Big automation comes to smaller biz

Small businesses are turning to #automation as a way to deal with the labor crunch, inflation and supply chain issues as the tech becomes more affordable. This one was fun to report.

In my opinion SONIC Drive-In has had the right business model for ordering/wait staff for years! #runners Automating the ordering part of the process allows for better customer service and better customer engagement. It also helps with the wait staff shortage we are all experiencing. Nowadays you can also eliminate the hardware needed to take orders. The question is what is the best system to put in place? I say Please ScanMe is the future. #PleaseScanME #customerservice #restaurantowner #restaurantmarketing #restaurants

Bear Robotics, parent company of robotics solution Servi, has raised $81 million, bringing the company’s total funding to $117 million. #bearrobotics bit.ly/3qdQOex

AUTOMATION Vs LATE NIGHT EATS!!! This is an interesting question, but full of nuances that should be underlined: LATE-NIGHT DINING I was in Paris a few years ago, and one of the best experiences I had was dining in a restaurant on the Champs Elysées in the late-night after the "Crazy Horse" show. An unforgettable experience, although I could mention many more of this kind. In this case, as well as in the fine-dining restaurant experience, automation would be an instrument at the service of human beings. By eliminating secondary tasks, the human staff can focus on the customer experience. We can concentrate our most valuable resource, people, on creating value. LATE-NIGHT EATING However, partial or total automation can activate new services or improve the customer experience in other cases. For example, let's look at hotels that do not provide 24-hour room service to contain costs. This is an example where automation could activate a new service. Also, we could think of a late-night trip, where you probably will have to eat a candy bar from a vending machine at the airport or train station. I could list many more examples. I am sure in those cases, an automated restaurant or kiosks could provide you with a tasty hot meal, which you would certainly appreciate. Likewise, a small robotic bar would provide an upgraded coffee experience.  CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT Context, context, context... as Daniel Meyer would say. I think automation technologies are extremely useful tools, but like any tool, they must be used in the right way and in the proper context; otherwise, it will be ineffective or, even worse, totally useless. #automation #hospitality #foodservice #finedining #casualdining Chris Albrecht Massimo Noja De Marco Dibyananda Brahma(DB) Marcus Viscidi Adam Chain John Ha Eugene Demaitre Michael V. Adam Chain

Chipotle has found a way to make robots less robotic. Chippy the robot has been trained to create tortillas for Chipotle in an imperfect manner. Nevielle Panthaky, Chipotle's Vice President of Culinary, said, “To ensure we didn't lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect." While this salvages humanity in a world being taken over by machines, it lessens the benefits of having human workers. If robots can replicate our habits and tendencies as well as the “cute” mistakes we make, how far will robots go and where will the need for humans end?

Our foodservice analyst, @Vince Sgabellone, weighs in on how the quick service restaurant segment in #Canada has changed due to the pandemic in the @Foodservice & Hospitality article below. Hint: QSR was starting to change before the pandemic. #foodserviceindustry #canadabusiness @RestaurantsCanada https://lnkd.in/d2eaiPqF

What digital trends will impact customers’ loyalty, given their increasing expectations of digital convenience? There are several, including mobile ordering for pickup. #QSR #DataIntelligence

#TGIF Everyone! Time to wrap this week in a little bow and ship it on out, but before we do that let’s take a look at this week’s 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜/𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬! 🎀🤖 🎀 With 5 Thousand Robots Shipped, Bear Robotics Raises $81 Million Series B to Accelerate Growth and Expand into New Markets - https://lnkd.in/dkM3VFa8 🎀 Veo Robotics, Inc. partners with Gray Solutions - https://lnkd.in/dX8CrmQq 🎀 Robot Prices Drop as AI Investments, Ethics Worries Increase, Finds Stanford HAI AI Index 2022 Report - https://lnkd.in/dWJYBiFa 🎀 Intel Corporation adds short-range RealSense D405 depth camera - https://lnkd.in/dHeE4QZZ 🎀 Chipotle Mexican Grill Tests Chippy Tortilla Robot From Miso Robotics - https://lnkd.in/dFdtATMi Did I miss your favorite story? Then put it in the comments below. As for me, I’m wrapping and rolling on out of here!  Bow-wrapping application by MQ Automation using a Yaskawa Motoman arm. #robotics #automation #robotomation

Here's my story on Chippy, the new robot Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing with Miso Robotics. Leveraging AI, it makes the company's signature tortilla chips, hint of lime included. #roboticsautomation