Case Study: Specialist Software Supports Supplier Documentation and Compliance

BJ’s Restaurants Inc., a well-known US restaurant chain, has implemented NSF TraQtion®, a cloud-based supply chain quality compliance management software, to manage its extensive supplier network and ensure compliance with food safety standards and supplier code of conduct. This system has streamlined their processes, reduced administrative burdens, and enhanced supplier transparency.

BJ’s Restaurants Inc. was founded in 1978 and has become household-name with over 200 restaurants across the United States. It is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California and is well-known for its craft brewing, deep-dish pizza, and famous Pizookie®️ dessert. The chain prides itself on focusing on customer experience and high-quality service – an important aspect of the brand.

With a nationwide network of sites and a large supplier base the top challenges that BJ’s was looking to address were:

• Managing a large supply chain with over 300 supplier facilities.
• Ensuring suppliers provide documentation for food safety audits, product specifications, and code compliance.
• Identifying a more efficient and reliable way to handle supplier compliance.

NSF was engaged to implement NSF TraQtion®, a cloud-based quality compliance software. A close working relationship with NSF was forged with the two parties working closely to ensure the chain’s top challenges were addressed. This was all part of BJ’s commitment to seeking improvement in policies and practises. In essence they needed a way to make processes more efficient and reliable. Over the last few years, a growing number of BJ’s suppliers had also adopted the system. This led to:

• Automated alerts for food safety audits being generated.
• Product specification data is captured.
• Supplier noncompliance is indicated.
• A single, easily accessible repository for key supplier documentation being created.
• 74 of BJ’s suppliers operating 97 facilities now use the system.

BJ’s has reaped substantial advantages from NSF TraQtion®. These include:

• A reduced administrative burden.
• Faster supplier communications.
• Enhanced supplier transparency and compliance.
• Non-compliant suppliers for follow-up actions are quickly identified.

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