Off The Menu: Restaurant service pivots from businesses to homes
Today 6:02 AM
Restaurant delivery has become an integral part of the contemporary dining experience, and Alchemista, Boston-based food service innovator, is melding delivery with technology to facilitate the at-home enjoyment of restaurant food.
Founded in 2012 to provide chef-quality meals in upscale office settings, Alchemista suddenly found itself mostly without customers when lockdowns rolled out last March.
Alchemista has since pivoted to a program of high-tech food lockers it had previously developed for smaller clients, at the same time creating delivery partnerships with two Boston-area restaurateurs.
The company has been installing what it refers to “on-demand modular marketplaces” in the lobbies of luxury apartment buildings. Ten of these installations, which the company has branded as “The Locket,” were in place across greater Boston as of March, with more rolling out weekly.
Off The Menu: PepsiCo opens ‘ghost’ restaurant, Pep’s Place
Updated May 08, 5:08 AM;
Posted May 06, 10:08 AM
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Wine and food pairings have long been a part of the dining experience, but now one major consumer goods company has decided to promote the unconventional idea of choosing the food you’ll eat so as to harmonize with the soft drink you’ve picked out.
As part of a month-long promotion of its brands, beverage and snack food giant PepsiCo has created a “ghost” restaurant, Pep’s Place. Operating in conjunction with three major delivery services (Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash) and only available in selected markets, Pep’s Place, as PepsiCo’s press materials put it, “is where the cola comes first.”
Off The Menu: Artificial intelligence lends hand in recipe development
Updated Feb 06, 2021;
Among the most significant technological advances of the last few decade, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, have the potential to revolutionize the restaurant industry. Already automation is making its way into fast food kitchens, where it’s taking on repetitive tasks such as flipping burgers and working the fry station.
AI, the smart technology that powers robocalls and helps forecasting models to predict the weather, may also soon play a role in the food service industry, not just by taking on simple tasks but also by dealing with higher order responsibilities like ordering food and writing menus.