News Briefs

Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, announced today it has signed an agreement with Entegra, the world’s largest food group purchasing organization. Choice branded hotel owners will now have access to over 3,000 suppliers worldwide on Entegra’s digital group purchasing organization platform. This agreement will help hotel owners make food purchasing decisions with confidence, all while potentially saving money and improving their overall business performance.

“Entegra is proud to partner with Choice Hotels, one of the largest and most successful lodging companies in the world,” said Entegra Global CEO Damien Calderini. “Through this program, our powerful suite of data and digital tools, procurement solutions, and supply-chain expertise will help Choice Hotels deliver opportunities for their franchisees to create memorable hospitality experiences for hotel visitors.”

“Through this agreement with Entegra, we’re looking forward to bringing even more value to our brands and franchisees, who may see better pricing on products and greater day-to-day operational support,” said Choice Hotels VP of Procurement Anya Kroupnik. “This will enable us to continue delivering on Choice’s promise of providing opportunities to reduce the total cost of hotel ownership and enhance guest satisfaction.”

“Clients choose Entegra for a wide range of products and services and stay with us because we offer more ways for them to be competitive and thrive,” said Jeff Porterfield, Entegra Senior Vice President of Client Services. “In addition to savings, we’re excited to provide Choice franchisees with dedicated service and support, as well as access to our innovative technology platform to enable greater business intelligence and operational efficiency.”

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Today, Aescape, the first commercially available, fully automated AI massage experience, announced its hotel debut at ila Only Spa, located at Lotte New York Palace. Aescape has partnered with ila Only Spa to deliver premium, customizable massage to guests and visitors.

Wellness travel is on the rise, with the global wellness tourism market expected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2027. ila Only Spa at Lotte New York Palace is meeting travelers where they are, ushering in the future of on-demand, tech-enhanced wellness experiences. 

“It’s clear that more people wish to maintain and increase their sense of wellbeing when traveling, and they’re looking for the resources available to support this when choosing hotels. Aescape’s innovative approach to massage is adding to our wellness-forward amenities, and we look forward to bringing our guests a completely new massage experience,” said Joe Rose, Owner of ila Only Spa.

Aescape emerged from stealth earlier this year after seven years in research and development by some of the brightest minds in connected hardware and fitness. Alumni hail from Amazon, Apple, FitBit, MakerBot, Uber, Peloton, Tonal, and more. The automated massage uses advanced AI technology to create a 3D computational model of each user before delivering a completely personalized massage experience, tailored uniquely to their body. 

“The Lotte New York Palace is iconic, maintaining its storied elegance while evolving to keep guests happy,” said Aescape Founder and CEO, Eric Litman. “We share a mission to bring customers and guests a wellness-forward experience designed to meet their needs. As a New York startup, we’re honored to make our hospitality debut at this landmark New York hotel.”

The partnership news marks Aescape’s entrance into market, ahead of its launch with Equinox in select locations throughout New York City this month. Since launching its Early Access Program with PRESS Modern Massage Union Square, the company has generated a growing waitlist of New Yorkers eager to experience this first-of-its-kind massage. Aescape is set to announce partnerships with global  industry leaders across hospitality, professional sports, corporate offices and luxury real estate over the next year. 

Beef 'O' Brady's, the family sports bar and grill chain is colloaborating with SoundHoundAI to enable customers to place phone orders for pickup. The popular restaurant chain operates in more than 20 states across the US.

Initially live in all corporate locations — and now available for integration into franchises — SoundHound’s voice AI technology is trained on Beef 'O’Brady’s extensive menu and designed to understand regular human speech so that customers can order by speaking naturally.

The system is highly accurate, and even during busy periods the AI answers 100% of calls — including taking multiple orders simultaneously — allowing Beef 'O' Brady's staff to concentrate on preparing delicious meals and providing excellent service to in-store patrons.

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Now, as the nation gears up for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Beef 'O' Brady's customers can enjoy the convenience of ordering their favorite meals seamlessly using SoundHound's automated AI ordering system. Whether hosting a viewing party at home, or enjoying the games with family, fans can be confident their phone orders will be captured and processed quickly and accurately.

Beyond taking orders, SoundHound’s AI technology can answer a variety of menu-related questions, provide information about specials and promotions, and handle inquiries about opening times, parking, allergens, and other frequently asked questions.

“At Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, we’re committed to innovation and customer satisfaction,” said Jason Saposnik, VP of Information Technology at Beef 'O' Brady's. “With SoundHound, we’re integrating cutting-edge AI technology to make ordering food as simple and natural as possible, allowing our staff to focus on what they do best — serving great food and experiences. We’re ensuring that every interaction with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is smooth and enjoyable.”

SoundHound AI continues to expand its footprint in the restaurant industry, supported by a recent consumer study, commissioned by the company, revealing that nearly 80% of regular diners in the U.S. believe that AI voice assistants will handle most food ordering in the next few years. SoundHound’s voice AI solutions are already deployed in over 10,000 restaurant locations, with solutions for phone, drive-thru, kiosk, headset, and other devices. SoundHound also recently acquired Allset, an online ordering platform that connects restaurants and local customers, to further increase the company's restaurant industry relationships and reach.

“As consumer preferences shift towards convenience, optimizing the ordering experience is essential for restaurants,” said James Hom, Chief Product Officer at SoundHound AI. “Beef 'O' Brady's is leading the way in embracing AI technology, enhancing customer interactions throughout their journey. We are thrilled to partner with them to advance the dynamic restaurant landscape, and to continue to expand our footprint in the restaurant space.”

For more information about SoundHound AI’s restaurant solutions, visit www.soundhound.com.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is leveraging Domo’s Data Science Suite to gain further insights into the restaurant’s data, giving franchisees the ability to optimize pricing and model menu mix.

Founded in 2002 with a single restaurant in Wichita, Kansas, and franchised in 2004, Freddy’s has more than 500 locations in 36 states. 

Freddy's Data Science Journey

When the restaurant chain first began its data science journey, it not only struggled with a lack of technology but also a lack of perspective. The path of incorporating Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the business wasn’t well conceived, so its first pilot engagement with another platform did not successfully extract value or return on investment.

• Related:  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

After evaluating their experience with the pilot engagement, the restaurant chain knew it would need a different partner and approach to sell the initiative to the leadership team. As a long-time Domo customer, Freddy’s turned to Domo for the restaurant’s next attempt at data science. Freddy’s started working with Domo’s experienced data science consultants and set out to better understand its restaurant quality data so it could become more easily consumable.

“Before selecting Domo for our Data Science needs, we were too focused on accomplishing a goal and not on the quality of the journey. When we took a step back, we realized that the solution was right there in front of us: Domo has delivered great value for Freddy’s, and our C-suite trusted Domo with our data and business, so the Domo Data Science Suite was an easy choice,” said Sean Thompson, Vice President of IT at Freddy’s. “Our major takeaway from this experience is our invaluable, lasting partnership with Domo. When making these kinds of business decisions, we have to make sure we’re working with someone that not only has the data science chops but is willing to go along the journey with us and understands the importance of education and sharing.”

With Domo, Freddy’s quickly achieved several immediate wins and launched and optimized a new guest loyalty program to effectively incentivize its most high-value guests. In addition, the restaurant chain gained the ability to accurately score locations so it could conduct A/B testing initiatives like price optimization and menu mix modeling.

“Freddy’s saw the value of Domo when they first became a customer in 2015, but when they came to us for more data science needs, we were excited to support and give the talented team the confidence they needed to power data science insights,” said Mark Maughan, chief analytics officer and SVP of customer success at Domo. “With the number of guests Freddy’s serves daily, it’s important that they have the training and solutions they need to understand and leverage data at every Freddy’s location, and we are proud that they are using Domo as a critical part of that solution.”

To learn more about how innovative organizations like Freddy’s are using Domo to put data to work for everyone, visit www.domo.com/customers.