Stabilizing and upgrading a restaurant’s platform to meet future demands

A North America-based global restaurant franchiser wanted to implement a multi-brand digital vendor platform that delivered increased scalability, stability, and reliability during periods of higher traffic. The company was looking to expand its digital presence by onboarding new brands at a faster pace and creating a consistent experience across those entities by adding more customer-friendly features.

To future-proof the platform and onboard new brands, it needed to be stable and scalable, and work reliably across multiple vendor spaces.

Capgemini’s in-house expertise in developing robust solutions with new digital features made the team an ideal strategic partner for this engagement.

ADMnext solutions for platform overhaul

The team conducted robust performance and endurance testing to identify problem areas. Based on the results, they proposed a future-state architecture built on their expertise and focused on key priorities that would enhance the customer experience. By implementing best practices in performance engineering, the platform was upgraded and refurbished into a scalable, robust, and future-ready solution.

The existing system was split into more than 18 product-oriented deliveries (PODs) across mobile apps (React Native), web (React JS), and domain services (Java).

In addition, the project team launched a key “Back to the Core” initiative to introduce robust monitoring that identified platform issues. Meanwhile, the project team upgraded the company’s platform domain services from Java Development Kit (JDK) version 11 to 21, which elevated performance, security, and resource utilization to make applications faster and more reliable. Critical production issues and ticket backlogs were reduced to near zero, further improving platform stability.

Furthermore, the platform was moved to Azure Cloud to optimize resource usage. This resulted in significant cost benefits and improved platform stability. Finally, Capgemini also performed a detailed platform assessment to pinpoint problem areas and proposed solutions that included a scalable architecture.

Strategic upgrades to unlock value

Among the top priorities was addressing the delay in displaying accurate menu item availability. ADMnext solutions enhanced both the backend and frontend systems to reduce this delay from 24 hours to just five minutes. This significantly enhanced the user experience, with out-of-stock updates happening 12 times faster.

Enhancing gift card reloading processes resolved the complexity of adding funds to gift cards and managing minimum balances during checkout. New upgrades also expanded the existing beverage section of the kid’s menu to include healthier options and dietary preferences.

During this project, the team managed a major migration of loyalty platforms from Session M to Epsilon, which improved resilience. The platforms stretched seamlessly to handle 200% higher volume of traffic during high-traffic events such as the Super Bowl and restaurant promotional activities. This resulted in no downtime, with the platform supporting 182% higher web transactions and 86% more app transactions.

The road ahead

Capgemini has spearheaded the strategic overhaul of the company’s digital platform to ensure it remains relevant for customers. With new brands and innovative features, the fast-food franchise is ready to navigate the dynamic landscape of the fast-food industry.