From pilot store to chain-wide rollout

Set the decision before the pilot

Write down what would make the investment worthwhile and what would stop rollout. Include contribution, operating workload, customer completion, support incidents and the effect on preparation time. Agree who makes the decision.

Choose the measurement period around your trading pattern. Compare matching days and dayparts. Record holidays, price changes, promotions and staffing changes rather than treating every week as equivalent.

Prepare a store that can be supported

• Confirm power, connectivity, hardware position and access for maintenance.
• Approve the menu, images, modifiers and collection instructions.
• Complete POS and payment acceptance tests, including failure cases.
• Train staff on assistance, refunds, consumables and incident reporting.
• Document the fallback ordering route and who authorises its use.

Take photographs of the completed installation and record software and hardware versions. They make remote support easier when someone calls during a busy shift.

Keep the pilot log simple

Record each incident with the time, affected component, customer impact, workaround and resolution. Do not rely on recollection at the end of the week. Use the pilot log template and keep customer personal information out of it.

Review the data with store staff regularly. A low incident count may mean the system is working well; it may also mean nobody knows where to log a problem.

Roll out in manageable groups

After the pilot passes its agreed criteria, group sites by readiness and support capacity. Avoid scheduling more installations than your teams can support. Confirm that the menu, device configuration and training material are correct for each group.

Pause the next group if a recurring issue remains unresolved. A delay in the rollout plan is usually easier to handle than the same issue across dozens of live stores.

Keep an owner after launch

Someone needs to own menu quality, promotion reviews, permissions, version changes and incident follow-up. Browser-based management does not remove that responsibility. It gives the responsible team a way to do the work across locations.

Use the measurement guide to compare stores without rewarding misleading numbers.