News Briefs

Richtech Robotics Inc. (“Richtech Robotics”), a Nevada-based company and a provider of AI-driven service robots, announces its advanced AI capabilities for its robotic solution ADAM at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 held in Las Vegas January 9th-12th, in the North Hall, booth 9335. Richtech Robotics believes these advancements will revolutionize ADAM's capabilities beyond its role as a robot bartender, barista, or boba tea maker, enabling it to engage in sophisticated conversations with customers and emulate human actions with exceptional accuracy.

By analyzing and adapting to human-like motions, ADAM will become more interactive, accurately predicting and catering to customers' needs with improved precision. This advancement aims to not only enhance efficiency in task execution but also create a more engaging and fluid interaction between ADAM and customers. Richtech Robotics believes this innovative feature will redefine the landscape of robotic assistance in hospitality, fostering a seamless and enjoyable experience for patrons while supporting businesses with enhanced operational capabilities.

"This technology not only addresses the current labor challenges but enhances the  guest experience, making the robots more engaging and interactive," said Matt Casella, Richtech Robotics’ President. "Our goal is to alleviate the labor burden, enabling restaurants and bars to support their current staff while focusing on other areas of their business, helping them to grow, scale, and improve their bottom line.” 

The new capabilities aim to elevate personalized interactions and significantly enhance efficiency, facilitating quicker service and seamless integration of robots across various settings. The enhancements will soon be available to customers in the U.S., and are expected to transform the entire robotic dining experience. 

Richtech Robotics completed its IPO in November 2023 and addresses a critical need within the $4.7 trillion U.S. hospitality market, which is forecasted to reach $5.8 trillion by 2027. Despite this growth, technology remains an underdeveloped aspect in the industry, compounded by persistent staffing shortages that prevent restaurants and bars from capitalizing on the industry's resurgence.

As a dedicated partner to hospitality businesses, Richtech Robotics understands the challenges faced by today’s restaurants and bars, and has developed technology that aims to remove such barriers. ADAM, an innovative robot leveraging machine learning, AI, and edge computing, specializes in creating customizable drinks, enhancing productivity and experience through engaging 24/7 service.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in Las Vegas, Vox AI's advanced machine learning technology  for  the drive-thru is making its debut. 

Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill, the Fast Casual Restaurant destination for their authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, announces a new collaboration with Gift A Meal, an innovative cause-marketing platform committed to addressing local hunger in the local communities where Naf Naf restaurants operate.

Through this collaboration, every customer who captures a photo of their delicious Naf Naf order will trigger a donation to a local food bank. The initiative is designed to provide a meal to those in need, aligning with Naf Naf Grill's commitment to bring people together and share a meal beyond the dining table.

"We are very excited to embark on this journey with Gift A Meal, we remain focused on making a real positive impact in the community. The goal is to contribute in helping those facing food insecurity especially after the holidays which is a critical time when donations drop. We look forward to the shared success and impact this program will bring, as we work together to make a difference, one photo, one meal at a time." -Nico Nieto, CMO of Naf Naf Grill.

"GiftAMeal is thrilled to join forces with Naf Naf.. Everything on Naf's is delicious, fresh and beautiful, and their craveable food leads to mouth-watering photos and now customers can turn those into a meal for their local community food bank! We are excited to watch the Naf Naf customers help heal hunger across 12 states - spice it up and share a photo!" - Gift A Meal's Alison Van Bergen

The program will be available across all Naf Naf Grill 39 locations nationwide, until the end of February.

To learn more about Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill, visit nafnafgrill.com

ParTech, Inc. (PAR) introduces the PAR Wave - an all-in-one touch panel.

The PAR Wave reflects PAR’s commitment to meeting future restaurant industry needs, seamlessly blending functionality, performance, security, and innovative design. It emerges as a solution for businesses seeking a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing future.

Designed with a focus on innovation and versatility, the PAR Wave perfectly aligns with PAR's dedication to delivering inventive solutions tailored to the evolving demands of the restaurant and hospitality industries.

In response to the rising demand for efficiency, adaptability, and sustainability, PAR Wave, a cutting-edge touch panel, seamlessly integrates with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies. Positioned as a pioneer in forward-thinking hardware, it meets the evolving goals of brands striving for excellence.

Recent industry trends emphasize the increasing importance of innovative design and functionality among leading brands, echoing the broader shift towards next-generation hospitality solutions. PAR recognizes the growing significance of these aspects in restaurant operations and strives to provide solutions that harmonize with the evolving landscape.

Restaurants are embracing a future where products must be functional, secure, and designed with the user in mind. The PAR Wave's sleek design ensures maximum efficiency—minimized downtime, supporting contactless transactions, and low-maintenance, user-friendly devices. Drawing on over 40 years of restaurant hardware experience, it embodies meticulous feedback from customers and extensive market research.

PAR believes this will become increasingly important as restaurants seek cutting-edge solutions that resonate with consumers, especially the younger demographic.

Key Features 

• Versatile Functionality: The PAR Wave serves as a multifunctional touch panel suitable for POS terminals, ordering options, and table games, offering endless possibilities for businesses.
• Slim and Aesthetically Pleasing Design: With a slim and durable design, the PAR Wave takes up minimal counter space, maintaining an aesthetically pleasing ambiance in restaurants.
• Multiple Mounting Options: Traditional POS Terminal Counter Mount, Low-Profile Counter mount (with a collapsible stand), Wall Mount, Pole Mount, Dual-Monitor Pole Mount, Kiosk Mount, VESA mount – the PAR Wave does it all.
• Environmentally Conscious: Intentionally designed for eco-friendliness, the space-efficient design minimizes packaging and shipping impact, reducing the overall shipping and warehouse footprint by 50%.
• Self-Ordering Options: Various guest-facing configurations, including LCD touch screens for advertising, provide businesses with additional opportunities to engage with consumers.
• Durable and Resilient: Withstanding spills, grease, high temperatures, and common cleaners, the PAR Wave ensures reliability in the demanding hospitality environment.
• Powerful Processing Options: Equipped with powerful INTEL CPU processing options, the PAR Wave can run complex software efficiently, offering reliability for diverse operational needs.
• Windows 11 Ready: Keeping pace with the latest technology, the PAR Wave is Microsoft Windows 11 ready, ensuring compatibility with the latest software advancements.

For additional information on the PAR Wave please click here.

Chatmeter, a provider of reputation management and multi-location intelligence, announced the release of Pulse AI: Signals, enabling brands with critical customer and location insights in real time to grow their business.

Multi-location businesses have traditionally used keyword-matching sentiment analysis and Net Promoter Score surveys to get a surface-level understanding of customers. Now, these businesses can type any question into Signals, which will analyze their reviews, social media and surveys to deliver the exact information needed, with the data to back it up, in real time. 

“We’re in a new era for multi-location brands,” said John Mazur, CEO of Chatmeter. “Every brand is at risk of their next mention going viral and costing them millions in revenue before they’re even able to respond. Not anymore, thanks to Signals and its pioneering use of generative AI.” 

Elevating the Guest Experience

“Armed with Chatmeter's insightful data, we've made swift and effective changes to elevate the guest experience,” said Richard Clarke, senior manager of loyalty and guest feedback at Northland Properties. “As a result, we've enjoyed future bookings, repeat stays, and greater guest loyalty. Chatmeter's ability to close the loop on customer feedback and generate positive results is truly impressive.”

Chatmeter was one of the first reputation management platforms to bring advanced sentiment analysis to the market in 2017 and is now the first to use generative AI to empower multi-location businesses to:

• Quickly make better, more informed decisions from real customer feedback through generated reports that answer the mission-critical questions brands have about their customer experience, products, locations, and more. 
• Gain an even deeper understanding of every customer’s experience and how  specific locations are performing by using insights from specific regions, locations, providers, timeframes, and more, along with all of the customer reviews and data, to make informed decisions that drive real business impact. 

Chatmeter is using multiple large language models, including internal models trained on its own data, to deliver actionable insights in real time.

Signals uses an advanced data pipeline to process reviews, social posts and surveys through multiple AI models, including custom-trained versions to deliver the insights multi-location businesses need on topics such as:

• Product feedback
• Customer satisfaction
• Facilities operations
• Critical business risks
• Customer and employee safety
• Regional strengths and weaknesses
• And many more….

Across a multi-location brand, thousands of reviews, social posts and surveys may be processed by Signals daily. With the data processed and stored using AI, businesses can ask questions of their data, and get detailed answers back, including insightful analysis, attributing data and downloadable reports.

Signals is now available to Chatmeter customers with the Performance and Intelligence bundles. Additional Pulse AI features will be available later in 2024. 

Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has been credited with enhancing the quality of in-room entertainment experiences at The Ashbrooke Hotel with the deployment of its GuestCast streaming solution. A luxury property located in Wisconsin that specializes in serving as an adults only retreat, The Ashbrooke Hotel with GuestCast is now able to ensure that visiting guests can seamlessly align content with their unique TV-viewing interests.

As a location catering predominantly to couples and those seeking a break from daily schedules, The Ashbrooke Hotel offers an enticing array of amenities and services designed to guarantee total relaxation and peace of mind. Many of its rooms and suites feature two-person whirlpools and gas-burning fireplaces, while those wishing to enjoy the area’s scenic and cultural surroundings can venture over to the property’s spacious outdoor sundeck or outdoor fire pit. The Ashbrooke Hotel’s decision to adopt GuestCast ultimately comes from the property’s goal to ensure maximum enjoyment while staying a step ahead of the latest trends and expectations.

As the industry’s leading content streaming solution purposely designed for hotel guestroom environments, GuestCast notably guarantees an easy, secure, and instantly personalized in-room entertainment experience regardless of a guest’s familiarity with technology. Unlike competing casting solutions that often feature a complex and time-consuming device registration process, GuestCast ensures that the property’s guests can effortlessly access their own streaming subscriptions as easily as scanning a QR code. Additionally and in contrast to smart TVs, GuestCast sidesteps the need for guests to share sensitive login information which can reduce confidence and deter many from utilizing a guestroom television to view personalized content. Taking guest privacy and security a step further, GuestCast also features advanced device isolation abilities to prevent content from being accidentally or maliciously streamed to televisions located in other guestrooms.

“Regardless of whether they are visiting for a romantic getaway or for a relaxing change of pace, our guests undoubtedly prefer to be able to interact with an in-room entertainment experience that mirrors the instant personalization and ease-of-use that they are accustomed to on a daily basis when at home,” said Fred Anderson, Owner of The Ashbrooke Hotel. “With its compatibility with thousands of mobile streaming apps as well as an interface that’s as secure as it is user-friendly, GuestCast was the clear choice in adopting a streaming platform capable of accommodating the highest service quality expectations.”    

To ensure consistent industry-leading performance, GuestCast is also equipped with an innovative Analytics Dashboard. This feature importantly provides hotel staff with the ability to monitor individual GuestCast device health in real-time, ensuring that any suddenly arising issue is identified and addressed before guest satisfaction rates begin to decline. GuestCast’s Analytics Dashboard can even be used to analyze WiFi signal strength for each guestroom where the solution is deployed, providing hotels with a crucial opportunity to maintain an internet access experience that always represents high-speed and reliable online connectivity.