Ben's Soft Pretzels has integrated an all-in-one restaurant platform as it seeks to boost automation across its more than 185 locations nationwide.

Integrated through a partnership with hardware specialist Square, the new technology automates point of sale (POS), loyalty programmes, and marketing and staff planning. The move aims to improve customer engagement and operational efficiency, ultimately increasing the scalability of the entire business while maintaining an authentic customer chain experience, the company said.

The US pretzel franchise’s new platform includes multi-location management, payment and customer engagement capabilities, an automated communications system, a dashboard to improve workforce management and data analytics, as well as online ordering profiles for multi-channel orders.

Founded in 2008 in Elkhart, Indiana, the compan has grown from a single mall kiosk into a national presence with locations across malls, Walmart stores, and major sports venues nationwide.

The retailer said that integrating the range of technologies forms part of its growth plans at both national and local level.

Brian Krider, co-founder and chief operating officer of Ben's Soft Pretzels, highlighted the criteria used in the search for a point-of-sale (POS) partner.

"Our top priority is always the consumer: how the transaction is perceived, how loyalty works, and how easy it is to order online or via the app,” he said.

He added that franchise and back-office care followed, with the aim of improving the day-to-day experience of employees and the overall chain’s daily operations, including food reporting, menu changes and ease of use.

The retailer noted that the integration is already increasing customer satisfaction and driving meaningful engagement as the technology can track shifts in customer behaviour, adjust marketing communications and create personalised experiences.

“That way, we can spot trends, understand patterns, and create more meaningful interactions that meet each customer where they are in their journey,” he said.

Early results on the use of the platform show that loyal members of the retailer spend 40 per cent more per visit and return 64 per cent more often than non-members, the firm said.

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