Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken’s technology adoption is helping the brand beat the labor shortage crisis
Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken, the nation’s fastest growing biscuits and fried chicken concept, is tackling the labor shortage crisis thanks to a tech-forward approach to contactless ordering, including an in-store kiosk and innovative heated locker system installation. Early this year, Rise installed a unique, heated locker system and touchscreen ordering kiosk at its 932-square-foot location in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Not only has it streamlined in-store and online ordering experience for guests while keeping delivery and to-go orders hot and fresh, but early data shows that it has helped Rise increase sales and build tremendous operational efficiencies into its labor model.
Where many quick service restaurants aim to keep their labor cost percentages around 25% of sales, Rise’s efficient model helped keep the downtown Durham location’s labor cost percentage at an average of 18.18% throughout the first half of 2021, even dipping as low as 16.14%*. The ordering efficiencies helped Rise reduce the number of employees required per shift to a minimum of three staff members, not only exponentially saving on daily labor costs but allowing staff to focus on food quality and speed of service.
“We knew the locker system and ordering kiosks would be a great concept to reduce guest and employee interactions during the pandemic, but after evaluating the ROI in only a few months, we quickly realized it’s helping our bottom line, increasing convenience for our guests and allowing our employees to perform their jobs more effectively,” said Rise Founder and CEO Tom Ferguson. “We’re encouraging new and existing franchisees to take advantage of this new feature that has been an absolute gamechanger for our corporate stores.”
While it was initially designed to enhance contactless ordering options for guests, when the installation showed near-immediate ROI Ferguson installed the system at two additional corporate locations in March. Additional revenue generating opportunities came from built-in suggestive selling within the digital ordering platform, allowing guests to add complementary items to their tickets based on their orders and historical preferences. Guests have also grown accustomed to the ordering experience at Rise and Ferguson anecdotally said they value the little to no wait time for pick-up orders. Rise is giving all franchise locations the opportunity to opt into the locker system model.
“If there’s one thing that an entrepreneur knows, it’s that the numbers don’t lie,” said Dan Rowe, CEO of Fransmart, Rise’s franchise development partner. “Rise has seen great success thanks to its profitable model, popular concept and focus on innovation, convenience and consistency. This is a brand to not just watch, but to invest in and be a part of.”
Recently named to QSR magazine’s 40/40 List for 2021: America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals, Rise is partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind household brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and The Halal Guys, as its exclusive franchising partner to grow the brand.
Rise is actively looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop additional franchises in major markets across the United States. To learn more about Rise franchising opportunities, please visit https://fransmart.com/rise-biscuits-chicken.
*Data based on Item 19 outlined in the Rise FDD issued June 14, 2021.
Rise was founded in 2012 by Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, Tom Ferguson. Described as a mixture of ‘old school, new school and our school,’ Rise serves up unique chicken sandwiches, biscuit and donut offerings and is constantly rotating in new features to keep the menu fresh and intriguing. Rise’s innovative concept and expansive growth earned the brand the #22 spot on Fast Casual’s 2021 ‘Top 100 Movers & Shakers’ list, and was also ranked as one of ‘The Best Biscuits In The U.S.’ by Food & Wine Magazine. Rise currently operates 16 locations in six states, with over 100 units in development in major U.S. media markets. For more information, visit https://risebiscuitschicken.com.
Fransmart is the global leader in franchise development, selling over 5,000 franchises worldwide and turning emerging restaurant concepts into national and global brands for 20 years. Company Founder Dan Rowe identified and grew brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries, QDOBA Mexican Grill, and The Halal Guys from 1-5 unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Fransmart’s current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened thousands of restaurants globally. Fransmart and their partner brands are committed to franchise development growth. Follow Fransmart on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. For more information, visit www.fransmart.com.
