Looking a Customer Ahead Restaurants Should Utilize Robotic Food Delivery

 

The restaurant industry is facing many challenges in the post-pandemic world, such as labor shortages, rising costs, and changing customer preferences. To survive and thrive in this competitive market, restaurants need to adopt innovative solutions that can enhance their efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. One of these solutions is robotic food delivery, which is the use of autonomous robots to transport food from the kitchen to the tables or the customers' doorsteps.

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that robotic food delivery has many benefits for both restaurants and customers, including the following:

1.        Faster and hotter food: Robotic food delivery can reduce the delivery time and ensure that the food arrives hot and fresh. Robots can carry more dishes at once and navigate faster and more efficiently than human delivery drivers. They can also avoid traffic jams, road accidents, and parking issues. This can improve the customer experience and increase the chances of repeat orders and positive reviews.

2.       Lower costs and higher profits: Robotic food delivery can save money for restaurants by reducing labor costs, fuel costs, and delivery fees. Robots do not require wages, benefits, or tips, and they can work around the clock without breaks or fatigue. They also consume less energy and emit less carbon than vehicles. By lowering the operational costs, robotic food delivery can increase the profit margin and the return on investment for restaurants.

3.       Contactless and safe delivery: Robotic food delivery can provide a contactless and safe delivery option for customers who are concerned about health and hygiene. Robots can eliminate the human-to-human contact and the risk of contamination or infection. They can also securely store the food in locked compartments that can only be opened by the customers using a code or a QR scan. This can enhance the customer trust and loyalty and attract more health-conscious customers.

4.       Customer convenience and satisfaction: Robotic food delivery can offer more convenience and satisfaction for customers who want to order food online and enjoy it at their own place and pace. Customers can track the robot's location and arrival time using an app or a website. They can also interact with the robot using voice or touch commands and provide feedback or ratings. Some robots can even entertain the customers with music, lights, or jokes. This can create a fun and memorable dining experience and increase the customer retention and referral.

Robotic food delivery is not a futuristic fantasy, but a reality that is already happening in many parts of the world. Several companies, such as Starship Technologies, DoorDash, and Amazon, have launched their own robotic food delivery services and partnered with various restaurants, grocery stores, and universities. These robots have received positive feedback from both customers and businesses and have proven their reliability and efficiency.

Robotic food delivery is the right thing to do if you want to look a customer ahead and gain a competitive edge in the restaurant industry. By adopting robotic food delivery, you can improve your service quality, lower your costs, increase your profits, and satisfy your customers. Robotic food delivery is not only a smart choice, but a necessary one for the future of restaurants. Wondering where to start?

Well, consider this, self-driving smart shop provider Robomart has established a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PIX Moving. The MOU will enable Robomart to leverage PIX’s RoboBus and autonomous vehicle-manufacturing expertise to enhance Robomart’s fleet of autonomous mobile retail stores, including the application of PIX Moving Spaces in such unmanned retail scenarios as Robomart smart shops. The initial deployment of autonomous mobile retail stores will unfold in California, encompassing unmanned ice cream parlors, cafés and quick-service restaurants.

So, Robomart’s on-demand autonomous stores feature such advanced systems as proprietary checkout-free technology, temperature-controlled compartments and sophisticated sensors for seamless autonomous operation, all overseen by external cameras for 24/7 monitoring and security. Using these stores, retailers can streamline the shopping process by eliminating ordering, picking up, packaging and waiting in checkout lines. Among the company’s customers are Unilever (Ben & Jerry’s), Mars and Fatty Mart, deploying more than 100 Robomarts.

PIX Moving will work closely with Robomart to grow its autonomous fleet through PIX Moving Spaces and the exploration of several other business use cases.

Ali Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Robomart stated, “We are thrilled to collaborate with PIX Moving,” … “While Robomart has been at the forefront of pioneering autonomous mobile retail technology, PIX Moving’s expertise in custom autonomous vehicle manufacturing is unparalleled. This partnership will enable us to scale our fleet with high-quality advanced vehicles designed to deliver an exceptional shopping experience. PIX Moving’s contribution to vehicle manufacturing, combined with our robust retail technology, will redefine convenience and accessibility in retail.” 

Yu Chuan, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based PIX Moving, stated, “Entering the unmanned retail market in the U.S. and partnering with Robomart is a highly strategic decision for PIX,” ... “With our diverse range of autonomous-driving Moving Spaces and Robomart’s extensive operational experience in unmanned retail, our collaboration will deliver a completely new shopping experience for U.S. consumers — on-demand convenience at their fingertips.”

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Unilever and Robomart are Targeting Generation Alpha Are You

 

Food Marketing professionals never take a break, and they are always looking a customer ahead.  Global CPG retailer Unilever is actively targeting Generation Alpha.  So just who is Generation Alpha?  They are the children of Generation Y, and often the younger siblings of Generation A.  More that 2.5 million are born globally ever week.  When they all have been born (between 2010- 025) the will number almost 2 billion and they will be the largest generation in the history of the world.

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes “CPG food retailers and fast-food restaurant chains are all looking for ways to get their ‘hooks’ brands in the minds-eye of the parents and Generation Alpha early and often and Unilever looks as if they are hitting all of the right messages to build the bridge that is comfortable for both the parents and kids.

It’s at the intersection of technology and frozen treats that you can find Unilever’s new Ice Cream Robomart. It will enable consumers to use an app to summon a vehicle housing an automated store and have it arrive in minutes at their location.

That’s right, an automated “store on wheels” platform Robomart has partnered with CPG giant Unilever to deploy a fleet of robotic vehicles for ice cream delivery this summer.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Robomart said yesterday that its mobile mini-marts will carry ice cream and novelties from brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Magnum and Talenti available through Unilever’s “The Ice Cream Shop” virtual storefront.

In a Battle for Share of Stomach

You Can Win

Described as a “store-hailing platform,” Robomart’s technology enables consumers to use an app to summon a vehicle housing an automated store and have it arrive in less than 10 minutes at their location, where they choose from a selection of products. Unilever’s Ice Cream Shop allows customers to use major food delivery apps like Doordash, UberEats, GrubHub and Postmates to order from a selection of Unilever ice cream brands. The company said The Ice Cream Shop is available in most major metro areas — including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, South Florida and Washington, D.C. — and continues to expand.

“We’re excited to work with Unilever — the world’s largest ice cream maker — to pilot The Ice Cream Shop as one of the flagship storefronts on our new marketplace,” Robomart CEO and co-founder Ali Ahmed said in a statement. “Putting a spin on the classic ice cream truck by bringing it to consumers on demand, we have pioneered a new way for everyone to get their favorite ice cream treats in as little as two minutes. This rollout brings to life the original vision my co-founder and I had over a decade ago while working at Unilever to create ‘The Everywhere Store,’ the fastest and most accessible way to get all your essentials.”

The mobile mini-marts will carry ice cream and novelties from brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Magnum and Talenti available through Unilever’s “The Ice Cream Shop” virtual storefront.

Consumers hail The Ice Cream Shop Robomarts to their location using Robomart’s proprietary mobile app and patented one-tap grocery ordering technology. When the vehicle arrives, customers swipe across the app to open the vehicle’s door. The Robomart then lets users handpick their selected products and walk away without physically checking out or swiping a credit card.

Robomart noted that its platform stands out in the online delivery realm by bringing the store directly to homes, eliminating the need for consumers to shop on a website, fill a basket, check out with a credit card, select a delivery window and communicate with delivery staff.

Russel Lilly, general manager for Unilever North American Ice Cream, stated, “We’re thrilled to partner with Robomart to offer a new way to bring our virtual store, The Ice Cream Shop, to fans in Los Angeles in an innovative way,”... “Our pilot program with Robomart is revolutionizing ice cream delivery for consumers and making it even faster to get our beloved brands to our ice cream fans. What better way to shop for your favorite ice cream than just a few steps from your front door?”

Robomart made its commercial debut last June with the launch of on-demand pharmacy and snacks autonomous mini-marts in West Hollywood, Calif. The company said it recorded its fastest end-to-end experience — from the time a consumer opens the app to the time they have goods in hand — at under two minutes. Active users, on average, hail a vehicle to their location 2.3 times a week, Robomart said, adding that the company has seen 9% user growth and 10% order growth weekly as it has gained market share.

In cae you did not know, the Pharmacy Robomart offers health and personal care items such as shampoo, hand sanitizer and ibuprofen, while the Snacks Robomart serves up chocolate, chips, soft drinks and other ready-to-eat snack items. Slated to debut in the coming months, the company said, is a Grocery Robomart offering fresh produce and refrigerated products as well as Deli (meals) and Café (coffee and doughnuts) Robomarts.

Currently, Robomart’s vehicles include human drivers, but plans call for the company to add self-driving vehicles as it fine-tunes the autonomous technology and as local regulations permit. Ahmed has indicated that Robomart is open to partnerships with grocery chains, which would lease the vehicles and stock them. In early 2019, Northeastern grocer Stop & Shop announced a pilot of Robomart’s autonomous vehicle in Boston.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Robomart On-Demand Foodservice

New avenues of fresh food distribution continue to open up.  Each one seems to have the ability to garner new customers.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® asks, where are you customer shopping after they leave your store, and why?

Robomart is a Santa Monica, California-based company hails itself as the first store-hailing platform. So, what does that mean?  Ok, consumers can us the proprietary Robomart app, then they can hail an automated store on wheels and have it arrive at their location in less than 10 minutes, making it the fastest delivery service currently available, according the Robomart press release.

Robomart partnered with Miami-based REEF, an operator of mobility and logistics hubs and neighborhood kitchens in North America, to manage product stocking, tagging, scanning, integrity and replenishment. The goal, fresh food fast and flavorful was clearly top of mind according to Johnson.

Ali Ahmed, co-founder of Robomart, stated, "We're incredibly excited to launch Robomart in West Hollywood and introduce consumers to the latest innovation in retail,"… "In the past decade, online delivery services have grown substantially and filled a need in the market; however, there are still many challenges that make these services undesirable for consumers.

Ahmed continues, "With Robomart, we're disrupting the industry and have received incredible feedback from consumers on how this is the most convenient way to shop — delivering the fastest and most seamless shopping experience — which other delivery services simply can't offer.”

The press release stated that, initially, the company is rolling out two Robomart types: a Pharmacy Robomart and a ready-to-eat Snacks Robomart. It is developing a Grocery Robomart. Johnson, believe that the full potential will not be reached until the focus on daypart meals with Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals and meal components.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869 

The Corner Store, Neighborhood Market, or Dinner on Demand

Back in the day there was a local market on every corner, they were not convenience stores they were small mom and pop grocery stores that were convenient, reliable, and close.  Then came grocery stores and a regional food markets in almost every defined neighborhood, they sold more products, sold them for less, and drove the mom and pop stores out of business. 

Within the restaurant sector during the same time span the same thing happened. Local mom and pop restaurant were replaced by regional brands, then national franchises felling fresh food faster and for less garnering business from both the grocery sector and legacy independent restaurant sector.    

Enter the grocerant sector filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food and consumers time starved began migration to new avenues of distribution for dinner looking for time saving, solution for dinner.

It’s at the intersection of the consumer and food retail that we find San Francisco-based startup Robomart Inc. that is going to utilize autonomous electric vehicles to delivery food, meals, and meal components in your local neighborhood, your driveway, or at your front door.

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated “what goes around comes around, consumer have always wanted local fresh fast food.  Watch for Robomart too deliver groceries, snacks, beverages, and grocerant niche meals and meal components that solve the questions of What’s for dinner.”

While wholesale food prices in the U.S. were down close to 3.0% in 2018; U.S. restaurant prices were up 2.6% 2018 driving a wedge between the consumers pocketbook and the dinner table.  Robomart has the unique ability to bridge that gap by delivering to the home, the mix & match food offerings including grocery staples and ready-2-eat or heat-n-eat meals saving consumers both time and money while solving the endless question What’s for dinner.

Ahold Delhaize US grocery store chain is scheduled to launch this spring in greater Boston, autonomous electric vehicles from San Francisco-based startup Robomart Inc. Billed as a “self-driving grocery store,” the vehicles will carry an assortment of produce, meal kits and convenience items directly to customers, where they can choose what they want. So, how is it going to work?

Well, when the vehicle arrives, customers go outside, unlock the vehicle’s doors and then pick the fruit, vegetables and other products they want to buy off the shelves inside. After taking their items, they just close the doors and send the vehicle on its way. The vehicles’ RFID and computer vision ”grab-and-go” technology automatically records the products customers selected and charges them. Receipts are e-mailed in seconds.

The ‘driverless’ vehicles are piloted remotely from a Robomart facility. Stop & Shop said the tele-operated vehicles will be restocked with fresh items throughout their journey to ensure the best selection for customers. Perishables are kept fresh via purpose-built refrigeration and temperature control in the vehicle.

This is nothing new for consumers as even Ali Ahmed, founder and CEO of Robomart stated “For decades, consumers had the convenience of their local green grocer and milkman coming door to door, and we believe that by leveraging driverless technology we can recreate that level of convenience and accessibility,”

The era of walking through a grocery store for 30 minutes looking for four items is about to slowly fadeaway according to Johnson. Restaurants, convenience store will all begin adopting these new avenues of fresh food distribution to delivery and drive branded food sales.  More important consumers will not object to this technology and will adopt it much like they adopted mobile phones; with curiosity, then slowly, and the doors will simply fly wide open. The food world is evolving are you? 

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? 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.