TECH
4 exciting technology trends from the NRA Show floor
Joanna Fantozzi Senior Editor
Operators are embracing new tech tools to position their brands for the future. Here are four trends changing the way restaurants do business
Last year’s National Restaurant Association Show had a trepidatious, uncertain tone, with so many tech solutions highlighting labor-saving tools in the shadow of some of the worst labor crises the industry has ever seen. Now, technology is more forward-
looking with less emphasis on Band-Aid solutions for an industry in crisis and more emphasis on forward-thinking change and progress. Here are four more technology trends we took note of, from AI and automation to smart, cloud-based software.
New and improved voice AI
Drive-thru voice AI has been one of the biggest tech trends over the past couple of years, and a few of the most prominent voice AI companies were showing off the latest versions of their voice technology, including Soundhound and Xina. Some of the biggest challenges of voice ordering AI in the drive-thru lane is knowing when the AI should stop listening to the customer, so Soundhound customers have to say “Ok I’m done” when finished with an order. Xina restaurant voice ordering system, doubling as a fully functioning POS system — which puts its AI software into kiosks and tablets for use in dining rooms and hotel rooms — doesn’t have this issue because customers have to press and hold a button in order for the AI to “listen” the request, and it will stop listening once you let go. AI is getting smarter and learning differences in human accents, slang, and corrections to orders. For example, Cal Sconnely, founder of Xina AI, said that the AI uses machine learning to learn that “burger” means “hamburger” and will know that for the next time someone orders a burger.
Beverage robots
While 2022 was all about the server robots, this year on the Show floor, there were plenty of beverage-making robots, from AI baristas to automated bartenders. For example, Robojo is a customizable coffee-making robot system that allows customers to input their orders on a touchscreen, Robojo will begin making the coffee, and the screen will be able to tell customers when to expect their order. The robot can even make up to four drinks at once. As a winner of the 2023 NRA Show Kitchen Innovation awards, this robot barista might not be very practical (it takes up a lot of space) but would especially be useful in nontraditional locations like hospitals and airports where there is more room.
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