How a Burger King Franchisee Eliminated Oil Risks Across 33 Restaurants

A faster kitchen is not necessarily a safer one. For quick-service restaurant operators, manually handling hot cooking oil creates a task where a slip or spill can carry consequences well beyond a disrupted shift. Across multiple locations, managers must maintain safe practices, train new employees, and keep oil management from becoming another operational distraction.

When Willie Romeo took ownership of 33 Burger King restaurants across Florida, he made addressing that challenge a priority. Having risen from dishwasher to senior vice president during decades with Burger King, Romeo understood the work firsthand. He implemented Restaurant Technologies’ Total Oil Management system at every location, working with Andrew Faber, the company’s national account executive, to support adoption and ongoing performance.

“When Willie takes over a restaurant, RTI goes in immediately,” Faber says. “He knows the risks of manual oil handling, and he doesn’t wait for problems to happen.”

Oil management partnership

For Romeo, the solution needed to extend beyond installing equipment. The partnership centered on reducing oil-handling risks, simplifying the process, and giving leadership better visibility into restaurant performance.

“This works because Andrew doesn’t disappear after installation,” Romeo says. “He’s part of our operation.”

The safety benefits became especially relevant during insurance reviews, when past injury claims surfaced during the franchise acquisition. Faber helped Romeo’s brokers understand how automated oil management changed the operation’s risk profile.

“Andrew walked our brokers through how the system eliminates hot oil transport and manual handling,” Romeo says. “That directly affected our insurance review and led to immediate savings.”

Insurance and safety benefits

Working with Faber and Restaurant Technologies’ insurance consultant, Romeo’s broker secured annual insurance premium savings of more than 13 percent—the largest premium savings in the company’s history.

Romeo’s restaurants have also reported zero oil-related incidents since implementation. For him, preventing an injury matters beyond its financial implications.

“One slip, one burn—that’s a massive cost,” Romeo says. “We’re avoiding those incidents entirely.”

The operational benefits reach the kitchen, too. According to Romeo, the system helps staff change oil three times faster, while automation removes traditional tasks such as monitoring oil supply and ordering replenishment from employees’ responsibilities.

Operational support and training

Equipment alone cannot resolve the knowledge gaps that arise when employees leave and new team members arrive. Faber regularly meets with general managers and district managers, conducts training, and visits restaurants to troubleshoot and reinforce best practices.

“We’re not just supporting equipment,” Faber says. “We’re supporting people.”

That support also helps turn information into action. Romeo monitors oil usage and alerts daily, using the insights to guide conversations with managers. Faber helps teams interpret patterns and adjust practices rather than simply collect data.

“Technology creates the data—but collaboration is what turns it into results,” Faber says.

For multiunit operators, Romeo’s experience illustrates the value of treating automation as an ongoing operational partnership. Reducing manual work is the starting point; consistent training, daily visibility, and responsive support help sustain the benefits across restaurants. The result is an oil-management process built around prevention rather than reaction—and fewer tasks competing for the team’s attention.