Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679164
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s F r i d a y, M a y 2 0 , 2 0 1 6 3 0 BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH NEXTX'S SMARTSOLUTIONS An interview with Yvonne Heyne, Chief Executive Officer, NextX. RDN: Why NextX? YH: Major food and beverage brands have been leveraging our best-in-class solutions on a global scale for nearly 20 years. As a trusted partner, we help brands "mobilize" and leapfrog in this changing and competitive environment. We achieve this through our revolutionary SMARTSolutions mobile software plat- form. RDN: How can SMARTSolutions help build brands? YH: Imagine one streamlined mobile platform where you can engage, execute, measure and manage your brand's mar- keting, operations, training and field leader strategy. Imagine connecting 1:1 with every guest, employee and leader in your brand to drive healthy sales and long-term prof- itable growth. Imagine the 1:1 guest connections lead to deep engagement, redefining loy- alty and relationships that improve your brand while driving increases in buying behaviors. And, imagine real time recovery with quantifiable sales insights that measure actual purchases not only repur- chase intent. Imagine if you had a wealth of data, all distilled, connected and actionable to improve the behaviors of your teams and front-line execution. The technology is actually getting smarter with every inter- action, making it easier and more effec- tive for your teams every day. Introducing SMARTSolutions, the mobile all-in-one brand management platform designed and streamlined for your smartphone. RDN: Really? All from the phone? YH: Yes! Using the phone, a tool every- one already connects with, minimizes costs and complexity. Some of the largest bar- riers to innovation and exe- cution involve hardware investments, deployment, WiFi connec- tivity, integration and most importantly, ease of use. We have evolved our interfaces to work perfectly on a phone to increase adoption, save seconds and dramatically lower start-up costs. Managers become freed from back office administration and can invest more time on the floor with the team and guests, team members can train "in-posi- tion," not in the back office, and leaders can see the execution behaviors on their phones to better allocate resources, focus and coaching rather than fire fighting. RDN: Who uses SMARTSolutions? YH: SMARTSolutions evolved from 20 years of industry expertise and enduring partnerships with global companies, includ- ing YUM!, Burger King, Panda, Church's and many other recognizable brands. By leveraging our innovative solu- tions and expertise in brand-building, our clients experience incredible increases in team proficiency, operations improve- ment, guest engagement and loyalty as well as demonstra- ble sales growth. Whether you are a grow- ing franchisee or a major brand looking to expand, SMARTSolutions can be tai- lored to meet your needs today and well into the future. RDN: How do you recommend brands get started? YH: A partnership with NextX guaran- tees a sound mobile strategy, executed through a modular platform, implement- ed successfully. We are change agents very aware that restaurant technology and solutions deployment requires thoughtfulness with your teams. We recommend beginning with tar- geted solutions that drive exponential gains. As proficiencies and behaviors build, additional SMARTSolutions can be seamlessly introduced. We would love to have folks contact us at inquires@nextxnow.com to let us personalize a recommendation! For more information, visit www .nextxnow.com. SERTUN BRAND COLOR-CHANGING TOWELS TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF SANITIZING Sertun™ Rechargeable Sanitizer Indicator Towels feature patented Color- Check™ technology that changes the towel color from blue to yellow when there is not sufficient sanitizer in it. This gives restaurant operators peace of mind that they are effectively sanitizing hard surfaces and are in compliance with restaurant health codes. "Health code violations and fines can add up, but they are just the tip of the iceberg," said Tara Millar, Sertun Brand Product Manager, ITW Pro Brands. "Because of the potential for negative publicity, the damage to a restaurant's brand and reputation from an illness could be devastating." With Sertun towels, restaurant oper- ators never have to wonder if their sani- tizer is out of spec. As Sertun towels deploy quat, the color of the towel changes from blue to yellow, indicating there is no longer sufficient sanitizer in the towel. By placing the towel back into properly mixed quat sanitizer, the towel recharges and turns blue again. When the towel no longer turns blue, it's time to change the sanitizer. Traditional cleaning practices com- monly use a bucket of sanitizer and cot- ton or microfiber towel to sanitize surfaces. The issue with this method is that the towel and san- itizer (like quat, bleach and hydrogen peroxide) form an unbreakable bond and will not release the sanitizer onto the sur- face intended to be sanitized. These wiping products also deplete the bucket of sanitizer's efficacy. Any way you look at it, the result is a surface that has not been effectively sanitized. With Sertun, there's no doubt that sanitizer is leaving the towel and being released onto the surface due to it's patented Color Check technology. By visually fading to yellow as sanitizer is released to the surface being cleaned, the towel lets the user know when it is time to return the wipe to the bucket of sani- tizer to be recharged as well as when it's time to change out the sanitizer for fresh solution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48 million people in the U.S. get sick from eating contam- inated food every year – nearly half from a restaurant or deli. The average restaurant illness incident costs more than $75,000 in fines and legal costs. The Sertun towel reduces worries about health code violations and fines, and illness from poor hard surface cleaning. Sertun is available through major foodservice and cleaning/sanitation prod- uct distributors. For more information about Sertun Rechargeable Sanitizer Indicator Towels, visit booth #3827 or go to www .sertuntowels.com. ZING ZANG INC. RETURNS TO NRA FOR 20TH YEAR John Krohn, President of Zing Zang Inc., talks about how Zing Zang got to be where it is today. RDN: Tell our readers about Zing Zang's history at NRA. JK: 2016 is Zing Zang's 20th year in a row to exhibit at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. At the 1997 NRA show, my father, compa- ny Founder Richard Krohn, introduced his newly created Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, and as they say, the rest is history. RDN: Was Richard a beverage industry executive? JK: No. Actually, this company was started after his other successful careers in finance and real estate, at an age when most people would be thinking about retirement. RDN: Tell our readers how he grew the company to where it is today. JK: Assisted by restaurant and bar indus- try veterans Steve Mattison and T.M. Ashcraft, Richard began a systematic marketing effort to fulfill his dream of building Zing Zang into a national brand. At that time, Mattison and Ashcraft were extremely active members of the Mississippi Restaurant Association, and the professional relationships that they had built in the southeast enabled them to get a strong foothold on-premise, in a part of the country famous for being passion- ate about food and beverage quality. From there, a steady progression was made to other areas of the country, and the product began to develop a loyal following as consumers began requesting it as their preferred Bloody Mary mix. RDN: With your father's creation and your involvement, is this a fam- ily business? JK: Oh, yes. My mother has been active since the company's incep- tion, and my sister and I became involved in the daily operation of the company five years ago. RDN: With so many Bloody Mary mixes in the marketplace, why would a con- sumer make Zing Zang their preferred Bloody Mary mix? JK: Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix is made with a mixture of the highest qual- ity ingredients and the distinctive, bold taste reflects Richard Krohn's dedication to producing a mix that needed no addi- tions. As he so aptly put it, Zing Zang was 'not just another Bloody Mary mix.' Now 20 years later, the many thou- sands of dedicated Zing Zang cus- tomers have propelled the brand into a national award winning Bloody Mary Mix. It is served in fine drink- ing and dining establishments around the country, and stocked on the shelves of retailers nationwide. RDN: Does the company have other products? JK: Yes, we produce eight other mixes that we will be showing in our booth at the show. RDN: Will there be any additions to the line this year? JK: Currently the number of products will remain the same, but we are working on some packaging and size innovations that will be introduced when ready. For more information, call 888.891.7489 or visit booth #5406.