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As restaurants continue to face hiring challenges, many brands are turning to automated solutions to reduce staffing costs, and while some consumers may think these changes will reduce their dining experience, others may be rethinking their stance as restaurant labor costs lead to higher menu prices. For consumers.
One such automated solution provider, voice, vision and touch technology company Presto, wants to play a major role in this automated shift. The company announced last week (July 26) that it has merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Ventux, for $100 million (with $40 million down the road for a $60 million equity investment).
“For our technologies, the people using our technology, the big, restaurant brands are big,” Presto founder and CEO Rajat Suri told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in an interview. “When choosing a supplier for critical technologies, you want to choose companies that have some solid track record in their finances and business and are not fly-by-night startups.”
He noted that the company, which works for major brands including McDonald’s, KFC and Chili’s, has undergone a lengthy review process required by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to become a publicly traded company. Our customers” is serious about the company’s plan to “expand and serve the world’s biggest brands”.
The future robo-restaurant
Suri argued that digital transformation is old news, automation is the next frontier.
“What is a relatively new trend [physical industries like restaurants are] Of course, they are not only digitizing, they are also automating,” he said.
Certainly, many major brands have been doing their best to ease their labor needs with robotic solutions. Fast-casual giant Chipotle Mexican Grill has been testing an artificial intelligence (AI) autonomous kitchen assistant created by Miso Robotics that prepares tortilla chips according to the brand’s recipe.
You may also like: Chipotle Tests ‘Chippy’ Robotic Kitchen Assistant
Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, has been experimenting with drones and a walking robot.
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Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill, had AI-powered, text-based ordering in nearly 2,000 stores late last year.
Read more: Restaurants use speech AI to automate ordering
Suri added that not only are restaurants having trouble filling open positions, but when they do fill those positions, it’s often less than ideal candidates because they “have to lower their standards” to keep automation “more of a priority than ever” to maintain productivity and consistent quality.
Service/Efficiency Marketing
As these automated technologies continue to impact the consumer journey, especially when it comes to face-to-face technologies such as QR code menus and self-service kiosks or device-based payments, restaurant customers are divided.
From the May/June issue of PYMNTS’ Digital DVD Survey, “The Digital Divide: Technology, the Metaverse and the Future of Dining;“ Created in partnership with Paytronix, 58% of grab-and-go customers think more restaurant technology means better customer service, while only 29% of on-premise diners feel the same way.
Related news: Restaurants tinker with tech to balance efficiency and personal service
Additionally, in an April survey of nearly 2,500 U.S. consumers who regularly dine out at restaurants, more than 1 in 1 of diners rate employee friendliness as the most important thing a restaurant should provide.
However, Suri argues that restaurants’ ongoing labor challenges will challenge these choices.
“It’s easy to say I prefer. [the non-digital experience]” He said, “But would you be willing to spend 30% more on your food?”
Finding your voice
Suri argues that voice technology will dominate not only parts of the restaurant industry where it’s being tested, but also automated order-taking (AOT) technology, such as automated ordering via drive-thru or voice assistants. Self-service kiosks and counter payment systems. Additionally, in terms of internal use, he noted that employees could use the same technology to communicate customer orders to their tablets instead of entering the orders manually.
These systems not only reduce the amount of work that requires staff time, but also improve the customer experience as the technology becomes more efficient because the workforce does not make the same mistakes and the customer can. Meet with them with interest.
“I think in five years you’ll see voice applications everywhere in restaurants,” Suri said, because the technology has come a long way and is ready for prime time.
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New PYMNTS Survey Finds 3 in 4 Consumers Strong Interest in Super App
In Care Of A new study by PYMNTS, “The Super Up Shift: How Consumers Want to Save, Shop and Spend in the Connected Economy,” in partnership with PayPal, analyzed responses from 9,904 consumers in Australia, Germany, the UK and the US. And instead of using dozens of individual ones, there has been a strong demand for a single versatile super app.
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