Challenge

One of the common challenges retailers face is how to manage restroom access, including keys or punch codes and lines. Upwards of 75% of retail restroom users are not customers, so when restrooms are left open this results in higher costs for the retailer, and a poor experience for paying customers. Meanwhile, finding and accessing a suitable restroom while on the go in urban areas is difficult for travelers and parents as well as driver and delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, Lyft and Uber.

Good2Go, a San Francisco-based technology startup focused on secure access and queue management technology, sought to remedy these problems for both the retailer and the customer by developing the first app that locates and grants access to modern, hi-tech restrooms. “We needed an access control partner that could integrate with our app to provide a safe, reliable solution for our customers,” notes Fran Heller, CEO, Good2Go.

Solution

Good2Go turned to consulting and engineering firm WSP USA to recommend an access control system. Herbert Els, Senior Vice President of Building Technology at WSP, felt that LenelS2 was a good fit from a technology perspective – the NetBox™ application programming interface (API) could be used to enable communication between the app and the access control system. In addition, the NetBox system could easily integrate with third-party systems. “Good2Go is a unique client with an innovative technology application, and LenelS2's open system allowed Good2Go to build the solution they envisioned,” says Els.

Good2Go partners with retailers and builds custom restrooms that work with the proprietary Good2Go technology solution. The access control system component includes an LenelS2 NetBox Extreme Virtual Machine and distributed LenelS2 MicroNode™ Plus field panels. The system architecture, centralized in the cloud, reduces complexity and allows Good2Go to preprogram each MicroNode Plus panel prior to installation.

App users locate a Good2Go restroom and enter a virtual queue. When it is their turn, they present their credential through the app to the restroom reader, and the hands-free door automatically opens. Retailers also have the ability to print QR codes that serve as credentials for paying customers. Users of the Good2Go app purchase a subscription, and revenue is shared between the company and the retailer.

While someone is in the restroom, sensors acknowledge their presence to ensure no one else is granted access. Once the user exits, the system automatically queues up the next person and notifies them it’s their turn. This critical back-and-forth between the app, the NetBox access control system and various third-party systems provides customers with a seamless experience.

Results

Retailers can now fully manage access to their restrooms while increasing foot traffic and generating new revenue on their existing store footprint. And with the Good2Go app, customers can find a location, join a virtual queue and unlock the restroom door – all through their smartphones.

Good2Go restrooms can be found throughout San Francisco at several Peet’s Coffee locations, Sextant Coffee Roasters, The Creamery, Rigolo Cafe, Cafe La Boheme, and will soon be available at Church Street Cafe, Fifty-Fifty Cafe and others. “We look forward to scaling our business with LenelS2 and bringing our unique solution to many more cities,” says Heller.