How BlueFox Helps Sodexo Improve Efficiency and Consumer Experiences

Most restaurant operators ask themselves on the daily: How many employees do I need to schedule? How do I ensure things run as smoothly as possible, without overstaffing? How much food needs to be prepared to minimize food waste and maximize profits?

This is an industry where profit margins can be slim. A restaurant operator’s ability to answer these questions accurately can mean the difference between success and failure. Luckily, we live in a digital world where data and technology can offer restaurant operators valuable (and increasingly accurate) foot traffic forecasts to improve restaurant efficiency and consumer experiences.

Two years ago, Sodexo teamed up with Bluefox ‘Smart Café’ to test just such a solution. Using advanced smartphone proximity detection, BlueFox provides our restaurant operators with real-time occupancy and location-based data. And for simplicity’s sake, the technology is cloud based, privacy friendly (GDPR compliant) and requires no apps or beacons. 

Since then, the solution has been deployed at 40 locations across North America, primarily in university and corporate campuses. Here’s an overview of the benefits it provides: 

Improved Consumer Experience

Real-time foot traffic data first means that we can use this information to improve the consumer experience. Students at universities where Sodexo has deployed the BlueFox solution can now make more informed dining decisions, with real-time, smartphone-optimized information that tells them how busy a given location is, so they can plan their meals accordingly. The Binghamton University Dining Services website, for example, displays how busy each dining hall is, by showing “Not Busy,” “Somewhat Busy,” and Busy” icons for each facility. 

More Efficient Restaurant Operations 

Over time, accurate foot traffic data, through predictive modelling, allows restaurant operators to predict future on-site traffic to schedule staff and plan meals accordingly. This helps food-service facilities reduce costs by equalizing customer flows among dining facilities and across meal times and optimizing labor costs. 

In other words, by analyzing current and historic foot-traffic trends and average time spent per customer restaurant visit, Sodexo can dispatch employees where they are needed most. This information helps Sodexo reduce queue times and give diners the information they need to decide where to eat based on their schedules and time constraints.

BlueFox makes it easier to analyze the flow of customers specific to sites and plan labor schedules accordingly. Getting access to this level of information helps restaurant operators make the right decisions and increase overall productivity at the individual account level. Technologies like this one are key to optimizing our services across the board.  
 

See how Sodexo integrates new technology across our services