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Interface Rolls Out Restaurant Network Technology-In-A-Box Solution for WaBa Grill

WaBa Grill, the fast-growing healthy rice bowl chain, chooses Interface to transform its network and voice infrastructure at over 190+ locations.

Adam Kinsinger, Director of IT, WaBa Grill, explains why he chose Interface to upgrade network and voice services for 190+ WaBa franchise operators to improve uptime and stop revenue loss due to network issues.

Waba Grill Franchise (“WaBa”), one of the nation’s leading fast-casual chains that supports a healthy lifestyle, has chosen Interface Systems to implement the Restaurant Network Technology in a Box solution for over 190 WaBa franchise locations.  Interface deployed its PCI-compliant network boxes that included purpose-built network and VoIP routers, firewall devices, WiFi access points, switches, and 4G LTE wireless WAN backup.

The solution enables WaBa to eliminate network downtime that previously resulted in significant disruption and lost sales. By choosing Interface’s managed network and voice services, WaBa has streamlined network operations, improved employee productivity, is able to deploy new devices and applications easily.

About WaBa Grill

WaBa Grill was founded in 2006 on the principle that healthy food made with quality fresh ingredients should be accessible to all. An iconic brand on the West Coast with nearly 200 locations, WaBa Grill is rapidly expanding across the United States. With a goal of serving the best possible food on the go, WaBa’s famous rice bowls, plates, and salads are made-to-order using fresh vegetables and high-quality proteins including fresh, never frozen chicken, ribeye steak, wild-caught salmon, jumbo shrimp, and organic tofu, all prepared on a flame grill.

Key Challenges at WaBa

WaBa’s growth strategy is primarily driven by franchise operators. While the franchise model can accelerate growth for the brand, managing the technology infrastructure at franchise locations is a challenge.

“In a franchise system like WaBa, there is a lot of diversity in technology across the locations. Some stores have state-of-the-art technology, while others are still catching up. These differences create hurdles when we launch new initiatives and also impact customer experience,” says Adam Kinsinger, Director of IT, WaBa.

According to Kinsinger, “Negotiating internet connectivity contracts with bandwidth providers was a persistent challenge for our franchise operators. Our network service providers required employees at the location to troubleshoot hardware issues, a task they aren’t trained for. We realized that franchisees deserved a better solution and that’s when we decided to look for a service provider with the capability to address these issues.”

WaBa hired Interface to solve the following challenges:

Network & Voice Solution Designed for Growth

Interface rolled out its network-technology-in-box solution for 190+ WaBa locations. The solution comprised prefabricated, PCI-compliant network cabinets with all the switches, routers, firewalls, and connectivity needed for employees to reliably access critical applications and serve customers better.

“One of the things that make us attractive to franchisees is the simplicity of operation. Our core product is a rice bowl, a concept that’s fairly easy to execute. It turns out the tech is not easy to execute. Interface’s network and voice solution addresses this problem very well. It makes it easier for our franchisees to take advantage of all the great technology out there,” says Kinsinger.

network-technology-in-a-box-interface

Network-Technology-In-A-Box At WaBa

  • Router/Firewall
  • ATA Converter
  • Wireless Access Points
  • 4G Router for Failover
  • Network and VoIP
  • Switch Network Cabling
  • PCI-Compliant Network Cabinet

The solution deployed by Interface simplifies network operations for WaBa and offers franchisees worry-free access to secure connectivity no matter where they set up a store.

According to Kinsinger, “Interface understands how networks should be implemented for restaurants. Their bundled network design, deployment, maintenance, and monitoring service are just what a franchise operator might ask for.”

How Network-Technology-In-A-Box Makes a Difference to WaBa

“In new markets where we do not have any vendor relationships, Interface offers a standardized network and voice solution that our franchisee partners can rely on.”

Adam Kinsinger
Director of IT, WaBa Grill

The fully managed, network-technology-in-a-box solution has been a game changer for WaBa franchisees.

With this solution, franchisees gain significant operational advantages:

“We’ve spent the last two years innovating and now we need to make it work better, be profitable, consistent, and reliable. Interface has delivered a solution that enables our franchisees to accelerate growth profitably through standardization, simplification, and consolidation,” says Kinsinger.

“We chose Interface because they keep an eye on how restaurant technology is evolving and bring us proven solutions. They understand how to design technology solutions that can scale operations consistently. We count on Interface to help us stay ahead of the curve.”

Adam Kinsinger
Director of IT, WaBa Grill

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