transforming these programs was to provide the business with the ability to analyze the information and make data-driven decisions more easily.

The Solution

According to Isaac Morton, Vice President, Information Technology for Sizzling Platter, “CMX was the straightforward choice. Of all the options we looked at, they were best on price and best on service. They understand our business and ActivityStudio^® is ideally suited to our strategy. We are a fast-moving organization. The program was launched within two weeks and we are already seeing great value. We are now evaluating the possibility of other programs like digital HACCP-based Line Checks and monthly PCI compliance assessments that could be launched on the CMX1 Platform.”

ActivityStudio^® gives organizations of all sizes the capability to digitally transform their protocols and operating procedures to create a systematic approach to achieving Operational Excellence, safety, and compliance. Featuring a drag-and-drop visual form builder and program design tools, it allows businesses across a wide range of industries to easily create and manage company policies, audits, self-assessments, inspections, and checklists.

Sizzling Platter is also leveraging ActivityStudio^® to perform employee pre-shift wellness checks and to ensure health and sanitation routines are being executed. The programs are based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for restaurants reopening and maintaining healthy business operations, while reducing the risk of COVID-19 spread for both employees and customers.

The Results

Within weeks of selecting and launching ActivityStudio^®, the Sizzling Platter team began using it to roll out and support new programs, both at the restaurant level and above, including:

• Employee Pre-Shift Wellness Checks - Prior to starting their shift, every employee undergoes a health check for temperature and to screen for COVID-19 symptoms or exposure.
• Health and Sanitation Shift Log – After each shift, managers conduct an audit to review and document that all required safety, health, and sanitation procedures have been completed. This includes performing employee wellness checks, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hygiene such as handwashing, and social distancing practices, along with cleaning and sanitizing high-touch areas, restrooms, equipment, dining rooms, and back of house (BOH) areas.
• Store Visit Assessment – Used by district managers to help locations prepare for health department inspections and brand standards audits.
• Due Diligence Restaurant Evaluation – An in-depth site inspection used by the operations team when evaluating restaurants for acquisition.
• Operational Efficiencies Scorecard – An assessment and evaluation of in-store operations and compliance with brand standards, for use when a new location is acquired.

“ActivityStudio^® gives us a user-friendly, yet powerful platform to digitally transform our operations, quality, and safety efforts," said Isaac Morton, Vice President, Information Technology, Sizzling Platter.

ActivityStudio^® has also been put to work to reduce time-intensive tasks surrounding the company’s site evaluation process, which includes more than 204 questions along with the collection of photos and attachments. Through features such as Team Auditing, which allows multiple users to simultaneously complete various sections of the assessment, the Sizzling Platter team has seen a time savings of 50% to date.

CMX1 a Great Match for Sizzling Platter's Technology Focus

CMX is a leading provider of Enterprise Quality Management Solutions (EQMS) for Supply Chain Management and Operational Execution. 

Commenting on the new partnership with Sizzling Platter, CMX CEO Mitch Porche said: “The last couple months have certainly been challenging for the restaurant industry. As we see more and more states transition through the phased approach to reopening, ensuring and maintaining employee and customer trust and safety will be essential for recovery.

“It’s a huge point of pride for CMX to have been chosen to help Sizzling Platter during this critical time. Their longevity and focus on applying technology to achieve operational excellence is a great match for our organization and the CMX1 Platform. We look forward to working alongside them to help further empower their success and ensure quality and safety.”

For more information and other Client Stories, please visit www.cmx1.com or call 1-858-866-8888.