Chain Restaurants Embrace Technology yet ask How Much is Too Much

Foodservice Solutions®, own Grocerant Guru®, Steven Johnson sold the first Seven national restaurant chains Online Order Software platform right after the movie The Net came out while working on a contract with CyberSlice / Food.com; now that was back in the day.

Then, like now, new technology took some time to catch on, Online ordering was nonexistent beck then and sales of takeout food for the restaurant industry was close to 2.4%. In 2019 60% of U.S. consumers order delivery or takeout once a week.

Mobile / Online ordering today is normal, taken for granted what is new is how it is become faster, more efficient, once again some are call for technology advances to slow down while others are going full steam ahead.

Recently, PopID, announced that it is launching its facial recognition platform in self-ordering kiosks at Dairi-O, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America. Using PopID, Dairi-O customers will be able to conveniently and instantly pull up their favorite customized orders and pay for their meals without needing a card or phone. So, what do you think of that?

Dairi-O intends to install the PopID software in all of its locations in the first half of 2020. Chief Executive Officer of Dairi-O "We love how PopID makes it so easy for our customers to re-order their favorite items in a matter of seconds, resulting in shorter lines during peak hours and faster delivery of food to customers”… “Additionally, our customers can pay for their food without reaching into their wallets and fumbling through cards.”

Success does leave clues Dairi-O is an is an old company that has been around since 1947, with new technology but they are not alone. Dairi-O is preparing for a major wave of expansion. Currently, the brand has one of the highest average unit volumes in the industry and is the most recent chain to follow a growing list of small and medium sized restaurant brands using PopID, including CaliBurger, Deli Time, Plant Power, Rounds Bakery, Global Village Cafe, Saola, Treehouse, Ray's, Coffee House and Milkcow Cafe. In these stores, consumers generally prefer to use PopID to login to their loyalty accounts on kiosks, with kiosk logins reaching up to approximately 1,500 times per week at some locations.

Of those consumers that use PopID to login, approximately 75% also use it to pay. Further, transaction times for those using PopID are generally three times faster than for non-PopID users. “One of the oldest and most successful fast casual concepts in the country is leading the [quick-service] industry into the future of food,” says John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We look forward to sharing the magic of digital identity with Dairi-O customers.”

So, are you looking a customer ahead or are you waiting to see what is next?  Does your brand look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?  Are you evolving with consumers today? Or are you watching consumers?

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

Foodservice Operators Face It, In 2018 Facial-Recognition will be Top of Mind

When Apple released a special phone (iPhone X) for the 10 year anniversary of the fist iPhone facial-recognition technology became a social media talking point.  Sure there were a couple of glitches but they were resolved quickly and iPhone X customers like the phone and facial-recognition technology has become a new industry standard according to the team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Now that facial recognition is more accurate and in use every day several restaurant operators have begun implementing it in stores via a new POS systems that recognize customers and drive increased throughput. 

Jon Alexis, partner in the fast-casual Malibu Poke in Dallas spoke with Ron Ruggless of NRN and stated “Every generation is having fun with it”, which opened Nov. 28 with three kiosks that allow guests to save their order history and access them again through facial recognition. “It has exceeded my expectations.”

Alexis, who also owns two full-service T.J.’s Seafood Market & Grill units in Dallas, said in another interview “I would say a minority of guests use it, but it’s a growing minority,” said “Our concern in the beginning was that it was going to be a parlor trick and no one would use it,” he said. “But the biggest thing that happened was iPhone coming out with its X [model] and facial recognition capabilities. That was the seal of approval that this is real.”

Facial-recognition capabilities are expanding around the world in companies the ilk of North Palm Beach, Fla.-based BurgerFi International Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based Bryn + Dane’s, and Burlington, Mass.-based UFood Grill. A KFC affiliate in China tested facial-recognition earlier this year.

Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us