Energy Management and Operational Improvements in Quick-Serve Restaurants: A Case Study of TOMS King

TOMS King is an energy-conscious quick-serve restaurant operator that runs a fleet of Burger King restaurants. The company is committed to energy efficiency and operational improvements in its restaurants. It has a large team of over 2,000 members and serves a vast number of customers daily. The company operates in various locations, including Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. TOMS King is known for its proactive approach to energy management, as demonstrated by its deployment of GridPoint’s EMS across its entire restaurant portfolio.

In quick-serve restaurants, numerous energy-consuming assets such as HVAC units, kitchen equipment, and indoor and outdoor lights are critical for the successful operation of the business. These assets often run throughout the day to maintain normal operations and ensure customer comfort. However, without a comprehensive energy management system (EMS), there are missed opportunities for energy savings. TOMS King, an energy-conscious quick-serve restaurant operator, recognized this challenge and sought to identify savings opportunities through increased visibility into energy consumption, detailed analysis of trends and issues, and more intelligent control over HVAC and lighting. The challenge was initially addressed at six Burger King restaurants in April 2013, and once successful, the solution was extended to their entire restaurant portfolio.

To address the challenge, TOMS King deployed GridPoint’s EMS. The solution involved implementing HVAC and lighting controls, installing extensive asset-level submetering, and monitoring several pieces of equipment. TOMS King also gained access to GridPoint’s cloud-based software platform, GridPoint Energy Manager, which aggregates and visualizes data collected at each site. Additionally, TOMS King subscribed to GridPoint’s Energy Advisory and Control Support Services to get the most value out of the EMS data while optimizing their fleet of Burger King restaurants. GridPoint also worked with TOMS King to develop a formal process for all heating, cooling, and lighting adjustments across their fleet of restaurants. The GridPoint mobile and desktop applications provide visibility to TOMS King’s Directors of Operations and District Managers, along with 24-hour call center support to ensure the energy management program continues to deliver restaurant comfort, operational visibility, and energy savings.

• The implementation of GridPoint’s EMS led to several operational improvements for TOMS King. These include more aggressive but comfortable HVAC setpoints, practical temporary adjustment allowances, intelligent morning HVAC recovery and overnight setback, and greater insight into equipment issues with advanced reports and alarms customized for TOMS King restaurants. The solution also put an end to unnecessary cooling and lighting usage during unoccupied hours. Furthermore, TOMS King was able to develop a formal process for all heating, cooling, and lighting adjustments across their fleet of restaurants. The company also benefited from GridPoint’s Energy Advisory Services, which helped identify anomalies, performed enterprise-wide analysis, and produced custom reports to expose even greater savings opportunities. Lastly, the implementation of intelligent alarms alerted management when system issues arose on-site, reducing 'noisy' alarm notifications and supporting TOMS King’s existing food management and safety programs.