This 12 months’s Self-Service and Innovation Summit, hosted by Networld Media Group in Tampa, Florida from December Sept. 11 will culminate with “Thought chief roundtable: Govt predictions,” a panel devoted to serving to decipher truth from fiction and offering sensible recommendation for constructing your small business.
Expertise and enterprise are altering quicker on daily basis, from superior software program and synthetic intelligence to 3D avatars in self-service kiosks, to call just a few rising applied sciences!
How is an operator to remain on high of so many adjustments, and the way can they future-proof their operations and buyer expertise no matter what comes subsequent?
These questions and extra are the core of a panel of distinguished trade specialists at this 12 months’s Self-Service and Innovation Summit, hosted by Networld Media Group in Tampa, Florida from December Sept. 11.
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The summit will culminate with “Thought chief roundtable: Govt predictions,” a panel devoted to serving to decipher truth from fiction and offering sensible recommendation for constructing your small business. Panelists will embrace:
- John Laspia, CEO at Kiosk Operators.
- Ashkan Mirnabavi, founder and CEO at NextGen Kitchens.
- Ishai Reinfeld, director of eCommerce, sensible answering at SoundHound AI.
- Invoice Stutzman, director of strategic initiatives at Ventus.
I reached out to panelist Ashkan Mirabavi by way of electronic mail interview to study extra about among the subjects he’s passionate to share with the viewers and to get a preview of among the thought management that can be on show in the course of the panel.
Mirabavi is a distinguished enterprise chief and serial entrepreneur. Just a few highlights from his broad resume embrace serving as: founder at CIBOTICA, a food-tech robotic firm; founder and CEO at NextGen Kitchens, a multi-unit restaurant and SaaS expertise firm; proprietor of Nabavi Holdings, a restaurant holding firm.
Q&A with Ashkan Mirabavi, founder and CEO at NextGen Kitchens
Q: What’s the largest change you have seen this 12 months, notably as AI reshapes expertise?
Mirnabavi: This 12 months, we have seen “AI” grow to be a buzzword, with companies speeding to leap on the development. Whereas many of those instruments are nonetheless of their early phases, the velocity at which AI is being developed and carried out is exceptional. AI is already reshaping each back-end processes—like stock administration and logistics—and customer-facing programs with extra customized experiences.
Within the meals trade, the place innovation has traditionally lagged, this transformation is especially vital. Many operators are hesitant to be the primary to undertake new expertise, fearing the dangers, and a few even exit of enterprise earlier than they’re prepared to vary. This reluctance is compounded by a enterprise mannequin that usually prioritizes cost-cutting over long-term strategic enhancements.
Regardless of these challenges, we’re seeing a shift. Automation and robotic options designed to reinforce worker productiveness are gaining traction. Bigger manufacturers with R&D budgets are investing closely in sensible industrial tools and automation, creating extra environment friendly back-of-house operations and lowering the pressure on staff. These instruments, when used successfully, not solely enhance productiveness but in addition improve the standard of life for workers—an element the trade has typically ignored.
Q: What’s your largest prediction for the approaching 12 months?
Mirnabavi: Wanting forward, AI will proceed to rework how meals operators handle complexity. We’re just a few years away from AI changing jobs like drive-thru attendants, cashiers, and different repetitive roles. Even the implementation of those programs is prone to be outsourced to AI and machine studying instruments that may deal with deployment and decision-making.
POS programs, for instance, are anticipated to grow to be much more succesful, specializing in personalization to create a greater buyer expertise. AI-driven insights will allow operators to research information from their POS programs, serving to them make smarter, quicker choices. Labor-saving and labor-enhancing applied sciences will dominate, as operators search to enhance effectivity with out sacrificing high quality.
Nonetheless, it is important to assume past surface-level claims. Many tech firms tout in depth capabilities, however few ship options that really deal with the trade’s challenges. Creating expertise is dear and tough to execute correctly. The businesses that succeed can be these which can be captivated with fixing actual issues, taking an operator-first strategy to innovation.
Q: What ought to operators be doing to arrange for a quickly altering trade?
Mirnabavi: The meals trade has historically been sluggish to innovate, typically chasing the bottom price relatively than adopting higher enterprise fashions. Operators anticipate extra productiveness from workers with out investing in enhancing their high quality of life, which is unsustainable.
To thrive in a quickly altering panorama, operators should embrace flexibility and innovation. Whereas expertise is not the reply for everybody, companies with well-established processes can vastly profit from scalable, seamlessly built-in instruments. Options like AI-powered chat options that analyze POS information and supply actionable insights may revolutionize decision-making.
It is also vital to companion with tech firms that really perceive the trade. As restaurant operators ourselves, we strategy expertise with a deep understanding of day-to-day operations, guaranteeing it solves real-world challenges. Ardour for the issue and a deal with enhancing each productiveness and high quality of life for workers are key when choosing the proper options.
Q: What’s the largest mistake to keep away from proper now?
Mirnabavi: The most important mistake operators could make is resisting change or leaping into an answer with out totally understanding its worth. Complacency—counting on conventional strategies—will depart companies behind, however adopting expertise with out thorough analysis can even result in wasted sources.
On this trade, many companies chase the bottom price or fall sufferer to a worry of lacking out (FOMO), leading to poor choices. It is essential to determine your particular challenges, consider options critically, and companion with tech firms which can be each succesful and captivated with fixing these issues.
On the finish of the day, the best expertise ought to enhance the standard of life for staff and improve productiveness. Operators must stability innovation with a considerate strategy to make sure they’re investing in instruments that really align with their long-term objectives.
Q: What’s your largest message to operators on leveraging this second for achievement?
Mirnabavi: It is a pivotal second for operators to embrace expertise as a strategic benefit. The meals trade’s capability to drive income by way of expertise has been restricted thus far, however the alternative exists to assume past the normal mannequin.
Operators ought to take the time to guage inefficiencies, discover accessible instruments, and select options thoughtfully. Expertise like AI-powered platforms not solely streamlines operations but in addition enhances worker satisfaction by lowering repetitive duties and enabling higher decision-making.
In the end, expertise’s worth lies in its capability to enhance each productiveness and high quality of life. Instruments like NextGen Kitchens’ platform will help operators unlock new income streams, ship extra customized buyer experiences, and place their companies for long-term success. The hot button is to undertake expertise that aligns along with your imaginative and prescient and solves actual issues—as a result of considerate innovation is what’s going to drive the way forward for this trade.