News Briefs

Wow Bao unveiled a new mobile app with a fresh interface and all-in-one navigation that allows guests to order delivery anywhere, anytime from its over 700 virtual kitchens. Platforming with Lunchbox, an enterprise restaurant technology solution provider, users can now purchase Wow Bao from over 6,000 retailers nationwide all from the palm of their hand, via a fully branded custom UI.

A pioneer in technology, Wow Bao was one of the first in the industry to unveil a mobile ordering app in 2010.  Wow Bao's President and CEO Geoff Alexander shared the brand's automated vending experience during a Restaurant Technology Network Town Hall.

After several advances to its Hot Buns Club rewards program the brand required an app that consolidated ordering, earning, and tracking points and rewards. The app also incorporates Wow Bao’s CPG vertical and through Smart Commerce, enables users to link to their local grocer to purchase the product from their personal device.

Additionally, users can enter Wow Bao’s Dim Sum Palace Roblox experience through the app. Once in the experience, they can uncover clues and claim a free box of Wow Bao and enter to win bao for a year.

“The launch of Wow Bao’s new app couldn’t have come at a better time in our technology evolution, as we have always aimed to provide our fans with the most delicious food and most seamless way to enjoy it, all while earning rewards for their loyalty,” said Geoff Alexander, president and CEO of Wow Bao. “We partnered with Lunchbox because they’re a best-in-class leader in restaurant loyalty, catering, and online ordering. Their team exceeded our expectations and delivered a stellar product in record time.”

Lunchbox partnered with Wow Bao to develop a custom mobile user interface, providing the brand’s loyalists with a unique experience and further access to its products across delivery, grocery, and rewards. On developing the app and working with Wow Bao, Nabeel Alamgir, CEO and co-founder of Lunchbox said, “Geoff has been a trusted partner of Lunchbox, tapping in to advise on roadmap and strategy through our Food Tech Council – we’re honored to hand back the support, platforming one of our industry’s biggest innovators and giving their fan base more ways to order. It’s our mission to innovate alongside the brand and deliver an exceptional experience.”

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

Powerhouse Dynamics, an Internet of Things (IoT) partner to enterprise-level restaurant, QSR, convenience store and retail brands, has installed its AI-powered DemandSmart Solution in client locations across the country. The solution automatically executes demand response at scale, empowering clients to generate new revenues by lowering their energy use when the grid is experiencing peak demand.

“We are excited to bring this expanded capability to our customers. Not only will they save significant energy costs using our DemandSmart module, but they will also be able to take advantage of our Real-Time Demand (RTD) Hub integration and make money while advancing their sustainability goals,” said Powerhouse Dynamics President Jay Fiske.

DemandSmart integrates with Powerhouse Dynamics’ Open Kitchen® and SiteSage® IoT platforms for restaurant/foodservice operators and retailers, respectively. These platforms are already in use in 15,000+ locations of household-name clients to decrease their energy, operational, and equipment costs.

Connecting Powerhouse Dynamics’ DemandSmart module to the RTD Hub from partner DemandQ enables these locations to take full advantage of grid services previously unavailable due to the administrative burden of effectively executing a demand response or economic dispatch event.

“DemandQ’s RTD Hub marks a significant milestone in the evolution of demand response and economic demand dispatch in energy markets. Automated execution brings demand response and demand dispatch to locations with as little as 10 kW, creating significant revenue opportunities,” said DemandQ CEO Gary Morsches.

GoTab announced its integration with Tripleseat, the cloud-based sales and event management platform. This strategic partnership marks the beginning of a transformative era in event planning and streamlines laborious, error-prone manual tasks into effortless user-friendly solutions.

With embedded payment processing capabilities, Tripleseat enables operators across restaurants, hotels, and other unique venues to book, manage, and collect payments for events in a single integrated offering. Through the integration, deposits made in Tripleseat are transitioned seamlessly into event day tabs in GoTab’s point-of-sale (POS) system. From there, GoTab and Tripleseat work together to provide a streamlined close-out process for guests and operators.

• 85% say integrations with other systems is driving POS purchasing decisions, according to HT's 2024 POS Software Trends Survey

“Planning and managing events is a time-consuming task for all parties involved, and this integration significantly alleviates some of the pain points that event professionals experience every day,” said Tim McLaughlin, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at GoTab. “The demand for events and experiences continues to grow across the hospitality industry. This integration marks another milestone in our goal of helping businesses improve operationally without sacrificing the quality of hospitality they provide.”

On top of this integration, GoTab continues to elevate the event experience through its custom Event Cards, which can be QR or RFID based and allow event managers to craft a personalized selection of privileges tailored to every event and attendee. GoTab’s Event Cards eliminate the hassles of redeeming and reconciling physical drink tickets, ultimately creating a more seamless experience for guests, employees, and event managers. Furthermore, the Event Cards help managers ensure that taxes and gratuities are covered in advance, so guests can utilize their full spend on prepaid event cards.

By combining the power of GoTab and Tripleseat, event deposits can be retrieved and applied effortlessly within GoTab, ensuring a smooth and efficient operation on the day of the event. Furthermore, through this integration, event sales reporting becomes consistent and transparent, and all event deposits and payments are tracked in one centralized location, providing valuable insights for event managers and simplifying the process.

"As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, it's crucial for platforms like Tripleseat and GoTab to adapt and integrate seamlessly, " said Jonathan Morse, CEO of Tripleseat. "This partnership represents our commitment to providing our customers with cutting-edge tools that simplify event management processes and enhance the overall guest experience. We empower venues to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and deliver exceptional events."

Through this partnership, GoTab and Tripleseat are enabling operators to increase revenue by over 30% for large-scale events, group reservations, and off-site catering. The integration also eliminates the hassle of booking and deposit payments, allowing users to enjoy a stress-free event experience from start to finish.

To learn more about GoTab’s recent product innovations and growing list of partner integrations, please visit https://hubs.la/Q02vvr6y0. To learn more about Tripleseat or to schedule a demo, please visit www.tripleseat.com.

In 1,500 U.S. IHOP restaurants, Dine Brands Global, Inc. has upgraded to TRAY POS.

The brand is nearing the end of a roughly two-year migration initiative which set out to enable a cloud-native POS platform that could retain its current hardware stack while providing cost-effective hardware flexibility for restaurant franchisees and operators.

At MURTEC 2024, Dine Brands' CEO John Peyton shared how since 2019, it has tripled its spend on technology in a strategy that’s paying powerful returns.

Improved Operations

“This is a critical step in the evolution of our iconic brand,” said Justin Skelton, CIO and Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Dine Brands. “POS systems are essential to efficient operations and have major impacts on the guest and team member experience. Through this process, we’ve seen this technology has the power to decrease table turn times and increase tip and check.”

By updating 15-plus year-old POS systems in IHOP restaurants, the Dine Brands IT team has already been able to provide franchisees with a variety of features to improve operations, including reporting and performance analytic improvements, and more. The system’s open architecture allows for quick and robust integrations to the brand's critical platforms, from back-of-house technologies to online ordering and payment platforms.

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

"We’ve not only modernized the IHOP guest and team member experience but have also adapted to the needs of our franchisees as the industry evolves," said Jay Johns, President of IHOP. “With new technology like server tablets, our franchisees’ team members can stay closer to our guests and ultimately provide a more efficient and joyful dining experience.”

The organization has reported over 10,000 POS server tablets being leveraged across IHOP locations using TRAY, which enable faster ordering and checkout directly at guests’ tables.

"Our collaboration with IHOP is illustrative of the industry-wide need for smart and efficient technology that can cut costs and improve efficiencies for restaurants, and is compatible with existing or new hardware," said Peter Kellis, CEO of TRAY. "Restaurants like IHOP are seeking ways to incrementally improve operations without massive spend and equipment changes, and that can be achieved with cloud-based solutions. We are proud to serve IHOP and look forward to supporting the brand for the long term."

Sodexo and ART have announced a partnership to deploy thousands of state-of-the-art hot food robotic kiosks across Sodexo-served facilities throughout the U.S. A culmination of Sodexo’s global leadership and ART’s progress in robotics and AI, this partnership will establish new benchmarks in the automated dining domain.

Interested in How Vending Tech Can Enhance Restaurant Revenue ?  Sign up for HT's next episode of The Point on May 30. 

"Our dedication to innovation in convenience, dining, and the broader evolution of food hinges entirely on technological advancements,” said Husein Kitabwalla, CEO, Tech & Services and Food Transformation, Sodexo North America. "We're excited to collaborate with ART and leverage their Just Baked Technology, further expanding our network of partners utilizing AI for food production and bringing our clients and consumers foods that transcend conventional norms."

Effective March 26, 2024, Just Baked Smart Bistro kiosks can be found at Sodexo client sites across a variety of industries, producing giant cinnamon rolls, White Castle Cheeseburger Slider 4 packs, bao buns, breakfast sandwiches, and other delectable options with a click of a button.

“We are thrilled to partner with Sodexo and its vast network of food service clients,” said Ben Porter, CEO of ART. “Sodexo’s reputation for quality and commitment to their customers is unparalleled, making them an ideal collaborator for us. The value proposition of ART’s cutting-edge technology transcends mere convenience, boasting features such as streamlined operations through automation, advanced analytics powered by machine learning algorithms, and unparalleled food service delivery to end users available round the clock. We are also excited to work with innovative food suppliers to bring new, exciting products to customers throughout Sodexo’s customer base.”

ART is a hot food technology supplier for the food service industry. With a focus on technology-forward solutions, including the Just Baked Smart Bistro automated hot food robotic kiosk, ART partners with  food service operators and venues to deliver convenience and excellence in North America. ART is shaping the future of the hot food kiosk food service industry, experienced in distribution model, delivering exceptional experiences to consumers, and creating value for our partners and investors. With its small footprint and wide variety of food options, ART is pioneering a new era of convenience and sophistication. Serving an ever-expanding array of sweet and savory hot-food options, Just Baked Smart Bistro provides venues such as colleges, hospitals, resorts, airports, and casinos with 24/7 availability. Unlike anything else on the market, Just Baked Smart Bistro has cracked the code on distribution and placement, setting a new standard for hot food technology. For more information, visit www.justbakedkiosk.com.