The Future of Restaurant Operations: Why Smart Tech is a Must for New Builds, Remodels, and Retrofits
Corporate real-estate and real estate developers see building, remodeling, or retrofitting restaurants as an opportunity to integrate smart technology. This technology investment at this stage in restaurant development simplifies operations, reduces costs, and supports long-term profitability.
One area often overlooked is CO2 Tank monitoring—a small yet impactful upgrade that eliminates uncertainty, prevents downtime, and protects revenue.
Why Technology in Restaurant Development Should Start Early
As restaurant chains expand or modernize, technology adoption becomes a necessity. Rising labor costs, evolving customer expectations, and supply chain disruptions demand operational efficiency. The most successful brands invest in automation, AI-driven analytics, and IoT-powered monitoring solutions to stay competitive.
For example, Chipotle’s automation initiatives, such as the Autocado for guacamole preparation, reduce manual labor and speed up service. Popeyes is implementing automated batter-makers to optimize kitchen efficiency. Likewise, leading restaurant operators now turn to real-time CO2 monitoring to enhance beverage quality and cut operational costs.
The Hidden Risk in Beverage Operations: CO2 Supply Mismanagement
Your beverage program is a major profit center, but without CO2, you can’t serve carbonated drinks. Most operators assume they monitor their CO2 supply effectively, but 75% of CO2 tanks rely on unreliable analog float gauges. These gauges frequently stick, misread levels, and fail to provide actionable data, leading to:
- Emergency fill fees from unexpected shortages and leaks.
- Flat drinks and customer dissatisfaction.
- Unnecessary refills and inflated costs due to supplier over-deliveries.
Without visibility, you’re operating in the dark, putting revenue at risk. You’re placing the costs and quality of beverages solely in the hands of your supplier.
Pulsa CO2 Guard: Certainty, Not Guesswork
Pulsa CO2 Guard eliminates uncertainty with 99% precision telemetry monitoring, giving you complete visibility into CO2 levels across all locations. Franchise operators like Rick Soler, Asset Protection Supervisor for Stagg Restaurants, which operates 31 McDonald’s locations in San Antonio, are already using Pulsa to take back control from their suppliers and optimize operations:
“We love this new telemetry system since it offloads the burden from our restaurant team to ensure that we don’t run out of CO2. It’s one less thing that they have to monitor during their shift.”
Rick Soler
Asset Protection Supervisor Multi-Department Head
McDonald’s Stagg Restaurants, LLC
Key Benefits of Real-Time CO2 Monitoring:
✅ Instant Alerts: Get notified before levels drop too low, preventing interruptions.
✅ Consumption Insights: Compare CO2 usage across locations to detect leaks and inefficiencies.
✅ Reduced Waste & Costs: Optimize refill schedules, eliminating emergency deliveries and unnecessary fees.
✅ Operational Efficiency: Free up staff from manual tank checks so they can focus on customers.
More importantly, operators gain total control over their beverage system with smart monitoring, just like checking the weather from a smartphone.
Pictured: Pulsa sensors on a CO2 tank. Set it and forget it. When something needs attention, you and your team can get notified on your phone and/ or computer. Ensure quality drinks, happy customers, and increased profits.
The Best Time to Integrate Smart Technology in Restaurant Development? Before You Open
Incorporating advanced monitoring systems and automation into new builds or remodels ensures seamless integration and maximizes cost savings from day one. Key advantages include:
- Lower upfront installation costs retrofitting later. i.e. adding an empty bulk tank to a weight scale is easier than plumbing in a differential pressure sensor.
- Future-proofing against rising operational expenses.
- Seamless integration with other smart restaurant technologies.
Restaurant operators are cutting costs, eliminating inefficiencies, and improving service reliability—all while staying ahead of the competition. They can do so by adopting smart solutions like Pulsa CO2 Guard and other IoT-driven technologies.
See It in Action
What if you could cut emergency fill fees, reduce refills by 30-50%, and maintain consistent beverage quality across all locations? Smart CO2 monitoring makes it possible.
Book a live demo now: pulsasensors.com/demo
Contact us to calculate your potential savings: the ROI is fast
📩 info@pulsasensors.com
📞 415-991-1915
Pulsa is the award-winning telemetry solution trusted by the top QSRs and gas distributors. Don’t get left behind—upgrade your restaurant operations with the power of remote, real-time monitoring today!
