Technology

Edge computing's power to empower QSR success

Quick-service restaurants are under an immense amount of pressure to innovate and differentiate their level of service. Edge computing can be a great ally in meeting this challenge.

Photo: iStock

January 26, 2021 by Jeffrey Ricker — CEO & co-founder, Hivecell

Editor's Note: Edge computing puts computation and data storage closer to the location where it's being used with the intent of improving response time and saving bandwidth.

Quick-service restaurants are under an immense amount of pressure to innovate and differentiate their level of service. Consumer trends are always changing, and the COVID-19 pandemic has forced QSRs to reevaluate what's powering their smart kitchens and operations to see if it's providing the level of service needed to succeed.

As QSRs look to keep up their competitive advantage, there are a few key components to keep in mind from both the back and front of house.

Be strategic with smart kitchen data

The modern smart kitchen is of no strategic advantage if the data generated is
not used. QSRs cannot afford to pay for a more expensive smart refrigerator if they aren't using the "smart" features.

Owners and operators need the ability to see when systems aren't working, so they can adapt quickly. A refrigerator sending constant reminders that it is at the correct temperature is not as helpful as a device that only sends alerts when something is amiss.

Creating business-relevant data from a massive pool of raw data is not a simple task and requires significant processing power and bandwidth, which is often a hidden cost for franchise owners. So, while sending all the raw sensor data to the cloud may serve no real function for a single-location brand, when 1,000 sensors at 10,000 stores are involved, owners are wasting real money and time. The need to be agile and reactive will be key to responding to events.

POS pressures with the cloud

There is a heightened demand for smarter POS systems, as they tie into every other aspect of QSR business. However, there are significant risks when that data meets the cloud. For example, a potential power outage could stunt an entire location's ability to serve customers.

An employee needs to be able to sell pizza or redeem rewards points even when the network is down, and a cloud-only solution makes that next to impossible. Customers demand visibility, even more now that dine-in seating is often not available.

As franchise owners look to use technologies, like machine learning, to strengthen customer relationships through data, one simple issue with the cloud may turn that customer away from a QSR for good.

Simple deployment, management, scaling

All these challenges and opportunities point to one solution - edge computing on-premise. Edge computing is a new type of compute power that exists between smart technologies (think internet-connected appliances, cameras, sensors, etc.) and the cloud.

This solution allows restaurants using IoT and machine learning to harness the power of business-relevant data, cut costs and manage their data remotely. And it is completely scalable for QSRs with everywhere from 100 to 10,000 locations.

The best path to entry is often to invest in a Platform as a Service (PaaS) solution that enables QSR locations to be provisioned, monitored and updated remotely with the press of a button, collecting data to enable a more efficient, productive and safer workplace, while driving customer satisfaction along the way.

Simply put, QSRs not processing data on location using the edge will be left behind. While it may be intriguing and exciting to consider building a fully-customized in-house edge solution, the process will be time-intensive and costly and may be challenging for an internal engineering team unfamiliar with the specific components needed.

The benefits of adopting an edge solution cover all areas of business and finding a trusted technology partner can minimize risk and take a lot of headaches out of the application and installation process.

Technology