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BY RTN Employees – 9.6.2022
Panera Bread, which operates 2,118 bakery-cafes in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada beneath the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names, has begun testing AI expertise in drive-thru lanes with the said goal of bettering and enhancing the visitor expertise. The voice AI ordering expertise for drive-thru orders has been applied in choose Panera bakery-cafes within the higher Rochester, New York, with plans for a bigger rollout within the close to future.
The voice AI ordering expertise, dubbed Tori, was developed by expertise answer supplier OpenCity. It takes orders as regular on the drive-thru speaker, with Panera associates on standby to help if wanted to troubleshoot any points. In response to a press assertion, drive-thru visitors can pull as much as their Panera drive-thru, place their order as regular with help from Tori and pay the Panera affiliate for his or her favourite menu gadgets on the drive-thru window. The addition of this expertise on the drive-thru will assist to chop down wait occasions, enhance order accuracy and permit associates to deal with freshly getting ready visitors’ orders. The aim is to maximise effectivity and enhance pace of orders.
Panera has been working towards this aim for a while now with the assistance of next-generation applied sciences. In June, for instance, Panera opened its first “Panera To Go,” a brand new restaurant format providing digitally-enabled comfort for choose up and supply orders. The Chicago-based restaurant is the primary of three so-called “Panera To Go” take a look at areas scheduled to open this 12 months.
Panera To Go is a digital-only restaurant with a diminished entrance of home the place prospects and supply drivers can simply choose up orders from devoted choose up and supply cabinets. Designed for densely populated areas that can’t accommodate a dine-in restaurant, the brand new format permits Panera to fulfill the demand in these areas for straightforward off-premise choices.
With less front-of-house duties and simplified operations, Panera To Go workers are solely focused on meeting the unique needs of a guest on-the-go. Panera plans to open two additional Panera To Go locations in California and Washington D.C. this year, and will also evaluate adding in kiosk and catering orders to the new format in the future. According to the company, the intention of Panera To Go restaurants is to service all dayparts including breakfast, as applicable.
“We strive to make it easy for our guests to access Panera’s chef-curated menu, in the most convenient way. Panera To Go creates yet another access point for our guests, via Rapid Pick-Up or Delivery, in locations where Panera has not historically operated,” said Eduardo Luz, Chief Brand & Concept Officer, Panera Bread, in a press statement.
As of the end of 2021, 44% of Panera locations included a drive-thru, and the company has continually innovated to add new access points in response to the growing demand for off-premise dining. Panera launched “Rapid Pick-Up” nationally in 2016, giving guests the convenience to order ahead and pick up their prepared order on a dedicated shelf in the dining room.
In 2020, the Missouri-based company launched “Panera Curbside,” a geofence-enabled service that allows guests to have their order delivered directly to their car. The new restaurant model rolling out nationwide features a dual drive-thru with a dedicated pick-up lane among other digitally-powered elements.
Recently, the brand has been actively testing ghost kitchens, with five currently operational nationwide and more planned to open this year. The “Panera To Go” concept differs from ghost kitchens in that the new format offers a branded front-of-house experience where guests can quickly pick up digital orders on their own. Ordering and payment for orders are available on Panera’s digital channels via web or on the Panera app.
AI technology in drive-thru lanes is simply the latest technology initiative aimed at maximizing efficiency, which, all goes well, should ultimately translates into cost reduction and increased revenue, while enhancing the guest experience. “At Panera, improving our guest experience is always our priority and we are using this innovative technology to help enable a faster, more accurate order for each of our drive-thru guests,” said Debbie Roberts, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, Panera Bread. “The potential of AI drive-thru technology is incredibly exciting for us – we are eager to evaluate the performance of these tests and the possibility of expanding this technology in additional bakery-cafes.”
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