RTN Marches Towards Restaurant Industry Standardization with Object Model Repository Milestone
Last week, the Restaurant Technology Network (RTN) crossed another meaningful milestone along the road to technology standardization inside the restaurant industry. The launch of RTN’s Object Model Repository showed the industry how far we’ve come towards creating viable, usable data standards to facilitate smoother interoperability and interconnectivity among a dizzying array of complex, and largely disparate restaurant technology operating systems.
RTN’s Object Model Repository eases the industry’s path towards technology standards adoption as an agnostic, open-access platform allowing anyone to view, browse and access the data standards and associated attributes. The Repository acts as a go-to site for software developers, who will appreciate the flexibility to generate messages in the form of JSON or XML, giving them powerful access, control and customization to harness and optimize their own data, while allowing it to be shared across systems with confidence and consistency.
Overheard Inside Zoom Chat
“I’ll add that the repository tool itself was a huge help in visualizing the standard!”
Jim Clagett, Lead Information Architect, Jack in the Box
“Much of the data is intended to be messaged in real time standards for data that are shared between restaurants and their third-party partners would be a sort of holy grail - avoiding clumsy transforms and complex APIs…. Just as capabilities are like the Rosetta Stone for Business and IT, I think the data standards are like the DNA building blocks for application integration and messaging.”
Russell Cotter, Enterprise Architect, Chipotle, RTN Board Member & Leader of RTN’s Restaurant Technology Capabilities Framework
“Data models and integrations are so fragmented across the industry. Really look forward to reviewing this and the positive impact it can have for suppliers and brands.”
Shelly Rupel, CEO / Co-Founder, Devour
“Definitely interested in best practices for helping with any switching costs associated with implementation, especially for all the folks here with legacy systems.”
Matthew Monheit, VP of Operations, ClearCOGS
“It’s (RTN Standards question) going into every one of our RFPs!”
Skip Kimpel, Principal of Independent & SMB Consulting, ConStrata Technology Consulting & Key Contributor to RTN Standards
“We are asking potential partners when we chat with them or are going through the RFP/RFI process (if they’re aware of or embracing RTN data standards).”
Cacy Bedoka-Merrifield, Principal Product Manager, Jack in the Box and Del Taco
“Incredible!”
Alexander Per, Accounting Information Systems Software, Dataurant & Key Contributor to RTN Standards
“I will enjoy reviewing the object models.”
Douglas Davis, Information Systems Coordinator, Monical Pizza Corporation
Watch the full video of RTN’s Object Model Repository launch here.
How We Got Here
When we started building the RTN community five years ago, finding a path to ease integrations was the number one priority among industry stakeholders. So we set ourselves up to tackle what has arguably been the most constant and perplexing challenge inside the industry. Brick by brick, members of the RTN have built technology standards, which to date include three comprehensively defined and cataloged data standards:
RTN Menu Synchronization Standard
Created to alleviate complications related to collecting and exchanging menu data between systems and partner entities. Allows systems to access / exchange data consistently.
RTN Transactional Data Standard
Created to alleviate complications related to collecting and exchanging fragmented transactional data, such as order, order item, reservations, cash drawer, etc. Allows systems to access / exchange data consistently.
RTN Customer Record Data Standard
Created to alleviate complications related to collecting fragmented customer profiles, managing customer data, maintaining data integrity, understanding customer behavior. Allows systems to access / exchange data consistently.
While these three data standards have been made openly available to the industry, until now, there was not an easy way to view all the attributes as well as extract them or generate messages in the form of JSON or XML. With RTN’s Object Model Repository, this functionality is now available and openly accessible, ready for the industry to embrace.
“It’s been over 20 years since we started this work on the hotel side,” commented Sandy Angel, Senior Director of Technology and Information, American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) RTN workgroup facilitator, and moderator of RTN’s Object Model Repository discussion. “The hotel industry came together and formed the OpenTravel Alliance and Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG, now part of AHLA). Interoperability is more seamless, onboarding of new tech is quicker, and innovation is accelerated.”
The Power of Standardization
“Fifteen years ago, there were no third-party marketplaces,” commented Christopher Sebes, Partner, Results Thru Strategy and RTN Industry Champion and key contributor to RTN data standards. “Had we had a standard back then, it would have been a piece of cake. When it works for restaurant operators, it works for our vendor partners, too. It’s a great thing.”
“Ultimately, we can build integrations with ease, which is the right thing for the industry,” added Robert Peterson, Area Vice President, New Business North America, Oracle Restaurants, RTN Industry Champion and key contributor to RTN data standards. “We don’t want to recode and rebuild over and over again. In building the data standards, we’ve faced challenges in allowing stakeholders to visualize them - with both marketing and technology terms. RTN’s Object Model Repository allows anyone with any understanding of data to browse and look at all the attributes and data elements, and see how it all works together.”
Real-World Case Study
Cacy Bedoka-Merrifield, Principal Product Manager, Jack in the Box and Del Taco (Out of the Box Brands) and key contributor to RTN’s data standards found a real-world way to get tangible value out of the very tools she’s helped the industry create. “Our information architect was looking at how to standardize menu data and RTN had already taken on the task,” she commented. “Menu is not easy. It is the root of everything in a restaurant, touching so many things across the organization, whether you’re using words and various terminology or measuring success. For example, using the term ‘product’ when you mean ingredient, or saying ‘item’ when you mean portion. We reached out to the RTN team on a Monday and by Wednesday, we were all on a call together. Once we started looking into everything inside the Object Model Repository, we realized there’s even more to consider in how we define things. Not everything applies to everyone, and we have multiple brands in our setup. So it’s not prescriptive; rather, we’re using it where it makes sense for our brands. It’s been so helpful, and working with RTN has been amazingly beneficial.”
Restaurant Technology Network: Real-World Standards Use Case at MURTEC 2024
RTN’s Customer Record Data Standard: RTN Board member and standards advocate, CIO of Five Guys Zerrick Pearson Pearson discusses the journey towards standardization with Chad Mackay, CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality (on stage at MURTEC 2024).
RTN’s Object Model Repository is open to the industry and now available.
Browse RTN’s Object Model Repository
Register to gain full access to RTN’s Object Model Repository
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