San Francisco — SpotOn, a leading software and payments provider, has added three new executives in the roles of chief financial officer, chief people officer and chief revenue officer. The appointments come on the heels of more than 100% year-over-year growth in 2021, two major acquisitions, $425 million in new funding at a valuation of $3.15 billion, and the addition of hundreds of new employees to support customer demand. The three appointments also follow a year of major new product introductions in the restaurant and retail industries. Lisa Banks joins …
software/technology
Redwood City, Calif. — Presto, a leader in the restaurant hospitality technology industry, has been selected by Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., the operator of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thrus, as the exclusive provider of automated voice ordering for all its corporate-owned drive-thru restaurants. The announcement marks the largest and first of its kind rollout of an A.I.-based voice assistant solution in the hospitality industry. Designed to help restaurants maximize labor efficiency, Presto’s next generation solutions help improve order accuracy, increase upsells and provide a superior guest experience. The Presto systems are …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, patient, employee and brand experience management partner to more than 500 brands, is working with specialty golf retailer Club Champion on a new customer experience management program. The nation’s top club fitter and builder chose SMG for its location-level insights, industry-leading professional services and focus on business outcomes. Established in 2010, Club Champion operates more than 85 locations in major markets across the United States. The specialty retailer offers club fitting and building, repair services, personalization and private events. …
East Rutherford, N.J. — Hudson, a Dufry company and travel experience leader with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America, is the first retailer in the travel industry to offer Amazon’s palm recognition service, Amazon One. Amazon One is now available at Hudson Nonstop — powered by Just Walk Out technology — at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). Hudson continues to expand its digital offerings to enhance customer service and reimagine the shopping journey. Now with the addition of Amazon One, Hudson …
Austin, Texas — Salient Systems, a leader in open architecture video management software solutions, has named Keith Aubele CPP, LPP as the company’s chief security officer. Aubele brings decades of experience at leading retail organizations such as Walmart and The Home Depot to the CSO role, which is the first such position for Salient. A former director of loss prevention for Walmart Stores Inc., and senior vice president of loss prevention for The Home Depot, Aubele will guide Salient’s approach to customer needs in the rapidly changing security landscape, as …
— By Dan Hyman — Davanni’s Pizza & Hot Hoagies invests in staff with bold new software. For more than four decades, Davanni’s Pizza & Hot Hoagies has been a fixture in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. And now, with 20 locations, it has firmly cemented its role as not only a local mainstay but also a direct competitor to many of the national chains in its market. It’s why when tasked with the challenge of how to better train its employees and, more importantly, retain such employees and …
— By Colin Trethewey — Local Pizza Co. depends on technology to maintain profitability through challenging times. The Local Pizza Co. story began in early 2019 when owner Milen Kolev decided to bring a novel pizza concept to St. Petersburg. Drawing on his Mediterranean roots, Kolev envisioned a pizza restaurant and Mediterranean market serving healthy food made with fresh ingredients sourced from local vendors. The store, located at 1846 62nd Ave. N, opened to less than auspicious circumstances in February 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was taking hold. …
Tampa, Fla. — Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has appointed Astrid Isaacs to chief technology officer for Bloomin’ Brands. She will lead the company’s technology strategy and platforms, while overseeing the IT, digital and loyalty teams. Isaacs will also join the executive leadership team. “Astrid’s proven ability to develop and implement technology to enable growth and enhance customer service, while improving productivity, will create a great deal of value for our customers and our company,” says David Deno, chief executive officer of Bloomin’ Brands. “Digital connections, whether with our customers, our operators …
Montréal — Lightspeed Commerce Inc., the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, has launched the all-new Lightspeed Restaurant, a unified hospitality commerce and point-of-sale (POS) platform. Through strategic global acquisitions, Lightspeed has combined the power of Upserve, Gastrofix, Kounta and iKentoo with new solutions and modules, to simplify processes and enable merchants to build thriving businesses for the future. This best-in-class solution built through years of strategic investments and innovation, brings together an innovative POS, contactless integrated payments, online ordering, …
San Diego — Jack in the Box, Inc. has named Doug Cook as senior vice president and chief technology officer after an interim stint in the same position. Cook brings more than 20 years of industry experience to Jack in the Box. Before joining Jack in the Box, he was with Pizza Hut and Sonic. Cook most recently served as interim chief technology officer of Jack in the Box, effectively leading the technology team and strategy during his interim period. Prior to that, Cook served as chief information officer at …