The next Bigari thing

Perhaps it's the "big" in his name, but Steve Bigari always seems to think big.

In his days as a McDonald's franchisee, he was known for innovations such as a credit card payment system and the first McDonald's in the nation with a three-lane drive-through. He's a founding partner of the sprawling Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center, which recently expanded to Denver. His mission as founder of the nonprofit America's Family is to help millions of working poor Americans.

So it's no surprise that he and his partners have big plans for his newest venture, Stellar Restaurant Solutions, a call center designed to take delivery and takeout orders for restaurants, catering operations and other food-based businesses.

"I believe that in the next 10 years, Stellar Restaurant Solutions could conceivably be the largest restaurant company in America, or in the world, without making any food," said Matt Van Auken, the company's chief operating officer. The company, he said, is the only one of its kind in the country that he's aware of.

Stellar Restaurant Solutions was formed last fall, a partnership between Bigari's consulting company, i3, and Stellar Global Inc., a global call center and outsourcing provider based in Australia.

"We're targeting global clients, so we need a global presence," Bigari said. "That was my reason for making the partnership with Stellar. They're very entrepreneurial, they're thought leaders, and they're real intently focused on the guest."

For Stellar Global Inc., which employs more than 6,000 people in centers across the world, Bigari's restaurant expertise helps open the door to a unique and potentially mammoth market, said Steve Morphett, president and chief executive officer.

"Here we have what I believe may become the biggest opportunity we've embarked on yet," he said during a recent visit to Colorado Springs.

For now, Stellar Restaurant Solutions is in its infancy, operating a call center behind Mr. Biggs that employs about 40. The center has the potential to grow to 500 employees. But if Stellar landed just one national client along the lines of Applebee's or Papa John's, it would need thousands of agents and another center, Van Auken said.

Van Auken foresees a tollfree line being set up for a national chain. So, for example, calls from customers ordering a pizza from a Papa John's in Dallas or Little Rock, Ark., or Seattle could be routed to a center in Colorado Springs or elsewhere.

"The technology is available today to do that for a national brand," Van Auken said. And Stellar Restaurant Solutions is already working in that direction.

"We are, in some form or fashion, working with three national chains on different levels, from monitoring their calls, letting them know they missed, say, 10 percent of calls, to actually taking beta test orders in our call center," said Van Auken, who declined to identify those chains.

The call center also is taking orders for some local businesses. For about a month, it has been taking orders during peak times for Borriello Brothers' Barnes Road location. The New York-style pizzeria has three locations in the area, with plans for a fourth this summer.

Owner Rob Raia is pleased enough with Stellar's performance that he plans to use it with his other locations as well. To aid that switch, one phone number has been established for all locations.
"We're very happy with it," Raia said of Stellar. "It's very professional, very straightforward."

During busy times, it can be tough for his staff to keep up with calls, Raia said. Customers may be put on hold indefinitely.
And once the customer gets through, "it's almost like you're rushing the person off the phone."
That's where Stellar comes in, Van Auken said.

"The analogy we use is the three balls you have to juggle as a restaurant operator," he said. "It's taking your order, and then it's making your order, and then it's taking payment for your order."

With Stellar's help, the restaurant operator can focus on making the food. Stellar's callcenter operators, meanwhile, concentrate on taking the orders and processing credit card payments.

And because the operator has more time and is more focused, he can also boost sales by asking callers whether they're interested in a 2-liter Pepsi or an extra salad instead of rushing them off the phone, Morphett said.
"It's not something that the customer doesn't want," he said. "It may be something they didn't think of."

The biggest challenge for Stellar Restaurant Solutions as it seeks to expand, Van Auken said, is earning the trust of restaurant operators so they'll be comfortable letting the call center be their first, and sometimes only, voice for their customers.
"It took a little convincing for me to do that," Raia acknowledged.

But as the relationship with Stellar has grown, he now views the call center's agents as part of his team - "basically an extension of my staff."

"It's really about assuring them that we will treat their customers like our own customers," said Rachel O'Loughin, who moved from Sydney, Australia, to operate the Springs call center.
Training and familiarity with the menu are key, she said.

In the case of Borriello Brothers, Raia brought in "a good spread of pizzas, salads and subs" for operators to eat.

Agents handling a restaurant's calls, Morphett said, must have a passion for the food and a sense of allegiance to that restaurant. "That's got to be the way to go."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or bill.radford@gazette.com