Cradlepoint keeps Nando’s hot with reliable connectivity in SA

Nando's heats up communications with Cradlepoint.

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Cradlepoint, which positions itself as a global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, announced that popular restaurant chain Nando’s will be using its E300 routers to provide its restaurants with a unified and stable communications platform across all 279 sites in South Africa. The announcement further strengthens the longstanding partnership between Cradlepoint and Nando’s, which began in 2015.

As restaurants battle for market share, the demand on technology has surged, with modern restaurants now requiring support for point-of-sale systems, back-office PCs, smart ovens, IOT devices, guest WiFi and online ordering. For Nando’s to take advantage of its technology-driven establishment, it needed reliable connectivity that could be scaled up and down depending on demand across all of its restaurants, a task that is incredibly difficult for remote restaurants with limited wired infrastructure.

Through the existing relationship with Cradlepoint and channel partner Infoprotect, Nando’s has significantly reduced its demand on manpower. This is down to Cradlepoint’s routers, which are managed through its cloud-based software NetCloud Manager, which empowers IT teams to remotely fix problems and send out software updates. As a result, physical visits by engineers have been limited to only three instances in the last two and a half years.

The deployment of the new E300 routers will ensure Nando’s restaurants operate at high-performing levels, providing crucial bandwidth and speed to support innovative solutions such as online ordering platforms, enabling Nando’s to maximise revenue at every restaurant. The routers will also allow Nando’s to experiment with emerging technologies, such as connected cameras, which offer valuable insights into customer behaviour and assist executives in better designing future restaurants.

Speaking on the new deal, Daniel Harmse, Chief Technology Officer at Nando’s SA, stated: “Having reviewed several partners, we knew that Cradlepoint and Infoprotect offered the most secure and best product. I have been able to sleep much sounder at night knowing that our connectivity estate is in safe hands.

Having this solution has made managing our network infrastructure so much simpler. It is enabling us to focus on trialling new technology to make restaurants more efficient and improve the customer experience. If we didn’t have the right partner in place to help us do this, we would quickly fall behind our competitors.”

Darryl Brick at Cradlepoint also commented: “Working with Nando’s has enabled us to demonstrate the power wireless connectivity can bring to restaurants and the wider hospitality industry. 5G has repeatedly shown the benefit it can bring to enterprise users, from supporting everyday use cases to integrating new technology that has helped Nando’s cut costs, maximise revenue and reduce downtime. It has also offered them the flexibility to scale up or down as needed, meaning they aren’t paying unnecessary costs, or caught short at critical moments. We are looking forward to continuing our work with them over the coming years.”