9.24.2024
Austin Titus, President of Cannoli Kitchen Pizza, isn’t just carrying on a family legacy of entrepreneurship—he’s redefining it for the digital age. With a deep understanding of the restaurant industry, honed through years of experience within his family’s renowned United Franchise Group, Titus is leading Cannoli Kitchen Pizza on a path of rapid growth and innovation.
But unlike some restaurant brands that chase every shiny new technology, Titus emphasizes a strategic and measured approach. He recognizes that technology should enhance, not overshadow, the core values that have made Cannoli Kitchen Pizza a local favorite: premium ingredients, freshly made cannoli, and quick, friendly service.
In this Spotlight Interview, Titus shares his insights on the role of technology in driving Cannoli Kitchen Pizza’s success, from streamlining operations and optimizing the customer experience to empowering franchisees and navigating the ever-evolving restaurant technology landscape. His pragmatic approach, combined with a deep passion for the industry and a commitment to delivering exceptional Italian-style food, offers valuable lessons for any restaurant operator seeking to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Cannoli Kitchen Pizza has experienced significant growth in recent years. How important has your point-of-sale (POS) system been in supporting this expansion? What factors did you consider when selecting your current POS system?
It definitely plays an important role. We look for simplicity in our POS system and we use Toast, which allows us to cater it to our specific needs to include as much or as little as we need. It also allows us to integrate it with online ordering and third-party delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub. Toast sets their system up so that it grows with you, and we really like that for our restaurants.
Can you discuss what kitchen equipment Cannoli Kitchen Pizza uses for preparing pizza dough and controlling oven temperatures? Can you elaborate on the specific technologies you use and their benefits? How Have these technologies impacted efficiency and consistency in your kitchens?
It starts with our automated dough press which will assure that all dough going into the oven is the same temperature and same thickness. From the dough press we then place it on a wooden peel, prepare the pizza and slide it into the electric conveyer oven. The oven is a large piece of technology that ensures the pizza is being cooked at the right temperature every single time. We’re able to control the entrance, bottom and exit temperatures of the oven very precisely.
Have these technology investments resulted in any cost savings or waste reduction?
Absolutely, especially with waste reduction. With our oven technology we don’t have to worry about cooking a pizza for too long and burning it and having to then cook another. We also save on waste with our dough press because when you hand toss or stretch a dough there is more room for error.
Have you implemented any technologies to help predict food costs or optimize purchasing decisions?
Yes, we implemented a software called Altametrics. They integrate with our POS Toast and food distribution so they can see how much we are spending on food, how much we are selling and then predict where there is waste or when certain food costs are higher than they should be. The software can even pinpoint where in the preparing process there may be some waste occurring. Because of that, it helps us better train our employees to help address and fix efficiencies. Altametrics helps us manage everything from food waste, staffing and labor costs.
Data analytics is becoming increasingly important for restaurants. How do you use technology to gather and analyze data about your customers and their preferences? If so, what types of insights have you gained from this data, and how have you used these insights to improve your operations or menu offerings?
We use the data provided by Toast as it helps us to identify what items are selling better at certain times and what isn’t selling as strongly as we’d like, so we’re able to see what we need to promote better. With that data we’re also able to do more targeted marketing and advertising to guests based on their ordering history.
What emerging technology trends in the restaurant industry are you most excited about?
I would say a combination of the equipment side of technology and the software side. We want to always be using equipment technology that will simplify operations to ensure we are preparing a consistent product for our guests at all of our franchise locations. I’m also interested in customer interaction software innovations and new ways to connect with guests.
Implementing new technologies can be challenging for any business. What advice would you give to restaurant owners who are considering adopting new technology solutions?
New technology solutions are fantastic and it’s important to implement new technology, but you should take your time. You shouldn’t try to implement too many new things at once. For example, look at five new products but only implement one at a time. See what goes together best for your business. Introduce them to your restaurant slowly so that you can evaluate what works and what doesn’t.
How do you approach staff training and ensure successful adoption of new technologies within your restaurants?
For us it’s a more hands-on experience with one-on-one training. Sometimes we may have a vendor come in and train our teams on a particular technology but it’s that hands-on training that is priceless.
Cannoli Kitchen Pizza has ambitious plans for growth, with five new locations and 30 franchise deals planned for this year. How will technology play a role in supporting this expansion?
It’s going to play a big role in our expansion. It will allow us to get our locations up and running quicker, service a large number of customers quicker, and allow us to reach existing and potential customers faster.
What advice would you give to aspiring restaurant franchisees about the importance of technology in today’s competitive market?
I would tell them to look for franchise companies that align with their vision when it comes to technology but also align with companies that aren’t using too much and are using it well.
What are your long-term goals for Cannoli Kitchen Pizza, and how do you see technology contributing to the company’s future success?
We would like to see us grow to more than 50 locations open in 5 years and even more in the future. We see ourselves as the next best quick service restaurant in the Italian space. We built a model that’s scalable and successful and we will continue to build on that and expand into new markets. Technology will play a huge role in that expansion and help us grow faster, service customers faster and train our franchisees faster.
