As Director of Operations for a dozen Domino's Pizza franchise locations in the picturesque state of Colorado, Bill Oliver had his sights set on an ambitious goal—ensuring that every customer experienced a consistently exceptional dining adventure.
Little did he know, a journey was about to begin, one of pizza, technology, and the pursuit of savings.
A cause for overwhelm
Bill Oliver takes his job very seriously—he works day in and day out to ensure that all the Domino’s Pizza stores he handles provide customers with a consistently exceptional experience.
In April 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic brought additional tasks to oversee, and streamlining operations became more crucial than ever. With a surge in business during those challenging times, Bill's stores were bustling, and efficiency had never been more critical.
In particular, Bill had two major challenges:
1. Time spent conducting manual temperature checks
Employees were laboriously conducting manual temperature checks on multiple coolers daily. These temperature checks devoured a staggering one hour each day, and it was not just about time.
“I always knew that my store teams at times could be so overwhelmed with daily tasks and could potentially forget to check the temperature of the equipment or document if they did,” Bill recalls.
2. Food safety audits from corporate
Domino's corporate would periodically swoop in for audits, scrutinizing every detail to ensure food safety.
Bill had no way to guarantee that the temperature logs were accurate or that the equipment was performing optimally. Additionally, there was no way to track temperatures outside of business hours.
The search for an automation solution
Bill knew that an automated solution would solve these two issues. He decided to look for a solution that would not only free up his team for more profit-yielding activities, but would also ensure 24/7 monitoring of his store's assets.
His quest for a solution led him to energy management systems. After all, every quest has its treasure, and for Bill, it was the promise of streamlined operations and untapped savings. He decided to try out GlacierGrid for two locations.
An investment in sustainability and profitability
With a mere 10-minute installation and a quick dashboard tutorial, Bill set up automatic reporting, which delivered weekly temperature logs directly to his email.
This seemingly small change transformed his daily routine by:
- Removing the tedious chore of temperature logging from the to-do lists of his two stores
- Providing precise logs that could be shared with third-party inspectors
But the real treasure was yet to be discovered. Bill unearthed issues that he didn’t even know existed.
Mysterious temperature spikes in the middle of the night led to the discovery that delivery personnel were leaving the door open for too long.
"We were able to prove to our overnight vendors that their delivery personnel had been leaving the door open for too long when bringing in products—compromising quality and wasting energy,” Bill shares.
With this newfound knowledge, vendor practices were adjusted, and the results were almost immediate. Energy costs saw a significant drop month after month. They even avoided potential revenue loss due to power outages.
GlacierGrid notified us of lost power during the snowstorm,
so we were able to restock and avoid any loss of revenue that week.
- Bill Oliver, Domino's Director of Operations
The returns on this investment were so swift and substantial that Bill decided to expand the GlacierGrid program to all of his Domino's locations. The journey had only just begun.
A store manager’s dream come true: efficiency, savings, and peace of mind
Bill estimated that GlacierGrid was saving approximately $10,000 per year for each restaurant. This wasn't just about dollars; it was about something more profound. Employees were now focused on delivering an exceptional customer experience, and leadership enjoyed newfound peace of mind.
The Domino’s Effect had taken over, and as the aroma of freshly baked pizzas filled the Colorado air, Bill and his team continued to cook up something extraordinary—a story of efficiency, cost and energy savings, and the perfect temperature.
