News Briefs

Caribou Coffee will implement Toast Enterprise Solutions across 500 initial coffeehouse locations in the United States. 

In addition to Toast point-of-sale (POS) terminals, Caribou Coffee will use Toast Payments, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), and Multi-Location Management.

• 83% say using data to understand guest preferences and behavior is impacting POS upgrade decisions in 2024, according to HT’s 2024 POS Software Trends Survey

Expansion on the Horizon

Caribou Coffee has made significant progress in its retail expansion plan through company-owned development as well as its previously announced franchise program. To help support the brand’s growing coffeehouse footprint, Caribou Coffee sought a modern technology partner with a robust, scalable POS solution that would be easy to use for all stakeholders including company and franchisee operators and team members. Focused on maximizing speed of service while maintaining an enhanced guest and team experience, Caribou Coffee also wanted to ensure availability of key features to support guests like the ability to modify active orders and offer flexible payment options. 

“Caribou Coffee was founded over 30 years ago with a vision to bring personal service into the coffeehouse space. That commitment to our guest and team member experience guides us today as we announce this exciting partnership. Toast proved to be the ideal strategic technology partner for our brand as we introduce tools that will ensure we can bring our coffeehouse experience to more guests than ever before,” said Scott Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer at Caribou Coffee. “Toast took the time to understand our business and clearly demonstrate that they can support our team members and guests with their easy to use, easy to manage platform.” 

Part of Panera Brands, Caribou Coffee has 333 company-owned, 140 non-traditional and 338 franchise locations in 11 countries.

A promising 71.6% of restaurant operators plan to adopt AI soon, with nearly 94% acknowledging its necessity to remain competitive in the evolving landscape of food service, according to a survey by Slang.ai.  

Slang.ai, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) -powered phone answering platform built for restaurants and hospitality partners,  announced the results of its recent survey of restaurant professionals which demonstrated that the industry has a strong interest in leveraging AI to address challenges and unlock opportunities within their businesses. The survey, which gathered insights from restaurant owners, general managers, and C-suite executives, sheds light on the industry's readiness to embrace AI technology in the face of mounting challenges such as rising costs and operational complexities.

• According to HT's 2024 POS Software Trends Survey, 35% of restaurant operators surveyed say general AI is driving POS purchasing decisions,

The survey, which targeted those 25 years of age and older in the United States, showed that a significant portion of the respondents - 54%- expressed optimism about the positive impact of AI on restaurants. Despite this optimism, less than one-third of operators currently utilize AI in their operations, indicating an untapped potential for technological integration within the industry.

"Restaurant industry professionals are increasingly recognizing the transformative potential of AI technology and the overwhelming sentiment in favor of AI adoption underscores its importance for enhancing operational efficiency, reducing costs and providing great customer experiences," said Alex Sambvani, founder and CEO of Slang.ai. "Running a restaurant isn't for the faint of heart. It takes guts to get up and running and a lot of business know-how to thrive. AI is the tool that can help businesses grow and it is clearly here to stay."

Improving the Overall CX

Nearly half of respondents (46%) believe AI can improve the overall guest experience.

In addition, respondents acknowledged AI's potential to address various challenges faced by the restaurant industry, such as staffing issues, service quality management, and rising costs. And, as the restaurant industry navigates the complexities of a post-pandemic world, AI emerged as a potential solution to drive issues that greatly impacted this industry during the last four years– from operational efficiencies, cost controls, and competitive differentiation.

The survey results underscore the need for tailored AI solutions that address the unique challenges faced by restaurant operators, while also providing guidance for overcoming barriers to adoption.

"As the restaurant industry continues to evolve, the integration of AI is a crucial and pivotal point of this progression. With a significant number of operators signaling their intention to incorporate this transformative technology, we are excited for the future of the hospitality industry," added Sambvani. "Embracing AI signifies a shift towards customer-centricity, where innovative solutions can cater to each and every customer – from automated interactions, seamless reservations, instant inquiries, and beyond – all converging to place the customer firmly at the heart of the restaurant experience."

Slang.ai's "AI in the Restaurant Industry; How Businesses Are Embracing AI Technology" is available here.

Cloudbeds a provider of hospitality management software, announced a strategic partnership with Amadeus, a  provider of advanced technology solutions for the travel industry.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both companies, bringing together Cloudbeds’ award-winning hospitality platform and Amadeus iHotelier's cutting-edge technology to enhance distribution capabilities for hotels worldwide.

Key highlights of the partnership include:

• Seamless Integration: The integration of Cloudbeds' robust property management system (PMS) with Amadeus iHotelier's state-of-the-art central reservation system (CRS) will provide hoteliers with a seamless and efficient solution to manage reservations, streamline operations, and maximize revenue.
• Enhanced Distribution Channels: The partnership will expand the reach of hotels by leveraging Amadeus' extensive global distribution network, allowing properties using Cloudbeds to connect with a broader audience and attract more bookings.

Adam Harris, CEO of Cloudbeds, said, “Our mission has always been to empower hoteliers with seamless solutions designed to drive more revenue and better guest experiences. This partnership with Amadeus iHotelier brings unparalleled value to our customers to help them succeed in today’s competitive market.”

Javier Campo, VP of Partnerships, said, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Cloudbeds to elevate the hotelier’s experience. Our seamless integration between Cloudbeds and Amadeus iHotelier will add value to the customer’s process in managing and processing bookings. Our shared commitment to excellence makes us excited about the journey ahead. Here’s to a successful collaboration.”

HotelPORT is thrilled to announce its partnership with Yext, ta digital presence platform that powers the knowledge behind every customer engagement.

Through this partnership, HotelPORT will integrate Yext’s platform into its proprietary PropertyVIEW® Content Monitor to enhance the accuracy and completeness of hotel information across local directories and more. This integration will allow hoteliers, restaurants and spas to easily manage their digital presence and deliver a consistent, accurate and engaging experience to customers anywhere in the digital world.

"Our partnership with Yext is a game-changer for the hospitality industry. Yext’s leading platform is a valuable addition to our Content Verification Services offering and will help our clients better monitor the vast digital landscape where their customers are interacting with their brand,” said Fred Bean, Founder and CEO of HotelPORT. “We know that the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of a property's content across third party channels is critical for success and teaming up with Yext enables us to provide our clients with a comprehensive solution that ensures their verified property information is accurate and updated across the most important digital platforms.”

With the Yext integration, PropertyVIEW becomes a superpowered source of truth and hospitality verified content platform for the management, monitoring, syndication and control of hotel, restaurant and spa information across a broad array of third-party channels. Yext’s comprehensive coverage ensures potential guests access accurate information no matter where they search, leading to increased bookings, revenue growth and higher guest satisfaction.

"HotelPORT collaborates with many of the world's most renowned hospitality brands, and now, through our partnership, these brands have access to Yext’s leading platform for multi-location brands. This integration will enable them to distinguish their digital presence and better serve their guests," said Yvette Martinez-Rea, Executive Vice President Corporate Development and Operations at Yext. "By integrating with HotelPORT’s PropertyVIEW®, Yext’s platform empowers hospitality businesses to reach and engage their customers to ultimately increase bookings and foster seamless guest experiences.”

Lazeez Shawarma, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain, will implement the Revel POS platform at 225 locations across Canada.

"As we enter a period of rapid expansion, we needed a cloud POS platform like Revel that could help us easily scale our operations," said Sahib Rana, co-founder and director of franchise operations at Lazeez Shawarma. "The Revel platform also provides the software and hardware flexibility required to deliver an exceptional guest experience."

Lazeez Shawarma will also take advantage of the Revel kitchen display system (KDS) that eliminates the waste, cost and hassle of paper tickets. The Revel KDS automatically displays orders from all channels as they come into the POS, which increases speed of service while also improving order accuracy.

• 85% say integrations with other systems is driving POS purchasing decisions, according to HT's 2024 POS Software Trends Survey

Lazeez Shawarma will also utilize Revel Advantage International, Revel’s integrated in-house payment processing solution, to provide a complete POS and payments offering. Revel Advantage International is powered by Adyen, the financial technology platform of choice for many of the world’s leading companies.

"Revel looks forward to partnering with Lazeez Shawarma as they execute on their exciting growth plans," said Chris Lybeer, chief strategy officer at Revel Systems. "The Revel POS platform is a proven solution for rapid scalability, and its order management system will enable Lazeez to drive increased revenue and profits by optimizing disparate ordering channels."

The Revel customer display system (CDS) will enable Lazeez to improve the guest experience by allowing them to review order information in real-time, ensuring transaction accuracy. The CDS can also save and store multiple designs to easily put in front of the customer, including recurring promotions, holiday specials, and general messaging.

Jet's Pizza has partnered with ConverseNow, a voice AI technology platform for restaurants.   

By providing a fast and accurate service when ordering over the phone, Voice AI is set to deliver an enhanced guest experience for Jet's Pizza's customers.  The intuitive voice ordering assistants will support Jet's Pizza in processing phone orders, as well as support the growth of the company through intelligent upselling and accurate and efficient ordering. 

"Voice AI is a game-changer for Jet's Pizza, as it allows us to address a big concern of ours: making sure our franchisees are making good use of their human capital. We aim to make technology as good as our pizza. ConverseNow can take a high volume of phone calls with speed and accuracy. This allows our franchise operators to get their employees off the phones and focus on the fun part of the job: Making pizzas," said Aaron Nilsson, CIO of Jet's Pizza.  

Selected for its cost-effectiveness and scalable technology, ConverseNow's Voice AI will be present in Jet's Pizza locations across the US from early 2024.  

Phone orders at Jet's Pizza are responsible for a significant share of its revenue, and utilizing voice AI can increase this share as customers see value in the ordering efficiency. In addition, ConverseNow will enable Jet's Pizza's teams to streamline operations, offering the ability to optimize the deployment of valuable staff hours and improve the speed and accuracy of orders.

Equipped with conversational and emotional intelligence, ConverseNow's AI-powered virtual ordering assistants replicate natural human dialog to gauge customer sentiment and guide conversations. It can detect nuances, predict ordering behaviors, and maximize revenues by upselling items based on contextual data and information available to them in real-time. Its cloud-based, multilingual solution personalizes restaurant orders in high-volume voice channels such as phone, drive-thru, self-service kiosks, and voice-assisted chat on mobile devices.

Voice AI is shown to increase average orders by 23% and revenues by 20% while enabling up to 63% of extra deployable labor time per store per week to be utilized. By allowing human time to be shifted from order-taking to food preparation and high-value guest interaction, AI-powered virtual ordering assistants measurably improve the entire customer experience.

Live in more than 1800+ restaurants across 46 states, ConverseNow has delivered a much-needed answer to the industry-wide labor shortage, processing limitless conversations at once with remarkable accuracy so staff can focus on higher-priority tasks such as fulfillment and in-person service, at times doubling volume during peak hours.

Most recently, ConverseNow partnered with Google and Open AI to access both companies' services to redefine conversations, infusing them with a natural flow and boosting order accuracy while accelerating AI's self-learning capabilities and correcting mistakes that developers don't even know exist, enabling real-time connections between conversational AI and dynamic scenarios.