In addition to a new offering that can create content on the fly with OpenAI’s GPT, Popmenu is sharing an advance peek at an AI feature that automatically recommends email, text, social, and event marketing campaigns based on guest behavior, order history, previous campaign performance and other inputs.

Popmenu’s platform captures complete data about a restaurant’s guests, enables the restaurant to easily connect with guests and nurture relationships, and simplifies operations to ease pressure on staff as the business grows. Everything is built to provide restaurants with more control over their day-to-day with consolidated systems and better guest experiences.

• 63% of restaurants say their top strategic goal is improving digital customer engagement, according to HT's 25th annual Restaurant Technology Study

Popmenu is showcasing its latest AI offerings at the National Restaurant Association Show.

• Read more tech-centric National Restaurant Association Show news on HT

Automated Social Posts: Popmenu has always helped restaurants get more from their menu and website. Now, Popmenu scans the restaurant’s entire website to recommend social posts each week promoting popular dishes, upcoming events, new reviews, opportunities to sign up as a VIP, and more. Operators can easily post an image and caption generated by OpenAI’s GPT on their social channels in a matter of seconds and, if they don’t like the caption, the technology will instantly rewrite it until they do.

Advisor: Popmenu is showcasing the current version of its marketing recommendation feature as well as an exclusive sneak peek at the advanced version rolling out in the back half of the year. Show attendees can see how Popmenu automatically weaves marketing advice into its platform for guest outreach, ordering events, and other activities based on guest actions, online ordering history, effectiveness of prior campaigns, and more. For example, “This email offer generated $5,000 in online orders in March. You should run it again this week!”

Popmenu will also roll out an automated, preset, monthly marketing calendar with suggested copy and images for social posts, emails, texts, and more based on guest behavior, effectiveness of prior communications, customer input, and best practices.

Performance Overviews: Popmenu recently released dashboards that not only provide performance data, but make it easy to identify next best actions. They are also available via Popmenu’s app.

Applova Inc., a provider of restaurant digital ordering technology, is partnering with Samsung Electronics America Inc. to launch the all-inclusive kiosk to provide contactless ordering and payment solutions.  

With the integrated Applova software, Samsung kiosks deliver end-to-end automation to manage every aspect of transactional ordering. The all-in-one kiosks come equipped with a high-definition touch-screen, card terminal, printers, and more. Samsung touch-screen display enhances customers’ purchasing experience with clear and crisp visuals to attract customers. Applova’s intelligent user interface provides personalized, multi-tier upselling on every transaction by making recommendations of targeted and relevant add-ons. Clover merchants can easily install the kiosk solution and seamlessly synchronize it with their dashboard.

• Adding new features, functionalities, and modules to existing POS is a priority for 71% of respondents, according to HT’s  2023 POS Software Trends Report.

Applova kiosk solution reduces queues, increases consumer spending, drives customer engagement, and repeat orders through loyalty programs.

SpotOn unveiled the new SpotOn Restaurant, which combines the restaurant point-of-sale software with a suite of proprietary, patent-pending hardware designed by SpotOn. The new SpotOn Restaurant was built for efficiency, reliability, and ease of use, making it easier for restaurant staff to deliver a seamless experience for their guests.

As a majority of restaurant operators describe their restaurant's technology as lagging rather than leading*, SpotOn set out to build a suite of premium hardware to meet the evolving needs of a modern restaurant. This includes the 15.6” Station, the 10” Counter, and the 6.5” Handheld, designed with input from highly-respected restaurant owners and operators in SpotOn’s Restaurant Advisory Council. 

• Adding new features, functionalities, and modules to existing POS is a priority for 71% of respondents, according to HT’s  2023 POS Software Trends Report.

• Station, the 15.6” point-of-sale features a HD touchscreen with a slender design that makes it quick and easy for servers to input orders from large menus with many modifiers while maintaining a small footprint. The Station is offered in multiple configurations, including an attached or detached guest-facing display, base payment reader, or side-mounted payment reader, all featuring contactless and dip payments technology. 
• Counter, the 10” point-of-sale is ideal for limited counter space and smaller menus. The Counter offers contactless and dip payments technology and an optional guest-facing display to help improve speed and accuracy. 
• Handheld, the 6.5” mobile point-of-sale is designed to increase the speed of service and comes with a leather hand strap for easy handling. The Handheld features integrated contactless and dip payments technology, enabling seamless tableside payment with a screen that automatically flips to face the guest. Operators can choose to include a laser scanner for loyalty sign-ups and redemptions.

• Read more tech-centric National Restaurant Association Show news on HT

Based on input from its clients and advisors, SpotOn prioritized efficiency, reliability, and ease of use for restaurant staff and guests alike. 

“When you’re operating high-volume restaurants, every minute counts,” said Benson Wang, Owner of Palm House Hospitality and member of SpotOn’s Restaurant Advisory Council. “The upgraded SpotOn Handheld with larger screens will make a major difference in speed and accuracy, making it easier for our team and giving them more time to focus on our guests.”  

SpotOn will begin rolling out its new SpotOn Restaurant hardware in Q4. As part of the rollout, SpotOn is partnering with FIS to become a payment facilitator, providing more end-to-end control of payment processing for its clients. This will also open up tokenization, giving SpotOn clients a more in-depth view of their customer’s preferences and purchasing habits to provide a more personalized experience. 

Jurny Inc.'s. newest product, JurnyOS 2.0, is powered by GPT-4 and features dynamic AI tools designed to connect, optimize and automate operational tasks and guest management.

JurnyOS 2.0 Highlights:

• Nia is Jurny's advanced AI assistant built on GPT-4, which can automate tasks and enhance customer service while improving operational efficiency. It is already more accurate at many tasks than the average human agent and, thanks to generative AI, is rapidly improving each day; Nia can already handle full conversations with guests, making it infinitely scalable.
• Jurny now offers a completely free PMS leveraging generative AI to assist hosts with managing their properties. With no onboarding fees, an intuitive UI, and the help of virtual assistant Nia, properties are live in minutes.
• Jurny's new OS and PMS feature an integration for Airbnb. Property managers can sign in once to seamlessly connect to the Airbnb platform, sync content and historical data, update rates and availability, and receive bookings in real-time from the easy-to-use Jurny platform.
• Jurny offers a natively integrated technology stack, including popular tools like Wheelhouse, Autohost, Minut and others for advanced analytics & reporting, channel management, reputation management, electronic payments, IoT access control, website development and more.

For more information about Jurny's  hospitality technology ecosystem and to try its PMS with Nia for free, visit www.jurny.com.

LG Business Solutions USA will debut the new innovative LG CLOi ServeBot (model LDLTR30) restaurant-focused service robot at the National Restaurant Association Show 2023 in Chicago May 20-23. 

Restauranteurs visiting the LG booth 6875 will be able to learn about the upgraded CLOi ServeBot making it even easier for restaurant owners to improve staff efficiency, safely deliver large amounts of food and dishes at once and provide patrons a futuristic experience that encourages repeat visits and word-of-mouth promotion via social media. 

Operating up to 11 hours on a single charge, the new CLOi ServeBot offers impressive customization options to meet the needs of various restaurant types. Customer-facing enhancements are primarily achieved through the 10.1-inch, 1200x800 full-color touchscreen, which can display menus, specials, videos, “last call” messages or a friendly digital robot face.

• Read more tech-centric National Restaurant Association Show news on HT 

By increasing shelf size, adding a fourth shelf and making the shelves removable and adjustable with 2.8 inches of vertical movement, the new CLOi ServeBot increases total carrying capacity by 33 percent and ensures capability to fit items of any size. 

At the end of its “shift”, or when power is low, the CLOi ServeBot can automatically return to the optional charging stand, which provides a full charge in just 3.5 hours, versus 4.5 hours from a 120V wall outlet. 

In addition to the new robot, LG is debuting two display products at the show –  the new 21.5-inch Outdoor Order Confirmation Display (model 22XE1J) that provides drive-through users with real-time order confirmation. The IP56-rated display can be mounted in horizontal or vertical orientation and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient lighting, up to a maximum of 1,500 nits. It can be used in virtually any environment and is rated for temperatures from -30 degrees to 50 degrees Celsius. 

Also new is the 27-inch LG Kiosk, (model 27KC3PK-C) which allows restaurants to offer customers a self-service ordering station. Its 1080p HD screen ensures consistent excellent image quality and legibility, while the tabletop design enables simple placement and installation. It includes a QR Code reader, integrated credit card/chip reader and receipt printer, so orders can be completed in one place. 

Coca-Cola will showcase  Coca-Cola Flex  powered by Freestyle, a new beverage dispenser that offers an enhanced guest experience while reducing operational complexity.

With more than 40 beverage choices available in the same footprint as standard 6-valve fountain dispensers, Coca-Cola Flex combines the benefits of traditional fountain dispensers with the innovation and variety offered by Coca-Cola Freestyle. The next-generation dispenser is debuting at the 2023 National Restaurant Association Show on May 19 in Chicago.

• Read more tech-centric National Restaurant Association Show news on HT 

With its sleek design, user-friendly interface, cutting-edge technology and over 40 beverage choices, Coca-Cola Flex creates an exciting beverage-pouring experience for foodservice guests. In addition to providing a simple installation and maintenance for operators, features of the front-of-house dispenser include:

•  PurePour™ Technology: Coca-Cola Flex uses carefully crafted recipes with micro-dosing pumps and proprietary PurePour™ technology to dispense the proper ingredients at the point of pour. The result is quality, fresh beverages from every pour.
• New Design: The new dispenser boasts a 15” HD touchscreen display for smoother navigation and an engaging consumer experience.
• Improved Crew Operations: Using and maintaining the Flex is easier with a new user-friendly interface, easier access to inventory alerts, quicker diagnostics and improved ergonomics. The small, eco-friendly SmartPAK cartridges are easy to change and take up less space than the traditional bag-in-box syrup.