Friday’s UK drives efficiencies with the launch of its first quick service restaurant

TGI Fridays was started in 1965 by a gentleman called Alan Stillman in New York. Stillman's vision was to create the first bar for singles. 

However, he did it in a very innovative way, through the memorabilia around the restaurants to enable guests to find ways of interacting with others, telling stories and finding starters for conversations.

The brand has taken that heritage through to the UK, believing in a sense of family and staying true to its philosophy, “in here, it’s always Friday.” 

Fridays and Go opened for business in Dundee in March 2022, and is the brand’s first quick service restaurant in the world.

“Fridays and Go presented a huge opportunity to grow a new string to our guest journey, because it makes Fridays available to different audiences,” says Friday’s UK chief technology officer Erica Livermore. 

“For us, it’s really important to keep evolving our menu, because the UK consumer has really changed in the last few years and we need to ensure we continue delivering not only consistency, but also quality. 

“We’re passionate about the quality and provenance of our food. We are very aware of our guests having different requirements, so we have a meat free offering, together with vegetarian and vegan options - there really is something for everyone.”

Technology was introduced to enhance the guest experience. However for the brand, it needed to happen simply. The focus was on removing friction, allowing choice and giving guests more time to interact together. 

What technology has done is allow the brand to create a frictionless experience which goes hand-in-hand with the technology they have in their kitchens. “A quick service restaurant has different priorities and different pinch points compared to a traditional style restaurant,” Livermore explains. “The speed of service is much faster and therefore it’s really important the food is packed and prepared in a timely fashion. ConnectSmart Kitchen from QSR Automations, has allowed every station where different items are prepared, to be managed extremely efficiently.”

The technology helps Fridays and Go’s chefs prepare everything as it needs to be prepared and in the right order. This helps the company’s reduction of emissions strategy, because it reduces wastage. Additionally, the company is able to forecast what it needs to prepare based on previous sales. The system is also connected with Fridays and Go’s stock receivable to help the business understand what is going in and what is coming out. 

“The technology allows us to very quickly remove items not available or out of stock. So again, from a guest point of view, we’re able to manage their expectations. What ConnectSmart Kitchen allows us to do is ensure our chefs are actually supported in their journey. It takes away the guesswork into everything the chefs need to do. I believe automation is at its best when it’s able to support that journey and not take over from the journey.”