Reinventing how Golden Corral serves its customers
The buffet at Golden Corral Buffet and Grill never ends. But when the restaurant group wanted to bring that same experience to the drive-thru, it needed a proven partner known for innovation and quick delivery.
Founded in 1973, Golden Corral has expanded to nearly 500 locations in 42 states. Billy Sewell, son of the original investors, founded Platinum Corral, which owns and manages roughly 23 Golden Corral franchise locations.
Fast tracking
off-premise dining
While the dine-in endless buffet model is well-loved by customers, Sewell and the Platinum Corral leadership team needed help extending that same acclaimed experience to customers through their takeout and delivery business after dining rooms across the country suddenly closed in the Spring of 2020. The ask? To fast-track the expansion of off-premises dining options. The partner? Xenial, Global Payments’ cloud-based restaurant management platform.
Innovation in action
“We selected Xenial based on its past successes partnering with well-known brands including Biscuitville, Bojangles and Taco Bell,” says Billy Sewell, president of Platinum Corral. “We were confident that Xenial would help us launch these new service channels quickly.”
Digital menu boards that deliver
The Xenial team partnered with Platinum Corral to deliver engaging customer experiences while streamlining operations. They made it possible to centrally manage menu content and pricing on bright, engaging digital menu boards from a central portal, helping ensure consistency and accuracy across all locations in real time.
Initially, Platinum Corral set a drive-thru service time goal of 360 seconds. But they beat that benchmark by 60%, or 60 seconds better than most quick-service restaurants (QSRs). After investing approximately $100,000 in the to-go room remodel, drive-thru and other minor property enhancements, sales from these new channels are expected to be $400,000 to $500,000 in the first year, with 45 to 50% cash flow generation.
A partner at every turn
“Everyone at Xenial has been very solid in their approach,” remarks Sewell. “I’ve worked with a range of Xenial team members, from team leads to back-end content people. All of my conversations have been extremely positive. When I’ve needed help, they’ve gotten me what I needed quickly.”
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