Protein Bar & Kitchen Streamlines Early Technology Adaption with New App Launch

Better-For-You, Fast Casual Brand Partners with Emerging Technology Companies to Grow and Adapt Together

CHICAGO, April 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Protein Bar & Kitchen - a better-for-you, fast casual restaurant brand remains at the forefront of technology advancements in 2024, launching their new app with Incentivo. The new app will streamline software updates and further solidify Protein Bar & Kitchen's digital capabilities to prioritize loyal customers. The launch of the new app, and additional partnerships with innovative brands including Toast and Chowly, underlines the franchise brand's commitment to evolving back and front-of-house advancements with emerging technology companies. This reprioritization of technology follows a historic 2023 with the brand's launch into franchising, and now it is ready to streamline technology to improve the franchise system.

Company leadership prioritizes adapting to meet the changing needs of its active customer base, and continues to be at the forefront of solutions that benefit both its customers and franchisees. Protein Bar & Kitchen's position as an emerging brand allows it to evolve at a quick pace, partnering with technology companies that can also quickly learn and adapt together.

With early adaptation of technology partners, Protein Bar & Kitchen is able to fuel digital enhancements which lead to more efficient partnerships for both parties. Highlights of these adaptations include:

Incentivo – The only fully automated intelligence-driven platform for restaurants and virtual kitchens that increases retention, maximizes revenue and enhances the guest experience for both first-time visitors and loyalists.

• Protein Bar & Kitchen has tapped into Incentivo to create its app, which has been officially rolled out and is downloadable for all customers and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
• Ringing true to being an adaptation-driven partnership, Protein Bar & Kitchen is one of Incentivo's first clients to use payment processing and scan to payment functionality.

Toast – A cloud-based, all-in-one digital technology platform, Toast is purpose-built for the entire restaurant community. Toast provides a comprehensive platform of software as a service (SaaS) products and financial technology solutions that give restaurants everything they need to run their business.

• As one of Toast's first enterprise clients, Protein Bar & Kitchen was also one of the first to roll out its beta kiosk function in 2017. Protein Bar & Kitchen chose Toast because it was evident the brands could be true partners, learning and changing to adapt with emerging chain restaurants.
• In 2022, Protein Bar & Kitchen also rolled out Toast's beta order ready screen to test customer efficiency. Toast also brought its other clients to Protein Bar & Kitchen to see how this new software was improving the customer experience.

Chowly – A full-service digital ordering platform that meets customers wherever they are online and streamlines their orders right to each brand's POS.

• Since working with Chowly, Protein Bar & Kitchen provided feedback that has led customers to order their food directly through Google. Each order goes directly to the kitchen POS, making it so staff does not have to enter each delivery order into the POS system.
• Protein Bar & Kitchen also spearheaded improvements to its catering orders, where now each large order is able to be streamlined into the POS system and aid staff in the process.

"Our customers are active and on-the-go, and so we're constantly looking for ways to make their experience with Protein Bar & Kitchen better. Our position as an emerging brand allows us to move quickly, so we lean in to that to find new companies that we can partner and grow with," said Jared Cohen, the Chief Operating Officer of Protein Bar & Kitchen, "Each of these technology companies believe in our mission, know where we want to evolve and how we want to get better together – that's what makes them ideal partners for our brand."

As pioneers in the QSR better-for-you space, Protein Bar & Kitchen continues to own the category and remain at the forefront of protein-packed culinary innovation. The brand has developed its menu with 15+ protein options, and rotates flavors and ingredients seasonally to keep the menu fresh and exciting. As a result, year-over-year Chicago store sales were up 27%, as well as continued suburban growth with a sales increase of 17% over 2023. As consumers continue to prioritize healthy options, Protein Bar & Kitchen stakes it claim as the restaurant of choice for unique and flavorful protein shakes and food with new menu innovations and limited-time-offers set to debut throughout 2024.

Protein Bar & Kitchen is looking to partner with qualified and engaged individuals seeking single and multi-unit opportunities. The brand delivers exceptional food and made-to-order beverages in a minimally complex environment leading to smaller real estate footprints and reduced cost with nearly $1.2 Million average annual revenue*.

For more information on Protein Bar & Kitchen franchise opportunities, visit https://www.theproteinbar.com/franchise/

*This figure is the average gross restaurant sales in 2022 for three traditional locations open for the entire year, excluding non-traditional locations and central business district locations ($1,195,372). This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy a franchise; it is for informational purposes only.

ABOUT PROTEIN BAR & KITCHEN
Considered a pioneer of the better-for-you, protein-focused fast casual concepts, Protein Bar & Kitchen's roots go back 2009, where a big idea was launched out of a small storefront in downtown Chicago. Frustrated by a lack of dining options catering to a vital, active lifestyle, founder Matt Matros had a vision that instead of fast food, he would serve "fast fuel" -- delicious, nutritious, protein packed shakes the menu was later expanded to include a full selection of high protein salads, wraps, and bowls customizable for all diets – something for every BODY. Fourteen years later, Protein Bar & Kitchen continues to innovate with new protein-packed delicious shakes and menu items and is on its way to opening numerous locations through franchising. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit https://www.theproteinbar.com/franchise/

Media Contact: Jessica Watson, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected], or 847-945-1300

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SOURCE Protein Bar & Kitchen