News Briefs

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Steak n Shake will offer PopID Check In and PopPay on its self-ordering kiosks in select locations in the Orlando market, with plans to expand to more than 300 corporate locations. PopID Check In is an opt-in service that enables consumers to scan their face to automatically sign into their loyalty reward account and see their past orders, making the ordering process as convenient as possible. When a guest checks in with PopID, they also have the option to use PopPay to automatically complete their payment.

• 57% of respondents say enabling new payment options is a  top business driver impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Our partnership with PopID is a key part of our effort to provide guests with a fast and seamless ordering experience," said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer. "When using PopID Check In, a guest does not need to use their phone or take out their wallet as part of the ordering process. They will automatically be checked in for loyalty rewards, and they can choose to make an automated payment with PopPay. A guest can even see their past orders and quickly reorder their favorite menu items. Ordering at Steak n Shake has never been easier or more convenient.”

In addition to enhancing the guest experience and improving order throughput, PopPay helps to reduce fraud and offers lower payment processing fees.

For electric vehicle owners in British Columbia, Tim Hortons is now fueling road trips in more ways than one.  The company has announced the expansion of its electric vehicle charging station pilot launched earlier this year in Oakville, Ontario, by unveiling six new charging stations at restaurants throughout  British Columbia.

Tim Hortons announced the pilot in February in an effort to study the technology, its usage and opportunities.

"We have been thrilled with the results of the pilot so far.  Usage of the charging station in Oakville has surpassed our expectations and we received many calls with requests to expand the pilot," said Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director, International Strategic Restaurant Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons. "With more than 3,300 eligible restaurants across the country, we continue to look for opportunities to expand the pilot and contribute to the EV infrastructure."

The BC expansion, supported by the Province of BC's Community Charging Infrastructure Fund and Koben Systems Inc. (KSI), placed charging stations strategically in Nanaimo, Langford, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Abbotsford and Coquitlam to create paths within the province, allowing guests to travel from restaurant to restaurant strictly on electric power.

Tim Hortons offers charging stations as a courtesy to guests at six locations.  As of March 31st, 2013, Tim Hortons had 4,288 system-wide restaurants, including 3,453 in Canada, 808 in the United States and 27 in the Gulf Cooperation Council. 

CyberTek MSSP announced that it will be partnering at HITEC with leading companies in the information technology and cybersecurity space to bring unique, unparalleled expertise to its hospitality clients. Joining CyberTek’s booth at the 2023 show will be representatives from AppRiver, Fortinet, and Kaseya—three world-class providers of security tools and services. They will be available for the duration of the event to meet with attendees and answer questions about their products.

AppRiver is a Microsoft Solutions Partner who provides tools such as Microsoft 365 to improve productivity, resiliency, and compliance of businesses. This operates in support of core CyberTek services like Email Security.

Fortinet offers enterprise-grade cybersecurity products. CyberTek partners with Fortinet to provide elite threat detection and firewall management solutions to its clients.

Kaseya is a global provider of comprehensive IT security software tools. CyberTek uses their products to provide Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR), Managed Detection & Response (MDR), Log and Threat Monitoring, and Remote Monitoring and Management.

CyberTek leverages the products offered by these partners and more and combines them with its in-house expertise and deep knowledge of the hospitality industry to deliver exceptional managed security services to its clients.

“We’re thrilled to be able to partner with AppRiver, Fortinet, and Kaseya at this year’s HITEC,” said Josh Bergen, President of CyberTek. “Many of our clients have come to know and rely upon their products, so we’re pleased to be able to bring representatives from their companies onsite to be able to meet and answer questions in person.”

“Partnerships such as these are part of CyberTek’s ongoing efforts to bring world-class resources to our clients. We’ll continue to seek out the best products and collaborators and bring them to the hospitality industry.”

Attendees who are interested in learning more about the products of CyberTek or its partners can stop by Booth 2115 at HITEC.

Delivering on the promise of better visibility, VENZA announced the release of the VENZA System—a new platform that centralizes several of its industry-leading data protection functions. The VENZA System will be capable of generating even more impactful results, greater precision in reporting, and an ultra-smooth user experience.

Beginning soon, VENZA will offer one combined node that turns VENZA Learning™ and VENZA Phishing™ into a unified instrument with customizable reports. The platform, developed in-house and tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry, updates dynamically in real-time. Users will be able to select data by type and filter by level, from organizational, to individual properties, down to work groups. With this, VENZA will now more than ever produce the information you need when you need it.

“We are constantly working to produce new tools, as well as enhancements to our existing ones, that respond to ever-growing cybersecurity threats and regulatory compliance needs,” said Barbara Espinosa, Product Manager at VENZA. “Our platform will be a step-change in capability and responsiveness. We’re very pleased to deliver this product to our clients but also extremely excited about how this platform can evolve the VENZA system moving forward. We have big plans for 2024, so it is a great time for early movers to experience it and get the opportunity to participate in its design.”

Further additions to the VENZA system are under development. A range of governance, risk management, and compliance features will be rolled out in further stages over the coming year. This will include products that provide automatic vendor risk assessments, SAQ and audit functions, tasking and project management, and more. The user experience will also become simpler with mobile support and support for single sign-on (SSO) log-in.

Ultimately, VENZA will offer a wholistic governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platform with an open API that allows users to plug in their own data and fully customize the system to their needs.

Bite Ninja  introduces NinjaQ, a queuing system that allows restaurants to deploy workers remotely across multiple locations. By utilizing Bite Ninja's Customer Detection System and remote staffing capabilities, the company's latest technology innovation gives restaurants the ability to leverage their own employees and adjust staffing levels to match in-store demand, reducing the number of cashiers and customer-facing employees in the queue during slow periods or adding more during peak times.

Bite Ninja was part of  Restaurant Technology Network's Virtual Start-Up Alley in 2021  and went on to  raise $15M last year.

The introduction of NinjaQ aims to revolutionize the way quick-service restaurants operate by providing an effective and efficient ordering process that minimizes labor costs. When a new customer is detected by the system, a remote cashier in the NinjaQ is routed to the station to take their order. Once the order is complete, the cashier is then placed back into the queue to await the next customer, bouncing remotely between restaurant locations and stations as needed.

Bite Ninja's newest advancement in restaurant technology offers restaurant owners the ability to integrate their existing staff into Bite Ninja's remote platform, or tap into Bite Ninja's certified online professional workforce, better known as 'Ninjas'. Bite Ninja's technology has proven to be instrumental in helping restaurant operators increase sales through faster lines and upsells, both at the drive-thru window and front counter.