News Briefs

With just one month to go until TravelTech Show opens its doors on 19 June, organizers of this year’s show have released further findings from its research, highlighting the challenges felt by buyers.

Over a third (34 per cent) stated that both implementation time for new solutions or platforms and balancing budgets in line with the cost of new technology, are their biggest challenges over the next 12 months. These were closely followed by 29 per cent who stated that for them the biggest challenges were customer retention and improving the customer experience.

The news comes as TravelTech Show also announces further details on speakers and content for this year’s revitalized program which includes more opportunities to learn about the latest trends and developments across the sector, gain valuable insight and advice from expert speakers and meet the newest suppliers and solutions.

The keynote speakers for 2024 are Jason Bradbury, former host of The Gadget Show opening the show on 19 June with his take on where AI will take us in the next decade, and Susie Vowinkel, managing director of travel for Google, who will be sharing the latest insights on travel from the search engine giant to kick off day two on 20 June.

In addition to the keynote speeches, this year’s show sees the return of the Expert Advice Hub, which will enable buyers to pre-book appointments with an industry expert and gain invaluable advice on topics including marketing and sales strategy, winning and keeping news customers funding strategies and emerging tech, to name just a few.

Ahead of the show, visitors are also encouraged to cast their vote for the winner of this year’s Trailblazer Awards. Pitches from all 10 finalists are available to view now on the TravelTech Show website, where visitors can also vote ahead of the closing date of 31^st May. Each finalist is under 40 months old and will also take part in a Trailblazer Panel at the show to present their solution and showcase how their technology is working to transform the travel industry, before the winner is announced on 20 June.

Commenting on the latest results of the survey and the program for this year’s show, Nimet Sayeed, Event Manager, TravelTech Show said, “The pace of travel technology development, whilst exciting, can present challenges for travel companies and buyers if not effectively planned and managed. Any significant change in operating systems requires time and money as well as the right and best-fit implementation with existing solutions, which can seem a daunting prospect. Reassuringly the wealth of solutions and integrations available to streamline both operations and the customer journey mean it doesn’t have to be.

“Likewise, the ever-increasing advance of online adoption means operators are in a better qualified position than ever before to understand and engage with customers to ensure that not only are they enhancing the customer experience, but also critically, retaining them to secure sustainable profitability. 

“In building the program for this year’s TravelTech Show we have worked to ensure that not only do we have market leading experts available to listen to across the panel and speaker sessions, but there are a number of ways for buyers and suppliers to meet and engage face to face to learn more about the answers available to the challenges of implementation, cost, customer management and more.”

100 travel and travel technology company representatives took part in the survey in April 2024.

TravelTech Show takes place from 19 – 20 June 2024 at ExCeL, London. 

Please note: TravelTech Show is free to attend for travel technology specialists involved in or responsible for the technology within their travel business and consultants who help travel businesses select technology solutions. Suppliers must purchase a visitor pass if they wish to attend. TravelTech Show has the final right to accept or deny any registration."

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Pizza Hut announced two new executive marketing appointments: Kalen Thornton will join the company as Global Chief Brand Officer and Melissa Friebe will become Chief Marketing Officer, U.S.

Kalen Thornton will join the company as Global Chief Brand Officer reporting to Pizza Hut Division Chief Executive Officer, Aaron Powell, effective June 10. In this role, Thornton will lead Pizza Hut's global brand strategy and oversee all aspects of marketing across 110 markets and territories. Thornton will also be responsible for guiding the brand to a new chapter of relevance – harnessing the power of strategic, engaging customer connections across physical and digital touchpoints and ensuring that the brand maintains its status as a cultural icon.

Thornton most recently served as Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing for PepsiCo North America, where he led partnerships and built brand affinity across sports entertainment properties – leveraging media, content, and activation investments to drive growth for the beverage portfolio. During his time at PepsiCo, Thornton also served as Chief Marketing Officer of Gatorade. Before diving into the beverage business, Thornton held multiple marketing leadership roles for the Nike and Jordan brands over nearly ten years, where he was instrumental in leading transformational brand initiatives.

In addition to Thornton's appointment, Melissa Friebe will become Chief Marketing Officer, U.S., reporting to incoming Pizza Hut U.S. President, Carl Loredo. Friebe joins Pizza Hut from Taco Bell, where she served in a number of positions over nearly three decades with the brand, most recently as Chief Brand Strategy Officer. In her new role at Pizza Hut, she will lead all aspects of marketing for the brand's U.S. business. Friebe will succeed Lindsay Morgan, who is departing the brand after serving more than eight years in various marketing leadership roles.

Seattle-based Picnic Works, Inc., and Roboworx, a subsidiary of Administrative Resource Options Inc.  announced a strategic collaboration to facilitate the national rollout of Picnic’s fleet of autonomous Picnic Pizza Stations. This partnership aims to enhance the efficiency and consistency of pizza production across numerous restaurant locations.

Founded in 2016, Picnic has been at the forefront of integrating technology with food service. The Picnic Pizza Station is designed to seamlessly fit into existing commercial kitchens, assembling 130+ pizzas per hour, depending on size, with precision and efficiency. Recognized as a Kitchen Innovation Winner by the National Restaurant Association, Best in Show at CES, and listed in the FoodTech 500, this innovation is set to revolutionize operations in restaurants, live event venues, convenience stores, universities, convention centers, corporate campuses, and other food service venues.

"At Picnic, our expertise in food and technology drives us to constantly innovate," said Michael Bridges, CEO of Picnic. "To ensure the seamless deployment and support of Picnic Pizza Stations across the country, we sought out a dedicated partner. Finding Roboworx, with their exceptional automation expertise, perfectly aligns with our mission to help our customers thrive."

Roboworx, dedicated to the service, support and customer success of robotics, will deploy the Picnic Pizza Stations and provide ongoing support and preventive maintenance. This collaboration ensures that the devices remain operational and efficient, allowing Picnic’s customers to focus on their core business activities without the distraction of managing advanced robotic systems.

"In a world where robotics continually enhance our lives, the Picnic Pizza Station stands out as a truly unique and groundbreaking innovation that delivers faster, more consistent and more convenient pizza production,” said Chris McNelis, vice president of operations, Roboworx. "Our team of automation experts at Roboworx will provide 24/7 remote monitoring, preventive maintenance, and any break/fix support to ensure the Picnic Pizza Stations are working properly so Picnic’s customers can focus on running their businesses, not managing their stations. We’re all about customer success."

Lightspeed Commerce Inc. the one-stop commerce platform empowering merchants to provide the best omnichannel experiences, and Uber announced a new North American partnership to directly integrate Uber Direct and Uber Eats marketplace into Lightspeed's platform.

Through the partnership, Lightspeed will have built-in integrations with the Uber Eats marketplace and Uber Direct, Uber's white-label delivery facilitation service, enabling Lightspeed merchants to:

• List their menu offerings on and take orders from the Uber Eats marketplace, which is accessed by millions of monthly active platform consumers; and
• Take orders from their own branded website through Lightspeed's Order Anywhere, then access delivery via Uber Direct, allowing them to pay only the associated delivery fee without the added cost of developing their own custom delivery fleet.

The combination of solutions enables merchants to satisfy their customers' delivery demands, tap into new markets through the Uber Eats marketplace and reduce overhead on direct-to-consumer orders with Lightspeed Order Anywhere and Uber Direct.

"We are incredibly excited to be announcing this strategic partnership with Uber, as we believe it unlocks incredible value for our hospitality customers," said JD Saint-Martin, President of Lightspeed. "The restaurant industry continues to face significant challenges with staffing and increasingly narrow revenue margins. This partnership is an opportunity to provide our customers some relief in the form of a world-class delivery network and cost savings plan. We believe this is only the first step in a long-term relationship with Uber."

"On-demand delivery is now a core expectation for consumers, with 75% of them expecting express delivery as an option, and merchants are taking note," said Bernie Huddlestun, Head of Uber Direct for the US and Canada. "We're proud to partner with Lightspeed to offer restaurants solutions that meet their customers' needs and encourage repeat orders, while giving restaurants the flexibility to offer seamless delivery experiences in the way that works best for growing their business."

This integration is now available to Lightspeed Restaurant customers in North America with additional markets to follow.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. has transformed its popular loyalty program, Red Robin Royalty , making it easier for members to earn free food and perks faster than ever before. 

Based on an internal survey conducted in 2023, where more than half of guest respondents indicated that they are looking to earn more rewards faster, Red Robin has replaced its previous rewards structure, which rewarded guests with a free entree for every nine entrees purchased.

• Domino’s Revamped Loyalty Pays Off

Now, Red Robin Royalty members will earn one point for every dollar spent on qualifying purchases, not just entrees. For every 100 points earned, members will receive a $10 reward to use on their Red Robin favorites.  

"Our Red Robin Royalty members deserve to feel like royalty when dining with us," said Kevin Mayer, Red Robin's Chief Marketing Officer. "This overhauled loyalty program is the latest in a series of upgrades at Red Robin to enhance the guest experience through culinary innovation and superb service, and now, our members will be able to earn points faster, along with other exclusive perks, allowing them to cash in on their continued love of our delicious burgers, which is the number one ask that we heard.

VIP Experiences 

"The new VIP-like experience gives members the royal treatment with crave worthy sneak peeks and early access to new menu items, exclusive offers, including free birthday burgers (and kids' birthday burgers for Red Robin's littlest fans), plus a free appetizer for new members on sign-up. Somehow, Red Robin's Towering Onion Rings taste even better!

Red Robin has always been about craveable food paired with an unbridled approach to hospitality and bottomless fun. The new loyalty program comes as Red Robin introduces its new Leave Room for Fun marketing campaign meant to remind people how great it feels to embrace their fun side and incentivize guests to dine at Red Robin for moments of connection over creative and delicious food that only Red Robin can provide.

Red Robin's more than 13-million-member strong Royalty program first launched in 2008 and is one of the original restaurant programs to reward guests for their loyalty. To sign up for Red Robin Royalty® and begin earning rewards and perks from Red Robin throughout the year, visit redrobin.com/rewards and download the Red Robin mobile app. Full terms and conditions apply.