Virtual Audits Improve Restaurant Operations for QSR Leader 

Client Profile

Our hospitality client is a global leader in multi-channel foodservice franchising, delivering 100+ products and $1B+ in annual retail sales through seven diverse, iconic quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands. Since it was founded in 2004, the private equity-backed restaurant operator has expanded to 6,700+ locations in all 50 states and more than 60 international markets, reflecting a strong domestic footprint and rapid international growth. 

Leading foodservice companies like our client maintain thousands of restaurants across the U.S. and a wealth of global locations. With franchises representing a significant percentage of its operating model, ensuring adherence to the high brand standards and rigorous food safety protocols that drive consistent customer experiences across every store is a top priority.  

Before the pandemic, the client relied on a team of in-person brand auditors trained to identify compliance challenges. Each auditor oversaw up to 400 stores – an expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately unsustainable model, especially with the client’s rapid-fire growth. 

The result: many stores were only visited once per year – and, internationally, 90+% were not visited within a year at all. 

Pandemic restrictions in 2020 put the challenge on blast, cutting coaches off from visiting stores in other countries as international borders closed. Today, the stakes remain higher than ever: 

Amid tightening household budgets and stiff competition, it only takes one bad experience for 51% of customers to never return to a brand, states a QSR magazine report. In contrast, brands that excel at customer experience generate 190% higher three-year revenue growth than their peers (Boston Consulting Group). 

Food safety is another non-negotiable pillar in the restaurant industry. The CDC estimates 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses annually, with restaurants responsible for over half of cases. A single lapse can go viral overnight, wiping out years of brand trust.  

The client recognized that maintaining excellence in restaurant operations through physical audits of every store had devolved into an unrealistic and outdated operating model – one that could no longer keep up with its scale or protect the brand against rising risks.   

The client needed a smarter, more scalable brand protection solution. It also wanted to incorporate proactive coaching that empowered franchisees and store operators to improve operational efficiency during each visit. But such a solution did not yet exist.

The client hired Auxis to introduce digital innovation to its brand compliance program – taking advantage of Auxis’ deep industry experience, world-class shared services platform, and proven track record of helping companies leverage technology to solve problems in ways they hadn’t considered. 

Together, Auxis and the client developed Virtual Restaurant Audit, Coaching, & Brand Protection Services that broke new ground in the restaurant industry. The initiative reinvented the client’s traditional audit program as a proactive digital coaching model, introducing innovation, collaboration, and real-time problem-solving at scale.

A pioneer and leader of Latin America outsourcing, Auxis merged cutting-edge tech with the advantages of nearshoring to its Global Customer Experience Center of Excellence in Costa Rica – delivering the deep bench of highly educated talent, extensive familiarity with U.S. business practices, and real-time collaboration needed to successfully execute complex, high-touch processes.  

Auxis is consistently recognized as a top outsourcing company globally by respected research firms and industry organizations including Everest Group, ISG, and the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) – celebrated as the leader in tech-enabled nearshoring. 

The result: A groundbreaking restaurant audit and coaching solution that allows the client to visit every store as often as it needs to achieve operational excellence, at a fraction of in-person audit prices. Auxis expanded the focus beyond compliance checks to include actionable coaching during the session that helps improve restaurant operations. 

Initially rolled out as an international initiative, the program has since expanded across all the client’s U.S. locations, providing full audit and coaching coverage for every brand and geography.  

Key solution steps include: 

• Cutting-edge digital audit platform 

Auxis worked with the client to adapt its in-person audits to a virtual model that integrates audit and compliance management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), video conferencing, and advanced restaurant business intelligence. 

• Proprietary orchestration software 

Auxis developed a proprietary intelligent scheduling and orchestration platform, leveraging configurable business rules and audit history to determine optimal visit frequency. High-performing stores are scheduled less often, while underperforming locations are automatically prioritized for faster follow-ups. 

• Virtual walk-throughs 

Dedicated audit and coaching teams conduct remote evaluations to help improve restaurant operations at every store four to six times per year. Assessments are conducted against a set of brand guidelines and documented health and safety standards that span branding, food handling, food preparation, cleanliness, speed of service, and other essential areas. 

• Customization for each brand 

The digital solution is tailored to each of the client’s seven QSR brands, training dedicated teams to each brand’s restaurant operations standards. Auxis worked with the client to create brand-specific operating guides and training materials to ensure standardized processes and high-quality service.   

• Targeted audits address specific concerns 

Auxis teams perform narrowly focused “point” audits between scheduled visits to address specific concerns. For example, assessing food waste and safety, resolving compliance issues surrounding a new cooking method, or conducting rapid-response Limited Time Offer (LTO) audits before major promotions to ensure proper execution.   

• Full evaluation reports & targeted coaching 

After each restaurant operations audit, the Auxis team issues detailed reports and provides coaching to close a restaurant’s performance gaps, including recommended improvements, picture evidence, and an audit score. The reports are reviewed with store operators to align on corrective actions and timelines.   

• Advanced analytics 

Auxis’ advanced analytics program and restaurant management software analyzes and measures audit results across the restaurant operator’s 6,700+ locations, helping leadership identify trends and common issues across markets, brands, or stores. It also analyzes the relationship between audit scores and sales improvements. Read our Business Analytics Case Study to learn how Auxis helped the client boost brand quality and sales through real-time, consolidated data views. 

• Delivery across native languages and time zones 

Auxis supports the client’s global footprint by conducting audits and coaching in the native language and time zone of each store, including service delivery in English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Thai, Japanese, and more. Coverage continues to expand as the restaurant business grows. 

Auxis’ one-of-a-kind virtual audit and coaching solution delivers the ideal brand experiences the client expects by solving the critical challenge of how to visit every store more often, at scale. The program has delivered transformative results across restaurant operations, franchisee success, and customer relationship management – improving customer satisfaction scores to 98% and increasing sales 8.5-12.5% at participating international stores within the first year, compared to those without virtual coaching.   

Building on this success, the program was expanded to all U.S. locations, with continued positive outcomes. The flexible design makes virtual audits and coaching easily adaptable to other industries and functions. 

Key results include: 

• Unlimited store touches 

While the limitations of traditional audits only allow most brands to touch their stores once or twice per year, the client now evaluates and coaches all 6,700+ locations quarterly – and more often as needed – supporting stronger, more consistent brand compliance and franchisee success.  

• 50% cost savings vs. traditional in-person audits 

By combining nearshoring and innovation, virtual audits cost an average of 50% less per visit than standard in-person audits. 

• Issues corrected before they escalate 

While infrequent audits provide an isolated snapshot of issues, a consistent audit cadence catches patterns that help identify the root cause of issues – driving sustainable improvements instead of quick fixes. 

• Consistent customer experiences across every store 

Frequent store touches help avoid the performance dips that often follow less-frequent, traditional audits. When restaurant operations management, product quality, food waste, and food safety are monitored consistently, guests receive ideal brand experiences wherever they go.   

• Data-driven insights drive informed decision-making 

Auxis provides real-time visibility into brand quality, foot traffic, and sales, enabling the client to track trends across stores, brands, and geographies. With this consolidated view, the client can protect its brand by identifying at-risk or underperforming locations, spotting growing and declining markets, and directly correlating audit scores with sales performance to optimize improvement opportunities and make faster, better-informed decisions. 

• Consistent and centralized standards  

With documented brand guidelines and standardized training materials guiding a centralized shared services team, Auxis ensures every store is held to the same high standards at every assessment. 

• Audits are growth opportunities instead of punitive checks 

While the old audit model served as a pass-or-fail exercise, Auxis’ new virtual coaching model fosters a collaborative, supportive environment. By providing ongoing, hands-on guidance, it empowers store staff, enables a culture of shared accountability, and transforms compliance checks into learning opportunities that drive long-term improvement.  

• Restaurant teams elevated to higher-value work 

By shifting audits to Auxis’ virtual model, the client’s restaurant operations team gained real-time visibility into store performance without travelling store to store. That frees up substantial time to focus on higher value, strategic initiatives such as franchisee coaching and systemic issue resolution. 

• Maximizing marketing ROI  

Rapid-response audits ahead of major brand promotions lead to proper execution across stores. By driving stronger adoption, these audits help increase measurable returns on marketing investments. 

• Expanded to other business functions 

By merging the benefits of digital innovation and nearshore outsourcing, Auxis delivered a cost-effective, world-class virtual audit and coaching service that has never been done before in the food service industry. Its proven success prompted the client to expand its partnership with Auxis to other functions including POS support, IT help desk support, and customer care – laying the foundation for a broader transformation journey. Read more about how our restaurant IT support solution reduced costs and transformed user experiences here. 

Want to learn more about the benefits of our revolutionary restaurant audit and coaching program? Schedule a consultation with our restaurant industry experts here! Or, visit our resource center for more restaurant industry tips, strategies, and success stories.