News Briefs

 RobotLAB, the premier robotics integrator that has delivered impactful business innovations and solutions for more than 15 years, has proudly partnered with automation and robotics innovator, Bear Robotics, to expand the availability of its industry-leading Servi and Servi Plus robots within the restaurant and hospitality spaces. RobotLAB was selected as Bear Robotics’ preferred U.S. dealer partner because of its deep knowledge of the restaurant and hospitality sectors and its successful deployment of more than 10,000 robots worldwide. This partnership further cements RobotLAB's position as a leader in robotics integration, and comes on the heels of RobotLAB’s robotics integration franchise program launch – a first for the industry. 

“We are excited to partner with Bear Robotics, a company that shares our commitment to innovation and excellence in the robotics industry,” said RobotLAB Founder and CEO, Elad Inbar. “Our expertise in integrating robots into commercial environments and Bear Robotics' state-of-the-art products make this partnership a perfect match that will enhance the restaurant and hospitality industries across the country.” 

Founded by restaurant experts and tech entrepreneurs, Bear Robotics specializes in automation and guest enhancement solutions for the hospitality and restaurant industries. Its flagship Servi robot is a self-driving robot used for running food, delivering drinks and bussing tables, and aims to alleviate repetitive work so servers can focus on creating exceptional guest experiences. The Servi Plus model includes the innovative features of Servi, as well as responsive lighting, an expanded 16-plus dish capacity and 88-pound payload to cover large restaurants and busy rushes. Both robots are NSF-certified and able to integrate into any service industry workflow while adhering to all health code and compliance standards. Servi is currently deployed in partnership with major brands such as Google, Pepsi, Denny’s and Marriott.  

"We are thrilled to partner with RobotLAB and offer our Servi and Servi Plus robots to their clients in the hospitality industry," said Bear Robotics COO, Juan Higueros. "Our commitment to innovation and quality aligns perfectly with RobotLAB's mission to provide impactful and effective robotic solutions to businesses. With RobotLAB's expertise in integrating robots into commercial environments and our advanced service robots, we look forward to transforming the industry and improving the customer experience." 

Since its founding in 2007, RobotLAB has provided turnkey robotics solutions to companies of all sizes in industries including foodservice, hospitality, banking, education, assisted-living, education, cleaning, delivery and hospitals. The company’s talented team of roboticists has effectively deployed thousands of robots that have provided an impressive array of businesses with a clear path to the successful and highly specialized integration of robotics solutions. As labor becomes increasingly expensive and scarce, RobotLAB helps businesses harness the power of robotics to improve bottom-line and employee retention by reallocating routine tasks to automated technologies. RobotLAB oversees all aspects of the robotics integration process – from sales, tailored programming, on-site integration and repairs – to ensure businesses can access and understand solutions that will dramatically improve their performance. To improve the availability of robotics access nationwide, RobotLAB recently launched a first-of-its-kind robotics integration franchise opportunity in 40 U.S. states, with the remainder set to clear before the end of 2023. 

For electric vehicle owners in British Columbia, Tim Hortons is now fueling road trips in more ways than one.  The company has announced the expansion of its electric vehicle charging station pilot launched earlier this year in Oakville, Ontario, by unveiling six new charging stations at restaurants throughout  British Columbia.

Tim Hortons announced the pilot in February in an effort to study the technology, its usage and opportunities.

"We have been thrilled with the results of the pilot so far.  Usage of the charging station in Oakville has surpassed our expectations and we received many calls with requests to expand the pilot," said Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director, International Strategic Restaurant Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons. "With more than 3,300 eligible restaurants across the country, we continue to look for opportunities to expand the pilot and contribute to the EV infrastructure."

The BC expansion, supported by the Province of BC's Community Charging Infrastructure Fund and Koben Systems Inc. (KSI), placed charging stations strategically in Nanaimo, Langford, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Abbotsford and Coquitlam to create paths within the province, allowing guests to travel from restaurant to restaurant strictly on electric power.

Tim Hortons offers charging stations as a courtesy to guests at six locations.  As of March 31st, 2013, Tim Hortons had 4,288 system-wide restaurants, including 3,453 in Canada, 808 in the United States and 27 in the Gulf Cooperation Council. 

SpotOn introduces Seat & Send. After joining a restaurant's waitlist or reservation roster, Seat and Send allows guests to pre-order food or drinks that will be fired to the kitchen immediately after the guest is seated. The new advancement promises faster service, enhanced guest satisfaction, and improved operational efficiency for restaurants.

SpotOn developed Seat & Send as a way to enhance the guest experience from the start while helping operators maximize orders, grow their average ticket size and "achieve that elusive third turn without sacrificing the third round." With Seat & Send, guests can now make the most of their wait time by  browsing the menu and placing orders right from their smartphone devices. The Seat & Send solution allows guests to receive their orders faster, while restaurants can improve operational efficiency, turn tables faster, and reduce pressure on servers.

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

 

How it Works

Seat & Send brings together the power of SpotOn Restaurant, SpotOn Reserve, and SpotOn Order to allow guests to jump-start their orders while waiting for their table. Guests with a reservation or added to the waitlist will automatically receive a digital ordering link from the restaurant so they can explore and order the restaurant’s menu using SpotOn Order. To pre-order, guests select their preferred items, customize their order, indicate dietary preferences or allergens, and confirm the order. Once the guest is seated, their order is sent to the kitchen and delivered seamlessly. Guests can continue to add to their order throughout their experience and even pay with the same link.

For more information, visit www.spoton.com/reserve.

Bikky, a customer data platform built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants,  announced that nine  New York City-based brands selected Bikky as their data and analytics partner. The nine brands include Westville, Boqueria, Zucker’s Bagels, Avocaderia, INDAY, Seamore’s, Marlow Collective, 5 Napkin Burger, and Handcraft Burgers and Brew.

Data Matters

For restaurants today, understanding their guests is more important than ever. Diners have more options to choose from across delivery apps, price points, cuisine types, and dietary preferences, leading to a more costly and competitive operating environment for restaurants. With up to 80% of a restaurant’s revenue coming from repeat guests, understanding what turns first-time diners into regulars is key.

• 71% of respondents say using data to understand guest preferences and behavior is impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

Leading NYC brands are turning to Bikky, one of the top 3 finalists in RTN's Start-Up Alley, to leverage their guest data to understand those behaviors and answer questions plaguing all modern restaurants, like which menu items best create long-term customers, the lifetime value of their loyalty guests, and predicting which customers are likely to churn.

“A successful restaurant is the sum of many small details that make a huge difference at scale,” said Alessandro Biggi, the Founder of Avocaderia, an avocado bar. “With Bikky, we’re able to get a bird’s-eye view on our guests’ behavior and collect the insights that allow us to make informed decisions about the content, frequency and timing of our marketing initiatives including email, our loyalty program and our menu specials.”

With Bikky, which is headquartered in New York, every brand can now make data-driven decisions that improve every aspect of the guest lifecycle and drive more revenue.

From the dining room to the deck, restaurants are increasingly evolving their physical environments to create a unique experience for diners. To ensure they have the powerful, flexible hardware needed to support nearly any configuration, Oracle today announced the Oracle MICROS Workstation 8 Series. Featuring a slim profile with 14-inch touchscreen display and platinum finish, the new workstations deliver quality and durability in a sleek, ergonomic package.

See the Oracle MICROS Workstation 8 in action at HITEC booth #224 on June 27-29^th or The Hospitality Show booth #619 on June 27-29^th.

"Form meets function with the Oracle MICROS Workstation 8 Series," said Simon de Montfort Walker, executive vice president and general manager for Oracle Food and Beverage. "It's elegant and lowers the physical barrier between staff and customer. More importantly it's the result of in-depth studies on the needs of customers and staff. It can be modified to fit its surroundings, and comes with a new simple out-of-the-box installation process. Underneath the sleek exterior is a rugged workhorse that when coupled with our Simphony and Payments Cloud solutions, becomes a reliable, powerful hub at the heart of a restaurant's operation."

The Workstation 8 Series features multiple configuration options. This includes a mount for a low profile setup that helps remove any barriers between staff and guests or a vertical stand with weighted base for a streamlined countertop design that conceals cabling for a clean aesthetic. Restaurants can implement a workstation on its own or leverage the Peripheral Expansion Module (PEM), which provides options for a cash drawer, scale, or scanner.

Designed as a fan-less system with a broad operating temperature range, the Workstation 8 Series can be used in a wide range of harsh environments. And with its IP-rating, the Workstation 8 can withstand splashes and spills to reduce the risk of downtime.

The Workstation 8 Series also features a powerful Celeron Quad-Core CPU with the option for either Windows 10 IoT Enterprise or Oracle Linux for MICROS. With the latter, there is no additional charge for an operating system license, and Oracle will manage the hardware and provide a single channel for the operating system, software, hardware, maintenance, and support.

To provide its customers with the pinnacle in sonic performance, AtlasIED today announced the IsoFlare™ series of premium ceiling loudspeakers. The first products developed as part of AtlasIED’s strategic investment in Fyne Audio, IsoFlare ceiling loudspeakers represent a new benchmark for preeminent installations utilizing the very latest design techniques and tools to create the next generation in point source technology.

Ideal for luxury hotels, casinos, high-end restaurants and bars, retail spaces, and corporate facilities, the new IsoFlare series’ point-source technology provides a natural and accurate soundstage, accurate and linear response, and unparalleled consistent broadband directivity.

The series consists of seven models, including blind mount models in four-, six-, and eight-inch sizes, a four-inch low profile model, an eight-inch subwoofer, and two pre-install models. The new loudspeakers offer an edgeless grille design in either square or round and black and white options to cater for the most demanding architectural constraints. For quick and secure installation, the IsoFlare series incorporates a patented toolless dog leg mounting mechanism on all models.

The IsoFlare series includes:

FC-4T, 4-inch available in blind mount

FC-6T, 6-inch model in both blind mount and pre-install versions

FC-8T, 8-inch model in both blind mount and pre-install versions

FC-4TLP, 4-inch low-profile model

FC-8ST, 8-inch subwoofer

“In designing AtlasIED’s IsoFlare series, our goal was to enter the market from the outset ahead of the curve,” said Graham Hendry, VP of Loudspeaker Strategy at AtlasIED. “Ergonomics and aesthetics were a major consideration, providing the architect, designer, and installer with an attractive and versatile solution for various applications. As a systems designer, it is clear what the benefits are in deploying quality components in any audio system. Whether it’s in the pursuit of leisure and entertainment, learning, retail or the business world, investing in premium audio is crucial to better outcomes.”

AtlasIED will demonstrate the new IsoFlare series at InfoComm in Orlando, Florida, from June 13 - 16 in audio demo room W224E. The IsoFlare products will be available for purchase in Q4 2023. For more information about the IsoFlare series, visit www.atlasied.com/isoflare. To check out a variety of AtlasIED audio solutions, also visit the company’s booth #1600 at InfoComm.