Case Studies - Brink's US

The Challenge

As Director of Treasury and Revenue Accounting at CKE, Brett Belanger had a front-row seat to the mounting pressure within the company’s cash operations. Costs were rising. Processes were overcomplicated. Small issues were snowballing into major inefficiencies.

Belanger’s team is responsible for managing cash across all 250 of CKE’s corporate-owned restaurants, including both Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s locations. Managing cash across all locations meant juggling multiple vendors, disconnected systems, and a constant stream of support tickets. “There were just too many hands in the pot,” Belanger recalled. “It could take weeks to get to the bottom of an issue, and by then, the question had usually changed.”

Between rising expenses and growing internal strain, the cracks in the system were getting harder to ignore:

Reconciliation bottlenecks
A fragmented system made it difficult to track down discrepancies. Resolving even small issues required coordination between multiple vendors, dragging out timelines, and creating major inefficiencies.

Lack of visibility
Because data lived in different systems, Belanger’s team had to piece together reports just to understand what was happening across stores. There was no single dashboard showing store-level cash activity at a glance.

Manual oversight, no project support
With no internal project management team, CKE’s treasury staff took on the burden of rollout logistics: tracking installs, coordinating service cutoffs, and relaying instructions to store operators.

Inconsistent service
Vendor support wasn’t consistent. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s locations often experienced different response times, processes, and reliability, which made it tough to manage operations uniformly.

Heavy capital investment in equipment
The previous model required CKE to purchase smart safes upfront, tying up capital and adding long-term risk. When equipment needed to be replaced, it meant another large investment.

The Solution

To solve the growing complexity of its cash operations, CKE adopted Brink’s Complete, a fully integrated solution that brings every part of the cash handling process under one roof. Rather than juggling separate providers for safes, armored transport, change orders, and reporting, now CKE runs everything through one streamlined system.

At each restaurant, a smart safe is installed in the back of the location to securely store cash and validate bills. These smart safes reduce manual counting, speed up reconciliation, and improve accuracy and accountability at the store level.

Once cash is secured in the safe, it’s credited the next business day, helping CKE keep cash flowing. From cash pickups to change orders (those deliveries of smaller bills and coins stores need to make change), the day-to-day is fully simplified. Each store’s cash activity is tracked in one clear view, through a digital dashboard, giving the treasury team better visibility and faster control. 

Results With Brink’s Complete fully rolled out, CKE is already seeing the payoff. What started as a way to simplify operations has delivered measurable results across the board:

Conclusion

Impacts
Brink’s Complete did more than fix a process. It shifted how the treasury team approaches cash operations and what becomes possible when everything works together.

Confidence over chaos
What was once a confusing, vendor-heavy process is now streamlined and predictable. The team works with clarity instead of reacting to constant issues.

More strategic headspace
With fewer distractions and less time spent troubleshooting, the treasury team can now focus on higher-value work like financial planning and business growth.

Company-wide buy-in
The benefits are being felt across the organization. From corporate teams to franchisees, support for Brink’s Complete continues to grow thanks to its clear value and ease of use. Looking ahead With Brink’s Complete in place, CKE has a system that scales with its business. Whether expanding corporate operations or acquiring new franchise locations, the team now has a reliable playbook to follow. As reporting tools continue to evolve and integration deepens, the treasury team is focused on unlocking even more value through smarter data, faster insights, and fewer manual steps. The foundation is set. Now it’s about building on that success. “We’re already seeing the benefits,” Belanger said. “And we’re just getting started.” Take control of your cash operations today. Discover how Brink’s solutions can save you time and money. 

• By the numbers: savings with Brink’s Complete
• $266 average monthly savings per store across both brands.
• $4 million in estimated savings over five years across Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s.
• $0 in bank fees related to depository accounts, saving tens of thousands each month.
• 1 vendor, 1 bill, 1 simplified solution