Innovation

🤖 Kura Sushi utilizes a robotic arm to ensure compliance and reduce human error, maintaining disposal rates at 3%. Their growth exceeds 20% annually due to automation, which also reduces staffing needs to 60-70 employees per location, compared to typical restaurants with 80-100. Revenue averages $4 million. The Bikkura Pon Prize System gamifies dining by rewarding guests with a prize after depositing 15 plates. Collaborations with gaming brands for promotions have included Nintendo. Drink robots introduced in 2019 enhance service and the brand's fun, tech-forward image.

🍴 In 2024, Starbucks experienced a mid-teens percent order incompletion rate in their Mobile Order & Pay channel due to long wait times and product unavailability. Steak n Shake implemented PopID's biometric check-in and checkout system for enhanced customer experience. Hospitality Technology announced the 2024 Top Women and Rising Stars in Restaurant Technology, highlighting tech innovation from Jersey Mike's to Pizza Factory. Robotics and AI were key topics at the National Retail Federation's Big Show. Southern Classic Chicken discussed new drive-thru tech plans in HT Talks Tech. POS software vendors shared their 2024 plans, following 2023 achievements. The 2024 Customer Engagement Technology Study by HT revealed how technology fosters customer loyalty. The 2024 POS Software Trends Study showed the importance of integration and adaptation in POS systems. The 26th annual Restaurant Technology Study by HT highlighted the use of human-digital hybrid solutions to address industry challenges.

📈 Kevin Bentley, Head of Technology at Jollibee Foods Corporation, with over 20 years of experience, will speak at MURTEC 2025 on "Personalizing the Guest Experience." Bentley's background includes marketing technology at Johnson & Johnson and automation at Inspire Brands. Discussion points include improving service time, streamlining operations, leveraging technology, and reducing labor costs. Attendees can register for MURTEC 2025, "Experience Matters," at MURTEC.com.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, covers food and beverage trends and hosts the "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), spent five years in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times, and graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University. Thorn was in Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, won a Neal Award in 2006, and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. Contact him at [email protected]

🏖 Travel Tech Essentialist newsletter, sponsored by the Travel Tech Association, highlights the tension between AI-driven efficiency and human touch in travel innovations. Merry Christmas and happy 2024 from the newsletter, with wishes for success in 2025. Travel Tech expands Advocate membership to assist startups and SMBs, offering webinars, networking, and access to the Innovation Policy Newsletter. In May 2025, the Travel Tech Start-Up Summit followed by the Policy & Innovation Showcase will take place in Washington, DC. The industry expects structural changes like the power shift towards Asia and anticipates AI replacing 31% of traditional customer service roles, despite only 13% preferring this change. For more details, visit the full results and analysis.

💻 Digital transformation in the food service industry continues post-COVID-19, focusing on robotics in kitchens, advanced data analytics for decision-making, and a shift towards back-office technology priorities. Restaurants integrate AI and machine learning to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and inform growth strategies. The shift from front-of-house to back-office innovations addresses labor shortages and economic pressures, aiming to improve operational efficiency and profitability. Effective strategies include building integrated systems, prioritizing flexible solutions, and aligning technology with guest experience enhancements.

📈 Major advertising and marketing highlights from 2024, according to The Drum: Palliative Care Queensland's ad with The Pixies' soundtrack resonated in August, AMV BBDO's 'Never Just a Period' campaign for Bodyform stood out, KFC's 'Believe in Chicken' by Mother took a darkly humorous route, Marmite's April ad from Adam&EveDDB humorously imitated an investigative documentary, and Loewe's ad featuring Aubrey Plaza and Dan Levy cleverly addressed the brand's name pronunciation. Notable marketing moves include Guinness facing supply shortages due to successful marketing, Adidas Sambas becoming trendy, Liquid Death reaching a $1.4bn valuation, and Rhode's lip gloss phone case going viral. In contrast, The Body Shop and TGI Friday's entered administration, while Dr Martens and Nike lost cultural cachet. Looking ahead, marketers hope for stable budgets and political climate post-2024 elections. In media, the US Supreme Court agreed to review a potential TikTok ban set for January 19, 2025, while TikTok's CEO met with president-elect Donald Trump seeking a resolution. Omnicom and IPG's significant deals bookmarked the year, with agency acquisitions including WPP's NCA, Havas' B2B Ledger Bennett, Dentsu's Tag Worldwide, and Publicis' shopper agency Mars United. Investments in AI technology surged, with WPP dedic

📊 On Dec. 20, 2024, Danica Smith, Founder of MorningStar GX, discussed the use of technology to enhance guest experiences in hospitality. Topics included the relevance of online guest reviews, the influence of social media influencers, the concept of "micro feedback," and the development of payment and loyalty programs. Smith also addressed emerging trends like sleep retreats and water-centric travel, and how city center hotels can offer unique experiences. The podcast suggested resources like Mint Pillow's newsletter and a survey on the state of the hotel industry.