News Briefs

Google Cloud has expanded its multi-year partnership with Papa Johns to revolutionize the pizza maker's ordering and delivery experience using the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Through the partnership Papa Johns has created an innovation team, named PJX, that will leverage Google Cloud's AI, data analytics and machine learning (ML) capabilities to provide a more frictionless and consistent experience for customers both inside its restaurants and throughout its digital channels.

Through its partnership with Google Cloud, Papa Johns expects to drive success through increased order frequency, higher-value orders, reduced customer service costs, improved customer satisfaction (via a chatbot powered by Google Cloud's technology) – and ultimately, more joyful pizza experiences.

 "Our partnership with Google Cloud will enable us to take personalization to the next level. We're not just reacting to orders – we're anticipating our customers' needs and proactively providing tailored recommendations and offers. This isn't just about convenience; it's about creating a truly joyful and personalized pizza experience that builds lasting loyalty," said Todd Penegor, President and CEO, Papa Johns.

PJX will focus on using Google Cloud's AI to improve customer support, drive advanced personalization and build proactive experiences "from click to crust." Key projects for the team include:

• Anticipation of customer needs: Using Google BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Gemini, Papa Johns will proactively suggest orders through push notifications or email, based on learned customer preferences and anticipated needs for upcoming occasions like birthdays or sporting events.
• Hyper-personalized loyalty experiences: By applying Google's generative AI (gen AI) models against its data, Papa Johns can help optimize loyalty program rewards and benefits. In addition, the pizza maker will be equipped with real-time personalization that dynamically adjusts the website and app experience for users, such as presenting unique discount codes or advertisements based on previous orders, customer preferences, location, and more.
• Predictive ordering and personalized marketing: Using Google Cloud's AI, Papa Johns will be able to predict customer ordering patterns to provide relevant promotions and ordering shortcuts. This also includes AI-driven marketing campaigns that can deliver personalized offers, content, and timing based on preferences.
• AI-powered customer interactions: Papa Johns plans to build an AI-powered chatbot that can handle common customer inquiries, seamlessly escalating complex issues to live agents. The pizza maker will also incorporate AI-powered voice ordering via the app to further enhance convenience.
• Optimized restaurant operations: Papa Johns will transition to a Google Cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system that lays the foundation for AI-driven dispatching, route optimization, and intelligent automation of key restaurant processes.

"Throughout its history, Papa Johns has been at the forefront of technology innovation – and its innovation team understands that AI has the power to transform the customer experience into something truly special," said Matt Renner, President, Global Revenue, Google Cloud. "Google Cloud's portfolio of data, analytics, and AI capabilities is helping Papa Johns deliver proactive, hyper-personalized service that goes above and beyond for its customers, building relationships that will keep customers coming back for more."

Hi Auto, a startup pioneering AI-powered voice technology for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, has raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Delek Motors, the Zisapel Family, Vasuki Tech Fund, and a publicly traded strategic investor from the restaurant sector. The new funding, which brings Hi Auto's total capital raised to $23 million, also included participation from Allied Group, Goldbell Investments, and the Meir Barel Group. In addition to the funding, Hi Auto has secured a $4 million credit line to support its growth and expansion efforts.

Hi Auto's software-as-a-service platform automates drive-thru order-taking, delivering over 96% order accuracy and over 90% order completion rate. As labor costs surge—especially following California's $20/hour minimum wage for fast-food workers—QSR operators are struggling to maintain speed, accuracy, and profitability at the drive-thru. Hi Auto tackles this challenge by offloading the entire ordering process to AI, freeing employees to focus on higher-value tasks like food prep and guest engagement.

"Rising labor costs and labor turnover continue to strain restaurant operations," said Roy Baharav, CEO and co-founder of Hi Auto. "Our AI-powered ordering system acts like an always-available drive-thru specialist—one that never calls in sick, delivers near-perfect accuracy, and can upsell consistently. This funding will help us expand our footprint and refine our product as we become a trusted partner with leading QSR brands."

Hi Auto's customer roster includes iconic names such as Bojangles, Checkers & Rally's, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, Burger King New Zealand, and Popeyes UK. In addition to these marquee customers, the company is running multiple paid pilots with top-tier QSR chains in the U.S. and abroad. Hi Auto's leverages advanced noise-cancellation, and a specialized language model tuned to chaotic drive-thru environments, reducing order errors even amid indecisive customers, background chatter, car engines, or thunderstorms.

Dynamic Upselling for Bigger Ticket Sizes

One standout feature of Hi Auto's technology is dynamic upselling. Its AI algorithmically recommends add-ons or premium items in real-time based on factors like store inventory, daypart, and weather. According to the company, these context-aware nudges have helped boost average ticket sizes, making the AI more than just a cost-cutting measure—it's also a revenue driver.

"Whether it's lunchtime at a busy urban drive-thru or late-night in a suburban setting, we can determine which products to promote and when," said Baharav. "We've seen increased check sizes directly impacting the bottom line."

Founding Team & Technology

Hi Auto was launched in 2019 by Baharav, Eyal Shapira (CTO), and the late Zohar Zisapel, a notable figure in Israel's tech ecosystem. Baharav, who previously led product and business roles at Google, including the launch of Google's Smart Shopping Campaigns, has a background in building and deploying large-scale retail-focused AI solutions. Before joining Hi Auto, Shapira spent over 20 years in software R&D, including founding AI-driven startups. Today, the company employs 100 people worldwide.

Photo credit: Hi Auto

As the Trump administration imposes new reciprocal tariffs with U.S. trading parters, the hospitality industry will feel the impact -- including on imported food and beverages.  

National Restaurant Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo released this statement about the new tariffs, which vary from 10 to 54%.  

“Applying new tariffs at this scale will create change and disruption that restaurant operators will have to navigate to keep their restaurants open. The biggest concerns for restaurant operators—from community restaurants to national brands—are that tariffs will hike food and packaging costs and add uncertainty to managing availability, while pushing prices up for consumers. 

"Restaurant operators know consumers are very sensitive to costs and have kept menu price increases to 30%, while their food costs have gone up 40% in the last five years. 

“Restaurant operators rely on a stable supply of fresh ingredients year-round to provide the menu items their customers want and expect. Many restaurant operators source as many domestic ingredients as they can, but it’s simply not possible for U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce the volumes needed to support consumer demand. 

"During this time of change, we’ll provide our members of all sizes with economic research to support their decision making and convene supply chain experts across the industry to share efforts for the best outcomes for restaurant consumers and the business viability of restaurants.

"The National Restaurant Association will also continue to share with the White House the real-life challenges these changes present for restaurant operators and ask to have food and beverages exempted from these tariffs.”
 

PONANT EXPLORATIONS, a French cruise ship operator and world leader in luxury expeditions, is enhancing its fleet of 13 intimate ships with Oracle Simphony Cloud point-of-sale (POS). With the mobile POS, PONANT EXPLORATIONS will have the tools and real-time insights needed to operate its food and beverage operations more efficiently, elevate passenger experiences, and support revenue growth. The pilot ship rollout of Simphony is planned to start in May 2025, with the rest of the fleet expected to go live by the end of the year.

PONANT EXPLORATIONS goal is to provide the best possible experiences and meet the changing needs of our guests,” said Jean-Louis Cambert, CIO, PONANT EXPLORATIONS. “With Oracle Simphony’s mobile-enabled POS, our staff will be able to deliver exceptional service from fine dining to the pool bar or stateroom service, making their jobs easier and on-board service more seamless. From an IT perspective, this project allows us to simplify our infrastructure through a full SaaS environment for the ‘On Shore’ side.”

Casting off in the cloud

A long time Oracle customer, PONANT EXPLORATIONS is already using Shipboard Property Management and Fleet Management aboard its ships. With Simphony, it will now have a comprehensive and individual ship view of reservations, its most popular menu items, inventory, and more. In addition to giving staff the ability to take orders from anywhere, this transition will also enable guests to use self-ordering options and give them the convenience of being able to pay with their preferred methods, including stateroom charge, credit card, and mobile pay.   

“With advances in connectivity, cruise lines are now able to benefit from all the advantages of regular innovations delivered in the cloud,” said Alex Alt, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Consumer Industries. “Using our comprehensive suite of cruise line solutions, PONANT EXPLORATIONS will have the tools and data intelligence to help better manage its on-board operations from room management to restaurants to deliver an exceptional experience to its guests.”

CRISP & GREEN  formally announced the move to transition away from the original franchise model through strategic acquisitions of existing franchise groups and locations. This move also marks the return of founder Steele Smiley back into the role of Chief Executive Officer. After formally rejoining in Q3 2024, Smiley partnered with the company leadership team to lead a strategic shift away from a predominantly franchised model, guiding the company to become a majority corporate-owned brand.

The move to become a mostly corporate system was prompted by a desire to regain brand consistency and operational control across a national footprint of locations of almost 50 locations. In late 2024, the company started the process of becoming a mostly corporate-owned system by acquiring several existing franchise groups and locations throughout the country. Today, almost 50 percent of CRISP & GREEN locations are corporately owned, with additional acquisitions and new locations underway.

Still Franchising

While Smiley's vision is to operate a majority of CRISP & GREEN locations, there still remains an opportunity for enterprise-level operators to become franchise partners. Late last year, two new groups with significant multi-unit and multi-brand experience joined the brand and have already started on their development schedule. The OM group, led by Kalpesh Patel and based outside of Chicago, operates several brands including over 50 Dunkin locations and 15 Wing Stop locations. M3 Holdings, led by Alex Mortenson, has experience in both the restaurant space and wellness space, specifically in the Planet Fitness brand. Collectively, the two groups have committed to opening 37 locations over the next couple of years, helping the business progress towards its next milestone of 100 restaurants.

"As we transition to a new model, we are redefining and repledging our commitment to the core values that have guided us since our founding," said Smiley, founder and CEO of CRISP & GREEN. "Our focus is on delivering outstanding food, providing elevated hospitality experiences, and supporting the wellness of our communities. I'm excited to lead us into this new chapter of growth and continue our journey to transform the way people think about and access healthy living."

Founded in 2016, Minnesota-based CRISP & GREEN is rooted in the belief that wellness improves every aspect of life, from ourselves to the community around us. Originally hailing from the fitness industry, Smiley had the simple idea that people shouldn't have to choose between a quick meal and a healthy one. He created CRISP & GREEN to provide scratch-made food in a fast-casual setting that's both healthy and delicious. In addition, CRISP & GREEN is dedicated to supporting guests' wellness journeys outside the kitchen by offering complimentary fitness classes to each community it's located in. Today, CRISP & GREEN continues to thrive as a privately held company with the founding team still firmly at the helm, driving the brand's vision and success based on its founding principles.

BirchStreet Systems, a provider of cloud-based procure-to-pay solutions for the hospitality industry, announces the extension of its strategic partnership with Aramark, a global leader in food services, facilities management and hospitality procurement solutions. This multi-year agreement further solidifies the strong relationship between the companies, showcasing the ongoing success and trust that has been established over the past several years of working seamlessly with mutual clients around the globe.

Through this extended partnership, Aramark continues to leverage BirchStreet's state-of-the-art eProcurement, accounts payable and inventory management solutions to streamline its extensive procurement processes. These tools help Aramark improve visibility into its supply chain, enhance operational efficiency and drive down costs across its diverse portfolio of services, which includes meal planning, vending services, restaurant management and more.

The partnership has played a pivotal role in ensuring that Aramark remains agile and responsive to the needs of its diverse client base, which includes major hotel brands, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, sports & entertainment venues, and large corporate clients. By leveraging BirchStreet’s robust platform, Aramark is able to manage the complexity of its global operations, reduce administrative costs and optimize its procurement strategies. This has proven crucial as Aramark continues to expand its reach and innovate in its service offerings, maintaining a commitment to sustainability and customer satisfaction.

“At BirchStreet, we are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Aramark. Their commitment to excellence in food services and facilities management aligns perfectly with our mission to drive innovation and operational improvement in the hospitality industry,” said John McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer and President ofBirchStreet Systems. “We are proud to be a trusted partner, and we look forwardt o further supporting Aramark’s global operations with our leading-edge procure-to-pay platform.”