Efficient Route Management & Daily Service Operations

Mike outlines how smart planning separates a 3-hour profitable route from a 7-hour grind. This section focuses on minimizing downtime and maximizing margins through tight logistics.

15-Minute Site Fly-Through

First, open the dashboard and flag any site under 25% stock or throwing temp alerts. Grab your top-off kit—only best sellers and wipes—so you’re not scrambling in the van.

On site, wipe surfaces, snap a photo of the door and screens for the record, and verify that temps are within spec. Cold gear must be ≤41°F, hot gear ≥140°F.

Scan for gremlins: broken spirals, jammed bills, antenna issues, or vandalism. Log theft incidents or unusual sales spikes. In and out in 15 minutes.

Route Optimization Strategy

Route like a logistics company, not a hobbyist. Group stops by zip code and traffic patterns—use Google Maps color-coded by day.

Apply the “milk run” rule: hit heavy sellers first, lighter-touch stops last. Target <45 km (28 miles) and <3 hours of drive time per service day.

Use labeled totes pre-packed by location to avoid lobby sorting. Always build in one flex slot daily to absorb emergencies like equipment failure.

Weekly Drumbeat & Operator Benchmarks

Monday: place VendHub/Vistar bulk orders. Tuesday–Thursday: hit A-tier sites ($800+/week), perform preventive maintenance.

Friday: visit B/C-tier sites, clean warehouse, reconcile receipts. Sunday: export reports and review KPIs—COGS at 30–35%, stockouts under 5%, uptime ≥98%, shrink <2%.

Target 1.5 hours per machine weekly. That caps a single operator at about 14 machines sustainably. s.