Wendy's Chain Achieves 12% Energy Savings from IoT Implementation

The customer in this case study is Raul Dominguez, a successful Wendy’s franchise owner in south Florida. He, along with other franchisees in the region, was struggling with the rising cost of energy, which was becoming a significant operational expense. Quick-serve restaurants like Wendy's, particularly those located in warm climates, consume a lot of energy due to their high-temperature cooking equipment, commercial-grade refrigeration, and robust HVAC systems. Dominguez, along with several other franchise owners, was part of a regional council that volunteered to test various energy management strategies to address these issues.

Raul Dominguez, a Wendy’s franchise owner in south Florida, was grappling with the escalating cost of energy. The need to manage energy use and operational expense was a pressing issue for Dominguez and other franchisees in the region. Quick-serve restaurants, especially those located in warm climates like South Florida, consume a significant amount of energy. These establishments face unique challenges, including high-temperature broilers and other cooking equipment that generate substantial heat, commercial-grade refrigeration for safe food storage, and robust HVAC systems to ensure a comfortable customer experience. Dominguez, along with several other Wendy’s franchise owners participating in a regional council, volunteered to test various energy management strategies to address energy consumption, manual system overrides, and equipment monitoring.

The solution to the energy consumption problem was to test various energy management strategies. These strategies were aimed at addressing the high energy consumption, manual system overrides, and equipment monitoring. The strategies were tested by Dominguez and several other Wendy’s franchise owners who were part of a regional council. The goal was to find effective ways to reduce energy consumption and operational expenses. The strategies tested included optimizing the use of high-temperature broilers and other cooking equipment, improving the efficiency of commercial-grade refrigeration systems, and enhancing the performance of HVAC systems. The results of these tests were then reported back to the group for further analysis and implementation across the franchises.