News Briefs

Encore, a global event technology and production services provider, confirmed today the launch of its pioneering ‘Overtime Savings Program’ in the United States, along with additional people-first programs to further support its ongoing workforce in a seasonal industry.

Powered by UKG’s payroll technology, this first-of-its-kind program aims to enhance financial wellness and stability for Encore’s frontline employees, many of whom work in markets that experience seasonal ebb and flow of business volumes.

With 12,000 team members providing event technology and production services at 2,200 hotels and conference venues in 20 countries, Encore faces the same challenges common in the hospitality industry. Seasonal fluctuations often result in workers’ hours varying from ample overtime during peak times to reduced schedules in off-season periods. This seasonality makes it difficult for workers to maintain consistent earnings and creates challenges for companies to retain talent in the off season.

“Encore has always believed its team members are the heart of our story. This people-first mindset motivates us to constantly evolve our team member experience and innovate around challenges, like the impact of seasonality, that the industry previously viewed as immutable,” said Ben Erwin, president and CEO of Encore.

In addition to the Overtime Savings Program, the company launched a Seasonal Leave of Absence Program, which offers team members the flexibility to take time off during slower seasons while retaining full benefits, accruing paid time off, and maintaining their tenure. This unique program enables employees to explore other work opportunities, pursue education, or focus on personal goals without sacrificing benefits or career progression. Both the Overtime Savings and Seasonal Leave of Absence Programs are active nationwide, with plans for global expansion.

“We established the program as another way to support our team members so that they can be at their best in delivering for our customers,” Erwin added. “With this innovation, they can better plan and save their premium overtime pay for periods of the year when they might not work as many hours. Providing this capability and funding a company-paid match for a portion of the savings should motivate financial wellness and enable them to continue to build their career with Encore. Team member reactions tell us we are onto something,” he said.

With a launch just after Labor Day, usage of the UKG Wallet™ increased tenfold compared to the prior year’s period. he company offered an initial savings match, similar to a 401k program incentive match, to reward healthy financial behavior.

“Financial stress is not a problem isolated to our industry, it’s a stressor for nearly everyone,” said Charlie Young, chief human resources officer at Encore. “Nearly 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck¹ and Americans spent $9B in bank overdraft fees in 2023. The more we can do to reduce stress for our team members, the more focused they can be on our customers. We are successful in the event production business because of the unique combination of our technical expertise, hospitality mindset and ability to work under pressure and through challenges. Seasonal fluctuations are part of our business, but with a partner like UKG that understands every industry has unique challenges, we were able to innovate to support those unique needs to make our team members’ lives better.”

Cody Browne, a technical lead with five years of service for Encore in Las Vegas, said he will try the Overtime Savings program, in addition to accruing and saving his Paid Time Off, for the slow season in December in Las Vegas. He hopes the vacation time, in addition to the saved overtime funds, will afford him an out-of-state vacation to visit family. “I love that Encore is creating new opportunities, that’s one of the reasons I am interested in growing my career here,” he said.

HungerRush, a provider of integrated restaurant management solutions, launches Feedback, a new customer engagement tool designed to capture real-time, actionable insights from guests to help enhance customer experiences and drive business growth. 

A recent HungerRush survey found 77% of diners prefer restaurants with good service reviews, and 63% of guests said they would avoid a restaurant with poor food quality reviews. This means responding to customer feedback and prompting customers to share positive reviews online is crucial for success. To help ensure customers feel heard, HungerRush developed Feedback to benefit both parties.

The new offering, Feedback, simplifies the process of capturing customer feedback so restaurants can take immediate action, implement changes, address customers directly, and improve the overall customer experience. As a result, restaurants can increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat customers.

“The guest feedback tool has made a positive impact on our operation. It gives us direct insight into our guests’ experience,” said Joel Mills, Co-founder of Piesano’s. “It also allows us to directly communicate and follow up with them. The tool organizes surveys so they are easy to view and sort through to help manage operations.”

Feedback offers a suite of features tailored to meet the unique needs of the restaurant industry:

• Customized Digital Surveys: After placing an online order, customers receive a survey that can be customized by the restaurant, allowing them to share feedback about their experience.
• Google Review Integration: 5-star responses automatically prompt customers to share their experiences on Google, boosting online visibility and enhancing the restaurant's reputation.
• Real-Time Issue Resolution: All feedback, whether positive or negative, notifies designated managers or staff members in real-time, enabling them to access detailed order information and respond directly to customers, ensuring every customer feels heard and valued.
• Centralized Feedback Dashboard: The comprehensive dashboard consolidates survey data across all locations, providing valuable insights, trend analysis, and actionable data to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Appreciation Campaigns: Automatically rewards customers who leave positive & passive feedback with customized offers, encouraging repeat visits and building brand loyalty.

"At HungerRush, we build technology that makes it easy to deliver an outstanding customer experience," said Eran Hollander, Chief Product Officer at HungerRush. "With Feedback, restaurants have a powerful tool that helps them understand their customers and empowers them to take proactive steps to increase satisfaction in a situation they otherwise have little control over. It builds back the ever-important restaurant-customer relationship."

Feedback is an invaluable new addition to HungerRush's comprehensive suite of restaurant management solutions. It offers a unified tool where operators can manage customer insights, enhance guest experiences, and create brand champions.

For more information about Feedback and how it can transform your restaurant's customer engagement strategy, please visit www.hungerrush.com/feedback.

Power Knot LLC, a provider of on-site organic waste management solutions, announced the successful implementation of its LFC-50 biodigester at fine dining gem Somni, led by renowned Chef Aitor Zabala. As part of Somni's reopening in West Hollywood, California, this partnership underscores the restaurant's commitment to sustainability and highlights the substantial benefits of integrating advanced waste management technology into the fine dining experience.

Somni, named after the Catalan word for dream, has always blended culinary artistry with innovation. With its upcoming reopening on November 26, Somni is taking this philosophy to the next level by incorporating sustainable practices into both the front and back of the house.  The restaurant, set to offer an exclusive dining experience to 14 guests nightly, features a brand new kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment, including the LFC-50 biodigester.

The LFC-50 biodigester, a stainless steel machine, converts food waste into water through an aerobic digestion process. This technology reduces the volume of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills, helping businesses comply with environmental regulations such as California's Senate Bill 1383, which mandates reducing methane emissions by diverting organic waste through sustainable practices.

"In our kitchen, there's no room for waste—whether it's time, space, or food," stated Zabala. "The LFC-50 biodigester allows us to manage food scraps efficiently, reducing the risk of pests and ensuring that we maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and sustainability. It's an honor to be the first restaurant in the greater Los Angeles region to adopt this technology, as it reflects our commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility."

By integrating the LFC-50 biodigester into its operations, Somni not only meets these environmental mandates but also sets an example for fine dining establishments aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. The biodigester's automated process enables Somni's kitchen staff to focus on delivering exceptional culinary experiences while maintaining a commitment to its ecological footprint.

Power Knot LLC is proud to support Somni in its efforts to create a more sustainable future. As more restaurants and businesses recognize the importance of sustainable practices, Power Knot's LFC biodigesters offer a practical, efficient solution for managing organic waste.

Paying for hotel stays is more secure than ever before thanks to an integration between the All-In-One Cloud or On-Premise Maestro PMS solutions’ embedded payment platform, MezzoPay, and the b4checkin (b4) online payment solution, TransForm. MezzoPay embeds all payments for credit-card processing directly into the hotel PMS, enabling hotels to offer a seamless end-to-end payment experience from booking to check out. This partnership is also supporting hoteliers in their fight against chargebacks and fraud by fully obscuring credit card information through card-not-present (CNP) transactions, and other fraud prevention features.

b4’s TransForm payment platform enables hoteliers to set simple card entry failure limits that assist in avoiding fraud while presenting easily applied best practices to help operators win against chargebacks and retain their revenue. TransForm’s secure online payment portal enhances Maestro’s MezzoPay solution by further building trust between consumers and merchants. MezzoPay’s embedded credit card payment processing features allow hoteliers to retain all guest purchases in-house on one secure system.

“Hoteliers are watching out for ways to prevent fraud and reduce chargebacks without any sacrifice to guest service excellence,” said Steve Miles, COO of b4checkin. “Maestro’s embedded payment processing solution goes a long way toward improving traveler and hotelier confidence by providing secure, efficient payment transactions. Through our connection with Maestro’s MezzoPay gateway, we are able to support hotels by ensuring they are PCI compliant and well protected against fraud. Together, we are creating a safer, more reliable payment processing experience for all travelers and hoteliers.”

Secure, Fast, Trustworthy

Improving payment processing should be at the top of hoteliers’ priority lists this year, as reducing chargebacks and fraud can help protect your business from significant losses. According to a study by Juniper Research and the Chargeback Gurus, the travel and hospitality industries received roughly $25 billion in chargebacks in 2023. When merchants receive chargebacks, they not only lose the value of a sale but incur additional fees. Often, merchants are targeted through CNP transactions or any transaction made where the cardholder is not physically present at the merchant’s PIN or card reader. This approach allows fraud to persist by sidestepping the hotel’s PCI compliance, and transactions can be carried out via email exchanges, SMS correspondence, and more. This partnership also has the advantage of eliminating outdated methods of exchanging payment details, such as through email, SMS correspondence and paper credit card authorization forms.

Some of the benefits of the MezzoPay / TransForm integration include:

Directly emailing customer payment requests with links to personalized, secure online payment pages designed for your hotel and for the individual transaction.

Confirmation of amount and authorizations are input directly by the cardholder to confirm the amount they are paying immediately as well as any authorization of future charges that the hotel may process throughout the stay.
Instant payment processing, which is verified in real-time and processed by MezzoPay for your next deposit. Credit card information is encrypted and, when interfaced, stored securely in your system.

“TransForm has been a heavily requested feature for some time, and we are excited to announce that it is officially available for integration with Maestro PMSs’ MezzoPay embedded payments platform,” said Warren Dehan, Maestro President. “TransForm is simple and effective in consolidating payments and streamlining the payment process for hoteliers. For that reason, we are eager to begin offering these features to Mastro’s clients, further empowering their payment processing capabilities.”

Cisco and MGM Resorts International announce that the companies have signed a Whole Portfolio Agreement, empowering MGM Resorts with the majority of Cisco's software portfolio. This includes cybersecurity, software defined networking, software defined-WAN, digital experience assurance, full-stack observability, data center and services. This agreement spans 5.5 years, benefiting guests and employees across all of MGM Resorts' properties.

The agreement will enable the automation of MGM Resort's network. This will pave the way for future location services and next-generation machine learning applications in the gaming and hospitality industry, unlocking new channels of guest engagement. Additionally, Cisco technology will ensure uptime and security—essential for the delivery of exceptional guest experiences in its 24/7 operations.

"Guests expect world-class hospitality from MGM Resorts, and technology helps us deliver," said Branden Newman, Chief Technology Officer, MGM Resorts International. "The new agreement with Cisco will give our employees the technology, speed and agility they need as we continue to deliver amazing guest experiences at all MGM Resorts' destinations."

Cisco and MGM Resorts' relationship dates back many years, with Cisco technology playing an integral role in MGM Resorts' operations.

The WPA strengthens this relationship. Together, the companies will ensure MGM Resorts' employees have secure access to all applications so they can continue to transform the business. Additionally, the deployment supports MGM Resorts' sustainability goals as Cisco's portfolio can be used to reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency and enable more circular business models.

"At Cisco, we securely connect everything to make anything possible," said Scott Herren, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Cisco. "We are excited to continue our partnership with MGM Resorts in this next phase of their digital transformation. With decades of technology and expertise, Cisco aims to help MGM Resorts navigate into the future and simplify processes to drive innovation at scale."

"As the lead Cisco partner on this WPA, we look forward to delivering the outcomes expected by MGM Resorts as part of its digital transformation plans," added Marco Mohajer, President, Technologent. "Equipped with data from across the business, we can predict and proactively address MGM Resorts' technology and communication needs to deliver an exceptional customer experience."

Serve Robotics Inc., an autonomous robotic delivery company,  announced its agreement to acquire the assets of Vebu Inc.

Financial terms of the all-stock transaction were not disclosed and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

Vebu's signature robotic product, the Autocado cuts, cores and scoops avocados to prepare guacamole. The Autocado allows employees to load up to 25 pounds of avocados into the device and walk away to focus on serving customers and preparing other items. It is in pilot testing in Chipotle's Huntington Beach, Calif. restaurant.

The transaction is expected to unlock key opportunities:

• Deeper Partnerships: The acquisition is expected to strengthen Serve’s competitive position by providing its restaurant partners with a suite of automation solutions and expanding Serve’s offering beyond delivery into back-of-house automation. Vebu will help Serve become a more integral partner to restaurants, accelerating partner adoption as Serve expands its geographic footprint in new cities across the U.S. 
• Increased Market Opportunity: By introducing Vebu's back-of-house automation to Serve's existing offering, Serve intends to open up new market opportunities by addressing a broader range of operational needs for restaurants. This aligns well with Serve’s recent expansion into delivery over all distances through its partnership with Wing Aviation, together making Serve one of the most comprehensive automation providers in the restaurant industry.
• New Partners: Vebu’s existing partnership with leading restaurant companies such as Chipotle will extend Serve’s existing business relationships, which include Shake Shack and 7-Eleven, among others. 

Vebu's founder and CEO Buck Jordan will join Serve Robotics as SVP of Kitchen Automation upon closing the transaction. He will continue to lead the Vebu team, overseeing Autocado’s continued development, and driving additional innovations on the product roadmap. Mr. Jordan, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded Miso Robotics, brings deep expertise and connections in kitchen automation that will bolster Serve’s ability to address the automation needs of the restaurant industry. 

Related:  Chipotle Adds Avocado-Processing Robot

"By adding Vebu's pioneering kitchen automation capabilities to our autonomous delivery offering, we will be uniquely positioned to utilize robotics and AI to solve the labor shortages plaguing the restaurant industry. This acquisition underscores our commitment to helping our partners operate more efficiently and to expanding our partnerships with national chain restaurants. We are thrilled to have Buck and his accomplished team pioneering an innovative technology join us once we close this transaction,” said Dr. Ali Kashani, CEO and co-founder of Serve Robotics.

Buck Jordan, founder and CEO of Vebu, commented, “I am thrilled to join Serve Robotics once this transaction closes. I have known the Serve team and supported them since the early days as an investor. This is an exciting opportunity to merge our efforts, experience, and expertise to bring groundbreaking automation to a wider audience. Together, we will strive to provide a suite of automation solutions that will change the future of restaurant operations.”

Upon closing, Vebu will join Serve with a balance sheet that supports its operations to complete its pilot with Chipotle and Serve does not anticipate undertaking additional financing to support this transaction. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Serve’s core business and long-term strategy to be a leader in restaurant automation.