News Briefs

P.F. Chang’s is revolutionizing its catering capabilities through a strategic collaboration with Cartwheel, an enterprise delivery management platform.

Cartwheel recently invested in integrating with ezCater. This integration further streamlines and optimizes catering management and delivery capabilities for the restaurant chain and centralizes once disparate channels into a single, unified platform. Efficient order and delivery management lead to exceptional customer experiences, which, in turn, drive repeat orders.

• 71% of restaurants offer catering, 8% plan to add it this year, according to HT’s 2023 Restaurant Technology Study

P.F. Chang’s has worked with Cartwheel to power deliveries through its online catering channels since 2021. The brand is committed to providing a personalized experience to its customers and has long understood the positive impact an efficient delivery has on the holistic customer experience.

"P.F. Chang’s has used Cartwheel to power deliveries for years. We’re thrilled that ezCater orders are now integrated into the platform, enabling us to centrally manage and control delivery across all order sources and channels,” said Jessica Jami, Director of Off-Premises Dining at P.F. Chang’s. “Cartwheel’s real-time tracking capabilities are especially crucial in providing an excellent experience to our guests ordering catering, We've seen a significant increase in repeat orders since implementing Cartwheel and are optimistic about the potential increase in catering revenue with this new integration”

Cartwheel provides P.F. Chang’s with comprehensive solutions for in-house delivery operations, including a user-friendly driver app, advanced dispatch tools for managers, and real-time order tracking capabilities. Delivery drivers have shown their appreciation for Cartwheel’s tools and interface, consistently providing high ratings and positive feedback on the app. Cartwheel also offers catering-specific features such as proof of delivery and the ability to automatically select vehicle types based on order size.

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

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.

Canadian-founded,  automated pizzeria chain, PizzaForno is opening kiosk locations in the public transportation sector with a public transit provider  Metrolinx. The PizzaForno kiosks at the 407 Bus Terminal and Weston GO & UP Station now serving pizza, baked fast and fresh in 3 minutes 24/7, to thousands of riders daily.

Thousands of riders daily can now enjoy hot and delicious pizza, baked fast and fresh in 3 minutes 24/7 at the station, as well as at Weston GO & UP station. PizzaForno marks the transit leader's first automated hot pizza option with additional kiosks anticipated to be announced at GO Transit stations in the coming months.

Metrolinx is responsible for the operation of GO Transit, UP Express, and PRESTO. It operates over 400,000 buses and trains and serves over 100 million commuters.

PizzaForno has more than 70 units across North America, with an additional 800 units already committed through 2024. PizzaForno uses patented technology to serve consumers the best in food, flavor, and convenience. Its 9 x 6 ft. kiosks are seamlessly installed and operating in food courts, convenience stores, post-secondary schools, military bases, tourist destinations, and boating marinas throughout Canada and the US.

PizzaForno app

PizzaForno customers have the benefit of touchless ordering. They can use the new PizzaForno app to pre-order to make the experience even speedier or order directly at the kiosk from an automated screen. A robotic arm takes the refrigerated pizza and puts it into an oven for baking. Less than three minutes later, a hot pizza in a box emerges from a slot. PizzaForno also offers a take-and-bake option to enjoy at home.

Founded in 2018 by Canadian entrepreneurs William Moyer and Les Tomlin, PizzaForno offers a selection of pizza options, each made with high-quality ingredients. Utilizing technology made popular in France by ADIAL, PizzaForno has built the brand on a proven machine with 2,500 units operating in Europe.  

Photo credit: (CNW Group/PizzaForno)

Subway  unveiled MVP Rewards, a refreshed loyalty program launching September 9 in Canada, the U.S., and Puerto Rico. The new and improved program gives Subway guests the MVP experience with more ways to earn, more perks, and more earning power as customers ascend from Pro to Captain to All-Star status tiers. Consumers can earn points by ordering their favorite sub in Subway restaurants, on Subway.ca or the Subway app.

MVP Rewards replaces Subway MyWay Rewards. All 30 million MyWay members across North America will be enrolled in the new program, and their unspent tokens will automatically be converted into points, giving them a head start on reaching status and earning MVP Rewards' best perks. New members will receive 250 bonus points when they join**.

"Subway fans are the best in QSR and to thank them for their loyalty, we're giving them the star treatment as MVP Rewards members," said Mike Kappitt, Chief Operating and Insights Officer at Subway. "Consumer input helped inform our refreshed loyalty program to create a best-in-class experience. MVP Rewards gives our guests more of what they love from Subway, with a few hidden surprises baked in, so every guest feels like an MVP and comes back to Subway more often for their favourite subs."

As part of its loyalty refresh, Subway made the program easier for guests to sign up, earn and redeem points, as well as advance from Pro to All-Star. Besides craveworthy signature subs and meal upgrades, members at the Captain and All-Star tiers will soon have access to special Subway merchandise and members-only VIP exclusives:

For a complete overview of Subway MVP Rewards and Subway's new loyalty program benefits, visit Subway.ca/rewards.

GauVendi is advancing its disruptive approach to rethinking inventory, which has already been successfully implemented in the GauVendi Sales Engine, towards an open, feature-based inventory platform.

GauVendi started in 2020 with an innovative AI-driven booking experience that provides accommodation providers with a comprehensive solution for hyper-personalized sales and fulfillment automation. It was mainly deployed as a stand-alone solution. With this evolution, accommodation businesses and technology providers can now explore new avenues in sales, distribution, operational efficiency, and marketing of inventory. They benefit from highly automated processes without major system overhauls.

"We aim to offer every operator the opportunity to distribute their inventory in a scalable manner, much like it was previously only possible through personal sales - and all of it fully automated," says Markus Müller, CEO, and co-founder of GauVendi. "With the open API interface, all technology providers can now sell relevant and customizable inventory through their platforms. Our solution acts as an additional layer integrated into the existing tech stack, enabling differentiated sales and automation without significant changes to the current system landscape," adds Müller.

GauVendi's platform is the only one worldwide that provides a feature-based language and a dynamic product management system with its approach. The open API approach ensures seamless integration with other technology providers. Feature-based inventory can be transformed into relevant and tailored accommodation products using the AI recommendation model. The result is a transparent guest experience right from the booking process and significant time savings during reservations through intelligent and optimized room assignments.

The newly established inventory management platform and the associated new products and solutions were developed based on experiences gained from implementing the Sales Engine with existing hotel customers, their achieved results, and the acquired data. The new data structure enables the introduction of advanced automation possibilities, including dynamically optimized and intelligent room assignments using AI (Reinforcement Loops), going far beyond the largely manual and limited assignments used until now.

In today's era of personalization, the data structure in the form of categories for inventory management has proven to be inadequate. It lacks information about individual room features in data formats, making it challenging for operators to fulfill guest requests without significant manual and operational efforts. Any inquiry about specific room characteristics is handled offline and requires manual processing. Monetizing these features is also not possible, and the lack of personalization reduces the competitiveness of accommodation businesses compared to others.

Müller adds, "These problems are a thing of the past with the use of GauVendi. The results our customers achieve with our current solution validate this: significant increases in room revenue, considerable time savings through new automation features, a reduction in phone and email inquiries, and better guest reviews and check-in experiences."