News Briefs

Bloomin’ Brands Inc. announced the promotion of Sheilina Henry to President of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. She will be responsible for leading operations and development for the company’s fine dining brand.

“Sheilina’s extensive background in operations and her drive and passion for excellence will help create a meaningful impact at this exceptional brand,” said David Deno, Chief Executive Officer of Bloomin' Brands. “New restaurant growth is a priority at Fleming’s, and it is as close as the new flagship location that recently broke ground across the street from the Restaurant Support Center in Tampa.”

Henry has more than 20 years of experience in restaurant operations, training, and project management. She joined Bloomin’ Brands in 2012 as an Outback Steakhouse Joint Venture Partner. She was promoted to Vice President, Training & Development in 2016, Regional Vice President of Operations in 2019, and Group Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2020. She most recently added leadership for Off-Premises Dining to her Senior Vice President responsibilities.

Bloomin' Brands. has four founder-inspired brands: Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Barand operates more than 1,450 restaurants.

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Steak n Shake will offer PopID Check In and PopPay on its self-ordering kiosks in select locations in the Orlando market, with plans to expand to more than 300 corporate locations. PopID Check In is an opt-in service that enables consumers to scan their face to automatically sign into their loyalty reward account and see their past orders, making the ordering process as convenient as possible. When a guest checks in with PopID, they also have the option to use PopPay to automatically complete their payment.

• 57% of respondents say enabling new payment options is a  top business driver impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Our partnership with PopID is a key part of our effort to provide guests with a fast and seamless ordering experience," said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer. "When using PopID Check In, a guest does not need to use their phone or take out their wallet as part of the ordering process. They will automatically be checked in for loyalty rewards, and they can choose to make an automated payment with PopPay. A guest can even see their past orders and quickly reorder their favorite menu items. Ordering at Steak n Shake has never been easier or more convenient.”

In addition to enhancing the guest experience and improving order throughput, PopPay helps to reduce fraud and offers lower payment processing fees.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. announced that Damola Adamolekun has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer effective August 1. The Board has appointed Rohit Manocha, a shareholder representative and P.F. Chang's board member since 2019, to serve as interim CEO and is working with an independent recruitment firm to conduct a comprehensive search for a successor.  Adamolekun will return to Paulson & Co. Inc. as a Partner focusing on investments.

"I'm immensely proud of all that we've accomplished to elevate the customer experience, to build-out the company's technology infrastructure to enable a robust takeout and delivery business, and to expand our international footprint," said  Adamolekun. 

• P.F. Chang's CMO is Ahead of the Curve

 

In the four-and-half years since acquisition, the company has invested more than $200mm to open more than 10 bistros and two flagships, revitalized the existing store fleet, and upgraded the menu and experience in restaurants to provide customers with the highest quality Asian food in an entertaining and celebratory setting.

• P.F. Chang’s New Flagship Leverages Contactless Tech

The company has significantly expanded its takeout and delivery business, launching a small-footprint P.F. Chang's To Go format so more customers can enjoy P.F. Chang's anywhere. The Company is now in an ideal position to continue to grow and take advantage of the substantial opportunity to bring the P.F. Chang's experience worldwide.

Jet’s Pizza  has fulfilled 5 million orders via HungerRush’s OrderAI Text and Talk.

Jet’s started with OrderAI Text in 2019 and has since fulfilled 4 million orders with the text-to-order feature.  Since 2022, Jet’s fulfilled more than two million orders using OrderAI Text.

In December 2021, Jet’s started its pilot with HungerRush’s OrderAI Talk, an AI-powered phone bot, which has now already passed 1 million orders and is now in 240 stores in 20 states. Currently, Jet’s is earning $6 million a month from using the technologies across its store locations. Many employees and owners at locations using the technology have noted it has been essential in decreasing stress caused by the workplace.

Solutions to Help the Worker Shortage

“One of the biggest concerns we were hearing from franchisees was getting enough applications in the door, so we addressed this with technology. OrderAI can take infinite phone calls, which is instrumental in getting employees off the phones and back into the fun part of the job – making delicious pizzas,” said Aaron Nilsson, CIO of Jet’s Pizza.

Jet's has seen less turnover as work stress has been reduced.  

HungerRush’s OrderAI Talk phone bot simplifies the phone ordering process by providing customers with the ability to place and pay for an order, without any interaction from the store’s staff. The technology can handle users’ various dialects or situational nuances, and the system understands the order, resulting in reduced frustrations typically associated with less sophisticated phone bots.

OrderAI Text provides the unique ability for frequent Jet’s customers to leverage texting as a powerful, simple, and convenient re-order channel to either phone or other digital ordering channels. Based on the same software engine as OrderAI Talk, OrderAI Text delivers great guest experiences, and increased order volumes. OrderAI Text allows restaurants to have consumers opt-in for marketing promotions, and at key re-order times, a reminder text can be sent. By simply responding to the text promotion, the order is immediately placed without ever leaving the text thread. In fact, 29% of Jet’s customers act on marketing promotions once opted in. With the combination of OrderAI Talk and Text, Jet’s provides its customers with a unique market differentiator, while also increasing significant brand value for the restaurant.

With OrderAI Talk and Text, Jet’s improves order accuracy, reduces wait time, and improves the employee and customer experience. Increased order accuracy greatly enhances consumer satisfaction and loyalty, while also reducing food waste of orders that need to be remade. The 5 million total orders fulfilled through the OrderAI technology have accounted for approximately $140 million in sales for Jet’s locations across 340 stores.

To learn more about the partnership between HungerRush and Jet’s, please watch our new Jet’s story video.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill selected NCR Corp.'s Aloha to transform its operations

Firebirds operates casual American restaurants in 21 states via its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The NCR Commerce Platform unifies all of NCR Aloha’s capabilities and provides a cloud-based solution that is boosting Firebirds’ efficiency and creating a great dining experience.

More than a POS

71% of restaurants are leveraging data gathered via the POS for digital engagement, according to HTs 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

With NCR Aloha, Firebirds is able to get "operational and financial insights through analytics, can easily integrate solutions through the cloud and deploy directly to all our restaurants, and have a single point of support for faster IT resolutions,” said Patrick Greene, Vice President of Information Technology.

NCR’s solutions also extend to the  FIREBAR, its in-house bar, where handheld devices are making service smoother and helping increase revenue.  

NCR is a full end-to-end provider from order creation to payment settlement that brings together software, services and hardware -- trusted by more than 100,000 restaurant sites. NCR Aloha provides everything enterprise and SMB restaurants need to connect and run their businesses.