iGnG, or Intelligent Grab n Go, created by Hot Stuff Pizza, is reinventing how convenience stores are generating revenue through foodservice.
Convenience store owners, realizing that one key to growth is through foodservice, are adding patent-pending new technology to their operations. Results are showing that producing the right products at the right times is also opening the door to increased profitability.
“We designed a tool for our franchisees that simplifies the process of managing waste, dissecting store traffic and revealing to them peak times and opportunities where more money can be made,” said Orion Food Systems CEO Steve Watkins. As a leading provider of foodservice systems to the convenience-store industry, Hot Stuff Pizza’s new technology is already making waves in c-stores across the country.
It only took a matter of weeks before Country Pride Convenience Store, in Winner, S.D., started seeing results. “We really got our money’s worth with iGnG. I didn’t realize how much traffic patterns changed from day to day, and this tool has given me the insight to proactively make changes to the my product mix,” said Shawn Ulmer, store manager. “I utilized iGnG’s Opportunity View reports to concentrate on breakfast product offerings, made just a few adjustments and we recognized our return on investment in just a few weeks.”
Managing waste is a direct link into how Intelligent Grab n Go can increase sales. At Holiday Stationstores in the small town of Roseau, Minn., waste was at 11% in February. For three weeks in a row, Scott Heilman, Hot Stuff Pizza franchise business consultant, visited the store to review the data iGnG was supplying to the store manager, and he uncovered where the waste was out of sync.
With the support from Heilman, a strategy formed to focus on a particular day-part and adjust accordingly. As a result, waste dropped to 7%. “We are able to make simple changes to the items we select to bake and when we bake them based off of data, including customer counts and sales history, it gives instant gratification in both sales and margin improvements,” said Tara Anderson, category manager with Holiday Stationstores. “The system also greatly improves scan accuracy and offers time of day information for both sales and sales by SKU. The price point is feasible, even for small businesses, and their tech support is outstanding,”
It’s not just existing Hot Stuff Pizza locations where this new technology is helping to increase sales. Several new Hot Stuff franchisees are naming iGnG as the top reason for teaming up with the company’s foodservice program.
During the recent grand opening at Don’s Convenience Center and Car Wash in Fargo, N.D., store manager Liz Vardanega disclosed why it was a no-brainer to implement iGnG. “The technology gives a level of detail unavailable through the POS, and it is super simple and accurate,” she said.
Merritt Koehn, owner of Ag Valley Convenience Store, agreed, pointing to how iGnG boosts productivity is a key function his stores needed. “With the possible savings on labor, margin on increased sales, happy employees and help from the Hot Stuff Pizza team, it just looked like the right decision,” he said.
Intelligent Grab n Go is just one way Hot Stuff Pizza is constantly innovating to support its retail partners’ growth and success. To learn more about this exclusive technology, click here.
This post is sponsored by Orion Land Mark