Bite Execs Communication Technology And Access To The Food Industry In Communication

One night last week, my partner and I decided to have dinner at California Fish Grill, a so-called “casual kitchen” that focuses on serving, as the name suggests. , fish and other seafood. Apart from the food being very good, one of the things I appreciate the most is the ordering process: human interaction is almost non-existent – but it’s not because of anti-social tendencies or my sense of explain yourself.

Guests are expected to order from these oversized, iPad-like terminals reminiscent of the tablet inside Tesla cars. I like ordering gadgets because (a) I’m a geek and computers are cool; and (b) using them is easier for me than talking to someone because of my stuttering. The sad truth is that most people are very impatient when talking to someone with a speech impediment. In addition, California Fish Grill has no money. Instead, they rely on improving efficiency and convenience by asking guests to pay for their meals using NFC solutions such as Apple Pay—the latest as part of the availability of de- facto for me as an iPhone user since I left.

This introduction makes sense because not only are kiosks available in more ways than one, but clearly here, they were created by food service startup Bite. On its website, Bite describes itself as designing technology solutions that “[elevates] to welcome guests everywhere.” The company offers many products, including the kiosk device mentioned above. In April, it was reported that Bite, founded in 2015 and based in New York City, raised $9 million in its Series A funding round, led by venture capital firm Staley Capital. Bite CEO Brandon Barton described the new financial representative of an “inflection point” amid economic conditions in the industry such as rising labor costs.

In a recent email interview with me, Barton explained his background in the hospitality industry. His origin story dates back to when he was working as a busboy in a mall at the age of 14. From there, Barton would climb the proverbial ranks by working at places like Tabla and having the distinction of being Employee No. 4 on the Resy booking platform. His work experience and “hyper fixation” attitude towards hospitality guides him to run Bite, while Barton says his team develops the kiosks with the aim of providing “a welcome incomparable to unforgettable guest experiences.”

If my lede is any indication, Bite is successful with at least one.

“At Bite, we examine all the ways the in-store experience can be off or unsatisfactory and develop technology to avoid them,” Barton said of the company.‘s reason to be. “The ultimate goal is to help our restaurant and [casual] in-store shoppers drive sales and operational efficiency while significantly improving the guest experience. Ensuring our technology is accessible to everyone is a big part of that, empowering our customers with solutions to serve every guest with ease. ”

Barton explained his thoughts, saying that Bite aims to “perfect the personal experience” and North Star to make ordering food easy, approachable and accessible to everyone. He added that Bite’s mantra is to exceed what is known in the industry as cashier parity. As Barton explained, this phrase basically means anything people can do at the counter in person, they should do at a kiosk. This reason, he said, is why Bite is committed to creating “one of the most powerful kiosks on the market.”

Barton’s co-founder and Bite’s chief technology officer, Stas Nikiforov, wholeheartedly agreed with his colleague’s sentiments about the kiosks.

“If you don’t speak the language of the investor, you can go to the Bite kiosk and translate it into your language.” he said. “Hearing hard and you don’t want to feel pressured by a long line at the counter? Use the kiosk. If you’ve never heard of a topping on a salad offering and you don’t want to stand in line , the kiosk gives its image. 70% of people won’t order something if they don’t know the word.

Nikiforov added its kiosks offer more accessibility features such as a screen reader when headphones are plugged in. Likewise, in terms of hardware, kiosks can be adjusted for height for children or people in wheelchairs. And with the integration of hardware and software, the kiosk’s user interface adapts to its different environments. The entire UI is scaled down to fit into the lower part of the display while the kiosk is moved down for someone else, according to Nikiforov.

Barton said Bite customers, which counts California Fish Grill among its more than 1,300 locations nationwide, strive to provide “an equal experience for everyone.” The beauty of Bite’s kiosk technology, he said, lies in its adaptability. It can shift gears “much faster” than a cashier could. The kiosk can accommodate a person’s dietary needs and mood over time, making the ordering experience “more convenient, personalized, and accessible to everyone,” it said. Barton. In addition, he told me Bite has noticed “increased demand” for self-service kiosks like theirs from restaurants of all shapes and sizes. The kiosk accessibility features that Nikiforov praises are an “absolute must” in today’s world.

Regarding the current state of ordering in restaurants, Nikiforov admitted that while technology providers like Bite are there to push things forward, the reality is still “regulations and leadership in terms of access” in the restaurant world “when be clear.” However, Nikiforov said he and Bite “hope” to be part of moving the proverbial needle in this area, so that accessibility is “one of the first things a brand thinks about when they design or they renew the store.”

For his part, Barton shared an anecdote about one of Bite’s customers at Teriyaki Madness. The franchisee in the Houston area has two stores: one with a kiosk and one that will soon be available. The owner told Barton about a Deaf guest who visited the place without a kiosk and how that person’s order took “five” because the guest and the cashier had to to discuss writing back and forth. The host asked the guest if having a kiosk would have improved the experience, to which the guest happily replied with a big smile and two thumbs up.

“This is the impact we want – happy guests,” said Barton.

Asked about the sentiment, Barton said it was “reward.” He noted that Bite enjoys “empowering” customers with the tools they need for a better ordering experience while helping businesses boost their bottom lines. Additionally, Barton boasted about his company’s patented Bite Lift technology, which relies on—what else?—artificial intelligence to analyze transactions in real time. The software is able to provide data-driven personalized menu recommendations that result in an “average 20% increase in check size” compared to the traditional cashier-driven paradigm. Nikiforov added his thoughts, telling me that he has a vivid memory of a young child and his grandfather using the Bite kiosk like professionals. This collaboration shows the beauty that Bite is doing in the food universe, as it shows that the company’s technology is “simple and accessible enough for everyone to use for generations. “

As for the future, Barton and Nikiforov expressed hope that access becomes an important and common place in everyday use. Barton says hospitality is based on the idea that everyone is welcome; regardless of a person’s background or needs, the goal is to “create a sense of acceptance, comfort and respect.” Accessibility and hospitality go hand in hand, he added, telling me that “it has always been, and will continue to be, our priority to provide both at Bite.”

Nikiforov agreed. He told me that while the physical aspects of restaurants are well regulated (by the Americans with Disabilities Act), he wants accessibility to be “a vague requirement or an afterthought” when it comes to digital ordering. . Digital shopping, he added, is “growing at a rapid pace” and requires the same design thinking that goes into building hospitality in traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants.