Food & Hospitality

Reimagining franchise decision-making with AI

Blending AI insights with human guidance to redefine store management.

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Industry

Food & Hospitality

Project type

Experimental:
Exploring new territory

Team

4-9 Researchers / UX+UI Designers

Services

Product strategy
Qualitative UX research
UX / UI app design
Usability research

Franchise AI main banner with user on tablet reviewing store metrics.
At a glance

Project highlights

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AI-powered innovation

Designed a new, groundbreaking AI-powered SaaS platform from scratch, tailored for QSR franchise owners/operators

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Measurable impact

Piloted successfully with several QSR leaders, proving real-world applicability and measurable impact

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Bold new brand identity

Launched a bold new brand identity, positioning the platform as an industry-defining spinoff service

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Scalable UX/UI for future growth

Created a future-proof UX/UI pattern library, empowering internal teams to innovate and scale effortlessly

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Seamless AI & human integration

Integrated AI and human expertise, enabling seamless handoffs from automated insights to real consultants for more complex scenarios


01 — Overview

A smarter way to manage franchise operations

Grand Studio collaborated with a leading QSR tech consultancy to develop an AI-powered SaaS platform that transforms how franchise owners make decisions. This isn’t just a tool—it’s a solution that combines automated insights with human expertise to solve challenges at every level. Operators now have the power to address routine issues instantly with real-time data at their fingertips, presented in a way that not only shows them powerful insights but gives them options for resolutions—all the while ensuring complex problems are seamlessly escalated to experienced consultants for strategic support.

The result?
A streamlined platform that delivers measurable business value, simplifies decision-making, and elevates franchise management.

02 — Challenge

Simplifying complexity, empowering decisions

QSR operators juggle countless priorities every day: staffing, inventory, customer experience, and bottom-line performance—often across multiple stores. They needed a platform that didn’t just crunch the numbers but delivered real insights and real solutions, fast. The stakes were high:

The hurdles were clear:

  1. How do you simplify decision-making in one of the most fast-paced industries?
  2. How can AI automate repetitive challenges while keeping human consultants involved for high-level strategic guidance?
  3. And how do you do all of this while ensuring adoption across a diverse ecosystem of franchisees?

The challenge was clear: to build a platform that could handle the immediate demands of a busy QSR operator while enabling long-term success through smarter, connected decision-making.


03 — Approach

Building a practical, scalable solution for real-world challenges

Our approach focused on designing a platform that didn’t just deliver insights but actively solved problems—bridging system intelligence with human expertise for a seamless, user-friendly experience.

  • Focused discovery
    Conducted interviews and workshops with franchise owners to uncover their most pressing challenges and ensure the platform was built for their needs
  • AI meets human insights
    Designed a system where AI intentionally handles routine challenges while escalating complex issues to human consultants for strategic review and guidance
  • Prototyping with purpose
    Developed and refined prototypes based on real operator feedback to ensure the platform was intuitive and impactful from day one
  • Sustainable design
    Delivered a comprehensive brand identity and a scalable UX/UI pattern library, giving internal teams the tools to evolve the product long after launch
  • Ecosystem integration
    Created a solution, meant to flex seamlessly into existing workflows, minimizing disruption and maximizing owner adoption
04 — Results

Project results

The platform has begun to redefine how QSR operators make decisions: combining speed, confidence, and strategic support into a single, seamless experience.

  1. Actionable AI insights

    Operators can now solve routine challenges fast with recommendations tailored to their unique workflows, diving into a single store or viewing across stores—boosting operational efficiency

  2. Exact support when needed

    Complex issues are appropriately escalated to human consultants, ensuring operators have access to expert guidance when it matters most

  3. Ready to scale

    A reusable UX/UI pattern library equips internal teams with the ability to adapt, innovate, and grow the platform over time

  4. Proven success in the field

    Pilot programs with leading QSR franchises validated the platform’s ability to drive results and deliver value

  5. A grounded identity

    The platform’s bold new brand and style guide set it apart from its parent company, positioning it as an indispensable tool for franchise owners

The team was able to engage in the upfront design process with detailed organization, took learnings from testing opportunities to insert into product capabilities and executed our prototypes quickly.

Grand Studio was collaborative and engaged—made it feel as if we were all one team.

— Head of Technology

Collaborate with us

This engagement wasn’t just about launching a new platform—it was about rethinking what’s possible. Grand Studio helped a fast-paced industry streamline decision-making, blend automation with human expertise, and deliver a solution that works.

Even in industries where complexity is the norm, the right strategy can unlock bold new opportunities. See how innovation can transform your business and drive meaningful change.

Let’s collaborate