One of numerous media placements I developed. This one was ghost written on behalf of our company President, Christopher Sebes.

1. Article
QSR Magazine Article: Restaurant Tech Predictions: How Arti cial
Intelligence Is Reshaping The Restaurant World
You no longer need a team of data scientists to tap into the power of AI at your enterprise. Here
are some existing and emerging examples.
This is de nitely not the era to be a technophobe in the restaurant business, lest your competitors pass you by.
Digital tools are streamlining everything from ordering to predictive sta ng and inventory, simplifying work for people at every level of the operation. Most
promising of all: customer-facing tech advancements - especially those powered by AI - have the potential to boost sales and delight customers.
Voice ordering. When Denny’s customers can order delivery from Amazon’s Alexa, and Dunkin’ fans can ask Google to arrange for a dozen donuts, boxed and
ready when they arrive at the drive-thru, it’s probably time to consider how you’ll stay competitive in an era of arti cial intelligence (AI). Can your point of sale
(POS) handle voice/personal assistant-based ordering along with mobile app, kiosk, drive-thru and web sales? Or will you need to assign a point person to make
sure these orders get through?
Voice assistant-enabled ordering using the Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Google Home application programming interfaces (APIs) may not just be for customers
ordering from home. It also could be applied in the store. Imagine walking up to a self-order kiosk and instead of touching it, you order conversationally using your
voice. Or in the drive-thru, a car full of hungry customers places their order, talking with a voice-assistant-enabled order taker, and their orders get queued into the
POS system just like any other order. Or if you accept phone orders but the store hits a busy moment, voice assistant technology could take a customer’s phone
order and enter it in your POS as if the customer had ordered via any other ordering channel you offer. What’s more, because it’s AI-driven, the voice assistant
ordering system would ‘learn’ and continually improve based on actual orders and spoken language.
Kiosks that recognize you. Your favorite barista knows your favorite coffee drink. Your favorite quick-serve staff knows which side you like with your ‘usual’ lunch.
This kind of convenient familiarity comes at a cost, though: usually you have to wait in line to get it. What if you could avoid the line altogether and get the same
personalized treatment at a kiosk? Kiosks that use a camera to recognize regular customers are available today as a part of self-order technology. The tech
makes suggestions based on your previous order history. This tech is already in use at places like Wow Bao, as well as the fast-growing high-end burger chain
BurgerFi, among others. Once you opt in to facial recognition, you can reorder and pay for your favorite dish in less than 10 seconds. And self-order kiosks don’t
have to put personal information at risk as long as they don't store images of guests' faces. Instead, kiosks that store guest facial geometry only for the purpose
of looking up previous orders remove the ‘creepy’ – and the risk. Companies doing kiosk facial recognition the safe way don’t tie this data to credit cards or other
personal information, and it can only be captured once guests have given their consent to opt-in.
Better scheduling capabilities. As more cities and states consider predictive scheduling mandates for hourly employees, the ability to create and communicate
work schedules in advance is becoming essential for many restaurant operators. This critical task is time-consuming and complex without the help of technology
that can forecast labor demand, handle on-call shifts, and allow employees to swap shifts with little intervention from the manager. Today, AI powers this kind of
functionality. When connected with a cloud-based POS, scheduling software can also factor in granular information that could boost the bottom line. For example,
it could determine which of your staff tends to do the most up-selling, and give those team members priority for high-volume shifts.
Integrated inventory and purchasing. POS systems that fold in inventory and purchasing capabilities can create e ciencies and reduce losses. When these
functions are integrated into the POS, they can track and order based on actual food sales, menus and recipes. By comparing this up-to-the-minute information
with your actual supply levels, you can determine whether your kitchen staff is adhering to recipes and portion sizes and potentially uncover sources of waste and
theft. Automating these tasks using an AI-powered integrated restaurant management solution eliminates guesswork, ensures the right supply levels and removes
one more item from your to-do list.
Insights and predictions so accurate people may think you’re clairvoyant. Data is powerful, and it’s becoming even more so. The larger your POS/restaurant
management platform vendor, the more data they have access to. And they can put it to work for you. Imagine if your restaurant management platform could
predict a spike in foot tra c and fruit smoothie sales based on factors such as weather forecast and local events (for example, a family fun run sponsored by a
nearby tness club for its grand opening). Your system could predict how many crates of fresh fruit to order, as well as suggest sta ng levels timed with that
event. Alternatively, imagine if throughout the business week your restaurant management platform could suggest sta ng levels based on weather, proximity and
sales of businesses with similar menus, sales history, and more? Or even automatically suggest pricing based on cost of ingredients and actual prices charged by
businesses nearby? Or perhaps recommend a discount or special offer on menu items that use a perishable ingredient you have an unexpected overstock on?
Modern AI makes all this and more not only possible, but manageable.
Delivery mapping and management tools. As delivery gains in popularity, the ability to optimize delivery routes becomes more important to ensure speed,
e ciency and food quality. Delivery management technology can help you monitor drivers’ progress, provide them guidance on the best routes to save miles and
time, and keep customers in the loop along the way.
Self-serve options. The public doesn’t seem quite ready for Eatsa, the fully self-serve restaurant concept that kept its staff completely hidden from guests (most
of its locations closed last year after a two-year run). But elsewhere, self-serve kiosks and tablets are gaining favor as a way to speed up service without

2. of its locations closed last year after a two year run). But elsewhere, self serve kiosks and tablets are gaining favor as a way to speed up service without
sacri cing the human touch. They make the most sense in high-volume quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, where guests are happy to browse the menu at
their leisure, tap in their orders and handle payment in exchange for skipping lines. Studies have shown that self-order, whether at kiosks or at tables, encourages
higher check averages and results in healthier sales. Guests seem to appreciate the ability to spend time studying photos, ingredients, and nutritional information,
as well as easily request more food or drinks as the meal progresses. What’s more, self-order technologies tend to reduce the repetitive, transactional demands on
servers, freeing them to be friendly ambassadors for your brand. Expect to see more of these types of applications.
Customers and employees have already embraced digital in their personal lives. It’s time to make sure you can keep up with them.
This article by Xenial president Christopher Sebes was originally published on QSR Magazine. View the original.
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