Case Study – Sonic

Challenge

Once Sonic grew to a footprint of more than 3,500 restaurants, it took approximately six months to produce menus for the entire system. The process was far from quick service. In the early days, franchisees would fax in orders with menu pricing for as many as 60 products, proofs would be sent out, and then pricing would be printed on every menu for every store. With an average of 100 menus per store of various sizes, the process to produce 350,000+ custom menus had gotten complex and pricing stickers were not an option.

Solution

The S&S team realized that the current system was not scalable and set out to re-engineer the entire process. In collaboration with Sonic, S&S deployed an online platform capable of managing store profiles and collecting variable pricing for each store. Combined with state-of-the-art variable data software and printing technology, the new workflow reduced a 6-month turnaround down to a few weeks.

Results

Menu complexity was now simple. Store owners could manage their store profiles, pricing strategy, location hours, order menus, and view order history online. The new process has improved pricing accuracy, lowered production costs, and has significantly reduced time-to-market which has had a positive impact on supply chain management.

Measurable Impacts

Reduced time-to-market by 400% (5 months down to 6 weeks)
Reduced pricing errors by 80%
Reduced costs 15% utilizing print-on-demand technology

It's all about the process!

“Through the years, S&S has adapted to our changing needs with creative solutions and a “can-do” attitude. Their level of customer service to our brand is a part of Sonic’s competitive advantage.”

— Ashley Daniel, Director, Advertising Production, SONIC Drive-In