CHICAGO – Squadle, a workflow automation company that enables multi-unit operators to simplify complex operations and streamline food safety, today announced Squadle for C-Stores, an offering that automates food safety and compliance for convenience stores. The new offering enables c-stores to implement best practices across multiple locations for preparing and cooking food with digital checklists, shift management, compliance time control and temperature monitoring systems.
According to the NACS state of the industry report, by 2020, food service made up 22.6 percent of c-store sales and 36.4 percent of profits, excluding fuel, were generated by food sales. Total in-store sales increased 1.5% to a record $255.6 billion as customers shopped at their local convenience stores to fulfill daily shopping needs. Basket sizes increased 18.4% compared with 2019. The average basket size was $7.34 in 2020 vs. $6.20 in 2019. In response, c-stores are expanding their footprint with new kitchens, food ordering kiosks, and dining areas.
Squadle for C-Stores provides a fully customizable suite of capabilities that helps c-stores ensure their food is hot, crispy and safe to eat.
Digital Checklists can help c-store operators codify operations – from opening and closing functions to food delivery reception and inventory maintenance. Checklists can also track employee actions, such as how often staff regularly sanitize surfaces and wash their hands.
Audit Readiness enables operators and their teams to automate the collection and presentation of required data, helping to ensure audit compliance and deliver quicker internal and third-party audits.
Shift Management includes compliance checks for pre-shift checklists, food waste tracking, shift notes, COVID-19 safety checklists, and delivery monitoring. Store operators and team members can monitor compliance and completion rates through an online dashboard, mobile app, real-time alerts, and automated daily emails.
Compliance Time Control – C-stores use Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC) for keeping food hot (135°F or above) or cold (41°F or below), like pizza by the slice or hotdogs. Squadle helps track and monitor the food once it is properly cooked or removed from a refrigerator to ensure it is not kept past its “throw away” deadline.
Temperature Monitoring Systems leverage wireless sensors to automatically complete store temperature logs, send data to tablets for team members to review, and forward it to headquarters for managerial records and analysis. Should a temperature-sensitive location, such as a walk-in freezer, go down, the operations manager will receive text and email alerts to the possible risk for inventory loss. The system also will recognize temperature changes before they become an issue, so that problems can be corrected proactively before a catastrophic inventory loss.
“C-stores are capturing more and more of the quick-serve market with everything from pizza to hotdogs to high-end coffee and soda fountain drinks. But alongside their growing food service revenues, c-stores also need to implement systems that will protect these items from foodborne illness and recall implications,” said Derek Stangle, Vice President, Marketing, Squadle, Inc. “Squadle for C-stores helps store operators maintain a healthy and compliant environment that doesn’t damage the integrity and safety of the products.”
Learn more about Squadle’s full product offering at squadle.com/products
About Squadle
Squadle is a workflow automation company committed to delivering a flexible, user-friendly platform which enables multi-unit operators, convenience stores, and retailers to simplify complex operations and streamline food safety. By combining its proprietary digital checklists, patented sensor automation, and machine vision technology with its customer first approach, Squadle delivers intuitive, out-of-the-box ready products. Squadle Checklists™ has stored more than one billion records and completed tasks, while the ZeroTouch™ technology has measured over 40,000,000 bluetooth temperatures. Squadle’s customers operate tens of thousands of locations worldwide and include the largest and most respected brands in their industries. Learn more at www.squadle.com.
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