A total of five ELAN control systems are to be installed in franchises of the frozen yoghurt chain Yogurtology, with the first installation already complete and prompting the additional four systems to be specified.
Susan McCart, a Florida franchisee and now part-owner of Yogurtology, uses the ELAN system for lighting, HVAC, audio, video, energy management, security and surveillance to help manage the growth of the businesses.
Sarasota-based electronics integrator Mark van den Broek said the ELAN system installed in the first store will be the basis for almost identical systems in her other four franchise locations fitted over the next two months.
“When we talk about control systems in food establishments it’s usually focused on audio and video, and maybe security,” said van den Broek said. “But together, Susan and I created a very powerful tool for her to manage her multiple locations. Once all five stores are finished, she’ll know for certain that all the lights, TVs, audio equipment and registers turn on 30 minutes before opening and turn off 30 minutes after closing. She’ll know how many people are going in and out of each store each day through intelligent software that parses the surveillance camera recordings. Best of all, she’ll be able to quickly login to each location from the ELAN g! app on her smartphone or tablet, from anywhere in the world, any time, and view live video feeds plus see the status of the lighting, AV and climate control at each store.”
While individual location still require managers, franchise owners can now consolidate the utilities of multiple locations into a single smartphone app, which represents a considerable shift in small business management.
Beyond the owner accessibility, automation cuts maintenance and frees up staff to interact with consumers. By scheduling lighting, AV and HVAC systems, the owners can closely monitor and adjust their energy usage across multiple locations. The ELAN system’s climate history feature provides a snapshot of energy use over time, which can help guide decisions and ultimately provide significant energy and cost savings.
The first Yogurtology store to receive the ELAN system features seven 42in TVs, seven speakers from SpeakerCraft and Niles, eight IP surveillance cameras, a 4TB NAS drive to keep surveillance footage, Lutron Radio Ra2 lighting, Leviton HVAC control and a commercial WiFi access point to provide consistent coverage throughout the store.
