News Briefs

Toast introduces Toast Catering & Events, a new product fully integrated with the Toast point of sale  to help restaurants seamlessly manage large catering orders and event planning. Toast Catering & Events supports customizable banquet event orders (BEO), fulfillment tools, and lead management functionality. Toast Catering & Events pairs with Toast Invoicing — a digital invoicing tool that Toast launched in October 2022. 

According to HT’s 2023 Restaurant Technology Study, 71% of restaurants offer catering, 8% plan to add it this year, 

Restaurant owners, operators, catering and event managers, and staff can now seamlessly manage the multi-week process of planning and executing events and catering orders.

"Toast Catering & Events has integrated our events into our POS seamlessly and even prints the prep tickets at a scheduled time so it is very hands-off,” said Emily Sands, Private Event Sales Director at Elicit Brewing. “My favorite piece of the system so far is the integration with my calendar. It makes it easy to keep my staff in the loop on what's going on and what's coming soon."

Additionally, the Toast Catering & Events platform allows restaurants to:

• Customize: Whether solving for dietary restrictions, designating whether an order is pick-up or delivery, or flagging special pricing, Toast Catering & Events offers the tools and the ability to create digital contracts, quotes, and estimates efficiently. 
• Manage everything in one place:  Through integration with Toast POS, restaurants can see updates and reporting for event orders and all their lines of service on a single platform. 71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.  The digital experience includes menu integration, customer lists, a calendar view, and integrated sales reporting to create a seamless all-in-one platform experience.
• Easily access transparent pricing and estimates.

Learn more about Toast Catering & Events.

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.

Virtual Dining Concepts  LLC and Celebrity Virtual Dining  LLC  is suing Jimmy Donaldson, the YoutTuber known as MrBeast and Beast Investments, LLC.

The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York on August 7.

Last week, Donaldson and BI sued affiliates VDC and Virtual Concepts Holdings, Inc. in the Southern District of New York, claiming the virtual burger brand damaged Donaldson’s reputation by serving customers “low quality” food;  VDC said in a statement it expects to move to dismiss that case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

VDC alleges that Donaldson's and BI's actions have materially damaged the reputation of MrBeast Burger and VDC, turned away customers, and shattered hard-won relationships with vendors and suppliers, damaging the bottom lines of hundreds of restaurants across the country and around the world, and causing damages to VDC that, according to VDC's evidence and Mr. Donaldson's own estimations, are in the "nine-figure" range.

In the meantime, it is business as usual for MrBeast Burger and VDC to the greatest extent possible, and VDC looks forward to serving many more satisfied customers and continuing to help the restaurant industry.

Players can enroll in a casino's loyalty program right at the slot machine, thanks to a new solution by Acres Manufacturing.

The casino loyalty and technology developer  introduced a key new feature of its Foundation HQ casino management system that allows players to digitally enroll in casino loyalty programs in approximately 10 seconds while at the slot machine.

A recent Acres study highlighted that the current player enrollment process utilizing legacy, decades-old CMS technology costs casino operators approximately $5.0 billion annually, or roughly 7% of casino slot win, thanks to unnecessary costs and lost revenue. The legacy technology also impairs casino operators' ability to optimize engagement with current loyalty program members and attract new players.

• 63% of guest say receiving loyalty points is an incentive to download and use a hotel’s app,  according to HospitalityTechnology 2022 Customer Engagement Technology Study

During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD  display installed on the game.  

How it Works

Foundation HQ's ability to detect and rate all uncarded play is a central component of the solution's ability to quickly enroll new members. During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD display installed on the game. Each Play Code is unique to a specific gaming session and appears in the form of a text or QR code that can be texted, scanned or entered into a mobile website. This instantly creates a new account, with the player's phone number or email address serving as their unique loyalty program account ID.

Enrolling new members today is a challenge for the land-based casino industry, which uses decades-old loyalty technology from CMS providers. These legacy systems require a player to physically walk to a loyalty club desk and stand in line to receive employee assistance to enroll. Acres' recent study showed that the industry burdens its players by making them wait in line for over 1.1 billion minutes annually while trying to enroll in the loyalty club, time that they could be playing at the slot machine.

Foundation HQ's enrollment process also reduces costs in new member incentives by making them dynamic and proportional to a player's value. As the value of an uncarded play session increases, operators can utilize the system's data collection to analyze and increase the value of enrollment incentives to drive increased player engagement while also maintaining appropriate returns on the incentive offered. If the player remains uncarded at cash-out, data from the Play Code is embedded into the TITO ticket, allowing Foundation HQ™ to resume tracking of the uncarded session during subsequent slot play sessions.

"As the hallmark of any successful player loyalty program, the enrollment process must be made significantly easier for players than currently offered by legacy CMS solutions that are costing the industry billions of dollars in terms of lost revenue and higher expenses," said Noah Acres. "Casinos that enable an easier process to enroll more players will have a competitive advantage. Foundation HQ's ten-second enrollment process enables exponentially more player sign-ups which helps operators grow player engagement and retention."

Acres will display Foundation HQ's enrollment feature at the OGIA Conference and Trade Show (Booth 607) to be held Aug 14-16, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla.

Players can enroll in a casino's loyalty program right at the slot machine, thanks to a new solution by Acres Manufacturing.

The casino loyalty and technology developer  introduced a key new feature of its Foundation HQ casino management system that allows players to digitally enroll in casino loyalty programs in approximately 10 seconds while at the slot machine.

A recent Acres study highlighted that the current player enrollment process utilizing legacy, decades-old CMS technology costs casino operators approximately $5.0 billion annually, or roughly 7% of casino slot win, thanks to unnecessary costs and lost revenue. The legacy technology also impairs casino operators' ability to optimize engagement with current loyalty program members and attract new players.

• 63% of guest say receiving loyalty points is an incentive to download and use a hotel’s app,  according to HospitalityTechnology 2022 Customer Engagement Technology Study

During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD  display installed on the game.  

How it Works

Foundation HQ's ability to detect and rate all uncarded play is a central component of the solution's ability to quickly enroll new members. During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD display installed on the game. Each Play Code is unique to a specific gaming session and appears in the form of a text or QR code that can be texted, scanned or entered into a mobile website. This instantly creates a new account, with the player's phone number or email address serving as their unique loyalty program account ID.

Enrolling new members today is a challenge for the land-based casino industry, which uses decades-old loyalty technology from CMS providers. These legacy systems require a player to physically walk to a loyalty club desk and stand in line to receive employee assistance to enroll. Acres' recent study showed that the industry burdens its players by making them wait in line for over 1.1 billion minutes annually while trying to enroll in the loyalty club, time that they could be playing at the slot machine.

Foundation HQ's enrollment process also reduces costs in new member incentives by making them dynamic and proportional to a player's value. As the value of an uncarded play session increases, operators can utilize the system's data collection to analyze and increase the value of enrollment incentives to drive increased player engagement while also maintaining appropriate returns on the incentive offered. If the player remains uncarded at cash-out, data from the Play Code is embedded into the TITO ticket, allowing Foundation HQ™ to resume tracking of the uncarded session during subsequent slot play sessions.

"As the hallmark of any successful player loyalty program, the enrollment process must be made significantly easier for players than currently offered by legacy CMS solutions that are costing the industry billions of dollars in terms of lost revenue and higher expenses," said Noah Acres. "Casinos that enable an easier process to enroll more players will have a competitive advantage. Foundation HQ's ten-second enrollment process enables exponentially more player sign-ups which helps operators grow player engagement and retention."

Acres will display Foundation HQ's enrollment feature at the OGIA Conference and Trade Show (Booth 607) to be held Aug 14-16, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla.