QSR May 2023

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benefit of these partnerships. They are seeing a greater level of operational efficiency than ever before, and this is trickling down to single-unit franchisees, who are taking advantage of the wealth of data now available to them through technology like OLO, QU, and World Pay, Mark says. OLO Rails allows one location to manage multiple menus and automatically distributes them to third-party marketplaces. OLO Dispatch offers branded delivery directly through sites and apps to strengthen the relationship between the concept and the guest. Likewise, OLO’s menu management system keeps WOWorks from having to cut online options. This is beneficial to customers and franchisees, as anything done in-store can also be done online. “I’ve seen brands cut what they offer on their website because whatever system they’re using might not be capable. So that’s one of the reasons we went with OLO specifically,” Mark explains. “They offer a lot of menu management options to make that easier […] but also for the customer to see, absorb, and decide on what they want.” For a company like WOWorks, creating consistency with six dis tinct brands is paramount. Marks says the brand is continuously working towards creating “The WOW! Way” in its operations, technology, and marketing departments. Additionally, WOWorks continues to grow its network of fran chisees. There are franchising opportunities available in 49 states (all except Hawaii). Franchise owners, like the brand’s portfolio, are incredibly diverse, with backgrounds ranging from the mili

tary to hospitality. Systemwide, WOWorks operates more than 350 locations and oversees more than 7,000 employees. In 2022, it opened 14 units (four Saladworks, two Frutta Bowls, one Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, three Zoup! Eatery, and four co-brand locations) and signed 21 franchise deals (eight Saladworks, two Garbanzo Mediterra nean Fresh, eight Frutta Bowls including co-brand locations, two Barberitos, and one Zoup! Eatery). The company also opened two new hubs with ghost kitchen operator REEF Technology, raised $150,000 for No Kid Hungry, and provided 1.5 million meals for children with food insecurity. In 2023, the company’s first major goal is to get all six of its brands onto a single tech stack. Work is being done on the back end to unify databases as well. The multi-brand platform will also use polished technology to build a custom intranet called “WOWnet,” which will eventually become the centerpiece of all operations. “We’re building a data warehouse on the back end to store all of our data and make that readily accessible to everybody,” Mark says. “Then we can make more decisions based on that data ver sus intuition. We’re heavily data-driven, so that’s one of our big focuses for 2023.” WOWorks is looking forward to a new year full of innovation, strategy, and growth between brands, Mark says.

Satyne Doner is a staff writer at QSR . She can be reached at sdoner@wtwhmedia.com .

total investment 10k • Go into business for yourself, not by yourself • Average owner earned over six figures* • Ability to demonstrate the gold standard in service Do you want to be an owner?

Scan today to apply for franchise opportunities across the U.S.

www.steaknshakefranchise.com *Based on the average annual earnings of 82 Steak ‘n Shake Franchise Partner Program franchisee outlets opened and operating for 12-months or more during the two-year period ending December 29, 2021, as published in our April 29, 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document. Of these 82 outlets, 34 (40.6%) met or exceeded $136,933 annual average earnings. However, your individual results may vary and there is no assurance that you will do as well.

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MAY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com