QSR December 2022

DIGI TAL INNOVAT ION

merce, loyalty, and customer-facing digital programs inside restaurants. At its core, the job is geared toward leveraging data and segmentation in a thoughtful way to deter mine how, when, and where KFC engages. Stevens says the most successful personal ization strategies are those that anticipate the wants and needs of each consumer. Thanks in part to her efforts, KFC U.S.’s digital sales increased 70 percent year-over year in 2021, driven by delivery and a new e-commerce platform. In Q4 2021, the chicken giant rolled out Quick Pick-Up, a process in which customers are able to grab mobile orders off cubbies inside stores. “KFC has made significant progress in understanding who our customers are, what they purchase, and what drives them,” Stevens says. “We’ve built a world-class marketing technology stack to analyze and measure our customer behavior and have started to put it to work to activate against our customer segments.” Stevens began her career in digital adver tising before entering the quick-service space and quickly falling in love. When she started, restaurant technology was mostly focused on back-of-house systems, but recently, she’s noticed a shift to customer-facing solutions. That doesn’t mean the kitchen is taking a backseat, however. Stevens predicts the industry will see full automation in respect to food prep and order fulfillment based on real time demand, inventory levels, and forecasts. This in turn will allow workers to focus more on the hospitality side of business.

brands, and building global teams to lead transformation and innovation, Sinha was ap proached by Dunkin’ to direct its next-gener ation technology. When Dunkin’ was acquired by Inspire Brands in 2020, his role expanded to include the full portfolio of Arby’s, Baskin Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s, Rusty Taco, and Sonic Drive-In. Sinha’s experience with Dunkin’ tran scended much of what was happening industry-wide. Namely, although the sector had broadly taken a laggard approach to technology, with some prioritizing digital transformation more than others, Dunkin’ was on the forward-thinking path. “Dunkin’ had the desire to join this new wave from the start and began creating a roadmap for technol ogy innovation,” Sinha says. “Along the way, we adjusted the underlying foundation of our brand to create a new point-of-sale, as many other companies followed suit. As restaurant technology continues to advance, I’m eager to witness how it will lead to more growth not just for Dunkin’, but for the industry as a whole.” Returning to the future, Sinha says Inspire Brands continues to ask itself two questions: What can we do to simplify repetitive actions to focus on the big picture? And, how can the multi-brand platform use technology and progress to provide a better experience? “At Dunkin’, we’re thinking through new ways to address these questions, particularly with our drive-thru. We want to cultivate VIP expe riences that recognize our guests’ commit ment to the brand, including the generation of more personalized digital menu boards that present relevant suggestions based on previous order history,” he says. Sinha adds Inspire Brands is “extremely interested” in the power of AI. Dunkin’ is flesh ing out ways of using the tech specifically to automate daily operations and individualize guest services and interactions. “We want to create a space where our team members can place a larger focus on our guests, and we recognize the role that advanced tech will play in doing so,” he explains. “We recognize with our ability to leverage back-of-house software to further develop as a brand, and we plan on doing exactly that.” Elevating its drive-thru is another focus. Dunkin’s sales run predominantly through the channel and the industry, in general, saw the category burst forward through COVID; not just in usage, but also in how tech could elevate the bar. “This includes modernizing digital menuboards that highlight relevant menu items depending on time of day, adding more efficient dual-lane locations, and implement ing loyalty member-only lanes,” Sinha says. “We’ve also continued to evolve our loyalty app, update and enhance our infrastructure to enable curbside pickup options, and strength ened integration with our delivery partners. “

Krystle Mobayeni BentoBox C O F O U N D E R Fiserv H E A D O F R E S T A U R A N T S O L U T I O N S

BENTOBOX / FISERV

Krystle Mobayeni was a web designer and consultant when she started taking on restaurant clients. One thing she couldn’t find, though, was a resource focused on the specific tools operators needed to drive revenue, things like catering orders, selling tickets for private events, and managing a concept’s presence on Google and Facebook. What Mobayeni also recognized was existing technology was driving a wedge between restaurants and guests. In 2013, she cofounded BentoBox with Pierre Drescher to empower modern restau rants to build their online presence, diversify revenue, engage with diners, and increase operational efficiency. Today, Mobayeni leads the restaurant solutions team at Fiserv, a global payments provider that acquired BentoBox in November 2021. Restaurant Solutions, which includes the BentoBox and Clover brands, delivers a best-in-class option and enhanced experi ence to restaurants, she says. “A few years ago, restaurants and technol ogy co-existed. Restaurants knew that they needed technology to support their busi ness, but they looked at the on-premise and off-premise as two different experiences.” Mobayeni says. “Additionally, the restaurant landscape was built on layers of fragmented technology. Today, we see technology in restaurants shifting to a unified, modern experience that connects the on-premise and off-premise, and eliminates friction among the different technologies.” The coming evolution, she feels, will center on an opportunity that doesn’t get the spotlight it warrants. “We hear a lot about diner data, but the real power, which gets little attention, is how technology can help restau rants make better decisions and deliver great service with this data. Knowing consumer preferences is important—what we should

Gagan Sinha Inspire Brands S V P , R E S T A U R A N T T E C H N O L O G Y Gagan Sinha sees the next wave of restaurant tech as an operations system that acts as a “self-driving car.”

INSPIRE BRANDS

“What I mean by that is there are so many routine aspects of our business models that no longer need to be overseen by a person, and instead can be monitored and executed with artificial intelligence,” he says. “There are many tasks that can be managed with the right technology, like creating weekly sched ules for team members or overseeing food equipment. If we’re able to streamline these processes with AI, employees can shift their focus to the customers and help create a more personalized experience.” Sinha joined the space as a software en gineer in hospitality. After spending 17 years working with a variety of restaurant and retail

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