News Briefs

Palmer Digital Group, a full-service supplier and installer of custom indoor and outdoor digital kiosks, display enclosures, and drive-thru digital menu boards, has successfully completed a pilot program with a major QSR that confirms interoperability between its outdoor digital menu board systems (PDG QSRDMB155) and third-party voice AI technology built into its network infrastructure. The eight-month pilot program was tested at six of the QSR’s flagship stores, and the new voice AI-enabled systems will begin deploying to stores early in 2024. Deployments are expected to continue into 2025.

PDG has recently adjusted design characteristics to ensure protection and reliable operability for the new Voice AI technology across the entire PDG ODMB product line. This includes a camera enclosure with swivel to track customers as they order, special speaker and mic enclosures, and electronic component enclosures, all of which protect against weather-related intrusions, vandalism and other damage. PDG’s ODMB series offers single, double, and triple display configurations, with display sizes of 46, 49, and 55 inches.

• 62% of restaurant drive-thru customers prefer to order using either mobile, chatbot, voice, or have no preference as long as their order is correct, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.     

AI can provide a range of benefits for restaurant owners, from gaining insights into customer behaviors to automating tasks and improving efficiency. This customer was particularly interested in how Voice AI technology could bring additional layers of confidence to the customer, and shorten conversational flows to expedite the ordering process and reduce the time of each customer journey.

PDG is also working with two large property developers to design custom AI-enabled outdoor touchscreen kiosks at large premium outlet malls. In this case, AI will be used to gather demographics for suggestive selling based primarily on age and gender. “The camera will play an important role here in gathering demographics once the customer initiates the Voice AI application through a query,” he said. “We worked very closely with this customer as well as our QSR customer to understanding the exact hardware and network infrastructure needed to support their AI visions.”

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. 

Knowland, a provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced an add-on feature explicitly designed to help on-property sales teams better understand and target the right group segments booking in their market. 

Sales teams are often challenged to understand what groups have met in their competitive set. Knowland’s Market Segmentation feature delivers detailed insight into group business activities by market segment, allowing hotel sales teams to adjust sales efforts and amplify meeting and events business strategically. 

• Strategically expand group business through data-driven insights – Knowland’s market segmentation feature was previously only available to above-property management. It became evident that on-property sales teams needed access to the same granular detail to pinpoint performance and determine the top market drivers of actualized group activity by account, market, brand, and competitive set. 
• Compare specific competitive set data and booking share – Drop-down menus provide insight by comparing a hotel’s comp set to their own group booking data. The feature allows teams to drill down into specific market segments by industry and by account name to identify groups who have previously met in that market. This insight enables them to understand their booking share of specific market segments and, in turn, which groups to target. 
• Adjust sales strategy and outperform the competition – Gaining insight into changing group market conditions and competitive intelligence directly impacts a hotel’s ability to stay ahead of the competition. By understanding why a property is being outperformed by the competition, sales leaders can take informed action to shift market share and specifically target those market segments booking in their competitive set. 

Current Knowland customers receive complimentary access to the feature as part of their renewal agreement when executed prior to 12/31/2023 by reaching out to [email protected].  

Jessica Carey, vice president of customer operations, Knowland, said: “This tool helps individual properties gain the insight they need to better understand market segments by industry type and group. Allowing sales teams to align strategies based on where group business is booking in their market informs account-based selling strategies and builds expertise in an industry segment such as Pharmaceuticals or BioTech. This insight is a game changer for sales teams at the property level. 

RoomRaccoon, a cloud-based hotel management software for independent hotels, announced the launch of its enhanced Website Builder, a complete website design and development solution for hoteliers to enhance their online visibility and increase direct bookings.

The enhanced feature offers hoteliers an all-in-one solution to create and manage unique and effective websites that convert visitors into paying guests. With hotel-tailored templates, the RoomRaccoon Website Builder requires no coding skills and only minimal technical and design experience, making it a game-changer in the hospitality industry.

Key features of RoomRaccoon's Website Builder include:

• Unique hotel-tailored templates: Choose from a selection of professionally designed templates that can be easily customized to reflect the unique personality and branding of each hotel.
• Mobile responsiveness: RoomRaccoon's Website Builder automatically optimizes websites for mobile responsiveness, ensuring they look great on all devices.
• Integrated Booking Engine: Integration with RoomRaccoon's powerful booking engine allows for direct reservations, reducing reliance on third-party booking platforms and increasing profitability.
• SEO Optimization: SEO-friendly features, including automatic SSL certification, help websites rank higher in search results, attracting more organic traffic. 
• Analytics and tracking: Track user traffic and engagement with easy integration of popular data tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, Hubspot, and The Hotels Network.
• Secure and Reliable Hosting: RoomRaccoon provides secure hosting, ensuring fast loading times and peace of mind for both hoteliers and website visitors.

Tymen van Dyl, the Founder and CEO of RoomRaccoon, shares, “As the digital landscape continues to evolve, independent hotels face a growing need to establish a robust online presence. A well-designed and functional website is a crucial asset in attracting and retaining guests. We are thrilled to provide our users with a solution that simplifies the process of creating compelling websites that boost direct bookings. Our goal is to empower hoteliers to grow their businesses, reduce their dependence on third-party booking platforms, and ultimately increase their revenue."

RoomRaccoon’s Website Builder is now available to hoteliers worldwide. 

Pepper Lunch, the Japan-born experiential fast-casual concept, with more than 500 locations in 15 countries,  announced a strategic partnership with Revel Systems.

Revel Systems' cloud point of sale (POS) and complete business management platform will be deployed at 125 Pepper Lunch locations.

• 71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

The agreement comes hot on the heels of Pepper Lunch’s first domestic US development agreement, which will bring 10 units over the next five years to the Phoenix, Arizona, area. The remaining 115 units will be deployed as the brand continues to expand.

“We needed more than simply a partner who could create a bespoke solution for our tech stack,” said Pepper Lunch CEO, Troy Hooper. “Revel Systems offered the kind of transformational flexibility and credibility that would enable us to scale for multi-location growth with efficiency and speed.”

The partnership will reinforce Pepper Lunch’s ability to provide their guests with seamless dining experiences and meal options.

• The Revel POS order management system orchestrates a streamlined and optimized process for both on and off-premises orders
• Integrated loyalty programs
• Real-time Data Analytics provides Pepper Lunch with actionable insights, fine-tuning operations and augmenting profitability.
• Revel’s centralized control feature facilitates effortless management of multiple outlets for franchisees, ensuring brand consistency and operational excellence.

Future-Ready

• Pepper Lunch is transitioning to incorporate self-order kiosks, complemented by a human hospitality host to assist in the ordering journey. This hybrid approach aims to blend the efficiency of digital ordering with human interaction.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing an automated digital makeline in collaboration with Hyphen, a foodservice platform designed to help restaurant owners, operators, and budding chefs move their business forward by automating kitchen operations. Bowls and salads are created by an automated system that moves the entrées through the bottom makeline where ingredients for the order are dispensed automatically. In tandem, a Chipotle team member can leverage the top makeline to create burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid's meals for the same digital order.

How It Works

1. Digital orders would be placed via the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com, or third-party platforms.  
2. If the order included a bowl or salad, those entrées would be routed to Hyphen's automated system. The bowl traverses along the bottom makeline and positions itself under the specified ingredient container. The intelligent dispensers dynamically portion each ingredient into the bowl. If the order included burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or kid's meals, a Chipotle team member would use the top of the same makeline to create those entrées.
3. The completed bowl or salad would be raised from the bottom makeline and revealed at the end of the makeline through an opening in the countertop. A Chipotle team member would place a lid on the entrée and add any final items such as chips, side salsas, or guacamole to the order.
4. Completed orders would be placed in their designated pick-up area: in-restaurant pickup shelves, walk-up window, or Chipotlane.

Employee & Guest Experience

Approximately 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, so the cobotic digital makeline has the potential to free up more time for employees to service the front makeline and deliver exceptional hospitality, while simultaneously increasing capacity for digital orders during peak periods.

The new digital makeline could also help enhance digital order accuracy, improving the guest experience.

• 71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

"Chipotle's new digital makeline built by Hyphen embodies our commitment to leveraging robotics to unlock the human potential of our workforce, ensuring an elevated dining experience for our guests," said Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer. "Our goal is to have the automated digital makeline be the centerpiece of all our restaurants' digital kitchens." 

Chipotle's Investment in Hyphen

Chipotle invested in Hyphen as part of Cultivate Next, the company's $50 million venture fund that intends to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that further its mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate its aggressive growth plans. As a people-first company, Chipotle is seeking opportunities that will elevate the human experience for its teams as well as increase access and convenience for its guests. Investments may include innovations in farming and supply chain, advanced robotics, alternative proteins, and more.

Through Cultivate Next, Chipotle also invested in Vebu, a product development company that works with food industry leaders to co-create intelligent automation and technology solutions. Earlier this year, Chipotle and Vebu unveiled the Autocado, an avocado processing cobotic prototype that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed to create the restaurant's famous guacamole. 

image courtesy of Chipotle