Panda Restaurant Group, the parent company of well-known chains such as Panda Express, Panda Inn, and Hibachi-San, has fully implemented 3xLOGIC's VIGIL Trends Business Intelligence software across all its North American outlets.
Interface Security Systems, based in St. Louis, Missouri, spearheaded the integration as the primary project manager. This deployment marks a significant advancement for Panda, the largest family-owned restaurant operation in the United States, with over 2,000 stores and a workforce exceeding 35,000 associates.
Business intelligence solutions for operational excellence
The collaboration with 3xLOGIC and Interface Systems began in August 2017
Panda Express, known for its family-centric operations since its inception in 1983, sought a sophisticated business intelligence solution to enhance its company-wide store operations.
Lyle Forcum, Executive Director of Asset Protection for Panda Express, noted the importance of actionable intelligence in their strategy of continuous operational improvement.
The collaboration with 3xLOGIC and Interface Systems began in August 2017 and witnessed the first wave of deployments in March 2018. As of now, the Trends software operates in 1,960 locations and works in tandem with existing video surveillance and alarm systems.
Comprehensive operational tracking
Sean Foley, Senior Vice President of National Accounts at Interface Systems, emphasized the seamless integration of the new system with pre-existing security measures, highlighting that the rollout was accomplished remotely without technicians needing to visit store locations.
Unlike traditional retail intelligence systems, Panda's implementation moves beyond mere loss prevention to encompass comprehensive monitoring and enhancement of store operations.
Enhanced store management and efficiency
The VIGIL Trends software provides several key functionalities including people development
The VIGIL Trends software provides several key functionalities including people development, performance comparison, and optimising store efficiency.
Store managers can quickly access transactional behaviour data to guide employee development, assess store performance against regional and previous benchmarks, and manage workforce allocation per hour alongside revenue generation.
Moreover, the system monitors crucial operational data such as store openings, deliveries, and security protocols.
Financial and security oversight
The software empowers Panda Express to meticulously track financial inflows and outflows, managing safekeeping and petty cash transactions with accuracy. Custom dashboards enhance visibility for all organisational levels, offering detailed insights into employee responsibilities and operations metrics.
"Safety and loss prevention are central to executing stellar operations at Panda," reiterated Lyle Forcum. "With over a year of collaboration with 3xLOGIC and Interface, we now have a bespoke solution that serves these critical functions across our enterprise."
3xLOGIC, Inc., a major provider of integrated, intelligent security solutions, and a three-time Deloitte Technology Fast 500 winner, announced that Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. (parent of Panda Express, Panda Inn, and Hibachi-San) has completed deployment of 3xLOGIC’s VIGIL Trends Business Intelligence software to all of its North American locations.
Interface Security Systems, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is the integrator and overall project manager for this ambitious endeavour.
Largest family-owned restaurant
Panda Express is the largest family-owned restaurant in America, with more than 2,000 stores globally, 35,000 associates and $3 billion in sales. Since it was established in 1983, Panda has steadily grown with roughly 125 stores opening each year.
Privately owned and operated, the restaurant is guided by the core values of its co-founders and co-CEO, Andrew and Peggy Cherng and is dedicated to developing its team members and giving back to the community.
Business intelligence solutions
“As an industry leader, Panda Express’s culture sets an expectation of best-in-class results,” explained Lyle Forcum, executive director of asset protection at Panda Express.
“Accordingly, we needed a state-of-the-art business intelligence solution to provide us with truly actionable information. Intelligence we can act on is central to Panda’s business strategy, which focuses on meeting high standards through continuous operational improvement.”
Starting in August 2017, 3xLOGIC and Interface Systems worked with Panda Express to customise Trends to meet the company’s unique, comprehensive needs. Interface began system deployment in QI 2018 with the first location going live in March 2018. Presently, Trends is deployed at 1,960 locations and has been integrated with existing Interface video surveillance and alarm systems.
Tracking and improving operations
“It was impressive that we were able to integrate Trends so seamlessly with existing intrusion and video systems,” said Sean Foley, senior vice president of national accounts at Interface Systems, “and the entire solution was rolled out without a single technician visiting any store.”
Unlike many retail BI implementations, the focus at Panda Restaurant Group is not solely on retail loss prevention, but also on tracking and improving all operations at every store. Here are some of the key elements of store operations that Trends enables Panda to monitor, track, and improve:
- People Development: To set its people up for success, store managers are able to review all transactional behaviour and address opportunity areas with employees within two days.
- Comparing Store Performance: The store managers’ Trends dashboard shows very clearly how the restaurant is performing compared to other stores in the region and to their prior month’s performance.
- Optimising Store Efficiency: Trends visually displays how many people are working per hour, what job they are facilitating, and the revenue generated per hour.
- Monitoring Intrusion Data: Trends provides intrusion data, which shows in a very simple display when stores are opened and closed, deliveries are made, cleaning is done, and whether the store is being remotely armed and disarmed.
- Tracking Cash: Panda Express can track currency, how much is in the safe and when it was last counted, as well as petty cash spend along with scanned receipts for purchases.
- Custom Dashboards: The system provides an array of dashboards for all levels in the organisation that give an at-a-glance or drilled-down overview of an employee’s priorities and responsibilities.
“At Panda, safety and loss prevention are key priorities in executing great operations,” said Lyle Forcum, executive director of asset protection at Panda Express.
“We worked with 3xLOGIC and Interface for over a year to implement a highly-customised solution to meet these priorities. Now, we have a cutting-edge tool deployed across the entire enterprise that we can all be proud of.”
