COVER STORY

from HT-0621-Summer

by ensembleiq

AWARDS

BY ANNA WOLFE

MURTEC was online everywhere April 13 and 14 and featured innovative tech solutions, networking and group problem solving. In the wake of rapid digital transformation, leading brands including Taco Bell, HOA Brands, Another Broken Egg, Spyce, McAlister’s Deli and more shared their Big Shift − how they adapted and what’s next. All of the stellar 18 educational sessions are now streaming in the MURTEC content hub at HospitalityTech.com.Here are some of the conference’s key takeaways:

The Connected Restaurant:

How Edge, IoT and E-commerce Can Transform the Industry

From edge computing to the connected restaurant, native e-commerce and IoT, MURTEC attendees got the scoop on what’s happening now and what’s on the horizon in this thought-provoking keynote by Vadim Parizher, VP of Technology, Engineering & Analytics at Taco Bell. Parizher shared the QSR’s approach to edge computing and what the connected restaurant means for Taco Bell.

“What a year it has been for technology,” Parizher said. “This intermediate period has launched so many conversations around technology. Our business, which has been straightforward for the past decade − customers come in or through the drive-thru ... that model has been replaced by multiple channels. And the data is hitting the restaurant all at the same time, because customers are now ordering online, through delivery aggregators, drive-thru and walk-ins at kiosks.”

Connected Restaurant Defined

All the technology inside the restaurant needs to work together. “Just like a team of football players, there are different positions. But at the end of the day, you got to move the ball to the finish line. Our equivalent of the ball, there’s an order and we have to execute that order,” explained Parizher. “And everything in the restaurant, all the equipment is all working together. Hence the term connected restaurant.”

How Taco Bell Leverages Edge Computing

“The term edge computing is still making its way through several industries including ours, and we’re all trying to adapt it to our operations,” explained Parizher. “For us − we are 100% in the cloud when it comes to above-restaurant processing. We try to process as much data as possible in the cloud. You, of course, can’t process everything in the cloud;

sometimes it is latency, sometimes it is the availability of the network. That pushes part of processing on-premise and when it is on-premise we call it edge.”

Edge should be self-sufficient in case of power or internet outage, so the edge and cloud can get back in sync, he advised.

Native E-Commerce

Once and for all, “let’s get away from the term ‘ecommerce’ because it pigeonholes you into a very specific web-based transaction. That’s not how our customers interact with us,” explained Parizher. “For them a purchase is an order. We started thinking where is the commerce platform? Where does it reside? How does it process?

“There are multiple channels and our computer systems will be plugging into that.”

An omnichannel experience that is the same regardless of where the order is placed (internet website, delivery channels, drive-thru, kiosks and at the traditional POS, etc.) should be the end goal. Looking to the future, “Our journey is going to be a lot faster but the end result is the same — this omnichannel customer experience,” said Parizher. “Technology needs to be integrated so that you don’t have a disjointed experience.”

See You at MURTEC Executive Summit & Showcase!

Our upcoming MURTEC Executive Summit & Showcase (October 13-15 at Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Fla.) sits at the intersection of business and technology. It’s where restaurant leaders (including C-suite, CIOs, eCommerce & CX execs, and more) unite to see their future through the lens of strategic technology. It’s where we’ll reimagine restaurants — together.

What you’ll experience:

Vision: We’re binging on bold industry thinkers and exclusive new consumer research to supercharge your growth plans. Come envision your organization’s future powered by technology. Because your agenda is our agenda.

Must-See Tech: We’re curating the hottest technologies for restaurant business leaders, and putting them on display in the new Innovation Showcase. Because there’s no substitute for firsthand experience.

Networking with Outcomes: With gamification, ice breakers, and fun off-site networking activities, MURTEC Executive Summit will help you make meaningful connections, safely and serendipitously. Because it’s not just a network — it’s your network.

Trend Talk: Tech Transforming Restaurants Now and in the Future

In this Day 2 keynote, Phil Crawford, CTO of CKE Restaurants, known for its Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Green Burrito and Red Burrito brands, shared his thoughts on the technology transforming restaurants now and in the future.

Crawford said he sees drive-thrus as “truly an avenue for growth,” for not only QSRs, but also fast casual and other restaurant formats. He also shared a real-world approach to artificial intelligence: “If you can leverage AI ... to inject orders automatically, it becomes a leverage point moving forward.”

His bottom line? “If you can make it one frictionless environment, from ordering to payment to food, you are going to win.”

Learn more at MurtecSummit.com

Crawford is a “big fan” of ghost kitchens and multi-brand ghost kitchens saying they are here to stay. “Ghost kitchens are continuing to evolve in metropolitan areas, and there are a lot of efficiencies that can be gained by large brands,” he said. Also, “Virtual brands are speeding up.”

Pointing to the prevalence of smart devices, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, voice ordering “like AI, is here to stay and grow too,” Crawford said. Bottlenecks to date include “user adoption and the software needs to be more fluid for our industry. But it will get there.”

Robotics too show promise. Certain repeatable tasks can be automated, but robots are currently cost prohibitive. “It will take time and some iterations,” Crawford noted.

When it comes to drone delivery, Crawford is not as optimistic. “It’s a complete fad. I don’t think I’ll see a drone delivery dropping a burger and fries in my backyard,” he said. “Maybe a package.”

Firechat with HOA Brands:

Connected Curbside

Marc Butler, SVP, Strategic Planning/Off Premise, HOA Brands, shared recent tech initiatives that have made a difference at Hooters and its fastcasual concept Hoots Wings and its virtual brands.

Butler shared how Hooters was able to pivot to 100% off-premise dining and the lessons learned along the way.

“You don’t understand how broken something is until you start pushing a little volume through it,” said Butler about the brand’s digital channels. When Hoots Wings made its debut about four years ago in 2017, the brand experienced “some difficult times, and we reworked what we had already built. On the bright side, when dining rooms were closed, it was a pretty simple transition (to off prem).”

Now Hoots Wings is “a big growth opportunity in 2021,” said Butler. “It fits perfectly with what we’ve seen over the past year. More shifting and migrating to off-premise business … We anticipate 60% or more of that business being to-go, and a high percentage of orders being placed through digital channels.”

Curbside was added as a “necessity” during the COVID-19 lockdown, but Hooters’ consumer research indicates sustained demand for the service for the foreseeable future. “It was a pretty important addition to our operations,” Butler said.

“We knew there was a lot of interest, but we knew we could not do it in the format we had been doing it (as dining rooms were reopening) ... We need those eyes on the parking lot to help with the handoff to the customer.”

So, HOA Brands selected Radius Network’s FlyBuy solution to provide seamless curbside and in-store pickup experience for all stores. It gave “complete coverage” from the point the customer placed the order, to clicking “I’m on my way,” to arriving in the parking lot, explained Butler.

This year the company is focusing “on getting better at what we do.” HOA Brands is currently testing smart lockers with delivery service providers for both Hooters and Hoots locations to reduce friction for drivers and the customer. HT