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In light of the escalating employee turnover rates and rising food expenses plaguing the dining sector, operators are turning towards automation to enhance efficiency and boost customer satisfaction.
Faced with the unsustainable option of hiking menu prices, brands are now exploring alternative strategies. A webinar named “When Raising Prices Isn’t Cutting It: How AI Automation Reduces Costs and Addresses Customer Concerns”, supported by PreciTaste and organized by Networld Media Group, delved into the utilization of artificial intelligence for managing kitchen tasks—a move that could lead to a triple benefit: lowered turnover rates, decreased food wastage, and enhanced customer service.
These technological advancements hold the promise of enriching the experiences of both customers and employees. Streamlined operations can expedite service delivery and ensure a more consistent dining experience for patrons. On the other hand, automation can relieve staff of monotonous tasks, potentially creating a more enticing work setting that aids in staff retention.
The speakers at the event included Ingo Stork, the co-founder and CEO of PreciTaste, Kelly MacPherson, the Chief Supply Chain and Technology Officer at Union Square Hospitality Group, and Chef Bill Kim, the founder of the fast-casual brand Urbanbelly. The webinar was moderated by Mandy Detwiler, the editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb.
According to PreciTaste, 55% of consumers are dining out less frequently primarily due to price hikes. However, AI has the potential to mitigate costs.
“I believe rising costs are a challenge faced by everyone in the restaurant industry,” Stork remarked. “Escalating labor expenses are causing concern among operators, prompting them to seek navigation strategies for the current predicament.”
PreciTaste specializes in providing AI solutions for restaurant operators, with Stork mentioning that many individuals have primarily encountered AI through chatbots.
“In recent years, we have witnessed significant advancements in AI capabilities. I can communicate with it, chat with it, and see the benefits coming to fruition rapidly,” Stork emphasized. “Many people are curious about how it can aid them and what functionalities it offers. This is a key area of focus for us.”
PreciTaste’s AI system acts as a kitchen assistant, aiding workers in identifying low stock levels, predicting customer traffic, determining weekly specials, scheduling employees, and more.
“Numerous manual tasks are constantly carried out in the kitchen, and our platform operates as a digital kitchen manager utilizing computer vision in the background to automatically comprehend ongoing processes without manual intervention,” added Stork.
When asked about the causes of crew fatigue, Kim highlighted the high-stress nature of working in restaurants, the long hours, monotonous tasks, physical demands of the job, and the lack of work-life balance.
For customers, these factors can lead to inconsistencies in food quality, slower service, increased errors in kitchen and front-of-house operations, and post-2020, frequent turnover resulting in disruptions and a lack of consistency in staff.
MacPherson emphasized that repetitive tasks are a significant contributor to employee burnout in establishments under her purview.
She remarked, “It’s tough work, and when you start your shift at the restaurant, your plans for the day usually don’t pan out as expected.”
To delve further into PreciTaste’s AI-driven kitchen management system, watch the webinar in full by clicking here.
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