Nathan’s Famous upgrades enterprise platform for franchisees

A quick-service restaurant retailer is serving up enhanced ordering and loyalty management for its franchise operators.

Nathan’s Famous Inc. is overhauling its technology resources aimed at aiding franchisees in daily retail operations. On the back end, the retailer is rolling out a software solution from RestaurantMagic that focuses on inventory and food management, labor and scheduling, and reporting and analytics. The goal is to empower franchisees with business intelligence and automation technology that allows them to manage labor, decrease food costs, and improve customer service.

To aid franchisees in reaching more customers, Nathan’s Famous is also deploying an artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning-based ad optimization from Targetable. Automation tailors ads to Nathan’s current marketing goals while AI produces creative ads based on popular content across Nathan’s channels. Targetable’s interface will also handle the strategy behind Nathan’s campaigns, including geotargeting and audience segmentation.

In its first month of engagement with Targetable, Nathan’s Famous says it has reached more than 100,000 customers in a four-mile radius of three test stores, seeing cost-per-click (CPC) numbers that are low for digital advertising, and seeing efficiency rates of more than 10 times that of traditional circulars or mailers.

Nathan’s is also leveraging a SaaS platform from CloseComms that enables franchisees to provide Wi-Fi to guests and seamlessly integrate the brand's app into that connection.

On the front end, in fall 2019, Nathan’s Famous signed both PAR’s Brink POS and Toast on as preferred partners. There are new Nathan’s operators using Toast, and the company will be working to prepare the franchise system to use the Brink POS system, which is expected to launch in spring 2020.

Nathan’s Famous began implementing Toast self-ordering kiosks in late 2019, and is currently testing them at franchised locations across the country. The company plans to roll these out kiosks nationwide later in 2020.

“In the fall of 2019, we embarked on a journey to update our technology across the board in restaurants nationwide," said James Walker, senior VP, restaurants, Nathan’s Famous. “It’s been quite some time since this brand took on an initiative like this one, and we believe the partnerships we’ve created since then will truly change the way our franchisees operate and how they interact with customers. The last few weeks have proved why this initiative has been so important. Enabling our system with this technology has greatly helped us navigate these uncertain times.”