I believe takeout and delivery are areas where self-driving tech and food lockers, which involve a high degree of “human-less†experience, will play an even greater role in the future.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing for Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, Burger King Corporation, discusses how the quick service restaurant (QSR) chain plans to deploy new point-of-sale systems on and off premises to improve guest experience during the pandemic. As a quick service chain brand, Antonello believes they drive excellence by being very guest and franchisee focused and addresses the issue of potentially rehumanizing  takeout and delivery operations.
In this edition of MarTalk Buzz, Antonello reasons out whether singular platform could optimize cloud kitchen operations for big brands like Burger King. He shares top takeaways for restaurants to balance the winning combo of self-ordering kiosks and contactless technology. Antonello also highlights how QSR franchise owners can be strategic about managing food safety in the COVID-19 era.
Key Takeaways on How Takeout and Delivery Technology Personalizes Guest Experience:Â
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- Expand CRM capabilities in customer engagement, analytics, geo location, and more.
- For a QSR with a huge footprint, cloud kitchens can solve mostly a “supply problemâ€.
- Integrate restaurant functionality and technology to elevate guest experience.
Here’s the edited transcript from our exclusive interview with Alexandre Antonello:Â
1. The COVID-19 pandemic put quick service restaurants in the center of big overhauls. While the pandemic is still underway, which fast food technology best practices Burger King plans to deploy to improve the guest experience?
It’s no secret that the pandemic has driven a big shift from ‘on’ to ‘off-premises’, so first and foremost Burger King LAC continues to invest in its omnichannel expansion, striving to be anywhere guests are. That means expanding the Burger King App and new point-of-sale (POS) systems to multiple markets where applicable. It also means integrating systems with delivery aggregators and digital partners.
While doing that, the Burger King LAC team is also working with different partners to expand the CRM capabilities in customer engagement, analytics, geo location, and more. The objective is to provide guests the most personalized experience possible and reward them for being a loyal guest.
Finally, making sure the last mile of the delivery is executed in a safe and convenient way for our guests is a key priority. Whether on or off-premises, I know the pandemic has raised greater awareness and demand for safety.
New technologies have been deployed to enhance our curbside pickup and delivery options. An example of these new initiatives was shown in our experimental delivery test called “Traffic Jam†where products were delivered in real time to people stuck in the Mexico City’s heavy traffic.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
The Traffic Jam Whopper used real-time data to detect potential buyers in a traffic jam to offer them a Whopper and deliver on the move.
Source: Burger King
2. This year, restaurants will face two significant challenges: staying in business and creating a “warm, happy social experienceâ€. In what actionable ways, can the burger chain potentially rehumanize takeout and delivery infrastructure?
Most of the time, QSR fulfills a need that does not involve social gatherings with different groups. For example, drive-thru accounts for large portion of the U.S. sales.
In Brazil, most of the restaurants are in shopping mall food courts where a single family will generally go with some other mission or purpose rather than to get food and socialize. So, I do not think the main pressing need is to rehumanize takeout and delivery operations, because those are not QSR experiences which are screaming for humanization.
On the contrary, I believe takeout and delivery operations are areas where self-driving tech and food lockers, which involve a high degree of “human-less†experience, will play an even greater role in the future.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
However, guests who seek socializing again at Burger King restaurants in LAC are being accounted for. The future design looks amazing – guests will have a high tech yet warm experience in restaurant. Also, one of the core values highlights being hands-on, passionate makers. The brand is physical, sensorial, and visceral, so a human touch needs to be kept in Burger King restaurants while giving guests a safe experience.
Also read: Building a Digital Restaurant Brand: Lessons From Dunkin’
3. Cloud kitchens are the new incoming trend to accelerate delivery orders. While this business model had gained popularity, there is currently no unified cloud kitchen operating platform that handles all the moving parts for these businesses. What are your observations for this trend? Can a singular platform optimize cloud kitchen operations for big brands like Burger King?
Cloud kitchens can play different roles for different types of businesses. While they can enable small independent restaurants to build and scale faster.
For a QSR with a huge footprint like Burger King LAC, cloud kitchens can solve mostly a “supply problemâ€. In highly dense areas where the demand for delivery is interfering with store operations, transferring part of the demand to a cloud kitchen nearby will allow the restaurant to focus more on the guests that are there.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
Another role could be taking the brand to areas where there are no restaurants today. However, this aspect is examined very carefully – it is always preferable for franchisees to prioritize opening new restaurants rather than a cloud kitchen since there’s much more long-term potential with the former.
Cloud kitchen pilots are still running in different parts of the world. Given the brand’s business model and the way it operates in each country, I find it unlikely that a single platform would be able to have multi-market operations. But I can be wrong on that, I guess this is a market where players are still building their critical mass.
Also read: The Top 6 Food and Beverage Advertising Campaigns in 2020 That Did It Right
4. Burger King recently unveiled the ‘restaurant of tomorrow’ with self-ordering kiosks and contactless technology. What are the top 3 takeaways for restaurants to balance this winning combo?
The restaurant of tomorrow concept reflects the role Burger King plays for its guests, and how they should see the brand differently from competitors. Even before technology, it starts with the “kitchen theatre†that displays the broiler, a main point of differentiation since the Whopper is flame grilled. Burger King also takes pride in serving real food, so product ingredients are highlighted to guests in restaurant, as well as in recent Whopper campaigns. So, the first takeaway is around being transparent about the food.
Burger King’s innovative new restaurant designs showcase touchless features, mobile order, and curbside pick-up benefits.
Source: Burger King
The second takeaway is about guest-centricity. The restaurant of tomorrow will strive to deliver a convenient experience to guests, attending to all different needs they may have. Guests will be able drive-in and order at the parking spot and have food delivered to their cars, opt for curbside pick-up, grab their food from pick-up lockers, drive-through in a much more “digital wayâ€, and finally for on-premises dining, the restaurants will also have a completely revamped design, coupled with some potential new technology-enabled features such as table service.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
The third takeaway is about integrating restaurant functionality and technology. The restaurant of the tomorrow merges the best functional technology with a unique modern design to elevate the guest experience. The interior and exterior spaces were designed from scratch, to avoid being designed with preconceived notions of how a burger restaurant should look.
Also read: What Food Delivery Can Teach Marketers in the Face of COVID-19
5. How can CMOs and QSR franchisee owners be strategic about managing food safety in the COVID-19 era? Which technologies will provide peace of mind for restaurateurs in this process?
The way to be strategic about food safety from my point-of-view is simple, it’s about being consistent. The pandemic presented a great opportunity to reinvent the way restaurants think about hygiene and food safety.
In LAC, rigorous enhanced cleaning procedures were deployed in the restaurants and are intended to be kept in place with updates communicated to the franchisees, as appropriate. For QSR, technologies that enable contactless delivery, such as the ones presented in the “restaurant of tomorrow†concept, will play a critical role.
-Alexandre Antonello, head of marketing (LAC), Burger King Corporation
For other types of restaurants, it can vary, given the different guests’ needs it can fulfill.
6. What are the key trends in quick service restaurant space that would possibly outlast the pandemic?
When looking at research done during the pandemic, it’s clear that food safety remains the most relevant priority. Since the digitization of the Burger King brand has been accelerated in LAC, the brand’s omni-channel presence has been a key focus to support this priority, which means personalizing guests’ experience and delivering great food in the most convenient and safe way.
I have seen that value for money is even more critical now. While the uncertainty of the economic recovery has been in question, I understand that many guests are currently struggling with their finances and delivering fantastic quality products to them at affordable prices is a top priority.
About Alexandre AntonelloOpens a new window :
Alexandre Antonello is a senior executive at Burger King Corporation with multi-cultural and international experience. Throughout his career, he is worked in several countries including Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the US. Antonello has gained valuable marketing knowledge from his time at Mars and Unilever, before ultimately bringing his talents to Burger King. He loves to lead and drive transformational growth with an entrepreneurial business approach.
About Burger KingOpens a new window :
Founded in 1954, the Burger King brand is the second largest fast-food hamburger chain in the world. The original Home of The Whopper®, the Burger King system, operates more than 18,200 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost all of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades.
Note: The views presented herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Burger King Corporation.
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