TECHNOLOGY
How data has become the universal currency of restaurant tech
just me, or was this happening to other restaurants in my neighbor- hood?’” As more and more tech vendors begin to utilize data reports in new and insightful ways, it’s crucial for designers to create accessible UX interfaces that can be easily acces- sible by a busy store manager on the go. User interface design was men- tioned by multiple tech vendors on the Restaurant Show floor, in - cluding both Toast and Middle- by-owned AI company Powerhouse Dynamics. Although Powerhouse Dynamics’ Internet of Things prod- uct is not new, the “plug and play” interconnected network of all Mid- dleby (and associates’) equipment was showcased for the first time this year. The Powerhouse Dynam- ics’ IoT capabilities include sending operational, maintenance, and en- ergy usage data to operators. Us- ers can also set rules for the sys- tem, which can help to eliminate the noise of too much unnecessary data, so for example setting a rule
to immediately notify a franchisee or manager if the freezer breaks in the middle of the night, even if they don’t necessarily need to know ev- ery piece of data the system could provide. “Let’s say I don’t want to pay attention to the 95% — I already know when it’s all going right — I just want to know that 5%, and then I want to get that to my field later so they can close that gap,” Alex Lundy, vice president of prod- uct at Middleby said. “So that’s where a lot of the power comes from and where the data can be- come actually useful.” It was surprising to see how many data-supported hardware and equipment were on the Restau- rant Show floor, including robotics. While robot arms that specialize in dipping fry baskets and sprin- kling cheese on pizzas have been around for several years, technolo- gy startup Robochef takes this au- tomation technology to a new level with the addition of data insights, alongside customizable back of
house robotics solutions. “We are able to collect data in our cyber physical ecosystems via an ecosystem of sensors and mo- tors, and that behavior is all col- lected in the cloud,” Aravind Durai, founder of Robochef, said. “This allows us to have a digital footprint of everything that ever happened in that machine in the field…allow - ing us to gain useful insights that typically would not have even been possible using human resources.” For example, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas has a Robochef-run cookie shot vending machine from acclaimed pastry chef Dominque Ansel that is able to run automat- ically long after the bakery closes, but the casino floor is still open. “Based on the analysis of that sales data, the next day morning at 4:00 when the bakery staff comes to replenish the stock, you’re able to tell them with 99% confidence that they should stock the machine up with X amount of cookies and know you’re not going to run out,” Durai said.
2024 RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK
What’s next for restaurant tech? Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Busi- ness surveyed nearly 600 restaurant operators to find out. Explore the full results in our second annu- al Restaurant Technology Outlook. Click here to access your free copy.
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National Restaurant Association Show 2024
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