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Cloud kitchen utilizing technology to create a whole new market

Even though using beacon technology for proximity marketing is still in its infancy in the restaurant industry, this technology has already demonstrated some of its potential by virtue of increasing labor and overall operational efficiency while boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. Beacons can help increase restaurant and bar sales, improve customer service, and provide more value for their customers, which should lead to customer loyalty. The possibility of applying beacon technology in the restaurants and bars opens a window of opportunity to engage diners and also enables restaurants to create more tailored experiences for them. Restaurants can use beacons to send alerts to people nearby about many table/seat availability and encourage them to make reservations or walk in. Or if the restaurant is very busy, restaurants can send the menu to their phones, so they can browse it while waiting for their tables. Restaurants and bars can build profiles of returning customers and provide offers based on past preferences. Thus, returning customers can benefit from improved and personalized customer service. During quiet hours or days, restaurants and bars can efficiently manage their staff and service, because of the data they have been collecting using beacons. Diners can even pay for their meal or drinks using their mobile device without having to wait for the waiter to come over and accept their method of payment.

This articles talks about what beacon-based proximity marketing is and its usefulness in restaurants.

Beacon technology has been around for a long time - prior to 2013 - but cost kept it unpopular. Initially only real big hospitality players had this tech. Now cost is no longer a limiting factor, but companies are limited to customers/potential customers who have a compatible app or the companies own app already on their phone, so they can push the proximity messages.

This article discusses 10 robots that are helping to revolutionize the restaurant industry. These robots are really making an impact in the food and beverage industry by stepping in and filling workforce gaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article mentioned that even though these robots have the ability to replace humans, it's very unlikely that will be happening anytime soon. Furthermore, a majority of these robotic systems are still quite expensive and are intended to work alongside human employees so they can "focus on more complex tasks." If you are interested in salad making robots, pizza robots, and my personal favorite the fully automated micro-cafe that creates coffee, then this will be a great read.

This article discusses 10 robots that are automating the restaurant industry. There are robots that make cocktails, pizza, burgers, coffee, ice cream, etc. Business are starting to discover the benefits of using robots to improve their productivity. Since the pandemic began, these robots have become increasingly used and all industries have started to take notice. In the future, it is likely that new generation technologies like these will replace front line workers.

This article introduced De Santos, a high-end restaurant runs completely off iPad 2. It is the first restaurant in NY to do so. This is considered the future of restaurants. Servers in this Italian-American restaurant use tablets to take orders and swipe credit cards. Although this is very expensive comparing the $1.5 notepads with $500 iPad. The owner claims that it actually help to save money. And it is much cheaper than the traditional POS system. The tablets are used in every aspects of the business. Take ordering as an example. All the menus are stored on the tablets. Waiter just select the orders and send it to the kitchen and bar wirelessly. It enables waiters to save time.

This article listed IPad several uses in hospitality industry, there is no doubt that Apple's IPad has the potential to revolutionize the hospitality industry, the functional ambiguity of the IPad can serve various applications in both hotel and restautant settings. The article points an Australian restaurant use the IPads replace menus, Customers use the restaurant-provided iPads to not only browse menu selections and order food, but access photos of every dish and even notify chefs of how they want their steaks cooked. In London's Berkeley Hotel plan to offer hotel guest IPad for the duration of their stay, The iPad comes with selected apps that help craft the travelers experience in the area - like suggesting the top-five places to visit, and a providing a list of local hidden gems. In conclusion, IPad is a new technology for this world, even for hospitality industry, I hope this new things can bring some new chance for our industry, for example, use the IPad app can make reservations, it very convenient and easy for the guest use, at the same time it may increase hotels' competition.

Statistically speaking, CIOs don't become CEOs. But it's not because they don't want it. Research shows that nearly half of CIOs aspire to become chief executive, but only four percent actually get there. Much more frequently, CEOs for the world's top companies - about half in fact - come up through C-level financial or operating roles (Vanson Bourne, 2012). Chris Laping, CIO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (www.redrobin.com), strongly believes this is because technology executives are too often focused on engineering and IT solutions to embrace their most valuable leadership quality: the ability to manage change. Technology leaders, he believes, possess powerful project management skills that can and should be leveraged across the business for even the most non-IT initiatives, with the particular role of being agents for change. Laping's official role at Red Robin is indicative of that practice: he's the company's senior vice president of business transformation and CIO. In that role, he oversees the company's technology, learning and development, enterprise project management and operations services teams. In this exclusive interview with Hospitality Technology, Laping shares how the technology team has taken on a business transformation role at Red Robin, and describes his overall vision for IT leaders. But it's not something CIOs are handed; they have to drive it, says Laping. Driving this change, perhaps, will also help more CIOs chase down their chief-executive dreams. HT: Let's start with some definitions: "business transformation" and "change agents" are pretty heady buzzwords that get tossed around executive boardrooms. What does business transformation really mean? LAPING: If you look at a classic Wikipedia definition of business transformation, it talks about people, process and technology. So when you push change through people, you usually do that through training. If you want to change business performan

In the fast paced and often stressful world of event planning, a new innovative planning tool has been released that allows customers, vendors and anyone else the opportunity to see event layouts, menus, specifications and make notes on the event from either a desktop, laptop or even an android device. The event planning tool is called AllSeated.com and is completely cloud based which eliminates the use of the much antiquated way of writing everything down or showing a photocopy of a layout. Allseated.com also utilizes social media and to sync guest lists making it even faster for the client. With AllSeated.com, the hassle of having to book an event is eliminated and the customer can feel more at ease with their event on hand and the event manager can also have a much less stressful experience.

As mobile devices become more advanced, particularly cell phones and tablet devices, more pressure to keep up with mobile and social trends is placed on the hospitality industry. People are using their mobile devices more now than they have in the past. So much so, that "two thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops". A world of information is at your fingertips because of the capability of mobile devices. Information that can help us make decisions about anything. Even last-minute decisions about hotels and food. More people are using their mobile devices to book rooms and many of the people that do this, are booking a hotel for the same night. The fact most of the people who do this are under 30 means that it is very likely that this trend will increase. People are expecting the technology to be there so that they can pick a hotel and a restaurant to go to if they are unfamiliar with a city. They are expecting a hotel chain to have a mobile site or better yet an "app" that will not only allow them to book a room, but, one that will give them directions from where they are to the hotel. The same can be said for restaurants. Potential customers want to be able to look over the menu and determine if they want to come to the restaurant, all from their mobile device. Mobile guests are also using customer review sites to determine where they will lodge or dine. They are using sites like TripAdvisor which allows you to post comments about your stay. The sight even allows the guests to post pictures. "Customer reviews are also important to the hotel industry, but the jury is still out on exactly how hotels should react with people who post reviews." It is always great when a guest posts a positive review of the hotel, but imagine how one bad stay could tarnish a hotels reputation. And what if there are cleanliness issues that the guest can photograph and upload to the site? Exactly what to do in this type of e

This article talks about the recent agreement that Marriott and Iris Software Systems have signed for using an app that will allow Marriott restaurants to take a fresh approach to their menu presentation by turning them digital and presenting them on tablets for their diners. Therefore its restaurants can present their wine cellar or bar on a modern, clear, enticing and informative platform. Moreover the customers can view as much or as little information as they want. The app has two features called iRiS' "Shortlist" function and "Sommelier Specials". They allow customers who are unsure about a dish or drink can have an informed conversation with the Sommelier, bartender or waiter.The design, look and feel are made tailored for each specific brand of Marriott and are offered in three separate categories: Sommelier, Bar and Menu. According to Martin Bookallil, VP of IR at Marriott the Mobility in their Hotels is one of their key priorities. He said that iRiS Software Systems will provide them with practical software tools that enable Guest facing operation to present and engage with their Guests in fresh new ways.

Mc Donalds is now taking another step towards technology use and providing nutritional information via QR codes. Customers can scan a QR code located on their bag and be directed to a web site that list the nutritional content of their food. This is another way McDonalds is "trying" to be more health conscious with its customers and the meals that they serve. Way to go McD's. I think this technology is beneficial in several ways: 1- the obvious of providing customers with needed nutritional information 2- it is more convenient as it allows the company to make changes to the menu items and update nutritional information without having to reprint all the associated materials 3- possible marketing opportunity to print QR codes to win prizes As a side tip I think other companies should embrace this technology and instead print the QR code on the customer receipt with data corresponding to only items they ordered.

The following article discusses the results of a survey called, "Market Intelligence Report: Consumer-Facing Technology" conducted by market research firm, Technomic, Inc. According to the survey, consumers have a strong desire to use technology in their restaurant experience. 51% percent of customers say it's important for restaurants to integrate technology in their ordering capabilities. This includes the use of tableside touch-screen devices that enable digital ordering and at-table payments. "Technology can be used as a point of differentation within the restaurant industry, especially with Millennials," says Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President of Technomic. Several companies have already taken note of the consumer's need for technology, and are experiencing increased customer loyalty. In Kitchen 67's Brann's Cafe, every table features a wireless phone-charging station and iPads that control a digital jukebox. It's important to note that this new use of technology should be used as a complement to printed menus to avoid alienating customers. As a restaurant employee and diner, I have seen bits of technology implemented here and there over the years. Owners realize there is a need for it, but are cautious of scaring off their established customer base. I believe that with time, owners will begin to fully embrace technology and the two will benefit from each other. One aspect I am completely on-board with is the use of iPad menus. A photograph of a dish has a bigger impact on a guest than a short sentence description. Even better, the apps can suggest wine and drink pairings for each entree that will increase guest checks.

Both Auntie Anne's and Carvel have begun to utilize the MICROS POS systems. Auntie Anne's has extended its existing MICROS e7 preferred vender agreement to help run all 1,000 franchised locations in the US. Likewise, Carvel has entered into a new agreement with MICROS for the MICROS e7 all-in-one-point-of-sale system. This will be their preferred POS system for their 450 international outlets.  Due to Auntie Anne's long standing history with MICROS and the MICROS e7 system, both Carvel and Auntie Annes, both operating under the FOCUS Brands portfolio, will continue to be clients of MICROS. The MICROS e7 performs the following: management of guest transactions, staff productivity, menu offerings and restaurant operations. 

This article summarizes how the electronic menu is changing the hotel industry drastically.

Jonas Club ManagementWorldwide over 2,100 clubs in 14 different countries with memberships ranging from 100 to 20,000 utilize the Jonas Club Management solution to build and enrich member relationships, increase revenues, and decrease costs. Jonas Club Management is the recognized global leader in Club Management Software.

The Jonas Point of Sale system allows for the creation of an unlimited amount of menus and nested menus, grants easy access to member preferences, and even enables pre-event chit setup for quick and easy processing at a later time. All of these features, and many more, are made available through complete integration with the rest of your Jonas Management system.

This article is about a latest point-of-sale technology released by Future POS that occupy a prominent place in Point of Sale software crowd designed for the hospitality industry. The release of two mobile apps for restaurant, Future POS Mobile Ordering and Future POS Remote Control, alters the way restaurant owners and customers interact with the point-of-sale system. With Future POS Mobile Ordering, restaurants now enable their customers to order directly from their Smartphone. Moreover, Future POS Remote Control allows restaurant owners/managers to run their restaurants more efficiently and flexibly by delivering on the go access to store level data and connecting with multiple stores through one phone. One of abilities the restaurants are having is updating menu prices and sending massage to the staff or POS system with that phone. I think although not everybody is willing to use these technologies, there is obvious reason this trend are gaining popularity. These kinds of technologies provide convenience for both the majority of customers and restaurant owners.

I think I posted this article before but...ehh.. It talks about how restaurants will soon be using mobile applications as points of sales for customers. The reasoning behind the development of this company is to provide convenience to the clients and deliver services faster.

This article is about Task Retail Technology which is a cloud based point of sale software being selected for Rubio's Restaurants. The POS system is a touch screen system powered through the internet and has a centralized POS terminal. It also has digital menu boards, mobile applications, and SMS. It uses Microsoft's latest technology and features a loyalty system that can reward customers and has an upsell feature. 

It will be an interesting experience that you can place a drink or food order with your special requirements and to pay the bill if using a card by your own iphone, iPad, or Android smart phone? The product, dubbed 'the waiter in your pocket, made this become true. The app uses a cloud-based system, hosted by QikServe, to receive orders, connecting with the restaurant's own EPOS system, so the front and back of the house can view the order as soon as possible. It is time efficient and cost saving. Since it is cloud-based, there are no hardware or software requirements for the operators. Besides the staff costs can be reduced to a large degree because a lot of work can be done by the system. We can also expect improvements in service quality for most of the causal restaurants or chain restaurants. Staff spend more time taking care of  each table with less time spent on ordering and cash handling. The system can help to capture consumer behavior and send target offers to them. QikServe is linked to social networking sites, so we can view feedbacks posted by customers directly. It is a good choice for casual restaurants and chain restaurants to apply this system.

This article talks about the pros of a restaurant having the e-menu. customers can make informed decisions on what dishes they would like to have because the e-menu includes so much information; from method of preparation and other information