ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink Holdings
Corp. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading managed network and cloud solutions
provider for multi-location businesses, today announced that
Wichita-based LDF Food Group,
Inc., a Midwest Wendy's franchisee operating more than 40
restaurants in Kansas,
Oklahoma and Texas, selected a secure, private EarthLink
network to support their expected growth and increasing operational
needs for reporting, training, and secure WiFi. LDF relies on their
managed, private EarthLink network to run all in-store Point of
Sale (POS), inventory management and employee communications and
training in their Wendy's quick-service restaurants, with plans to
use the network to further enhance their customers' experience.
LDF's consultant Flex Communications facilitated a comprehensive
evaluation and search to secure a partner capable of providing
responsive service and project management to enable a smooth
transition to their upgraded IT infrastructure. LDF selected
EarthLink based on satisfaction of multiple factors including
network reliability, security, and the opportunity to reduce credit
card processing costs with EarthLink MPLS Direct Connect service to
their payment processor.
"LDF's successful growth made their former network obsolete,"
said Jennifer Orr, Director of
Client Development, Flex Communications. "Shifting to EarthLink's
MPLS is a natural step as it provides the reliability and security
of a private network, and the footprint to support LDF's
distributed locations at the right price point."
LDF uses EarthLink's MPLS Direct Connect services to route
credit card transactions directly from the POS over the MPLS
network to payment processors. As a result, the company
reduces transaction times to as little as two seconds and cuts
transaction fees – especially as more customers chose to pay with a
credit card.
Wendy's corporate marketing and loyalty programs, coupled with
web-based online training and free customer WiFi as part of the
quick-service experience, also fueled the need for increased
bandwidth while keeping an eye on bottom-line costs.
"Fast service and a consistent experience is what our customers
expect, and our EarthLink MPLS network makes that a reliable and
secure reality," shared Rick
Albrecht, LDF Vice President and Controller. "Our network
connectivity is the backbone of our entire operation, and
consolidating with EarthLink also makes a big difference to my
internal IT team. With EarthLink optimizing the network, my team
can focus on implementing innovative applications and projects from
Wendy's corporate. All of those applications are dependent upon our
IT infrastructure and we believe that's only going to grow in the
future."
Commenting on LDF's expansion and the overall growth of the
quick-service restaurant sector, Rick Froehlich, EarthLink
Executive Vice President, Products and Consumer said, "Everything
from innovative loyalty programs to the capture of valuable data
relies on a secure, reliable network. Our role is to lay the
infrastructure and connectivity foundation that allows them to stay
one step ahead and drive continued customer engagement and business
growth."
Read the full LDF case study here.
About EarthLink
EarthLink (EarthLink Holdings Corp.,
NASDAQ: ELNK) provides managed network, security and cloud
solutions for multi-location businesses. We help thousands of
specialty retailers, restaurants, financial institutions,
healthcare providers, professional service firms and local
governments deliver a reliable and engaging customer experience in
their stores and branch offices. We do so by building and managing
MPLS WAN networks, by providing virtualized infrastructure,
security, hosted voice, secure WiFi and compliance solutions, and
by offering exceptional customer care. We operate a nationwide
network spanning more than 28,000 fiber route miles, with 90 metro
fiber rings and secure data centers that provide ubiquitous data
and voice IP service coverage. Our EarthLink Carrier™ division
sells facilities-based wholesale telecommunications to other
providers and our award-winning Internet services connect hundreds
of thousands of residential customers across the U.S. For more,
visit www.earthlink.com and follow @earthlink, LinkedIn and
Google+.
About LDF Food Group, Inc.
Larry D. Fleming founded LDF Food Group, Inc. in
1975 and opened the company's first Wendy's restaurant in
Wichita, approximately the 100th
Wendy's to open in the nation. Today there are over 6,500 Wendy's
worldwide, and the LDF Food Group has grown to include 42 Wendy's
restaurants in the Kansas and
Oklahoma areas with continued
commitment to success by consistently exceeding customers'
expectations with fresh, quality food in a clean and relaxed dining
experience and by being the Employer of "Choice" people. Visit
www.ldfcompanies.com for more information.
SOURCE EarthLink