Trends
Consumers rely on AI every day, even if its influence is not always obvious, but the foodservice sector is yet to embrace it fully. Jim Banks looks at how kitchen design, customer interaction, and efficiency are set to be revolutionized
It powers the algorithms that compile our Spotify playlists and suggest YouTube videos for us, and it shapes our social media interactions. It generates more and more content that we consume – words, music, and images – and it supports decision-making in every industry from manufacturing to medicine. AI’s ability to access, analyze
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and interpret vast amounts of data at a speed far beyond that of the human brain is undoubtedly a great asset, although it raises many questions about how much responsibility should be handed over to automated systems, and how those systems work with and for humans. Tese questions apply to the foodservice industry as much as any other, even if the sector has been slower to adopt AI. So, what can AI do in kitchen
operations to make foodservice operations quicker and more efficient? How can it enhance the customer experience? And does the commercial foodservice industry understand how AI can help? Joseph Alfieri, regional
vice president of Bon Appetit
rtificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, whether we realize it or not.
Management Company, an on- site restaurant company offering full foodservice management to corporations, universities, museums, and specialty venues, has a clear answer for that last question. “No, the industry absolutely
does not have a good understanding of what AI can and cannot do,” he says. “Large corporations are starting to adapt to it. Burger King®, McDonald’s® and other large chains are using it in their customer service portals, and some are working on AI- supported face-recognition technology, so that when customers walk in it knows their order from past transactions. “Smaller operations are not
on top of it yet, because of this continuous pivoting,” adds Alfieri. “Tey are always adapting
to their clients’ needs, but they are not looking at AI in their operations as a whole, yet. AI could help with HR problems perhaps, or inventory management and ordering processes. Chefs can ask AI to create a menu by giving it different filters – vegan, allergenic and so on – but chefs are sentimental and don’t want to use other people’s menus. Teir egos stop them letting AI do that job.”
FAST CASUAL FAST TRACKS AI To see how AI is impacting commercial foodservice operations, it pays to look at the QSR sector, which is leading the way in terms of adoption. A forthcoming white paper,Te Current and Future of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in the Fast Casual Restaurant Industry: Service and Production, lays out many key trends that will affect the wider industry. In it, author John Egnor
FCSI, design evolutionist at JME Design, notes that the fast casual sector is starting to transform. Te combination of AI and robotics is reshaping both service and production, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving customer experience. So far, this is most apparent in tasks such as order-taking, food preparation, and delivery – with Sweetgreen® and Chipotle® among the leading adopters – but many others also see the potential to further streamline operations, personalize customer
interactions, and address labor challenges. So how do these restaurant
chains envisage AI achieving these goals, and where will it be applied? Part of the answer to that
question has already emerged, in the shape of AI-powered ordering systems. White Castle®, for example – generally seen as the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain – has piloted voice AI for drive-thru orders to reduce waiting times and free up staff for other tasks. Similarly, AI is already being
used to analyze point-of-sale (POS) data and customer preferences to deliver more personalized order recommendations. OpenTable®’s integration with POS systems, for example, provides real-time insights into guest behavior, enabling staff to anticipate needs and upsell more effectively.
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