It’s really not a big deal anymore to putter through a drive-thru and communicate with a human-sounding AI voice. It’s becoming normal. Also becoming normalized are that many operators are finding AI valuable in providing accuracy in order-taking. But what’s lesser-known is how useful AI can be in monitoring front-of-house tasks.
Dmitry Zakharchenko, chief software officer at Blaize
Dmitry Zakharchenko, chief software officer at Blaize, a leading provider of edge AI processing solutions, has been shouting this from the rooftops for a while. And he has a most interesting cross-industry frame of reference.
“We’ve been able to transplant knowledge to the industry from our early days when we worked with a fertility clinic,” he said. “It requires two things: extreme cleanliness and truth witnessing, making sure what travels from table A gets to table B. It’s similar in a restaurant environment where dining-room tables need to constantly be cleaned and customer-flow monitored. Our AI tech is adept at picking up if a process isn’t being followed and making recommendations either to the shift manager or the employee. It’s a watchful eye.”
A camera picks up movements, which you can program to give feedback. Zakharchenko insists employees welcome the coaching.
“The notifications are seen as helpful and not nagging,” he said. “People become thankful because feedback is given in a friendly way.”
Blaize has AI solutions in a number of industries, including health care and automotive, and is extending deeper into restaurants.
“I recently spoke with a district manager of a fast-food restaurant with five locations who just implemented our voice-based AI order-placement system,” he said. “In the first month the brand saw 25 percent improvement in order time. And as the system matures, it will become better.”
As Blaize blazes a path in the restaurant world, it is positioning its AI products as assets that can achieve two distinct aims.
“We’re entering the age where information becomes hyper-personalized, but not at the loss of your privacy,” he said, noting Blaize keeps data on site and not uploaded to a centralized cloud. “The data doesn’t leave the premises. It’s what we call physical AI. It’s low latency and very fast.”
It’s a safe bet that some operators are still nervous about deploying an AI system. Zakharchenko says there is no need.
“Technology doesn’t have to be intimidating,” he said. “It’s easy for the larger brands, who have IT departments, to get set up. But smaller brands may not have those resources but want these solutions. We provide the tools where operators can set up and adjust their AI without writing code. We have software solutions that are similar to Microsoft Excel. You just drag and drop using a visual interface. You don’t need a team of engineers to do it. It solves a lot of drama for store owners.”
