News Briefs

INSPIRE, a global event solutions company owned by Ashford Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Sayi Puligandla as Chief Operating Officer.

In this position, Puligandla will oversee human resources, hospitality operations, information technology, and other projects to support the entire organization.

Puligandla brings to INSPIRE an extensive background in the hospitality industry and valuable experience in data, analytics, and building efficient operational units for accelerated growth. He was an executive vice president and a founding member of Nor1 (acquired by Oracle in 2020), a known pioneer and industry leader in hospitality upsell technology, where he architected and developed the analytics and BI infrastructure that paved the way for Nor1’s upsell science.

Upon Oracle’s acquisition of Nor1 in 2020, Sayi continued managing all aspects of Nor1’s Global Gaming business as its Senior Director, as well as Business Development and Strategic Account Management for all Nor1’s Global Accounts which included several of the ten largest hotel chains.

“Sayi is incredibly talented and a proven leader. His unparalleled background and expertise will propel us toward our goals and ensure we achieve individualized, valuable solutions for our clients,” said Chuck Bauman, CEO of INSPIRE. 

Focus Brands says dual branding is the future of QSR, and the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, is leading the charge. Today, the Focus Brands portfolio boasts 175-plus open dual branded units with at least 65 more in various stages of development across the country. 

Drive-Thru Convenience

The Focus Brands portfolio brands have signed agreements to open more than 50 dual and tri-brand locations in the coming year, many of which include drive-thrus for added convenience as interest in dual branded franchise opportunities continues to surge.

Flexible Store Formats

Focus Brands is among the brands introducing new store formats, including Krystal, Jack-in-the-Box and Panera Bread, which opened its Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Focus Brands has long pioneered the concept of dual branding, predominately in malls and non-traditional locations with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. Now, the company’s portfolio brands have found new opportunities with streetside dual branded units, which is paving the way for immense franchise growth. 

“Dual branding is the future of our brands, especially on the specialty side of the business,” said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer at Focus Brands. “There will always be a place in malls, but there is an immense amount of growth opportunity in streetside venues, and, by dual branding, there is more opportunity for enhanced revenue.”

The company invested heavily in consumer research to identify how to create combinations of its iconic brands to resonate with consumers and meet them where they want to be met.

Focus Brands has identified four dual-brand concepts:

• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon
• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon/Carvel
• Auntie Anne’s/Jamba
• Cinnabon/Carvel – Cinnabon Swirl. 

While key consumer benefits vary by dual-brand combination, one consistent benefit has been convenience. Having these brands together in one location makes them far more accessible than they are individually. This convenience also creates opportunity for franchisees, as co-branding leads to an expansive menu that drives enhanced unit-level volume. 

 

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is making its largest technological investment in brand history.

Walk-On’s is implementing a systemwide aggregator to consolidate third party orders, partnering with Lunchbox to upgrade its online ordering platform and guest loyalty program, and introducing a partnership with Toast to level up its POS management system.

71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

Walk-On’s new loyalty program and app, designed by Lunchbox, are scheduled to launch in the first half of 2023 with an improved interface and back-end integration that will create a more seamless user experience for guests and operators alike. 

Continuing with marked enhancements to the guest experience, Walk-On’s is also partnering with BOWEN to modernize the brand’s website presence and streamline the online ordering experience. 

In addition to the upgraded Toast POS system, Walk-On’s is installing Toast Kitchen Display System, and rolling out Toast Go 2 mobile handheld POS devices for tableside and curbside use at current and future locations. 

Walk-On’s will implement a phased rollout across all current locations throughout 2023 and begin immediate implementation at all new restaurants in their development pipeline. 

Cloud5 Communications, a provider of communications and technology solutions for more than 5,000 hotels, MDUs, and commercial facilities across the Americas, announced the appointment of telecommunications expert, Jerry Gore, as company CTO.  

Gore joins Cloud5 following an impressive career spanning more than 20 years wherein he has specialized in telecommunications architecture and integration, as well as software development and support services. Most recently, Gore served as CIO and CTO for CrossCom, a leading lifecycle technology solutions provider for several of the largest retail chain businesses within the US. While at CrossCom, Gore oversaw the company’s transition from providing telecommunications services to serving as a full on-premise technology provider. Leveraging his expertise in technology and software development, Gore also successfully spearheaded integration efforts for companies acquired by CrossCom, and launched a new help desk division that leveraged automation to provide excellence in retail customer support operations.   

“We are excited to welcome Jerry to the Cloud5 team,” said Mark Holzberg, CEO of Cloud5 Communications. “As we continue to innovate, develop deeper integrations with key technologies and partners and bring even greater value and support to clients, Jerry’s expertise and leadership will be critical to our continued success.” 

Earlier in his career, Gore has served as a consultant for Centric Consulting, and founded LOIS, Inc., a software development consulting firm. Jerry holds a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s advanced management program.

Let us Nudge, a restaurant seating maximization technology, announces the launch of its Nudge@Home platform backed by NudgeAI. 

Nudge@Home allows for restaurants to nudge customers at home with incentives to visit the restaurant, such as discounts, free food, new menu items and more. The customers can accept or deny the nudge and if accepted, the restaurant receives a notification the customer is headed in.

Let us Nudge, which serves large franchise chains, fine dining and small family-owned restaurants, launched with its in-restaurant solution, Nudge Table Turnover. Nudge Table Turnover optimizes restaurant traffic and frequency by gently nudging customers during busy times to aid in table turnover with incentives. The Nudge Table Turnover solution has helped restaurants increase revenue by 20%, according to the company.

Both solutions are powered by NudgeAI, a patent-pending SaaS technology that delivers real-time data and analytics to help restaurant owners and operators improve their targeted marketing and campaign management. According to SmallBiz Genius, 95 percent of restaurants feel technology can improve restaurant efficiency, including food cost management, staffing and consumer traffic flow.

Chowly, a restaurant technology company that integrates third-party delivery marketplaces with point-of-sale (POS) systems, has acquired Koala, a guest experience platform that empowers established and emerging restaurant brands to elevate their digital ordering experience across web, app and kiosk to drive immediate results. The combined business will represent over 16,000 restaurant locations on the platform, integrating over 350,000 orders per day across the US.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Koala to the Chowly team,” said Sterling Douglass, co-founder and CEO, Chowly. “Merging these two businesses together represents a major leap forward in the mission of both organizations as we help restaurants navigate today’s complicated digital world. Koala’s open platform meshes perfectly with Chowly’s, while also giving restaurants a simpler experience for their off-premise strategies. We plan on bringing Koala’s best-in-class, enterprise-grade ordering to the SMB restaurant space and blend our partnership ecosystems while continuing to support their success in the enterprise restaurant space.”

71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

SMB and independent restaurant owners will soon gain access to a more sophisticated and holistic solution, including enterprise-grade online ordering, advanced data analytics, and proven machine learning recommendation engines for increasing basket sizes. Sophisticated native iOS apps, open platforms, and multi-platform support have long been relegated to the largest of enterprises, but are now being democratized for the independent restaurateur.

The leadership team at Koala, Walter Beller-Morales, Melanie Norton and Brett Spiegel will play a critical role in integrating the two companies’ solutions in conjunction with Chowly’s leadership. Koala’s CEO Nat Trienens will remain temporarily to help shepherd the integration of the two companies.

Chowly brings significant scale to the expanded organization, representing more than 12,000 locations and 3,000 brands. The company has delivered a consistent record of product innovation, best-in-class implementation time and POS integrations, and a strong value-driven sales team. By adding Koala’s strengths with product-leading features such as top tier conversion rates, enterprise-grade stability, a highly-customizable user experience and a machine learning engine for recommendations to maximize basket size, the combined company will be positioned for significant growth as a market leader.