Love's Ups Its Foodservice Game With Technology
OKLAHOMA CITY — Love's Travel Stops is transforming its restaurant operations by integrating gamification technology to increase operational efficiency and enhance the customer experience.
The company's gamification system features three, 27-inch monitors that are strategically placed for optimal impact. The monitors track key performance metrics in real time, such as greet times, order processing times and the time it takes for food handoff.
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Comprehensive tracking allows employees to deliver swift, efficient service while maintaining Love's high standards of quality, the company said. According to early data, gamified restaurants are an average of 11 seconds faster in service, demonstrating a notable boost in efficiency.
The addition of gamification technology also adds a competitive element between stores that further enhances performance, ensuring that every visit to a Love's restaurant is a consistently positive experience for customers.
"Our investment in gamification technology is transforming the way Love's restaurants operate. By incorporating cutting-edge technology, we can better engage our team members while optimizing the customer experience," said Joe Cotton, vice president of foodservice at Love's. "Our customers have an appetite for convenience when they are on the go. This solution cuts down customer wait time and gets drivers back on the road quickly."
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The gamification system is designed to track performance while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and friendly competition. The performance of individual stores are compared across locations, with real-time recognition for top performers. Employees can earn badges for reaching milestones, achieving sales goals and promoting self-development.
The system also translates operational processes into an engaging and easy-to-understand format, driving motivation and excellence in every task, according to Love's.
"The gamification software helps us meet brand standards and contributes to our speed of service," said Carl's Jr. Restaurant Manager Tanda Hopper. "It engages my employees and creates healthy competition between our store and others — we're always trying to get the top rank!"
Love's plans to invest more than $2 million over the next five years to install gamification technology across its locations. New stores will be equipped with the technology upon opening.
Headquartered in Oklahoma, family-owned and -operated Love's core business is travel stops and convenience stores with 646 locations in 42 states. The company has nearly 40,000 team members in North America and Europe.