Foodservice Workers Worry as Cashierless Checkouts Mushroom

Technology continues to become a foodservice workers job killer but a foodservice operators savior according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Now Mastercard has entered the cashierless checkout fray in a big way with several industry leading food retailers with pilots it’s launching at convenience stores and drive-through QSRs including Circle K, Dunkin’ and White Castle.

So, working with Accel Robotics, Mastercard has developed technology enabling consumers to check out without clerk assistance at any type of retail store from a restaurant to a pharmacy. Once again evolving retail foodservice pain-points with solutions that save the operator money but cost employees jobs.

The new Mastercard, Shop Anywhere platform will launch in October at select Circle K locations in the U.S. and Canada, where consumers can pay for gas and make in-store purchases via an app, eliminating the need to wait in line, according to Mastercard.

Even Dunkin’ will test Mastercard’s cashierless checkout solution at an undisclosed store where customers can walk in and pick up beverages and food without any face-to-face interaction. This solution will work for Delaware North, which operates sports venues and casinos, will enable Shop Anywhere for on-site food and beverage sales, and they will be testing it as well.

Once again at some White Castle stores, Mastercard in October is launching a frictionless order-and-pay service for motorists called AI-Powered Drive Through. SoundHound Inc. and Rekor Systems are providing technology for the drive-through service, which leverages vehicle recognition, voice ordering and artificial intelligence, Mastercard said in the release. Is there no end to this No.  If success does leave clues and it does technology will elevate operational efficiencies and chain foodservice operators will adopt, adapt, and re-assess operating metrics.  

Mastercard’s cashierless solution centers on grocerant niche grab-and-go shopping, expanding merchants’ ability to serve customers quickly, including outside of normal opening hours, and clearly reducing labor cost.

This is nothing new as Mastercard has dabbled in cashierless checkout before. In 2017 the Mastercard collaborated with AVA retail on frictionless checkout for WeWork’s Honesty Market, and it’s not the only card network exploring the concept. The foodservice industry is dynamic not static are you evolving fast enough?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Profits Help Win In 

A Battle for Share of Stomach

Circle K

Business Travelers, Families, and you can Grab a Ready-2-Meal at the Airport on the Run

Did you get stuck traffic, stuck in the security line, or delayed due to weather recently like I have been when at the airport?  Not to worry as if like me you have a smartphone you can order a meal, a sandwich, even desert or a treat right from your smart phone while at the airport. 

Delaware North recently announced the arrival of self-ordering kiosks at several of its airport-dining locations. The kiosks were developed in partnership with Grab, the airport e-commerce platform, offering travelers dual self-service ordering capabilities (mobile via smartphone and in-person at a kiosk) for the first time in the United States and our Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson likes the servicet.

Think cashier free as the next step. The kiosk technology features an interface designed for quick ordering with intelligent upselling and customization components and includes point-to-point encrypted (P2PE) credit card payments, including Apple Pay, Android Pay, and other “tap-to-pay” options. Kiosks can process orders from a location’s full menu as well as grab-and-go items. Future iterations of the kiosk will have barcode scanners for an even quicker checkout experience when purchasing grab-and-go items.

Currently 18 kiosks already deployed at six airports, including: Atlanta (Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Mustard Seed, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf); Austin (Schlotzsky’s); Buffalo (Which Wich); Denver (Schlotzsky’s); Detroit (Popeye’s) and Oklahoma City (Schlotzsky’s and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf).

Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North’s travel division stated “This latest innovation with our partners at Grab is a step toward the future of travel and how people will be dining and shopping at the airport in the coming years.” You don’t have to have a location at an airport to understand the importance of selling fresh food fast, the power of hand held marketing, or a having one less cashier on duty. 

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.