Across almost every industry, self-service is being implemented in some format. Grocery stores have self-checkout, hotels have self-check-in/out, and of course the foodservice industry has embraced kiosk ordering.   Joining in an Accelerate Spotlight conversation this week with Rob Grimes is Tyler Wells, ISV & Strategic Accounts Partner Manager, Americas at MicroTouch. MicroTouch is a global leader in capacitive touch solutions and innovator in touch technology, with more than 50 million touchscreen installations in 80 countries worldwide. With a 10-year technical background himself ..read more

Hong Kong has always been ground zero when it came to hospitality, tech, innovation and education.  How this came to be, and was put to practical use was the subject of conversation with this week’s guest, Richard Hatter. Richard has an extensive background in the hospitality space, opening many hotels in the Asia-Pacific market over the last 25 years. Richard’s operations expertise led him to become an adjunct professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University which opened up new doors, putting his hotel background, love for technology, a desire to teach, all together to enable Corporate Soci ..read more

One of the problems the industry has always had, what is ‘technology’ in the first place?” jokes this week’s guest, Barbara Timm-Brock, CEO of E-Track. With a mutual passion for tech and operations with the foodservice industries, but coming from different starts in the industry, Barbara joins Rob as they examine the past, present, and future from their individual viewpoints. They begin by reflecting on their work experience, Rob at Marriott and Barbara at Pillsbury. The pair note how the approach to restaurants used to only worry about the guest who was physically in the restaurant. Now, it ..read more

In this episode of the Accelerate Podcast, host Rob Grimes, delves into the pulse of hospitality tech in a "Hospitality Tech: State of the Union" episode. Drawing inspiration from the recent State of the Union address, he embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the technological landscape within the hospitality industry. Join Rob, as he navigates through various industry predictions, presentations, and articles, shedding light on the latest tech trends shaping the hospitality industry. Recognizing the pivotal role of consumer and operator perspectives, we uncover how these insights shape th ..read more

On this episode Accelerate, host Rob Grimes asks, can technology provide a solution to iconic brands and hospitality to avoid their demise allowing them to live on, not only in our hearts & minds, but in our stomach as well? Having recently visited a graveyard, Rob was able to look up names on headstones and find out a bit about their history by searching online, which prompted the idea for this episode. New technology is taking this concept even further, by providing immortality to people, places, food and experiences that are no longer with us. New technologies are allowing access to mo ..read more

Continuing the conversation around what is expected to be the top industry technology trends for 2024, Accelerate host Rob Grimes shifts his focus this week to technology influencers. Influencers, according to Rob, is more than just individual people. Rather, it’s individual focus areas that influence what happens to technology and innovation in general. But it is the Futurists that predict the future and set the path to get there. Rob breaks down influencers into two types - vertical and horizontal. Horizontal influencers are global industries that fund technology innovation - namely militar ..read more

Since the start of 2024, there have been many discussions about technology trends or top 10 lists published. This episode of Accelerate, host Rob Grimes is diving into some of the top trending technology for the foodservice industry. Drawing from firsthand experiences, discussions with other industry leaders, and looking at industry ‘cousins’ retail or lodging, Rob dissects these emerging trends poised to evolve the foodservice industry. Starting from within the foodservice industry, Rob highlights the expectations and limitations of a technology such as robotics. Where back of house may see ..read more

Right now, the collective hospitality industry has many concerns around the future of technology, especially artificial intelligence, and robotics. The major concern is that jobs will be replaced by technology, a conversation that has been going on for years. Host Rob Grimes begins the conversation by flashing back to a time when fast food restaurants were testing remote call centers taking orders at the drive through. Immediately, there were concerns about jobs being taken in the hospitality space. Eventually, this idea went away. He also jokes about a time when school officials debated lett ..read more

Making the decision of buy vs. build (or “make”) technology is always going to come down to the specific business. While majority of businesses will choose to buy from technology which already exists, there are many companies (small and large) who are developing their own systems, specifically point of sale (pos) or back-office. In this episode, Rob breaks down considerations when it comes to either approach. If you’re going to make your own technology, trust the people involved where the new technology would make an impact. Rob notes that many Chefs have developed back of house systems. You ..read more

Every year CES, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, takes place annually in Las Vegas each January, and is immediately followed by NRF: Retail’s Big Show in New York City the following week. While CES primarily focuses on consumers and personal technology, NRF is a business-to-business (B2B) retail-oriented event. Joining Rob to discuss and compare their experiences at CES 2024 and NRF 2024 is Armand Rabinowitz, Vice President Digital and Technology at Levy Restaurants. Both Rob and Armand have been attending both events for well over a decade. Describing why it’s important to a ..read more