News Briefs

sweetgreen is opening first restaurant powered by automation. The pilot store, located in Naperville, Ill., debuts  technology called the sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen, designed to enhance the customer experience and food quality, with a focus on fresh ingredients, fast service, and friendly hospitality.

 

This is the brand's first automated kitchen since sweetgreen acquired the  robotic kitchen concept  Spyce back in 2021. Four MIT grads, who were seeking healthy and affordable fast-casual food, introduced Spyce’s original automated concept in May 2018 in Boston.

sweetgreen has spent the last year and a half fine tuning and adapting its technology to test alongside customers and team members, with the goal of designing a frictionless experience that connects more people to real food.

The new format allows for quicker pace, precise portioning and increased accuracy—while creating efficiencies that allow the team to focus on fresh prep and intimate hospitality. Guests can watch the technology at work, from dispensing greens and dressing bowls and plates, to evenly dispersing ingredients and mixing salads. Team members add the final touches at the finishing station, with a sprinkle of herbs or a scoop of avocado.

"We believe that automation will enable us to elevate the quality and integrity of our food while also providing a faster and more convenient experience for our customers and a better, more dynamic job for our team members," said Jonathan Neman, CEO and Co-Founder of sweetgreen. “With the integration of the sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen in our restaurants, we can unlock efficiencies that will enable us to grow more quickly as we scale.”

During a May 4 earnings call with analysts, Neman said a second Infinite Kitchen is expected to open later this year. It will be a retrofitting at an existing restaurant, "so that we can learn how best to integrate the Infinite Kitchen in an existing site,” he said.

When visiting the Naperville sweetgreen restaurant, customers are greeted by the new “host” position which provides a more personalized connection between team members and guests. To order, customers can utilize self-service kiosks, place an order through the mobile app, or order directly from the restaurant’s host. The new restaurant format also brings in a new Tasting Counter, brand-storytelling digital screens and a revamped merchandising strategy for an authentic sweetgreen experience at every touchpoint. Customers visiting the store will be able to shop exclusive merch with designs inspired by the new store joining the Naperville community.

 

Wendy's and Google Cloud announced an expanded partnership to pilot an artificial intelligence (AI) solution, Wendy's FreshAI. The technology has the potential to transform Wendy's drive-thru food ordering experience with Google Cloud's generative AI and large language models (LLMs) technology.

Demand for Drive-Thru

With 75 to 80 percent of Wendy's customers choosing the drive-thru as their preferred ordering channel, delivering a seamless ordering experience using AI automation can be difficult due to the complexities of menu options, special requests, and ambient noise. For example, because customers can fully customize their orders and food is prepared when ordered at Wendy's, this presents billions of possible order combinations available on the Wendy's menu, leaving room for miscommunication or incorrect orders. Google Cloud's generative AI capabilities can now bring a new automated ordering experience to the drive-thru that is intended to enhance the experience that customers, employees and franchisees expect from Wendy's. As HT reported last month, one Wendy's franchise, Wenspoke, is expanding its use of AI in the drive-thrus.

"Wendy's introduced the first modern pick-up window in the industry more than 50 years ago, and we're thrilled to continue our work with Google Cloud to bring a new wave of innovation to the drive-thru experience," said Todd Penegor, President and CEO of the Dublin, Ohio-based QSR. "Google Cloud's generative AI technology creates a huge opportunity for us to deliver a truly differentiated, faster and frictionless experience for our customers, and allows our employees to continue focusing on making great food and building relationships with fans that keep them coming back time and again."

Pilot Near HQ

In June, Wendy's plans to launch its first pilot of Google Cloud's AI technology in a Columbus, Ohio-area, Company-operated restaurant, using those learnings to inform future expansions to more Wendy's drive-thrus. The pilot will include new generative AI offerings, such as Vertex AI and more, to have conversations with customers, the ability to understand made-to-order requests and generate responses to frequently asked questions. 

This will all be powered by Google's foundational LLMs that have the data from Wendy's menu, established business rules and logic for conversation guardrails, and integration with restaurant hardware and the Point of Sale system. By leveraging generative AI, Wendy's seeks to take the complexity out of the ordering process so employees can focus on serving up fast, fresh-made, quality food and exceptional service.

Today's update builds upon Google Cloud's and Wendy's long standing partnership to enhance the Wendy's restaurant experience. Since 2021, Wendy's has leveraged Google Cloud's data analytics, AI, machine learning (ML), and hybrid cloud tools to make it faster, easier, and more convenient for customers to access the brand.

As part of a national effort to raise awareness and offer expert insights, Denny's is kicking off a series of summits focused on how companies and individuals can better manage and improve their mental health and wellness.

The first summit is taking place on April 22 at the HPAC Theater in Spartanburg, S.C. The summit will be free to the public and attendees can participate in-person or virtually.

"Denny's has always been committed to feeding people's bodies, minds, and souls, and this summit series perfectly aligns with our holistic approach to wellness," said Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny's. "The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the topics of mental health and personal well-being front and center. Now is the time to think about how we can bring our whole selves to all facets of our lives, including the workplace."

The summit keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel E. Dawes, Senior Vice President for Global Health and Executive Director of the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College. Dawes will discuss the importance of addressing mental health equity and the path forward to achieving a healthier society. Other nationally recognized panelists include:  

• Dr. Shaneeta Johnson, a surgeon, clinician, educator, and researcher at Morehouse School of Medicine and Senior Fellow in Global Health Equity at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute
• Dr. Monique May, a board-certified and licensed family physician best known as the "Physician in the Kitchen"
• Dr. Bennie L. Harris, Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate
• Sharon Lykins, Denny's Vice President of Product Innovation

"Mental health and wellness significantly impact the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities across the Upstate region and beyond," said USC Upstate Chancellor, Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. "We are thrilled to join forces with a global leader like Denny's to address one of the most critical public health issues of our time."

Journalist Roland S. Martin will moderate two panels, "Mindful Eating," which will address the connection between food and wellness, and "Wellness at the Workplace," which focuses on mental health at work.

A second mental health summit will be offered on October 10 in Nashville, Tennessee.

A Domino's Pizza franchise, Team Washington Inc., has earned over $163,000 in proven incremental sales and $78,000 proven incremental profit since partnering with Upside last summer. With an overall ROI of 73%, this partnership marks a new and innovative approach for the pizza retailer in attracting, retaining and satisfying customers while maintaining a profitable business model. 

Additional Revenue 

“The restaurant industry has been significantly hit by record-level inflation, so we needed to change how we approach and attract customers,” said Lauren Kibler, Director of Marketing & Development at Domino's Team Washington Inc. “Our partnership with Upside adds value for existing and new customers alike, ultimately allowing us to continue growing our business.”

Upside’s technology helps Team Washington identify nearby customers not dining at their restaurants and uses profitable cash back promotions to welcome them through their doors. Since partnering with Upside, 50% of the transactions from Upside were from new customers. 

“Team Washington, Inc. is a savvy retailer who recognized that paying for clicks and impressions do not necessarily guarantee a positive impact on their bottom line,” said Ryan Gaylor, Vice President of Restaurant at Upside. 

More than 50,000 food and fuel retailers partner with Upside to connect their businesses with nearby consumers to drive incremental profit. On average, restaurants on Upside receive 1.6x more visits from customers, which drives more transactions, more spend, and proven profit. To learn more, visit upside.com/business/restaurant. 

 

XTM Inc., a Miami and Toronto-based Fintech creator of disruptive payment innovations and mobile solutions specifically for service industries including hospitality, personal care and service staff, announced that the Company closed a partner agreement with Virtual Health Care Provider CloudMD Software & Services Inc., enabling them to offer on-demand health care and mental health support to their 200,000 Today Program members.

The Company notified employers of the offering via an internal message yesterday and had opt-ins of 70 locations representing close to 5,000 service workers. Individual members will also have the opportunity to opt-in directly through their Today Financial app.

“We are committed to helping to inspire today's service workers,” said Marilyn Schaffer, XTM, CEO. “Financial wellness is closely linked to physical  and mental wellness and to this end, we are thrilled to add virtual health care to our portfolio of inspirational offerings. Helping reduce absenteeism, improve productivity and lessening the anxiety associated with waiting in a walk-in clinic, for example, with your child while you're supposed to be on-shift are all benefits we want the Today employer and member to embrace. We worked hard to find a partner that would support the mental health aspect of wellness, and enable us to offer this for a small monthly fee that is less than many people spend on a single latte. We found that in CloudMD.”

“Our partnership with XTM will enable us to empower their members to lead healthier lives,” said Adam Kelly, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer of CloudMD. “We know the traditional healthcare system is strained, and through our EAP and telemedicine programs, we can offer faster time to care for both personal and medical challenges. Service industry workers face difficulty in accessing care due to their changing and irregular work shifts. There's no need for them to spend weeks waiting for a General Practitioner (“GP”) appointment.”

The new partnership will enable large chains, individual locations, or individual workers to opt-in at an attractive per-member, per-month cost, enhancing the value of being an XTM member and improving health, wellness, and productivity of participating organizations. 

TGI Fridays today unveiled its newly reimagined Fridays Rewards loyalty program, helping guests enjoy their Fridays' favorites more frequently, for less.

The revamped Fridays Rewards program streamlines the restaurant loyalty experience, making it simpler for fans. With the free-to-join program, members are able to link with their cell phone number to automatically earn a point for every dollar spent – no app download required.

• 71% are leveraging data gathered via the POS for digital engagement, according to HT’s 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

"We want to give our fans more opportunities to enjoy those Fridays feels each and every day at our restaurants. The new Fridays Rewards program is our way of showing appreciation to our loyal guests and offering them more flexibility in what menu items they can enjoy on us," shared Lindsay Eichten, Director of Loyalty, CRM, and Paid Media at TGI Fridays, and  HT's  Top Women in Restaurant Technology Rising Star Award Winner. "With the revamped program, we are helping guests redeem rewards as often as possible, so they know they can always get a delicious deal and meal at Fridays."

As fans accumulate points, they have the flexibility to curate how they redeem them across two reward tiers.

How it works

• 75 Points: Score any appetizer, kid's meal, nonalcoholic beverage, or dessert for free
• 150 points: Score any entrée for free

To celebrate the launch of the refreshed program, TGI Fridays is helping guests earn their first free reward even faster. Any guest who makes a purchase between May 12 and June 12 will receive 150 bonus points – enough to enjoy a free entrée on their next visit.

The new Fridays Rewards also brings diners more everyday rewards, including either free chips & salsa or $3 off any appetizer, once per day, every day. For even more savings, the program will offer members personalized monthly offers that help them accumulate points faster.