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Product Spotlight

Industry Voiceskitchen equipmentkitchen exhaust/grease controlProduct Spotlightrestaurantsvendorswaste management/recycling

Exhaustive Analysis

by Katie Lee

— By Christopher Collins, AIA, NCARB — The good, the bad & the ventless …exhaust hoods. The look of dismay on the chef’s face told me everything I needed to know: the vent hood was not cutting it and big money was going to be burned trying to remedy his woes. The issue was the ventless hood that was used for the cooking appliances. And not really the exhaust type that was being employed, but more of the expectations around that piece of equipment. That’s when I realized what ventless …

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ADA complianceNewsProduct Spotlightretailersvendors

Walmart Enhances In-Store Accessibility with Specialized Caroline’s Carts

by Katie Lee

Bentonville, Ark. — Walmart has introduced Caroline’s Carts into all its stores in several states: Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. The specially designed carts help caregivers of children and adults with disabilities navigate Walmart stores more easily. The retailer’s multimillion-dollar investment is part of a larger commitment to champion inclusivity and accessibility in all its stores. “Helping our customers save money and live better is more than our mission — it’s our driving force,” says Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store …

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NewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Chili’s Grill & Bar Partners with Ziosk

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Ziosk, the pioneer of pay-at-the-table and a leading restaurant ordering and payment platform, has teamed up with Chili’s Grill & Bar. Through this partnership, Chili’s has rolled out Ziosk tablets to more than 1,100 locations to simplify the payment process, right at the table. Ziosk’s innovative pay-at-the-table solution eliminates the wait time associated with paying the bill, providing a frictionless, secure process that drives loyalty and charity program participation and optimizes service. With a 90% adoption rate, pay-at-the-table is a reliable way to empower guests and offer more …

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energy managementfacilities managementNewsProduct Spotlightretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

ENTOUCH Expands Demand Response Program with 24 Hour Fitness

by Katie Lee

Richardson, Texas — ENTOUCH, a leader in energy management and smart building technology, has expanded its demand response program in partnership with 24 Hour Fitness, the 40-year leader in health and fitness. This milestone highlights the effectiveness of ENTOUCH’s cutting-edge solutions in reducing energy usage, driving profitability and supporting sustainability initiatives for multisite operators. In 2023, 24 Hour Fitness implemented ENTOUCH’s demand response program across an initial 100 locations in California and Texas. The initiative proved highly successful, saving 35 MW of energy and significantly contributing to the reduction of …

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Industry VoicesProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Enhanced Experience

by Katie Lee

— By Savneet Singh — How cutting-edge tech helped Hooters of America upgrade its dining experience. Americans love experiences, with the majority (61%) of Gen Z and Millenials choosing to invest in them, according to Experian, over retirement savings. And with all the money they’re spending, they anticipate outstanding outcomes — especially when it comes to dining. Competition in this sector is fierce, with seemingly endless options for the 9 in 10 customers who enjoy going out to eat, per a February 2024 report by the National Restaurant Association. The …

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energy managementNewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Budderfly Acquires Sunverge’s Distributed Energy Resource Management Platform

by Katie Lee

Shelton, Conn. — Budderfly, a preferred sustainability partner for commercial businesses with repeatable footprints, has acquired a grid-edge distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) from Sunverge Energy. Former Sunverge employees with decades of DERMS and energy market experience will join Budderfly’s growing team of almost 400 employees. Using Sunverge’s technology, Budderfly can aggregate distributed energy resources (DERS) across its sites, positioning it to create virtual power plants (VPPs) capable of providing flexibility to the grid, increasing resiliency for customers and growing new revenue streams. With greater control over its energy …

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Chargebee Appoints President of Go-to-Market & SVP, Global Sales

by Katie Lee

San Francisco — Chargebee, a leading subscription and revenue growth management platform, has named Brian Clark as president of go-to-market and Andrew Sherwood as senior vice president of global sales. Clark and Sherwood will accelerate Chargebee’s go-to-market focus on helping companies capture the opportunity in the evolving market with Chargebee’s uniquely flexible and robust revenue growth management platform. Clark brings 20+ years of experience in executive leadership roles at industry-defining companies. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer (CRO) at Vista-backed Work Management Software company Wrike. Sherwood will lead …

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Target to Roll Out GenAI Technology to its Store Team Members Chainwide

by Katie Lee

Minneapolis — Target Corporation plans to roll out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August, becoming the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the U.S. The tool, called Store Companion, is a GenAI-powered chatbot designed by Target that can answer on-the-job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more. “We know technology will continue to play an outsized role in the future of …

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NewsProduct Spotlightretailerssecurity/loss preventionsoftware/technologyvendors

Walgreens Optimizes Store Operations with Zebra’s Workcloud Software

by Katie Lee

Lincolnshire, Ill. — Zebra Technologies Corporation, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets and people, has been chosen by the Walgreens Boots Alliance to optimize its operations with Zebra Workcloud Actionable Intelligence software, in order to save millions of dollars by enhancing operational compliance and the company’s ability to identify and combat shrink. Walgreens, a Chicago-based international pharmacy retailer, selected Zebra’s Modern Store framework to improve asset protection, better equip employees with technology, and optimize operational visibility in its network of 8,000 locations across 50 …

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Presto Pilots Drive-Thru Voice AI at Taco John’s

by Katie Lee

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., one of the largest AI and automation technology providers to the restaurant industry, has been collaborating with Taco John’s® and Qu to implement a Presto Voice™ drive-thru pilot at select Taco John’s restaurants. Presto Voice enhances the drive-thru staff’s productivity by reducing the time they devote to taking orders, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks and reducing associated labor costs. It also provides customizable upsells to increase revenue and improve the guest experience with immediate, friendly service around the clock. Qu’s …

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