About
The client is a Plano, Texas-based startup, which was setup when the Founder & CEO recognized that many Point-of-sale (POS) systems lack the agility and functionality to allow servers to deliver the best dining experience to their guests. In creating a prototype of handheld tablets that interface with the merchant’s existing tech stack, the startup hit upon a solution that optimizes labour, creates a contactless and efficient ordering and payment process for both servers and guests, and establishes PCI and EMV compliance, immediately eliminating 100% of fraudulent chargebacks.
The client wanted to scale this prototype to a full-fledged market offering and partnered with Sakha for the development of the solution.
The Challenge
POS systems are a critical component of restaurant operations, allowing for efficient order taking, payment processing, and inventory management. However, traditional POS systems have some limitations that can impact the customer experience and business operations.
- Many traditional POS systems used in restaurants are outdated and do not provide customization options for menu items based on customer preferences, allergies, or dietary restrictions. This can result in customers receiving inaccurate orders, leading to dissatisfaction and potential loss of business.
- Moreover, traditional POS systems can be time-consuming and difficult to navigate, which can lead to longer wait times for customers and slower service. This can negatively impact the customer experience and result in lost business for the restaurant.
Solution
A machine learning (ML)-driven, tablet and wearables-based system can help address these problems by offering a more customized and streamlined ordering experience. Sakha designed & developed an app to offer personalized menu recommendations to customers based on their preferences, allergies, and dietary restrictions. This improves order accuracy and customer satisfaction, leading to increased customer loyalty and repeat business. The system is also designed to offer seamless communication between the front-of-house and back-of-house staff, ensuring that orders are processed quickly and accurately. This reduces wait times for customers and improves the overall efficiency of restaurant operations. In addition, the app is designed to integrate with loyalty programs and offer targeted promotions and discounts to customers based on their past orders and preferences. This encourages repeat business and increase customer engagement. Some of the benefits of the solution developed by Sakha include:
- Improved order accuracy: The system offers customized menu options based on customer preferences, allergies, and dietary restrictions, leading to improved order accuracy and customer satisfaction.
- Increased efficiency: The system improves the efficiency of restaurant operations by reducing wait times for customers and streamlining communication between front-of-house and back-of-house staff.
- Improved customer loyalty: The system offers targeted promotions and discounts to customers based on their past orders and preferences, encouraging repeat business and increasing customer engagement.
- Increased revenue: By offering a more personalized and streamlined ordering experience, restaurants can attract new customers and retain existing ones, leading to increased revenue over time.
Overall, the ML-driven, tablet and wearables-based POS system is helping restaurants provide a more customized and efficient ordering experience for customers, resulting in improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue. Today, the solution is revolutionizing the restaurant technology space by introducing the most comprehensive, cost-effective, and contactless solution for the hospitality industry to date. It supercharges existing POS systems to immediately enable contactless ordering and payment, optimize labour, eliminate fraudulent chargebacks, and create a triple-win for servers, managers, and guests alike. Sakha has worked with the client to expand the product offering to incorporate additional contactless payment technologies, mobile menu browsing, and curbside order and payment options that help restaurants generate additional off-premise revenue. AI surveys, guest preference tracking, and offer management have all made their way into the 360-degree solution to make the product the single preferred technology provider for the restaurant and hospitality industries. The initial platform has now been expanded to accommodate multi-merchant venues (such as malls and entertainment districts), hotels, airports, retail establishments, and event venues, and can quickly adapt to the changing requirements that brands are seeking in today’s world. Through the Sakha-developed solutions, the client has raised a total of $12M in funding over 2 rounds. The client was also #3 on Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021.