Scalable Technology Integration in Franchises Enables Smarter Operations

Miso Robotics, a company developing AI-driven restaurant automation, recently acquired Zignyl, a platform designed to help restaurant operators streamline building management workflows and improve operational visibility. The platform will become part of a larger product called Zippy with additional building maintenance optimization insights including energy usage paired with real-time Return on Investment (ROI) analytics, and staff scheduling. By combining operational software and data analytics from building systems, the platform aims to reduce fragmentation in restaurant operations, facilitate decision-making, and streamline workflows across multiple locations. These solutions are designed to support building and equipment energy insights, kitchen automation, operational monitoring, and performance optimization to help restaurants maintain consistency across locations. Customers of Zignyl and Zippy include major franchise brands like Jersey Mike’s and Jamba, demonstrating the growing demand for technology that supports standardized operations in multi-site environments.

Variability in building design, system integration, and building management practices remains one of the biggest barriers to integrating advanced software and hardware solutions into buildings (see ABI Insight “The Missing Framework Preventing Commercial Buildings from Becoming Smart”). No two buildings operate in the exact same way, making smart building deployments highly customized and complex, which can limit scalability. Operating models like those in franchise restaurant chains that follow more standardized practices creates a unique opportunity for more consistent smart technology integration. As enterprise brands increasingly prioritize consistency and efficient building workflows, solutions that can scale across dozens or even hundreds of locations are critical for long-term use and success.

Advances in predictive analytics are making large-scale and replicable deployments both technically and economically feasible for building managers and technology vendors. Restaurants have high energy usage and generate dense data environments from Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and kitchen equipment, making energy and workflow optimization solutions a necessity.

Smart building technology is moving away from isolated building controls toward integrated operational platforms that can support chain-wide consistency. Powerhouse Dynamics’ Open Kitchen Internet of Things (IoT) platform allows multi-site operators to monitor HVAC, refrigeration, and energy management from a centralized dashboard. Arby’s uses Powerhouse Dynamics’ solution to connect equipment and enable oversight on analytics across its many locations, all on a single pane of glass.

Facilio’s Connected Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)/Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) platform supports facilities management and operational visibility across locations. As a multi-brand restaurant, Kitopi uses Facilio’s Connected CAFM platform across its 200 kitchens to centrally manage its facilities, enabling efficient service, while supporting staff. Miso Robotics’ Zippy platform expands on both of these solutions with operational insights from video feeds, in addition to accessible ROI analytics.

These innovations allow chains to create streamlined workflows, support regulatory standards, meet customer expectations, and provide oversight into analytics across many locations. Restaurant environments benefit from operational consistency, standardized equipment and management models, similar operating hours, and uniform brand expectations. This creates a scalable deployment environment where technology can be rolled out more efficiently.

While flexibility will always be necessary when it comes to technology integration in commercial building environments, platforms that can be deployed rapidly across similar environments will enable fast and iterative success. Once a solution is successfully refined at a few locations, it can be replicated across the broader portfolio, increasing incremental revenue opportunities as solutions are deployed in more locations with consistent integration practices. Vendors that prioritize and showcase strong integration capabilities and efficient deployment models will be best positioned to succeed in multi-site verticals like restaurant chains. Technologies that enable portfolio-level learning and centralized analytics will become increasingly important as operators move away from one-off projects toward scalable deployments with measurable operational and energy outcomes. This approach will enable faster adoption, lower lifecycle costs, and more effective data-driven decision-making.

For technology vendors, operational consistency, in addition to technical capability, is necessary to drive adoption in multi-site environments. Solutions must be easy to replicate, integrate, and maintain across hundreds of locations, while remaining simple enough for building management to use effectively and long term. Additionally, restaurant operators prioritize reliability, interoperability, and ongoing support as much as technical innovation because downtime directly impacts revenue and brand performance. Platforms that provide centralized controls, streamlined operating procedures, and actionable chain-wide insights like Zippy will become essential to scaling smart building technologies. Success in this space will come from treating smart building technology not as a one-time installation but as a scalable operational infrastructure that supports consistent performance across every location.