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Presto Collaborates with ChatGPT Creator to Enhance Drive-thru AI Voice Assistant

by Katie Lee

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, has formed a collaboration with OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, to drive greater innovation around its drive-thru AI voice assistant. OpenAI’s ChatGPT API will be used to expand the feature set of the Presto’s drive-thru AI voice assistant (Presto Voice™), resulting in interactions that are more natural and human-like. Presto Voice uses advanced AI techniques including large language models (LLM) and generative AI to understand natural human language and offer logical …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

From Layout to Takeout

by Katie Lee

— By Zayn King-Dollie —   Utilizing mobile ordering and building design to capitalize on takeout trends.     Last year, The National Restaurant Association estimated that 2022 would have record-breaking sales revenue of $898 billion, a 12.4% increase from 2021 and 3.9% above pre-pandemic sales. The predictions signaled an optimistic future, but instead, many businesses now are facing additional hardships brought on by inflation. Even with higher sales, the industry profit margins are 11.5% lower than in 2019. A third of all restaurant operators expect sales revenue outcomes to …

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Newsrestaurantssignagesoftware/technologyvendors

Palmer Digital Group to Digitize Menu Boards for High-End QSR Chain

by Katie Lee

Aurora, Ill. — Palmer Digital Group, a full-service supplier and installer of custom indoor and outdoor digital kiosks, display enclosures and drive-thru digital menu boards, has been selected by The Patio, a high-end QSR specializing in barbeque, sandwiches and salads, to digitize interior and exterior menu board systems at its six Chicago-area locations. PDG’s menu board solutions will completely modernize the in-store and drive-thru customer experience while accelerating the appearance of price adjustments, new menu additions, limited time offers and more across storewide menu board systems. PDG’s solution for The …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantssoftware/technology

Bridging the Digital Divide

by Katie Lee

— By Jim Metevier —   Striking the right balance between dine-in and digital investments.   In a world where convenience is king, the quick-service restaurant industry is experiencing an unprecedented push toward digitization, and understandably so. Throughout 2020 and 2021, while in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, brands needed to pivot to survive. Traditional guest-facing techniques fell to the wayside, as consumers called for contactless pickup and delivery — relying mostly on apps and websites to place orders, and demanding as little person-to-person contact as possible. Amazingly, for …

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Newspeoplesoftware/technologyvendors

POS Leader LINGA Appoints New VP of Sales

by Katie Lee

Naples, Fla. — LINGA rOS, the all-in-one cloud-based restaurant operating system provider, has appointed Daymion Phelps as its new vice president of sales. She joins LINGA from Heartland Retail. Phelps brings more than 20 years of retail automation solution sales and consulting experience to LINGA with a deep background in the point-of-sale, SaaS and payment solutions industries. Phelps was most recently the director of sales for Heartland Retail, where she focused on providing point-of-sale solutions to growing small business, mid-market and enterprise retailers. Phelps’ professional software sales career began with …

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construction and designCover StoryFrom The Magazineremodelsrestaurantssoftware/technology

Variety Show

by Katie Lee

— Interview with Eduardo Luz —   Panera puts on a show with several new design formats catering to the needs of an increasingly digital and off-premise guest.   If variety is the spice of life, the many evolving iterations of Panera these days is keeping its real estate and construction game pretty hot. Currently boasting more than 2,100 bakery-cafes (in 48 states and Ontario, Canada), Panera operates under the Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co.® names; roughly half of these cafes are company-owned. Never a brand to sit …

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Newspeoplerestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

HungerRush Expands Executive Leadership with 4 New Appointments

by Katie Lee

Houston — HungerRush, a leading cloud software provider for the restaurant industry, has expanded its leadership team with the addition of a new chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), vice president of finance and vice president of independent operators (I/O) sales. The growing finance team welcomes two new team members. David Tabachnick joins the team as CFO and Patrick Hughes will assume the role of vice president of finance. Tabachnick joins HungerRush from Acoustic where he most recently served as CAO. He brings more than 20 years of …

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Restaurant Technology Company Chowly Acquires Koala

by Katie Lee

Chicago — Chowly, a restaurant technology company that integrates third-party delivery marketplaces with point-of-sale (POS) systems, has acquired Koala, a guest experience platform that empowers established and emerging restaurant brands to elevate their digital ordering experience across web, app and kiosk to drive immediate results. The combined business will represent over 16,000 restaurant locations on the platform. “We’re thrilled to welcome Koala to the Chowly team,” says Sterling Douglass, co-founder and CEO, Chowly. “Merging these two businesses together represents a major leap forward in the mission of both organizations as …

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Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Presto Named Supplier of the Year for Innovation by Checkers & Rally’s

by Katie Lee

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, has been awarded the Supplier of the Year Innovation Award for 2022 by iconic drive-thru restaurant chain Checkers & Rally’s. Presto has been recognized for successfully delivering and scaling its A.I.-powered voice assistant, Presto VoiceTM, at hundreds of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thru restaurants nationwide. Over the past year, Presto Voice has consistently demonstrated that drive-thru A.I.-driven voice automation can significantly lower labor costs while simultaneously driving up revenue. “We announced a rollout of …

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Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Presto Voice A.I. to Significantly Expand at Del Taco Drive-Thru Restaurants

by Katie Lee

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, is expanding its partnership with Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. to provide automated voice ordering at several drive-thru restaurants nationwide. Its artificial intelligence (A.I.) powered solution, Presto Voice™, is already operating 24/7 at select Del Taco locations where it is significantly helping operations by improving labor productivity, increasing suggestive selling and boosting guest and staff experience. Del Taco has 600+ locations nationwide. “With Del Taco’s desire to build a drive-thru that improves operational efficiency …

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