Newk’s Eatery’s Online Academy, which offers a platform for employee education, was one of three winners in the Crew-Facing Tech category for QSR Magazine’s 2016 Applied Technology Awards.
The Mississippi-based restaurant, with locations in D’Iberville and Gulfport, was recognized for its efforts in the investment of furthering the education of its employees and advancing careers during a time where the turnover rate in the industry is rising.
The online academy was launched by the restaurant in September 2014 with the help of HotSchedules Train, a cloud-based learning management system powered by Schoox. HotSchedules is the leading provider for mobile technology for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
Team members, from hourly employees to area directors, can further their education through the online academy, learning about the culture, standards, and core processes that push the brand. Digital content can be accessed by employees of Newk’s through a computer or mobile device. Participants learn through hands-on training, coursework, tests, and instructional videos. The program also offers management teams the ability to monitor the progress of staff members.
Newk’s Online Academy is available to over 5,000 employees at more than 95 locations across the country.
“It’s rewarding to see our technology play a pivotal role in career development and culture at Newk’s Eatery,” said Carmel Ibrahim, National Account Executive at HotSchedules. “They’re using HotSchedules Train to champion restaurant jobs as meaningful, long-term careers. That is exactly how we intended to see the platform used. We wish to congratulate Newk’s for earning this award and pioneering the future of education in the QSR space.”
To date, over one million restaurant employees are making use of HotSchedules Train in an effort to advance their careers.
HotSchedules currently provides cloud-based technology to the restaurant, retail, and hospitality industries. The company offers a suite of cloud-based software that focus on the automation of operational challenges in order to make restaurant operations run more smoothly. Products offered by the company include comprehensive labor management, recruiting, learning, back office, print and digital logbooks in addition to applications created on their self-publishing API platform. The company currently serves over 2 million users in over 150,000 locations throughout 26 countries.
Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk’s Eatery is a fast-casual dining establishment featuring a culinary-driven menu prepared in open-view kitchens. The restaurant serves soups, salads, pizzas, hot sandwiches, and desserts, all made from scratch. The restaurant, founded in 2004, currently operates and franchises over 95 units within 13 states, gaining national attention for its increasing growth and commitment to community.
Newk’s was recently named one of the top 20 “Movers and Shakers” by FastCasual.com, while Franchise Times magazine has ranked the restaurant among its Fast and Serious franchise brands. The restaurant has seen further recognition by Technomic who listed it in its top 50 US fast-casual chains. Newk’s has also been named in “The Next 20″ by Nation’s Restaurant News, as well as among QSR magazine’s “Best Franchise Deals.”
