Smashburger + Opus Training

Smashburger is a fast-casual burger brand with 200+ corporate and franchise locations nationwide.

The problem

When Kelly Saunders, SVP of Restaurant Experience, replaced Smashburger’s third LMS in 14 years, she had 60 days to migrate 200+ locations. The existing platform took five clicks to reach basic information, offered zero translation, and couldn’t scale to franchise expansion plans targeting airports, naval bases, and universities. The complexity cascaded: franchisees disengaged, managers fielded constant questions about basic procedures, and training labor bloat kept team members off the floor during peak hours.

What they did

Ran a pilot first: nine restaurants over 60 days, mixing corporate and franchise and mixing performance levels rather than picking only top performers, so strong operators created peer validation for skeptical franchisees.

Positioned Opus as the watering hole: “a place where everybody knows that if I get into Opus, I can learn, I can connect, I can celebrate, I can get direction on how to run my shifts.” Core new hire and role-based training, station-specific and compliance modules, opening and closing procedures, and a 700+ resource library launched immediately. Messaging, advanced task workflows, and specialized content were held back so the core value could land first.

Socialized before acting: technology and L&D teams first, internal teams next, leadership last, so approval arrived as a unified recommendation rather than an open question. Months of upfront work eliminated resistance during the 60-day rollout.

The results

• Months later, Smashburger launched Summer of Smash, nine new menu items on a compressed four-month timeline. Teams completed digital pre-learning in Opus first, which turned live sessions into Q&A rather than presentations.
• Minimal guest complaints on execution despite nine new items, in a category where new rollouts typically spike negative feedback.
• 80% completion on the 10-part in-person skills validation, across franchise and corporate locations.
• 9% of Smashburger’s team trains across 10 different languages.

“Our three to five year growth plan required an LMS that would enable franchise operators to take more ownership. That’s why we chose Opus Training.”