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It’s too soon to tell whether the system is a hit.

Robots may be more reliable than humans, in the sense that they can work around the clock without a break and achieve levels of precision and consistency that no Starbucks employee can match. But when something goes wrong, robotic systems tend to be less resilient than those that include humans, because humans are far better at reacting to novel circumstances—not to mention soothing the feelings of unsatisfied customers.

robots can also excel in controlled environments, like factory production lines, by performing rote tasks with higher levels of precision and consistency than humans could ever achieve.

Starbucks is working with biorefinery scientists to turn its used coffee grounds and bakery food waste into bioplastics, laundry detergents and other everyday products.

The technology has other environmental benefits, Lin said. Fewer pollutants enter the atmosphere, because the waste isn’t incinerated, and the CO2 produced is reused during the biorefining process.

The coffee chain, which has a goal of offering front-of-store recycling in all of its company-owned coffee shops by 2015

Virgin Voyages has announced two eco-friendly partnerships focusing on responsibly sourced and sustainable products aboard its first ship, the Scarlet Lad

The first partnership, with Intelligentsia Coffee

will offer guests on the Scarlet Lady a complimentary custom brew of coffee at all bars and restaurants on board the ship, as well as crafted espresso drinks at the ship’s coffee bars.

From cocktail-making to burger-flipping, many food and beverage businesses are beginning to discover the benefits of using robots to improve their productivity.

The automation revolution has begun.

make 10 loaves per hour,

According to a release, customers will initially be able to pay with Square Wallet at Blue Bottle’s Oakland, Brooklyn, and San Francisco Mint Plaza locations, with the company rolling out Square to its remaining stores in the coming months.

Blue Bottle will use Square Register as its full point-of-sale system (Starbucks does not use Square Register) to accept cash and credit card payments, track inventory, and monitor daily reports. Customers will also be able to use Square Wallet to make purchases just by saying their names.

While Blue Bottle is certainly not at the same scale as Starbucks, small to mid size chains still represent a huge opportunity for Square. A number of small, regional chains are using Square Register and payments including, Pitango Gelato in DC and Baltimore (5 locations), Cafe Grumpy in NYC (4 locations) Amy’s Ice Cream (13 locations) and Cartel Coffee Lab in Phoenix and Tucson (5 locations).

Square will begin processing all of Starbuck’s credit card-based payments and users can make purchases using their phones through a digital Starbucks Card. Square’s in-app directory will also offer a list of the nearest Starbucks shops among the 7,000 locations throughout the U.S

when you approach a Starbucks location (you must have Starbucks’ iOS app downloaded and have added your Starbucks Card to Passbook), a Passbook notification will appear on the lock screen of your iPhone. You can then select the Starbucks Card and swipe your phone to make the purchase, and even enjoy loyalty rewards on occasion. 

Starbucks will later integrate Square’s GPS-based point of sale system, which should make purchases a breeze and speed up the lines especially during coffee rush hours.

It's good to hear that Karnataka has made RWH mandatory in the state, but what's more interesting is that hotels have been made responsible for their waste water management as well. At last when the spectre of no fresh water looms high in Karnataka, the government has placed policies in place which will force the hands of the wasters.

It's good to hear that Karnataka has made RWH mandatory in the state, but what's more interesting is that hotels have been made responsible for their waste water management as well

I saw the huge difference in using waste water and fresh water in The Serai's coffee estates.

How mobile tech is changing the retail experience

coffee shop in my neighborhood that handles all its customer transactions on an iPad,

mazon came out with an application that allows y

beacon-enabled promotions to customers within its venues via a mobile application, resulting in a conversion rate of 20 percent.

enhance its personal relationships with customers as well as increase awareness of a new line of coffee-flavored beverages

surprise and delight our customers not only with great food at a reasonable price, but also by enhancing their shopping experience using new technologies

Retailers and restaurants love to push work off on consumers under the guise that it's somehow better for them. It's like when you order a bagel and a cup of coffee at Panera Bread and you get handled, a blank bagel, frozen butter or cream cheese packets, and an empty coffee cup.

Letting me customize my coffee in an app as Starbucks (SBUX) - Get Free Report does is customer service. Handing me an empty cup and pointing me toward a carafe with a milk and sugar station is the exact opposite.Self-checkout is the same principle. If Target (TGT) - Get Free Report or Walmart WMT offers a few stations where people in a hurry can opt to check themselves out, that's very different than replacing your cashiers with automated checkout stations. That's not about convenience, it's about saving money.

And, yes, self-checkout has increased shoplifting, but it has also gone from being a convenience offered to customers to a cost-saving method for stores. It's automating an area where people do a better job in a lot of ways.

Some companies treat corporate social responsibility primarily as a form of branding. For instance, a company that donates 10 percent of profits to cancer research might develop a marketing plan to let the public know about its good works so customers will feel better about buying its products. A more comprehensive approach to societal marketing would include an examination of the company's products and services and what effect they have on the customer and the society.

Consumers generally say they want to buy products that are more environmentally sustainable or socially responsible, but that doesn't translate to actual sales if the product costs too much or doesn't perform as well as its rivals. It might seem as if there's a gap between what customers say they want and what they really want, but in reality they want it all. An unpleasant-tasting, expensive brand of fair trade coffee is not going to outsell a delicious and affordable rival just because it is fair trade. However, a delicious and affordable fair trade brand could do very well. The fact that the coffee is fair trade is a benefit to the consumer, but only if the coffee meets the customer's other requirements for taste and price. Effective societal marketing treats the social responsibility aspect as an extra benefit to choosing an already fine product.

Sometimes a company can make its marketing campaign more socially responsible by making relatively small changes to a popular product. For example, if a restaurant offers a children's meal option including a grilled cheese sandwich, chips and a soda, it could improve the menu by offering fresh fruit and milk or juice as options. Some parents will still decide to order the chips and soda, but some will choose the fruit and milk. The company is giving customers what they want either way, but by including healthier options the company is doing what it can to have a positive impact on society.

Coolness is one reason to use an iPad as a point of sale (POS) system.

using an iPad as a POS system provides a lot more than social cachet to small businesses.

Cost savings; A tool for better customer service; The ability to streamline the sales process by providing catalogue and inventory data to customers as well as payment services; It's a good defensive sales strategy; The ease of employee training; The environmentally friendly aspect of e-receipts.

You’ve already committed a sin in the social media world. It’s the personal page vs. fan page debate, and it’s a hot one.

how will your new

fans tag you in posts if they aren’t your “friend”

Technology has been a key driver of growth for the hospitality sector over the last decade. New technologies for jobs like real-time inventory access, seamless exchange of operational information and collation of key performance data, have transformed the hotel and restaurant business. And the biggest positive from this process has been the enhanced customer experience, leading to higher loyalty. Thus, technology has increased profits for restaurants and hotels, and also helped in reining in costs on a long-term basis by reducing manpower and improving the quality of service.

Key technologies used Currently the most popular technologies being used are accounting systems for back office needs and the Internet, along with POS solutions for front office solutions. These systems are found in over 90 per cent of the establishments in the industry.   K Ramakrishnan, president, Marketing, Café Coffee Day, says “The two key technologies we use are POS for our café operations and ‘SAP IS Retail’ for the back-end warehouse supply chain requirements. Besides, our Cafés are Wi-Fi enabled. We also use Facebook and Twitter to understand and listen to what our consumers have to  say. It serves as an excellent tool to receive reviews on what we do and how we can make the café space more fun and exciting. We use these inputs to refresh our menu, look and overall feel,” he adds.

Touch screen POS: Point of sale systems now have a touch screen  display to allow cashiers and servers to input orders. It automatically sends the order to the kitchen without the need for a call or a manual dining ticket. The latest POSs can even send separate dining tickets for different food preparations, for an order. Stock and time clock management: These two components can be directly integrated in the latest POS terminals, allowing employees to clock in and out of any POS. The central computer keeps tab of the hours worked. It also allows computers to keep track of food and dry stock, based on the orders that are coming back through the POS system. It alerts the server, if a particular ingredient is out of stock. Technology also helps accurately measure the exact amount that goes into a fryer basket or in portions/ servings. This helps in maintaining the same standards each time an order is placed. Modern financial control tools allow managers to make balance sheets, statements of cash flow and income. There are advanced softwares available, which help the management get a clear view of the finances involved in the day-to-day running of the restaurant. Future technologies Many new technologies are also knocking at the door of the Indian hospitality industry. Internationally, these tools are already in use to improve efficiency. For instance, client server technologies (CST) offer great advantages to mid and large sized multi-property hospitality chains. They allow owners to effectively integrate disparate systems like multiple computer platforms or software, accumulated over the years. They simplify report generation and MIS (management information system) support, making these functions more efficient. Players that are in expansion mode and are trying to overhaul their IT infrastructure can use these solutions to reduce their IT costs and improve staff productivity. Software as a service (SaaS) or pay as-you-go services (where software such as ERP solutions are made available on demand over the Internet and users are required to pay a monthly rental based on the time and nature of use) have also emerged as another cost effective way of handling data and processes over the Internet. Here, companies can reap big dividends by effectively cutting down on their system maintenance costs. Green technology is another option, players can look at. It helps improve sustainability in areas like energy efficiency through the use of solar power for cooking or water heating. Solid waste management, plastic and paper recycling machines, rain water harvesting, and water efficient technologies, are other green technologies. If deployed in earnest, restaurants and hotels can reap long term benefits,besides scoring high on environment friendliness and brand image improvement, among customers.

Microsoft Surface 2, a gigantic coffee-table sized device with built-in touchscreen capabilities. The list price: $8,900.

In the next-generation update, Redmond, Wash.-Microsoft worked with Samsung to make the Surface thinner, smarter and easier to use in real-life settings

Gorilla Glass screen is an AMD Athlon II X2 dual-core processor that runs at 2.9 GHz and a powerful graphics processor.