Foodservice Cateys 2024: Best Use of Innovative Technology Award – Restaurant Associates

Queueing times in workplace restaurants has always been a problem for foodservice operators. And when you take into account the high-end clients served by the likes of this year’s winner, the problem needed to be solved by some seriously slick technology.

The solution Restaurant Associates deployed – artificial intelligence (AI) tray scanners – was launched for one of its clients in a mere four weeks.

Restaurant Associates partnered with Autocanteen to create a digital restaurant at a professional services firm in the City of London. The technology consisted of AI-powered scanners that recognise items in seconds and cut the average transaction time from 28 seconds to 10, giving Restaurant Associates the ability to serve 17 customers a minute and saving 75 hours of queueing time in the first three months. Putting this into context, guests can now grab their morning coffee in as little as 80 seconds, whereas before they might have had to wait up to 15 minutes.

Prior to the solution one client said its employees felt they didn’t even have time to eat at the restaurant. But now with the faster service, 1,000 employees come through the door every day.

Further roll-outs of the technology at banking clients have seen similar success, thanks to the system which is easy to understand by both guests and the Restaurant Associates team. At one high-profile bank, 49% of transactions are now completed using the scanners, with 3,5000 orders placed in the first three months of use. The bespoke app allows users to combine the AI technology with services such as booking meals in advance and utilising loyalty schemes.

Clients are delighted, praising both the engagement and simplicity, while judges called the deployment a “significant leap forward” which “revolutionises the customer experience and enhances operational
efficiency.” The technology has clearly sped up service without adding additional labour costs, and staff on-site can really focus on providing the best possible customer service, which, at the end of the day, is what every foodservice operator has built their business to achieve.

What the judges said

“Their implementation of AI powered scanning technology represents a significant leap forward, revolutionising the customer experience and enhancing operational efficiency. The ability to harness cutting-edge technology to streamline transactions, improve accuracy, enhance customer satisfaction and create lasting value for its clients is truly impressive.”

Greg Mace

“The nomination really demonstrated how technology applications can work together to enhance customer experience and delivery efficiency.”

Julia Edmonds

“An excellent submission detailing a network of problem-solving solutions for clients that are evidenced and thoughtfully delivered. Its testimonials and data was great.”

Rees Bramwell

“A sterling delivery of full digitalisation of the customer journey touch points.”

Harry Ridley

See previous winners of the award here