The rhythm of a restaurant never really stops. From early deliveries, to late-night cleanup and unexpected repairs, access needs rise and fall throughout every hour of the day. For Hogsalt, a restaurant group known for its meticulous hospitality and imaginative concepts, that rhythm once depended on a tangle of physical keys and shared door codes. Operations worked, but not without friction.

Today, RemoteLock supports access across Hogsalt’s growing portfolio, making it easier for teams, leadership, and vendors to get where they need to be. What once required manual coordination now takes a few clicks.

About Hogsalt 

Hogsalt is a Chicago-based restaurant group operating between fifteen and eighteen distinctive locations, each with its own personality and high operational standards. The group’s footprint continues to expand, and with that growth comes the need for consistent, secure access management across all back-of-house spaces.

Their access requirements focus on staff entrances, kitchens, and maintenance areas rather than guest-facing doors, and they rely heavily on streamlined workflows for employees, facilities teams, and trusted vendors.

The Challenge: Keys, Codes, and Constant Workarounds 

Before RemoteLock, Hogsalt’s teams managed access using physical keys and a handful of battery-powered locks with manually shared PINs. Over time, keys multiplied. Copies led to more copies. Some locks relied on a single shared code used by hundreds of people.

As John Gorr, Hogsalt’s Facilities Director, put it, "Security is terrible when you have 500 people sharing one code." The system wasn’t just inefficient, it created real risk.

Meanwhile, the facilities team faced a different problem. Batteries on older hardware drained quickly, and maintaining dozens of locks across multiple locations required constant hands-on attention.

Hogsalt needed an access solution that could scale, simplify maintenance, and bring order to how staff and vendors entered their spaces.

Choosing RemoteLock: Consistency and Control Across Properties 

Hogsalt’s IT team discovered RemoteLock while searching for an easier, more reliable way to manage access across many different environments. RemoteLock’s flexibility made the shift simple: the group now uses a combination of nine wired ACS systems and retrofitted battery-powered locks upgraded for better long-term maintenance.

The goal was straightforward: centralize access so teams could stop juggling key rings and focus fully on their work.

How RemoteLock Works Across Hogsalt's Locations

RemoteLock now supports daily operations for facilities staff, in-house technicians, leadership, and a rotating list of vendors. Access groups keep permissions clean and easy to monitor.

Employees only see the spaces they need, such as back doors or storage areas. Leadership has broader access without the clutter of unnecessary permissions. And vendor access, once dependent on coordinating schedules or waiting at a door, is now effortless.

Gorr described it simply: "I just like the ease of the software; it’s super intuitive."

Vendor Access, Simplified 

Vendor visits used to require someone on-site to unlock the door. Now, it takes a moment to issue a one-time or temporary code.

"RemoteLock has definitely made vendor access and special access so easy. It’s just the click of a button to remotely manage access," Gorr explained. "I’ve got a stone vendor coming to price a new tabletop. I don’t want to drive an hour to meet him at the door. I give him a code, he does his thing, sends me a quote, and I delete the code."

This kind of flexibility saves time every week across all properties.

Better Visibility for Facilities and Leadership 

From unexpected vendor delays to after-hours maintenance and early deliveries, all acces events can now be tracked. RemoteLock’s audit trail makes it clear whether a vendor arrived on schedule or a technician accessed the right area at the right time.

For a group with many locations and a wide set of responsibilities, this visibility supports smoother operations and more accountability.

A More Secure, Manageable System for a Growing Portfolio 

By reducing their reliance on physical keys and shared codes, Hogsalt now operates with cleaner, more secure access control. Battery maintenance is no longer a constant burden. Vendors no longer require staff oversight. And leadership teams gain a reliable, centralized system that scales as new restaurants open.

RemoteLock helps keep Hogsalt’s behind-the-scenes world moving with less friction, giving their teams more time to deliver the hospitality their restaurants are known for.

See What RemoteLock Can Do