Retail Systems and Automated Retail

• Touchless Technology In the Bathroom March 1, 2021
  Last week we reviewed a new antibacterial treatment designed for sinks and ATMs.  This week it is touchless toilets. Excerpt: shizuoka-based murakami corporation, an automobile parts manufacturer specializing in rear-view mirrors, has ...
• Restaurant Pandemic News – A Wrap – Nation’s Restaurant News February 2021 February 22, 2021
  We like our subscription to Nation’s Restaurant News and their magazine. We recommend it. In this month a couple of things: Data Snapshot is very nice. And the three words trending in food ...
• AI At Work – Domino’s Pizza Example – Nvidia Meets User Images, Delivery and Order Ready Prediction February 19, 2021
  Interesting article from the Nvidia blog on AI. We hear the acronym “AI” constantly but breaking it down in practical terms and how it affects the bottomline is what most ...
• Checkout Free Stores For Circle-K and Compass Group Stores Among Others – Camera in the Ceiling February 17, 2021
  Checkout Free Cashierless From Retail TouchPoints Feb 2021 — Excerpt: Standard Cognition has a raised $150 million in a Series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from existing investors CRV, EQT ...
• Smarter Drive-Thru Embracing AI and Other Tech February 14, 2021
  From Restaurant Business Feb 2021 — Fast-food chains are embracing AI and other technologies to supercharge their premier channel.By Joe Guszkowski on Feb. 11, 2021 Excerpts: Dunkin’ is among the brands working to answer ...
• Carside Pickup – Chipotle Expands to 170. Panera Geofencing February 8, 2021
  Carside Pickup Restaurant From Nations Restaurant News Feb 2021 — The fast-casual Mexican grill also plans to open 200 stores in 2021, and 70% of those openings will have Chipotlanes The Newport ...
• QR Codes And Restaurant Customers Repeat Visits + Pandemic Energizes QR Codes February 7, 2021
  QR Code Repeat Visits + Pandemic Energizes QR Codes February 2021 article from Pymmnts.com — Excerpt: QR codes have become more commonplace than ever as the pandemic continues, with one study last year finding that ...
• Walmart Checkout Experience Seeks to Eliminate the Wait at Register February 7, 2021
  From Walmart June 2020 but being recirculated. June 30, 2020 By Matt Smith, Walmart Corporate Affairs Retail checkouts have been evolving for years. Inside its stores, Walmart has introduced convenient check out options, ...
• Walmart Automated Fulfillment – Teaming Up With Alphabot Team On Grocery Pickup February 7, 2021
  From Engadget Feb 2021 — With an automated drive-through option coming in the near future. Excerpt: Back in 2019, Walmart started piloting its first local fulfillment center in Salem, which uses robots ...
• Minimum Wage Fast Food Impact McDonalds February 7, 2021
  From Marketwatch an article referencing new study on Minimum Wage impacts  — nice article from Marketwatch looking at the results from 2021 Princeton study on the effects of raising minimum wage. The ...
• Five Payment Trends in 2021 According to Appetize Technologies February 3, 2021
  Payment Trends and Insights Writeup by Appetize on the five payment trends to look for in 2021 There’s a silver lining to the unpredictability we experienced last year: 2020 accelerated the growth ...
• Walmart Making Incursion Into Finance January 26, 2021
  Walmart Fintech Incursion From the Financial Brand Jan 2021 — The deal with Ribbit may reflect Walmart’s desire to get further into the actual guts of financial services, rather than being ...
• UV Disinfection Robot in Workplace Piloted by Ahold Delhaize (Food Lion, Giant Food, Hannaford, Stop&Shop & Peapod) January 11, 2021
  Automated Retail UV Disinfection Robots Full article on ProgressiveGrocer Jan 2021 — Retail Business Services (RBS), the services company of grocery Ahold Delhaize USA, has launched a pilot of UV disinfection ...
• Drive Thru Automation – Fast Food, Walmart, Gas Stations, ATMs – the list goes on January 9, 2021
  Drive Thru Kiosks Outdoor & Outdoor Menuboard “Drive” Thru History     Worthwhile to take a look at the many iterations of “Drive Thru” over the years.  They range from the McDonalds to ...
• Automated Pickup Kiosks Albertsons BOPIS Variant January 7, 2021
  Automated Pickup Kiosks Albertsons From GroceryDive Jan2021 Dive Brief: Albertsons has installed an automated kiosk at a Jewel-Osco store in Chicago, the grocer announced Thursday, and plans to install another kiosk at ...
• Predictions Fast Casual QSR — Food, Beverage and Design by NRN January 7, 2021
  Nations Restaurant News is pretty good at this sort thing. 2021 Predictions Excerpt: New prototypes, the emergence of consumer-packaged goods, the new food hall and more trends Nation’s Restaurant News’ editors ...
• Self-driving Mail Delivery Robot on the Streets of Tokyo January 6, 2021
  News link Jan2021 Excerpt: The prototype can carry packages weighing up to 30 kilograms, and travel at a speed of 6 kilometers per hour, slightly faster than walking pace. Built-in cameras and ...
• Drive-Thru Comes To Applebee’s – Off-Premise Dining Continues to Increase January 5, 2021
  NRN Weighs in on Applebee’s Testing New Drive-Thru Capability for Restaurants Excerpt: A Texas franchisee is evaluating how the addition of a drive-thru pickup window could impact off-premise service for the casual-dining ...
• UV Robot with Disinfecting UV Light Announced by LG to be unveiled at Digital CES 2021 December 30, 2020
  Hospitality Tech Reports UV Light Robot by LG – Dec2020 Excerpt: To be officially unveiled at Digital CES® 2021, LG’s new robot is expected to enable a new standard of hygiene by helping ...
• Touch Screen Monitor – Going Touchless – Intel Whitepaper Review – C+ December 28, 2020
  Intel Touchless 2020 Whitepaper – Opinion We saw this new whitepaper by Intel on touch screen monitors and going touchless and hoped that it would be an instructive article. Unfortunately it ...
• PCI Compliance Self-Service Kiosks Announcements December 20, 2020
  PCI Compliance for self service kiosks announcement on PRNewswire KIosk Manufacturer Logo WESTMINSTER, Colo., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Kiosk Manufacturer Association (KMA), the leading unattended self-service kiosk association established in 1995, today announced ...
• Sweetgreen Drive Thru Goes Solar and Multi-Channel, and then there are Ghost Kitchens… December 17, 2020
  Sweetgreen Drive Thru Goes Solar From NRN – The fast-casual salad’s first drive-thru in Highlands Ranch, Colo., will have a concierge for in-car ordering and a digital pickup lane. Joanna Fantozzi | Dec ...
• So what next for Doordash? Self-Delivery, Ghost Kitchens December 11, 2020
  Nice writeup this month on Nation’s Restaurant News on Doordash and what’s next. COO Christopher Payne talks commission caps, virtual brands and the potential expansion of its ghost kitchen experiment, DoorDash ...
• COVID Restaurants – Cheesecake Factory SEC COVID-disclosure charges December 4, 2020
    Agency says settlement is the first for public company in reporting pandemic impact Excerpt: The Cheesecake Factory Inc. has agreed to pay $125,000 in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange ...
• Robot Kitchen Adds In-House Delivery November 10, 2020
  With Off-Prem in Mind, Spyce Relaunches Concept Hospitality Tech — By Anna Wolfe, Senior Editor – Restaurants – 11/10/2020 Excerpt: Spyce, a robotic kitchen that came on the scene in 2018, is reopening today ...
• Mobile Kiosk – Coca-Cola buys coffee kiosk startup November 9, 2020
  From MobileMarketer Nov2020 — Brief: Coca-Cola’s Costa Coffee unit this year acquired Briggo, a startup that lets mobile users order coffee from automated kiosks, and is now rebranding it as Costa Coffee ...
• Pizza Automation Option – Basil Street Pizza October 27, 2020
  See website — An autonomous pizza baking machine that cooks a thin crust brick-oven style 10″ pizza in 3 minutes for around $10 reducing exposure and risk with touchless baking ...
• QSR with Self Service Kiosks, Pickup Cubbies in Toronto October 8, 2020
  From HospitalityTech Oct2020 — Naan & Kabob, a premium QSR and catering group in Toronto, launched a restaurant with kiosks and self-serve pickup cubbies. Here in the US there have been a few concepts ...
• 2020 QSR Drive-Thru study: Here’s how 10 major quick-service restaurant brands ranked October 7, 2020
  2020 QSR Drive-Thru study Chick-fil-A is a drive-thru leader in many categories, while Wendy’s and Taco Bell have slipped in their performance since last year, according to the study Market research agency ...
• Walmart Blog — Walmart Store Design to Help Customers Better Navigate the Omni-Shopping Experience September 30, 2020
  From the Walmart Blog Sep2020 — Sept. 30, 2020 By Janey Whiteside, EVP and Chief Customer Officer, Walmart Walmart has been on a transformational journey for several years now, reimagining ways to create ...
• Marriott CEO on Hygiene Theater – Temperature Scanning Kiosks September 28, 2020
  Reference article on Skift Sep 2020 — Arne Sorenson the CEO of Marriott talks about building consumer confidence. Business Levels in U.S. and International Business is down in the U.S. close to ...
• Pandemic Effect on Minimum Wage and Tip Credit for Restaurants September 21, 2020
  Article from Nation’s Restaurant News Sep2020 – Despite fewer workers and less hours, labor costs are rising Overview “I do think wages will be going up whether it’s federally mandated or not. ...
• QSR Market Update Opinion – QSR & Fast Casual Restaurants – Is the Restaurant Business Getting Better? September 18, 2020
  Editor Note:  We do interviews with magazines (recently for NRN) and in those we express what we call “ad hoc” opinions based on what we have seen and heard. For sure, ...
• Contactless Curbside Pickup Update El Pollo Loco – September 9, 2020
  Self-Order with Geo-Fencing From National Restaurant News Sep2020 — The brand’s revamped app includes a new best in class rewards system; later this month, one-touch curbside pickup rolls out a year ...
• Whole Foods Cashierless By Next Year? August 25, 2020
  From the Verge Aug2020 — Verge Excerpt: Amazon may be looking to bring the cashierless tech found at its Go convenience stores to Whole Foods supermarkets as early as next year, the ...
• Taco Bell Drive-Thru Expansion for Mobile Customer Orders August 25, 2020
  Article from HT Technology – Aug2020 — By Anna Wolfe – 08/20/2020 Excerpt: Taco Bell is rolling out a new store design that combines digital innovation with a people-first approach. Taco ...
• Circle K autonomous checkout technology in Arizona Being Tested Now August 25, 2020
  From IGD Aug2020 — Couche-Tard, which operates mainly under the Circle K brand globally, is partnering with Standard Cognition to pilot autonomous checkout technology at four stores in Arizona. Under this ...
• Opioid Dispensing Kiosks – Dispension expands network of MySafe kiosks August 14, 2020
  Opioid Dispensing Kiosk Press release August 2020 —  Dartmouth company’s secure automated dispensing technology provides access to regulated, safe opioid supply DARTMOUTH, NS, Aug. 13, 2020 /CNW/ – More than 15,000 Canadians have ...
• Ransomware Facts, Trends & Statistics for 2020 August 14, 2020
  From SafetyDetectives August 2020 — Eric C. Being ever-evolving as an attack tool, even the simplest form of ransomware can cost significant time and money, but more severe attacks can deal a ...
• Biometrics – Face Detection Camera Review (with Masks) July 30, 2020
  New report from IPVM on face detection camera – Jul2020  – we have all those nice cameras that do facial recognition, but wasn’t that before everybody started wearing masks?  Now ...
• Sonic Drive-Thru Gets Redesigned July 29, 2020
  Sonic unveils new drive-in design as part of brand makeover From NRN Jul2020 – Sonic Drive-In’s new drive-in area has brighter colors, wider car docks, and a covered patio with lawn ...
• News on Self-Service Kiosk Products for Coronavirus July 20, 2020
  See Yahoo Finance for full article Excerpt: The Kiosk Manufacturer Association announces specific product listings for coronavirus-related self-service assistance. Tailored specifically for coronavirus product offerings are the following: Temperature kiosks for screening and fever ...
• Amazon Automated Grocery Cart July 16, 2020
  Amazon is rolling out grocery carts Amazon is automating the grocery cart making it into a smart grocery cart or an intelligent cart whichever you prefer.  All the scanning is built ...
• High Touch High Contact Restaurants Go No Touch Touchless Contactless July 9, 2020
  Excerpt from Nation’s Restaurant News — Of restaurant industry segments, the social-distancing requirements to stem the spread of the coronavirus have impacted few as deeply and profoundly as the once-high-touch ...
• SevenRooms to Help Restaurants Track Guests June 25, 2020
  From Cheddar Jun2020 By Taylor Craig SevenRooms, which works with hospitality venues like hotels and restaurants, has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Providence Strategic Growth. Joel Montaniel, CEO ...
• Some Restaurant Chains Are Opening New Units as restrictions lift June 17, 2020
  From NRN News Jun2020 Restaurant chains across the country have not only begun to reopen dining rooms, but they are opening new units as a sign of hope for the future. Last ...
• Hospitality News – Hilton follows Marriott, Airbnb with cleanliness initiative June 16, 2020
  From USA Today Jun2020 Hilton is partnering with the company behind Lysol, as well as the Mayo Clinic, to better ensure cleanliness in its hotels — part of a hygienic industry trend in the wake of ...
• Walmart Digital Eye Cameras at Checkout Come Under Fire June 15, 2020
  From the DailyMail UK June 2020 A group of anonymous Walmart workers have raised concerns about the anti-shoplifting technology used to monitor the company’s self-checkout kiosks. A group that calls themselves ‘Concerned Home Office ...
• Walmart Testing Self-Checkout ONLY at Arkansas Store June 15, 2020
  From the Kansas City Star Jun2020 Going full self-checkout only has pluses and minuses. It has critics and fans.  The pandemic has sensitized buyers towards other people handling their food (after ...
• Vending Market Research May 28, 2020
  From Kiosk Industry May 2020 — Vending sales are expected to accelerate post-pandemic, due to affordability of its footprint and sanitary interface, when compared to a crowded store. Excerpt from Canadian Vending magazine ...

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