DALLAS, March 5th, 2024 – Black Box Intelligence, the leading provider of restaurant intelligence and insights powering GuestXM, an experience management platform, announced the winners of the 2024 Best Practices Awards at the 30th annual Best Practices Conference in Dallas, Texas.
The Best Practices Awards celebrate the brands that consistently excel in delivering outstanding results throughout the entire restaurant experience. Nominee selections undergo rigorous evaluation criteria including sales performance, foot traffic statistics, employment practices, and people management strategies. The winners of each award stand out as the top performers within their respective segments, showcasing excellence in their industry.
The nominees included: Burger & Lobster, Chicken Salad Chick, Cowking & Red Ribbon (CKRR), Coco Bambu, Culver’s, Denny’s, Dutch Bros Coffee, Eat ‘n Park, Eddie V’s, Five Guys, Flat Iron, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Habit Burger, Huddle House, In-N-Out, LongHorn Steakhouse, Moak Pancakes, Olive Garden, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Rubios, Seasons 52, Silver Diner, Texas Roadhouse, The Capital Grille, The Cheesecake Factory, The Seafood Bar, Torchy’s Tacos, Twin Peaks, Velvet Taco, Walk On’s Bistreaux & Bar, Willie’s Grill & Icehouse, and Yardhouse.
Each year, the categories of the Best Practices Awards evolve to reflect the best-in-class practices of today’s restaurant leaders. This year brought forth the Best-in-Class Hospitality award. Full service and limited service restaurants are evaluated by average star rating as well as the number of mentions of a good or poor experience, along with various customer experience metrics tracked by GuestXM. The award winners for the Best-in-Class Hospitality award of each segment were: Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.
The Voice of the Customer Award was introduced in 2023, taking into account the net customer sentiment throughout the year, using customer experience scores from: service, food, beverage, ambiance, value, and intent to return categories. Twin Peaks, Velvet Taco, and Coco Bambu, a global GuestXM customer, secured the top spot in each of their segments.
The Employer of Choice Award is based on workforce data, including criteria from: hourly turnover, management turnover, GM turnover, as well as gender and racial/ethnic diversity. The award winners of this category were: The Capital Grille, LongHorn Steakhouse, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Silver Diner, and Seasons 52.
For every awards ceremony, Black Box Intelligence selects an industry leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership by balancing people practices and best-in-class operational results throughout their career to win the esteemed Workplace Legacy Award. This year, we are excited to honor G.J. Hart, President and CEO of Red Robin.
G.J.’s exceptional leadership has left a mark on the lives of many. Throughout his impressive 40-year career, G.J. has consistently demonstrated unparalleled organizational leadership, commitment to profitable growth, and a keen ability to drive long-term shareholder value. From his transformative leadership at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and California Pizza Kitchen to Texas Roadhouse and Torchy’s Tacos, G.J. has shaped the landscape for the restaurant industry.
All award finalists and winners were honored during the awards ceremony at the Best Practices Conference, hosted February 27th, 2024.