San Jose, Calif.-based Togo’s sandwich shops applied its new restaurant design when opening a ground-up prototype in Santa Clara, Calif. and remodeling three units (one corporate and two franchise locations in Emeryville, Fremont and San Jose). The new design — named Togo’s 3.0 — strives to increase the speed of service and update the dining environment.
“To go with the stores’ fresh look, we also wanted to increase speed of service for dine-in, takeout, and delivery, so we create a far more efficient kitchen system that includes state-of-the-art equipment along with self-service kiosks,” says Glenn Lunde, CEO of Togo’s.
Togo's new order line.
With a clear view of the kitchen, guests can also see the efficiency of the newly reorganized prep system. The sandwich-making process now follows a speed line style in which a guest can order at either the self-service kiosk or by talking to a cashier.
“The back-of-house operations were simplified, meaning it’s easier and faster for consumers to receive their order,” says Lunde. “We’ve also simplified the ordering process and are more accessible to our customers through our third-party delivery partnership with DoorDash and other partners.”
In addition to a more streamlined kitchen system, the stores now utilize more white lighting sources throughout the restaurant combined with brighter flooring to evoke cleanliness and a welcoming atmosphere. The walls sport a coat of crisp white paint with bright orange accents. Pops of bright blue tile break up the orange patterning along the walls.
The initiatives have yielded results, according to the chain. Togo’s Emeryville location, the first to be updated, has been open for a slightly more than two months. During this time, it has seen a 15 percent increase in same-store sales. While it is too soon to identify the precise sales climb for the other two stores, Lunde noted that those locations’ initial sales numbers are up as despite not launching any new marketing efforts yet.
Togo’s plans to remodel 7 to 8 more locations this year, with another 18 slated for updating in 2020. The chain has more 200 locations open or under development in the Western United States.