Ricky's first opened its doors over 50 years ago in Vancouver. They started as a pancake house that was famous for their buttermilk pancakes, value breakfast specials, and top-notch service. Since then, the brand has grown tremendously with over 85 locations and more locations to come.
As their brand grew, their team knew it was imperative to ensure that they were able to uphold the same consistent quality at each of their locations: “it is important that our customers have the same dining experience that they expect from our restaurants, regardless of what location they choose”, shares Andy, the Director of Opperations at Ricky's.
To achieve this consistency across their locations, Ricky's relies on innovative technologies, such as the `Ricky's Cookbook' which is a tablet with all the restaurant's recipes, with cooking instructions and photos programmed onto it. The kitchen staff can use this tool to quickly reference step-by-step instructions and photos of how the dish should be plated.
Andy shares that another major innovation that has helped them to maintain cooking consistency at their locations is the RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter®: “I am able to make all my own cooking programs, save them and use the exact same process at each location; then the kitchen staff simply pushes a button to get the same results.”
Ricky's is renowned for their breakfast, and the orders come in hot and heavy. For kitchens with traditional cooking equipment, this usually leads to inconsistent orders, and the kitchen getting back up and stressed out. However, with the RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter®, they have been able to speed of their cook times and still achieve the same consistent results: “we can now cook our bacon in half the time. Decreasing cook times is a huge win in any busy kitchen” shares Andy, the Director of Operations at Ricky's.
The faster cook times have also meant that Ricky's can cook the amount they need for when they need it, rather than cooking too much and having to waste product, or run out, which they found made a noticeable decrease in wasted food costs.
Another primary reason Andy and the culinary team from Ricky's are such fans of the SelfCookingCenter® is that it has helped solve issues that many restaurants are facing regarding labour. Andy shares, “The SelfCookingCenter® is attractive for hiring staff because it makes their life easier. Plus, the saved programming still ensures the orders are consistent regardless of who is cooking.”