29. Putting Diversity on the Tech Menu | EatOkra

In this week's episode, host Rob Grimes puts the spotlight on TechSpectations, or rather, the expectations of tech within hospitality. Not about airing grievances or frustrations about technology but rather a constructive dialogue aimed at dissecting observations and insights shared with Rob by industry insiders.

From investing in cutting-edge technology to grappling with execution challenges, the conversation draws from recent industry developments and personal anecdotes, the podcast presents a comprehensive view of how technology intertwines with every aspect of the hospitality experience.

The emphasis is on the importance of technology that serves a purpose beyond its novelty, the discussion delves into the significance of meeting the diverse expectations within hospitality operations of consumers, employees, management, and shareholders. Whether it's about optimizing operations, enhancing guest interactions, or staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences, TechSpectations offers actionable insights and strategies to navigate the ever-changing landscape of hospitality tech.

With a keen focus on bridging the gap between tech innovation and real-world application, TechSpectations sets the stage for informed discussions and actionable takeaways in the fast-paced world of hospitality tech. To hear more of Rob’s thoughts, and start your own conversation on TechSpectations, tune in to this episode of Accelerate.

On this episode Accelerate, host Rob Grimes asks, can technology provide a solution to iconic brands and hospitality to avoid their demise allowing them to live on, not only in our hearts & minds, but in our stomach as well?

Having recently visited a graveyard, Rob was able to look up names on headstones and find out a bit about their history by searching online, which prompted the idea for this episode. New technology is taking this concept even further, by providing immortality to people, places, food and experiences that are no longer with us. New technologies are allowing access to more information than ever, which in turn extends the life of the data through the infinite longevity of information.

All sorts of digital information is collected and stored including the chef or entrepreneur’s communications to live on into eternity via audio and video. Recipes and cooking techniques are stored preserving a chef’s signature dishes, giving us the ability to recreate and experience food in its original flavor, texture and presentation.

If you want to be an extend the life of a hospitality brand - Rob recommends focusing on the experience. By recreating the various elements of a great hospitality experience - food, service & environment - you can digitize your brand in a way you want to be remembered.

Listen to this episode of Accelerate for insights on creating a long-lasting and memorable hospitality brand, food and experience by delving into the advancements in technology that are bringing the idea of immortality closer to reality.

Continuing the conversation around what is expected to be the top industry technology trends for 2024, Accelerate host Rob Grimes shifts his focus this week to technology influencers. Influencers, according to Rob, is more than just individual people. Rather, it’s individual focus areas that influence what happens to technology and innovation in general. But it is the Futurists that predict the future and set the path to get there.

Rob breaks down influencers into two types - vertical and horizontal. Horizontal influencers are global industries that fund technology innovation - namely military, healthcare and education. Vertical influencers are the areas of technology that cut across all tech such as big data, social media, e-commerce, communications. These silos provide data and research which ultimately drives innovation.

Focusing back on the Futurists, Rob discusses their larger technology predictions. Nano technology, the concept of higher power coming in the form of smaller and smaller microchips, is something which is constantly evolving. Communication technologies are helping to bridge the gap of global communications, and many predict will soon allow us to smoothly communicate with anyone across the globe. Immersive technologies such as the meta-verse of e-learning (digital classroom) are making their impact emotionally and philosophically based upon an individual’s personal and professional life - another trend which is expected to grow.

If you want to hear about the innovations taking place in these industries, or want to know what the Futurists are predicting to be the top trends that will impact food and beverage technology in 2024, take a listen to this episode of Accelerate.

Since the start of 2024, there have been many discussions about technology trends or top 10 lists published. This episode of Accelerate, host Rob Grimes is diving into some of the top trending technology for the foodservice industry. Drawing from firsthand experiences, discussions with other industry leaders, and looking at industry ‘cousins’ retail or lodging, Rob dissects these emerging trends poised to evolve the foodservice industry.

Starting from within the foodservice industry, Rob highlights the expectations and limitations of a technology such as robotics. Where back of house may see more application and integration of robots, drone technology is held back with governance and regulations. From contactless ordering to cloud kitchens, and AI powered customer interactions, we are starting to understand which areas foodservice operators are placing more emphasis.

The second part of the episode shifts focus to specific ‘cousin’ industries, retail and hotels. Retail is focused a lot on EV charging and supplementing labor with autonomous channels, hotels placed more focus on guest personalization and contactless technology. Contactless payments were common among both of these sectors but hotels are taking the technology a step further, making the in-room experience increasingly more contactless. Green initiatives and sustainability technology within hospitality are also very popular. Green technology isn’t just a trendy choice anymore; it's the game

Tune in to this episode of Accelerate and explore the top technology trends shaping the future of the foodservice, retail, and hospitality industries and where we can learn from each other.

Right now, the collective hospitality industry has many concerns around the future of technology, especially artificial intelligence, and robotics. The major concern is that jobs will be replaced by technology, a conversation that has been going on for years.

Host Rob Grimes begins the conversation by flashing back to a time when fast food restaurants were testing remote call centers taking orders at the drive through. Immediately, there were concerns about jobs being taken in the hospitality space. Eventually, this idea went away. He also jokes about a time when school officials debated letting students use calculators in tests; this technology was adopted and helped the acceleration of math skills.

Rob talks about similar fears behind the future of robotics. At the end of the day, Rob argues, there’s going to be a service involved in hospitality. The science behind hospitality is the information that we can learn. However, the art behind hospitality is the human touch or the ability to have empathy - something a computer or robot can never have (“Never” is a long time).

Rob then talks about what he predicts will go obsolete in the future. Language, for example, or rather the need to learn another language could be replaced by translation technologies. Face-to-face interactions as well may be replaced by virtual communication. In both these cases, communication is still occurring just with the assistance of technology.

If you want to hear about Rob’s argument on jobs being replaced by technology in the hospitality industry and what he believes may actually go obsolete - listen to this episode of Accelerate.

Making the decision of buy vs. build (or “make”) technology is always going to come down to the specific business. While majority of businesses will choose to buy from technology which already exists, there are many companies (small and large) who are developing their own systems, specifically point of sale (pos) or back-office.

In this episode, Rob breaks down considerations when it comes to either approach. If you’re going to make your own technology, trust the people involved where the new technology would make an impact. Rob notes that many Chefs have developed back of house systems. You should also consider whether what you are considering already exists in some form or fashion in a peripheral industry.

On the flip side, it’s just as important to do your homework when choosing between existing technology and building your own, including customizations. One of the biggest challenges our industries has always faced is integrations. Making sure the technology integrates seamlessly into existing touchpoints and operations is essential, and looking 3-5 years out.

Whether you're an operator looking hear about success stories in technology innovation or you want to improve your tech stack and want to consider the right approach, check out this episode of Accelerate.

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Every year CES, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, takes place annually in Las Vegas each January, and is immediately followed by NRF: Retail’s Big Show in New York City the following week. While CES primarily focuses on consumers and personal technology, NRF is a business-to-business (B2B) retail-oriented event.

Joining Rob to discuss and compare their experiences at CES 2024 and NRF 2024 is Armand Rabinowitz, Vice President Digital and Technology at Levy Restaurants. Both Rob and Armand have been attending both events for well over a decade. Describing why it’s important to attend, Armand notes “as there’s more and more technology required to operate any business, especially the foodservice business, it’s important to see what’s out there and cross compare what all these vendors are doing and how they can help your business.”

At CES, transparent LED display technologies were a technology that Armand took note of. These transparent displays are not necessarily new to CES, but sometimes technology exists before its time. Wearables (eyewear, watches), smart ovens and nutritional measurement AI were also notable technologies at CES this year.

Continuing on, the pair talk about their experience at NRF 2024. Despite its title, NRF is indeed a technology-focused show that includes far more than traditional retail. This year, autonomous stores were a big feature in many of the halls, and there was the debut of the Foodservice Innovation Zone where the IFBTA as the NRF’s Concept.

To stay informed about the latest technologies made an impact at CES or NRF, or that may soon impact the foodservice and hospitality industries, tune in to this episode of Accelerate.

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Anyone who’s been to the NRF’s Retail Big Show would know it’s the one of the largest technology events in the retail space. In this episode of Accelerate, host Rob Grimes is joined by Susan Newman, Senior Vice President of Events at the NRF. As collaboration partners representing the NRF and IFBTA, they preview what’s in store for the 2024 show and how technology has connected the retail & foodservice industries.

The pair start by discussing the 118-year history of the show and how it’s changed over the years from hangers and shelving to tech. The National Retail Federation is the largest retail trade association - standing up for people, policy, and ideas that help the retail industry succeed. This year, the show expects 1,000 exhibitors and over 40,000 visitors from across the globe.

Rob and Susan share a pre-show look at this year’s Foodservice Innovation Zone, an area which highlights the cool technology which is changing the customer experience in retail with foodservice. “It’s becoming easier with today’s technology to integrate retail and foodservice” mentions Susan, and adding “the option to sell food is important to a retail businesses overall footprint and ability to be successful.”

If you want a sneak peek about what to look forward to at NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show and the Foodservice Innovation Zone, where the exciting future of integrating retail and foodservice comes to life - check out this episode of Accelerate.

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For some operators, the restaurant business can be a family business, passed down willingly or unwillingly to the next generation.

Joining Rob today to discuss their experience in the family restaurant business is Amanda Signorelli and Nick McMillan who are co-owners of Golden Steer Steakhouse, the oldest restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip (established in 1958). In March 2019, Nick and Amanda took over the reins of the Golden Steer Steakhouse from Amanda’s father.

Amanda and Nick had extensive backgrounds as technologists and not restauranteurs. So stepping in to run a high volume, iconic restaurant was not what they ever expected to be in their future. Taking their understanding of tech and applying them to their new environment, expectations, and learnings; staff acceptance is extremely important when rolling out any new operational or tech initiatives. “Old school in the front, new school in the back” is the vision that the pair keeps in mind as they make changes. Digitizing accounting for increased security and bringing in increased internal communication via slack are simple changes that don’t interrupt the way the staff works but make work more efficient.

E-commerce is a big area that Nick and Amanda explored when COVID hit in 2020. The unique setting of their steakhouse, having “80% of the customer base being visitors” to Las Vegas, allowed them to create products for their out-of-state customers to be able to bring the experience of The Golden Steer Steakhouse right in their own homes. At the same time, given the large footprint of Las Vegas, delivery was never an option as they would never be able to maintain high food quality which would negatively impact the customer experience.

To gain some insight into what it’s like to take over a restaurant from a family member or want to hear about the tech initiatives of a tech-savvy independent operator going into 2024 - check out this episode of Accelerate.

Guests:
Amanda Signorelli
eCommerce | Startups | Restaurants | Media | McKinsey

Nick McMillan
Chief Technology Officer | Director Product Management | SaaS | Fintech | Cybersecurity | Mission Critical Solutions

The choice of deciding between an All-in-One vs. Best-in-Breed systems and applications is one many operators are faced with. When you look for an All-In-One system, you have to define what this means within the total system. Otherwise, The types of systems that fall under Best-of-Breed could be a subset of a larger application with several different individual applications such payroll, pos, loyalty, scheduling, digital signage, inventory, etc. making it an All-in-One!

The approach to either of these, as Accelerate host Rob Grimes always says, define your requirements in writing upfront, and think holistically.

When you compare the two side by side, Best-of-Breed functions and features may offer close to 100% functionality in a certain area, where All-in-One systems may only be 95% to 98%. The question will be, is the percentage in less functionality of feature, more important to you, and are you able to give that up because of a better cost or a single supplier. Small operators especially may not want to implement multiple different systems.

Many times, Best-of-Breed technologies come from outside of the hospitality industry. Accounting applications, for example, were created to assist with virtually every industry. Best-of-Breed is really the ability to have freedom of choice - being able to replace one system at a time, not all at once, and increased integrations to other applications and systems.

All-in-One is also important to define. A back-of-house All-in-One system rolls up multiple applications such as inventory, scheduling, food production, POS management, time & attendance and ordering. There may be better pricing when sold as a packaged product. Another potential benefit of an All-in-One system is support from a single place.

If you want to gain some insight on what type of system would be beneficial for your operation, or the benefits/drawbacks of an All-in-One vs. Best-of-Breed system or application - take a listen to this episode of Accelerate.