Replacing paper clipboards with digital screens is a major priority for modern restaurant operators, but simply adding more devices can introduce unnecessary distraction. Speaking at Crunchtime’s Innovation Forum on the future of the connected kitchen at FS/TEC 2026, Brian Krakower, Technology Advisor and former CIO at BJ’s Restaurants & Brewhouse, advocated for unifying operational workflows into a single view so kitchen staff can execute flawlessly.
Eliminating Multi-Screen Distractions
Every time a line cook or shift supervisor steps away from their station to check a tablet or log into a separate portal, the kitchen loses momentum and precision. Brian sees that interruption as more than an inconvenience. “Stepping away from your station to check something else is a real pain for kitchen teams. They just can't do it, so they end up trying to do things from memory, and sometimes they run with the wrong information,” Brian explained. Interruptions introduce operational risk, especially during rushes, when accuracy matters most.
Attempting to fix this problem by piling on extra hardware often backfires by adding complexity instead of efficiency. Brian cautioned, “When large enterprise brands try to eliminate paper by simply throwing more tablets at staff, they end up creating complexity with multiple operating systems instead of actual efficiency.”
Driving Operational Execution via a Single Pane of Glass
The solution is to feed essential data into the tools team members already rely on during their shifts. When operational information comes together in one view, like on the KDS, it gives cooks clear guidance without requiring them to leave their stations. “Bringing all the information into one pane of glass, based on a common set of parameters, gives you a single version of the truth so you know what you're looking at and don't get misled,” Brian noted.
As back-of-house systems interact dynamically, kitchens can leverage real-time information to guide kitchen execution as food is actively prepared. Brian described the opportunity, “As systems talk to each other, there's a big opportunity for real-time operational execution: helping the cooks as they make food by giving them better information to do it accurately and effectively, and sharing that information out of the kitchen to improve the guest experience.”
This real-time connectivity opens the door to proactive prompts directly on kitchen display screens. Brian offered one example of what that could look like in practice: “Imagine if, when an item comes up on the kitchen screen that's frequently comped, we could highlight it or call some attention to it based on other operational information. That could give the cooks more guidance in real time.”
Leveling the Playing Field for All Brands
Building an integrated ecosystem allows restaurant concepts to access advanced capabilities without requiring massive internal development resources. Brian pointed to Crunchtime’s approach as an example, stating, “Kudos to Crunchtime for not just acquiring different solutions, but actually connecting them to talk to each other, making technology simpler and more accessible for restaurant brands.”
Ultimately, standardized, accessible integrations allow growing concepts to deploy enterprise features that were previously out of reach. “As integrations become more available, brands of all sizes can access capabilities like curbside arrival and guest reservation connections that previously required the resources of a larger brand to build themselves. It helps level the playing field,” Brian explained.
By unifying kitchen and BOH systems into a single view, restaurant operators can reduce distractions, protect order accuracy, and level the playing field for growth.
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