Visibility should be top priority for QSR brands
QSRs without insight into each asset across stores may be left behind.
As quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands contend with rising energy costs, tightening compliance standards, and mounting sustainable targets, the days of traditional manual checks and siloed store operations are rapidly becoming outdated.
Tim Thain, account manager at Resource Data Management, says the industry is now grappling with a new expectation: real-time, estate-wide visibility or risk falling behind.
QSR Media: What do you see as the most significant shifts happening in the QSR industry right now?
Thain: The QSR industry is facing a shift toward smarter, more connected, and more sustainable operations—and this shift isn’t optional anymore. Brands are under pressure to reduce emissions, cut energy costs, improve food safety, and do it all whilst managing dozens or even hundreds of stores. It’s a tough balance.
What we’re seeing is a demand for estate-wide visibility. QSRs are no longer satisfied managing site-by-site. They want a clear, real-time view across all their stores—what's working, what's costing money, and where risk is building up.
What do you think are the most important innovations in the industry right now?
Right now, the most important innovations are the ones that make complex operations scalable and automatic.
QSRs have traditionally relied on paper checklists, manual temperature logs, and physical inspections. Those processes don’t scale, are time-consuming, and are prone to human error. Instead, our technology offers real-time data, automation, and smart alerts across every site, every asset.
With our system, a brand can see instantly if a hot-hold cabinet is under temperature in Leeds or a compressor is working too hard in Brighton. That allows proactive decisions, not reactive ones. We empower businesses to make targeted interventions by identifying high-impact areas and focusing on the most critical assets across an estate.
And the data insights aren’t just technical—they’re accessible. We provide free training for staff so that the teams understand the platform, the data, and how to act on it. We also back that up with a world-class technical support team based here in the UK, not a call centre halfway around the world.
What challenges do you see as an immediate priority for the QSR industry?
One of the biggest challenges is consistency across locations, especially when it comes to food safety, energy use, and equipment performance. You can’t afford a store that misses temperature checks or one that burns 30% more energy than its peers, but without the right systems in place, it’s hard to spot those gaps.
We provide a single estate view that flags anomalies immediately. So, if five stores are performing incorrectly outside of their specified temperatures, you’ll know right away—and you can act before it becomes a compliance issue.
Our system can also highlight inefficiencies. Maybe a fryer is drawing too much power in one region, or a refrigeration unit is showing signs of wear before it breaks down. We bring those insights to the surface—not just for facilities managers, but for operations teams, health & safety leads, and executives.
And this works whether you have 10 sites or 1,000.
Looking forward, what trends or advancements do you believe will define the future of the QSR industry, and how are you preparing to support these changes?
The future of QSR will be shaped by automation, sustainability, and AI-powered decision-making, and all of this needs to happen without increasing labour.
At RDM, we’ve built our platform with that future in mind. Our AI tools learn how equipment should behave. So, if a fridge starts to reach temperatures out of the normal range, the system will flag it, even before failure. It’s predictive maintenance at scale, helping QSRs move from reactive to proactive decisions.
On the sustainability front, we’re also helping brands meet their Scope 1, 2, and 3 goals. We optimise energy use directly through HVAC and refrigeration control—that’s Scope 1. Then we provide live dashboards and alerts that help reduce grid consumption—Scope 2. And we help with procurement decisions that reduce lifecycle emissions—that’s Scope 3.
And as part of Sdiptech, a European group focused on critical infrastructure, we have the backing and expertise to push the industry forward, investing in the kind of secure, sustainable systems that QSRs need.
Our aim is to help brands build smart, future-ready estates with tools that scale effortlessly and insights that make a real business impact.
What advice would you leave QSR brand leaders to navigate the current economic climate?
My biggest piece of advice is this: get visibility. If you don’t know what’s happening at the asset level—across all your stores—you’re flying blind. Our insights pinpoint the areas that require targeted intervention to optimise performance.
In a time when energy costs are rising, labour is tight, and compliance rules are growing more complex, you need systems that work for you. RDM gives QSRs the tools to make smart, data-driven decisions. Our dashboards show you where to cut waste, where to intervene, and where to invest. And because we’ve already done this for massive UK retail and cold chain estates, we know it works at scale.
But tech alone isn’t enough. That’s why we provide free training, local support, and a long-term partnership approach. We don’t just install software—we help you integrate it into how your business runs.
With our 5-year hardware warranty, global support infrastructure, and a track record of performance—you can count on us to deliver not just solutions, but results.
