Amazon Partners with Panera for Palm Recognition Payments

Blue Tokai, one of India's leading well thought of coffee brand, has announced the appointment of Nikki, an AI-powered chatbot from Umwelt.AI, as its Chief Listening Officer (CLO) to elevate employee engagement and workplace culture through real-time analytics and proactive insights.

With a rapidly expanding team across multiple locations, Blue Tokai recognized the need for a scalable solution to maintain employee engagement and address concerns in real time. The partnership with Umwelt.AI will help the company foster a workplace where employees feel heard, valued, and empowered, enabling HR teams to make data-driven decisions that enhance employee satisfaction and retention.

Umwelt.AI’s intelligent platform will provide Blue Tokai with deeper workforce insights, enabling timely actions based on employee feedback. By streamlining HR processes, measuring engagement more effectively, and personalizing employee interactions, the collaboration aligns with Blue Tokai’s commitment to building a high-performance, people-first work environment.

“Our vision has always been to create a workplace that fosters growth, inclusivity, and well-being. Partnering with Umwelt.AI gives us the opportunity to take a much more proactive and tech-driven approach to employee experience, ensuring our teams really feel valued and empowered. This will reflect our commitment to innovation not only in coffee but also in our workplace culture,” said Sujit Bose, Chief Human Resources Officer at Blue Tokai.

“At Umwelt.AI, we believe that AI-driven insights play a crucial role in building a positive and thriving workplace culture. With Nikki, our AI chatbot, Blue Tokai can leverage real-time sentiment analysis to gain deeper insights into employee experiences, proactively address concerns, and create a supportive work environment where engagement improves, attrition decreases, and business performance strengthens. By integrating AI-powered solutions, organizations can make more informed decisions that enhance employee well-being and drive long-term success,” shared Vishal Chopra, Founder and CEO of Umwelt.AI.

Through this collaboration, Blue Tokai aims to drive key outcomes such as higher employee satisfaction, improved retention rates, reduced attrition, and more data-driven HR decisions. The AI-powered analytics from Umwelt.AI will help cultivate a culture of transparency, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

India's best-rated and multi award-winning specialty coffee brand, abCoffee, celebrates the release of their revolutionary mobile app with the release of a hot rap song.

The brand, which is well-known for producing speciality coffee that is 100% suited to Indian tastes, is still shaking up the Indian coffee market with a modern beat and flawless digital interface.

The app offers limitless customization choices, tempting prices, and your daily drink in just three taps.

The brand blasts a captivating rap melody that epitomizes its inventive attitude to kick off the app launch. The song encapsulates the spirit of abCoffee and has already gone viral on social media.

Expressing his views, Abhijeet Anand, Founder & CEO, abCoffee said, "Our app launch needed to mirror abCoffee's core: excitement, flavour, and community. This new platform empowers our customers with convenience and choice, while the rap track delivers our message in a language that resonates with modern coffee aficionados."

Yum! Brands has announced the expansion of Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the U.S., targeting hundreds of stores by the end of 2024. 

The Company aspires to implement Voice AI technology in drive-thrus at its brands globally in the future.

“Yum! Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy,” said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer, Yum! Brands by adding that they are expanding and accelerating their AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to their franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience. 

“With over two years of fine tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction,” he added.

The rollout of Voice AI technology in Taco Bell, currently in more than 100 Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus across 13 states, is designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers. Benefits include easing task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a consistent, friendly experience, and reducing wait times, while driving profitable growth for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands and their franchisees. 

Yum! Brands and Taco Bell have collaborated closely, including incorporating input from Taco Bell franchisees, so that Voice AI benefits both team members and consumers. 

This technology takes advantage of Taco Bell’s strong drive-thru customer experience ecosystem, which is powered by digital menu boards, Yum! Brands’ propriety Poseidon POS system and the next generation of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program which the brand is excited to integrate later this year. 

The Voice AI technology uses a holistic approach that leverages feedback, data, and insights to enhance consumer relationships with an emphasis on intuitive, user-friendly technology to create a seamless ordering experience.

“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Taco Bell. 

In addition to the expansion of Voice AI across Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus, five KFC restaurants in Australia are simultaneously testing Voice AI technology in drive-thrus, which is also being positively received by consumers and restaurant team members. 

Iconic fast food chain Wendy’s has joined hands with ParTech, Inc. (PAR), a global restaurant technology leader and provider of unified commerce for enterprise restaurants for industry-leading loyalty and offer solution, PAR Punchh®, to advance its already successful loyalty program into the next generation of customer engagement.

Wendy’s will leverage PAR Punchh’s AI-driven platform and Punchh Enterprise Support to enhance its loyalty program for customers who visit any of their nearly 6,500 locations across the United States and Canada. 

With PAR Punchh’s advanced loyalty expertise and personalization engine, Wendy's aims to advance its loyalty program with best-in-class gamified experiences, targeted offers designed to bring great food for a great value to its customers, and exclusive promotions tailored to individual customer preferences.

The open architecture of PAR Punchh ensures seamless integration into Wendy’s existing app and online ordering systems, optimizing their technology stack for both current and future operations. This integration will enhance the omni-channel experience, digitally and at the restaurant.

In collaboration with PAR Punchh’s team of loyalty strategists, Wendy’s will craft a comprehensive strategy, aiming to elevate the guest experience and drive customer satisfaction.

“Loyalty is not a feature, it’s an outcome – driving more customer lifetime value. We believe that coupling our technology with our skilled team of loyalty strategists not only gives brands the tools to build guest loyalty, but also puts us in the driver seat with them to deliver results," said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology.
 

Domino's Pizza Inc, the largest pizza company in the world, and Microsoft have joined forces to create the next generation of pizza ordering and store operations with generative AI technology and cloud computing power. 

Together, the companies will leverage the Microsoft Cloud and Azure OpenAI Service to transform Domino's consumer experiences by enhancing the ordering process through personalization and simplification.  

With Microsoft as its primary cloud provider, Domino's has already been experimenting with data and AI capabilities to make store operations smarter, simpler and more robust. 

"We are thrilled to co-innovate with Microsoft using Azure AI technology to advance the future of pizza ordering and store technology powered by secure, connected data and simplified processes," said Kelly Garcia, Domino's executive vice president & chief technology officer by adding that the collaboration over the next five years will help them serve millions of customers with consistent and engaging ordering experiences.

Leveraging Azure OpenAI for the customer experience is also an important element of the collaboration.

"As consumer preferences rapidly evolve, generative AI has emerged as a game changer for meeting new demands and transforming the customer experience. Through our strategic partnership, Domino's continues to be a customer-first leader in the quick service restaurant industry," said Shelley Bransten, Microsoft corporate vice president, global retail, consumer goods and gaming industries.

Domino's expects to begin piloting generative AI-powered solutions to stores and customers within the next six months.
 

On-demand convenience platform Swiggy has launched the “Learning Station”, an advanced digital learning academy to support restaurant partner growth. 

Seamlessly integrated into the Swiggy partner app, Learning Station provides a wide variety of courses tailored to support restaurant partners in their journey towards success. 

“The Learning Station is a big step in our goal to help our restaurant partners succeed. At Swiggy, we're all about making our partners' experiences better and helping them grow. The Learning Station is a way for us to provide valuable resources and education to empower our partners. We're fully committed to giving our partners the best support and opportunities to succeed,” shared Swapnil Bajpai, Head of Supply at Swiggy.

The content is curated to meet the specific learning needs of restaurant partners at different stages of their engagement with Swiggy. It delivers short, simple, engaging, and easy-to-understand content in audio-visual formats. This content focuses on utilizing tech tools, leveraging data for business growth, and mastering various aspects of restaurant operations.

Courses cover essential topics such as refining menus to match changing preferences, making the most of effective advertising strategies, using discounts strategically to engage customers, and gaining valuable insights into steering restaurant businesses towards continuous growth. 

The Learning Station is accessible to all the 3,00,000 restaurant partners. Aligning with its foundational values of curiosity and perpetual learning, Swiggy's launch of the Learning Station reflects its commitment to fostering restaurant partners' progress through learning. 

McDonald's Turkey has taken technological innovation to a next level by creating a drink menu using AI. 

"The Recipes from my ImaginAIon" smoothie menu is available at select McCafe branches in Istanbul, shared reports.

"In the present era, there is a notable fascination, particularly among the youth, with artificial intelligence-driven programs encompassing image, video and audio domains. With the responsibility of being a brand that adopts the principle of making everyone happy, we prepared an extraordinary project based on the expectations and demands of young people,” shared Özdeş Dönen Artak, CMO, McDonald's Turkey in the release.

The QSR chain has used ChatGPT to design the smoothie menu, which includes the Unicorn Smoothie and the Lemon Chiller Smoothie available for a limited time.

“We entrusted ChatGPT to create drink recipes that would resonate with these aspirations. Consequently, it bestowed upon us the extraordinary 'Recipes from my ImaginAIon' menu. In collaboration with our McCafé baristas, we successfully brought this innovative menu to life and presented it to our cherished customers within the Istanbul's popular McCafé branches. We invite everyone to experience these digital flavors that will be on sale for a limited time,” Artak mentioned.
McDonald's operates 250 outlets in Turkey, employing nearly 7,000 people.
 

In line with their new “Your Mood, Your Pizza” campaign, Pizza Hut has once again wowed consumers by installing a one-of-its-kind AI-powered mood detector device that studies facial cues and expressions of customers and gives them recommendations for pizzas that best match their moods.

Pizza Hut becomes the first-ever QSR brand to use the power of AI to understand the mood of its consumers to help them choose what they crave for.

This device is installed in select restaurants across Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.

“At Pizza Hut, we believe that dining is more than just eating - it's about the entire experience. With our new AI-powered mood detector, we're taking that experience to the next level by offering personalized pizza recommendations based on our customers' moods. We're thrilled to bring this innovative technology to our customers and offer a new and exciting way for them to interact with our brand,” shared Aanandita Datta, CMO, Pizza Hut India.

The mood detector uses innovative technology that offers a unique and personalized ordering experience. All you need to do is stand in front of the device, look into the screen and leave it on the detector to calibrate your mood and flash its pizza recommendation before you.  The device uses a statistical model that detects facial expressions by analyzing landmarks on the face such as eye movements, smiles, frowns, etc. captured by the camera. The model compares these patterns against a database of hundreds of thousands of publicly available images.

Customers' privacy is protected because the AI only stores face patterns as numbers and does not save any images in any format.

The AI-enabled device gives pizza recommendations in both veg and non-veg variants from Pizza Hut’s new range of 10 exciting and unique flavours like Mazedar Makhni Paneer, Dhabe Da Keema, Cheezy Mushroom Magic, Mexican Fiesta, Awesome American Cheesy, and Nawabi Murg Makhni, among others. 

Want the convenience of ordering a delicious meal from your car, but without waiting in long drive-thru lines? Domino's Pizza Inc has got it for you.

In a new technological development, Domino’s has become the first quick service restaurant brands in the U.S. to offer easy on-the-go ordering via CarPlay.

Customers have two ordering options via Domino's app on CarPlay: "Tap to Order" or "Call to Order." Tap to Order lets customers submit their saved Easy Order or one of their most recent orders, while "Call to Order" allows them to place the order of their choice, hands-free, by talking to a customer service representative.

"Domino's has been known as the industry leader when it comes to pizza and technology, and we're constantly striving to continue providing the best experience to customers. That's why we launched Domino's app on CarPlay," said Christopher Thomas-Moore, Domino's senior vice president and chief digital officer.

He also mentioned that CarPlay is an alternative to drive-thru as customers still have the convenience of staying in their car, and can place an order from wherever they are, without waiting in a long drive-thru.

In addition to placing an order via Domino's on CarPlay, customers can also track the status of their order via Domino's Tracker®. Domino's app on CarPlay is the brand's newest AnyWare™ ordering platform – a suite of technology that allows customers to order from wherever they are, using whatever device they prefer. Other AnyWare ordering platforms include ordering via Apple Watch or with an emoji via text.

Yogurt brand MyFroyoLand has launched its Metaverse store at Interality - ‘MyFroyoLand World’.

Interality is the go-to Metaverse as a service platform that helps brands launch their own virtual worlds, where their users can connect, shop and play.

The MyFroyoLand World is a 24x7 globally accessible virtual experience for customers and visitors, and provides access to a wide range of attractions and games that are designed to increase in-person store visits, boost fandom and sales.

Additionally, MyFroyoLand's Metaverse store is integrated with Interality's rewards and loyalty program which utilizes blockchain-powered collectible rewards, encouraging customers to visit the brand's physical stores and share their experience on social media.

“We are happy to explore this new way of connecting with our MyFroyoLand fans and to grow that community,” shared Avinash Dowlwani the Founder at MyFroyoLand.

The world consists of a park, the MyFroyoLand Store, a flywheel with some exciting flavours and toppings, a maze with a ‘Free-to-claim’ collectible reward and a “Build your own Froyo” section keeping with the brand's signature style.
Visitors can easily join along with their friends and explore with just an Interality web link through a desktop, smartphone or VR headset.

One of the standout attractions at MyFroyoLand's Metaverse store is the maze, which not only provides an entertaining challenge for visitors, but also offers a free collectible reward that unlocks a range of special perks and offers exclusive to the brand.

Once logged in, visitors can explore the world, complete the maze and claim their Collectible Reward just like the Starbucks Odyssey Program which is an engage-to-earn blockchain-based rewards program created by Starbucks.

The MyFroyoLand collectible allows any participant to unlock access to a coupon code right from within the world that can be redeemed at a nearby MyFroyoLand physical store. This adds an extra layer of excitement and engagement especially going from online activities to offline perks and drives an uptick in in-person store visits and sales.

Myfroyoland is a Premium Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Chain with 20+ stores in India, Malaysia and U.K.
 

QSR chain McDonald’s has partnered with China-based terminal solutions manufacturer Telpo to provide a customized, 27-inch self-service ordering kiosk called the Telpo K20 at McDonald’s store.

According to the report, customers can see and choose what they want, including ingredients and sauces, through the touchscreen display.

The kiosk also provides optional payment accessories, including the contactless card reader, a 3D structured light camera, QR code payment, NFC payment and face recognition payment.

An 80mm thermal printer with an auto-cutter provides a printing speed of 150mm/second and a maximum of up to 220mm/second. At the same time, multi-language and multi-font printing makes receipts an advertising tool.

Without adding any selector switch, the operating system can be switched between Windows and Android operating systems.

Telpo has offices in India, as well as branches in Hong Kong, Nigeria, the U.S. and Sri Lanka.

MAGGI is launching its first-ever Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in the OneRare Foodverse.

A leader in the culinary space, MAGGI has been at the forefront of innovation and bold experimentation for over 40 years in India. With a product loved by all age groups, MAGGI is now set to embrace blockchain technology to reach out to their fans and foodies in an all-new avatar.

Partnering with OneRare, MAGGI will be launching their iconic offerings – Recipes made with MAGGI Noodles, MAGGI Masala-ae-Magic and MAGGI Hot & Sweet as NFTs that can be used in the Foodverse. From nostalgic noodle recipes to classic Indian dishes, these exclusive NFTs will undoubtedly leave MAGGI enthusiasts excited.

“Cooking in India is undergoing a digital transformation. These are exciting times where everyone is engaging in cooking, regardless of their skill and expertise. MAGGI has been an ally to the Indian homemaker for over 40 years and we have always been at the forefront of innovation. In our latest innovation in the virtual world, we are proud to launch our first-ever Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in the OneRare Foodverse. With this partnership, we bring to people an immersive cooking experience, designed to bring alive the pleasure that people derive from the process of cooking, without any physical cooking involved,” said, Rajat Jain, Head – Foods Business, Nestlé India.

The MAGGI NFT launch in the OneRare Foodverse is a game-changer for the F&B industry, setting new standards for customer engagement, and paving the way for others to follow suit.

"We're thrilled to partner with an iconic brand like MAGGI," shared Supreet Raju, Co-Founder of OneRare by adding that this groundbreaking move demonstrates the potential of blockchain technology in transforming the F&B industry, and we're thrilled to bring these NFTs to life on the blockchain.

Bain & Company has announced a global services alliance with OpenAI, the research and deployment company behind the AI systems ChatGPT, DALL·E and Codex, which are changing the way people communicate and create.

The alliance builds on Bain’s adoption of OpenAI technologies for its 18,000-strong multi-disciplinary team of knowledge workers. Over the past year, Bain has embedded OpenAI technologies into its internal knowledge management systems, research, and processes to improve efficiency.

Given the early successes of those initiatives, Bain and OpenAI are working together to bring OpenAI’s groundbreaking capabilities to its clients globally. With the alliance, Bain will combine its deep digital implementation capabilities and strategic expertise with OpenAI’s AI tools and platforms, including ChatGPT, to help its clients around the world identify and implement the value of AI to maximize business potential.

The Coca-Cola Company is the first company to engage with the new alliance, Bain also announced today.

“AI has reached an inflection point and we foresee a huge wave of change and innovation for our clients across industries. We see this as an industrial revolution for knowledge work, and a moment where all our clients will need to rethink their business architectures and adapt. By collaborating with OpenAI, we’re delighted to have unmatched access to state-of-the-art foundation AI models, so that we can create tailored digital solutions for our clients and help them realize business value,” said Manny Maceda, Bain & Company’s Worldwide Managing Partner.

Bain and OpenAI are delighted that The Coca-Cola Company is the first company to engage with the alliance.  “Coca-Cola’s vision for the adoption of OpenAI’s technology is the most ambitious we have seen of any consumer products company,” said Kass of OpenAI. Coca-Cola is harnessing the power of ChatGPT and DALL-E in industry-leading ways to improve their already world-class brands, marketing, and consumer experiences.

“We are excited to unleash the next generation of creativity offered by this rapidly emerging technology,” said James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “We see opportunities to enhance our marketing through cutting-edge AI, along with exploring ways to improve our business operations and capabilities.”

Foodlink F&B Holdings led by Sanjay Vazirani joins forces with OneRare to introduce its family of restaurants — Art of Dum, Glocal Junction, India Bistro, China Bistro to the Foodverse, launching a special Dish NFT from each.

“I owe all my success to my life choices of venturing into unchartered territories and it has resulted in the diversification and global recognition of Foodlink. Venturing into Web3 is another such choice I am making and so, I am thrilled to announce that we are releasing the dish NFT’s of our brands- Glocal Junction, China Bistro, India Bistro & Art of Dum with OneRare’s Foodverse,” shared Vazirani, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Foodlink F&B Holdings India Pvt. Ltd.

OneRare will closely work with Foodlink’s team to launch these NFTs on the blockchain.

All 4 NFTs will be exclusively available for Foodverse’s players to mint and will soon unlock real life use cases, enabling their owners to redeem them for real discounts and deals as well as a unique entry pass to Foodlink’s Web3 offerings.

These offerings will include immersive and interactive experiences within Foodlink’s virtual kitchens and experience centers that will open up in the Foodverse as it unfolds.

“Foodlink has been pioneers in bringing premium culinary experiences from across the globe to their enthusiasts. OneRare is delighted to extend support to Foodlink as they prepare for their Web3 launch bringing the best of F&B service industry to foodies all around the world,” added Supreet Raju, Co-founder, OneRare.

Mayfair Hotels & Resorts, the Bhubaneswar-based luxury hotel chain with properties across the country, is partnering with Beyond Imagination Technologies (BIT), a blockchain solutions startup, to pioneer NFT souvenirs for its customers.

The non-fungible tokens, unique in the realm of hospitality, can be seen as loyalty badges to reward the 5-star boutique brand’s long-time patrons.

With hotels and resorts now more than ever looking to innovate to expand their customer base, and boost revenues in the wake of the pandemic, blockchain-based initiatives like that introduced by BIT are likely to take off in the coming years. But as the hospitality sector keeps evolving, the past turns into inspiration for the present.

“The pace at which the hospitality landscape is changing is unprecedented, and hotels and resorts must stay up to speed to remain relevant. As a blockchain startup focused on providing answers to common challenges, we at BIT believe that through NFTs, we can offer hospitality brands ways to enrich their relationships with their guests, and grow their revenue streams. Mayfair Hotels is already a trusted brand, but by embracing NFTs, it can go places while maintaining its niche identity,” shared Nikhil Goyal, Founder, Beyond Imagination Technologies.

Sharing their thoughts, Bjorn Noel DeNiese, Advisor Mayfair Hotels & Resorts & MD Mayfair Elixir, said, "Some tech has the potential to transform the prospects of businesses. That’s why teaming up with BIT can only be good news for our future growth, both when it comes to holding on to our loyal customers and engaging with new ones.”

QSR service provider Acrelec will power a global promotional campaign between Burger King and Activision for the release of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,", reported Qsrweb.com.

Burger King will use Acrelec self-service kiosks to redesign restaurants in the style of the videogame, which is now live in over 35 countries.

As an extension of the new ‘Call of Duty’ themed Whopper Meal, Burger King is redesigning certain store locations into immersive experiences and a branded skin.

When customers buy a "Call of Duty"-branded Whopper Meal through the kiosk, they can redeem codes for in-game rewards such as burger-themed skin and additional experience points.

Fans will also be invited to demonstrate their video gaming abilities to track down hidden QR codes in an interactive game played on the kiosk.

Modern Warfare II launches today, with themed restaurants across the Middle East, South America and Europe, complete with maps and scenes from the game.

The Acrelec K27 kiosk in Burger King Paris Alésia will transform into a videogame where customers can experience playing Modern Warfare II on Oct. 29 and 30.

In an effort to extend an enhanced, digital-first customer experience, KFC India recently announced the launch of KFC Smart Restaurants across India.

A first for the country, the all-digital restaurants are located in Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Bengaluru, and are powered with state-of-the-art self-ordering kiosks.

Equipped to facilitate multiple payment options, consumers at these restaurants are encouraged to order themselves & pay digitally; thus, making access to their Bucket of KFC Chicken much easier & faster. With an aim to continue building restaurants of the future, the brand plans to launch 10 more such restaurants by the end of the year. 

“Our consumers are increasingly turning to the digital medium - from food to gaming, from their relationships to their careers, or simply to spend free time. According to reports, digital users in India have more than doubled over the last 5 years and millennials are now spending around eight hours per day online. Strengthening our commitment to being easily accessible to our consumers, we have been on a deliberate journey from CX to DX - enhancing customer experience through digital means,” shared Moksh Chopra, GM, KFC India.

KFC Smart Restaurants will replace the traditional ordering counter with easy-to-use ordering kiosks with multiple digital payment options, and an accompanying QR code, for quick and easy mobile-based payments.

Customers will also be able to order directly from their table, by scanning the QR code, powered by the KFC Smart App, on their phones, and can pick up their order once ready.

To make the customer journey even smoother, there will be a host to guide and help customers through the ordering process.

Mount Hotels is partnering with Beyond Imagination Technologies (BIT), a blockchain solutions startup, to introduce unique NFT souvenirs for the property’s guests.

“Apart from the pride of being associated with something new in the hospitality space, we at Mount Hotels are always looking to keep up with the times, and to make our patrons feel very special. I think the NFT souvenirs will add to the experience we already offer, but from the perspective of the industry, they come with game-changing potential. We look forward to surprising our guests with these tech-enabled incentives,” shared Sachin Agarwal Founder, Mount Hotels.

The tokens, a first in the hospitality domain, have been conceived of as a way of rewarding long-time patrons of the 4-star luxury brand.

“The way hotels connect with their guests has changed in the wake of the pandemic, and it will continue to evolve. I believe that the idea of offering NFT souvenirs as a reward for customer loyalty is something that will catch on, as hotels and resorts—whether standalone or part of a chain—look to retain old customers and win new ones. Mount Himalayan Hotel & Spa is already a fantastic place with great views, and these NFT souvenirs will only add to its attraction,” added Nikhil Goyal, Founder, Beyond Imagination Technologies.

Established by a group of passionate individuals eager to expand the reach of blockchain technology, Beyond Imagination Technologies seeks to provide tailored solutions to startups, enterprises and governments, and help them solve pain points in their ecosystems through the use of the blockchain.

Retail-Tech startup Daalchini has raised $4 million in a Series A round led by Unicorn India Ventures.

The round also saw participation from prominent and existing investors like Artha Venture Fund, Ajay Kaul – former CEO of Dominos India, and VSS Investco – the investment vertical of Vijay Shekhar Sharma – CEO of Paytm.

So far, this is the largest round raised by a company in the smart vending segment.

“The RetailTech segment of India is going through a massive transition from its traditional physical store form to a digital one, the speed of which has been intensified by the pandemic. In this phase, Daalchini represents the best of both worlds with a ubiquitous physical presence backed by a strong technological framework that prioritizes its customers’ needs and convenience,” shared Ruchi Pincha, Investment Associate, Unicorn India Ventures.

A large part of this funding will be deployed to expand their industry footprint and further their tech capabilities. The Company wants to make its solutions asset-efficient and accessible to c10 million retail points in India and 450+ F&B D2C brands.

Founded in 2017 by ex-Paytm colleagues Prerna Kalra and Vidya Bhushan, Daalchini takes affordable snacks and home-style meals to its customers through technology-efficient models like automated kiosks, mobility retails, and smart vending machines.

Currently, the Daalchini app has more than 2 lakh monthly active users.

Daalchini has grown 300% in the last 12 months, making it one of India’s fastest-growing RetailTech startups. The Company has achieved a Product Market Fit (PMF), with ₹12 crores of revenue in FY2022. More than 90% of their vending machines are EBITA positive within 45 days.

Daalchini aims to clock ₹50 crores in revenues with a GMV of ₹130 crores in 12 months. The Company intends to grow from 850+ to over 5,000 smart and autonomous retail points in the next 12-18 months. The new funding will enable Daalchini to continue executing its growth strategy and strengthen its position as the largest network of smart retail stores.

Setting new milestones in the intelligent retail field, the Company provides a plethora of food and beverage options, available 24*7 and accessible without delivery charges or long wait times.

“Daalchini aims to establish its footprints at every 200 meters of habitable area with its autonomous smart stores and vending machines. Today, our country has just a few thousand vending machines, while the US or Japan has more than one autonomous store for every 200 people. We are far from the true potential of this kind of retail,” added Prerna Kalra, Co-founder & CEO of Daalchini Technologies.

It’s that time of the year when we are all divided over jersey colours, but united over a Bucket of KFC chicken. And who would’ve thought all that loud cheering & screaming (even over the last piece of KFC Chicken) could win you more of your KFC favourites?

QSR chain KFC has come up with first-ever voice-activated mega offer on the KFC App - Howzzat!

Download the KFC app, click on the ‘Howzzat’ banner on the home screen and shout “Howzzat” as loud as you can; because the louder you cheer, the bigger the offer.

“We all know how KFC is the perfect companion for cricket matches. And now we’ve taken this partnership a notch, or rather, few decibels higher. A first for the QSR category, we have introduced an app-exclusive voice enabled offer that encourages fans to shout ‘Howzzat’,” shared Moksh Chopra, CMO, KFC India by adding that the louder they cheer, the higher the discount.

Developed in partnership with Isobar, the Howzzat feature is now available on the KFC app till 29^th May.

Score some extra discounts as you build your order, much like the extras adding up to your team’s score. Throughout the cricket season, consumers can win cash-off discounts of up to 40%.

“Increasingly voice marketing is forming an integral part of any digital marketing comms. While we had fun working on it with KFC, the idea was to ensure consumers have as much fun while ordering their favourite KFC chicken. Using technology, we enabled consumers to use the power of their voice to win discounts – the louder they cheered, the bigger the discount,” added Aalap Desai, CCO Isobar & Taproot India.

World’s largest internet restaurant company Rebel Foods has invested in the luxury chocolate brand, SMOOR.

This is in line with Rebel Foods' recent announcement of investing USD 150 million over the coming years, as part of its focus on investing and acquiring promising brands to serve more food categories from its cloud kitchens. 

With this investment, SMOOR aims to grow by 3x in the year 2022-23.

“We are excited about adding SMOOR to our catalogue of brands with its leadership in high-quality chocolates and desserts offerings. This investment gives us further confidence that we have been able to consistently choose outstanding brands,” shared Raghav Joshi, Co-founder, Rebel Foods.

SMOOR has single-handedly conceptualized and developed coverture chocolates and finely-crafted desserts in the country, with an above industry average CAGR of +40% over the last 5 years, indicating its domain leadership.

The SMOOR brand has grown over 120% since last year and is looking to achieve a scale of $100mn annual revenue by 2026, by expanding its presence in India and globally.  

It is also planning to build its omnichannel distribution strategy by expanding its physical customer experience centres across Tier 1 cities in India and accelerating its online presence across digital platforms.

The future expansion will also include strengthening its physical presence in 9 cities (Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad) and a fast-growing omnichannel presence.

“The Indian chocolate market is growing at a breakneck pace, and we are proud to state the SMOOR is further spreading its wings in tandem with the industry. Having created & leading the couverture chocolate category in India, and introducing Indian dessert lovers to lavish indulgences with premium chocolates, cakes, macarons, and more, we are now thrilled to take the next step,” added Vimal Sharma, CEO, SMOOR.

With Rebel Foods’ investment, the brand is set to make deeper inroads into the global market, introducing new and exciting confectionaries in multiple, accessible formats. We look forward to the growth that will unfold on the back of this development.” 

Rebel Foods Thrasio-style portfolio, termed Rebel Launcher, aims to add 40 to 50 food categories, prioritising missions like premium North Indian, South Indian, Indian Sweets, Sandwiches, amongst others in the coming year.

Rebel also plans in the mid-to-long run to take all its Rebel Launcher brands globally across India, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah), the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Bangladesh, with its 10-country footprint.

BigSpoon, the multi-brand cloud kitchen startup has announced the launch of their new delivery-only celebrity brand Mehfil Biryani by Zakir Khan, in partnership with India’s top artist Zakir Khan.

Mehfil Biryani by Zakir Khan will be the largest single-day F&B launch ever witnessed in India, starting with 28 cities and 66 outlets that are all company-owned and operated.

“It is no secret that I have a soft spot for biryani. To tell the truth, touring a city is incomplete until I dig in and relish its biryani infused with local spices and flavours— it is my way to connect with my fans and the city I am performing in. Through this new venture with Bigspoon, I seek to give my fans a taste of one of my favourite dishes in the comfort of their homes. We have built this brand with a lot of love and hope you like it,” shared Khan.

The company plans to scale the Mehfil brand to 100+ outlets over the next quarter, and to 200 outlets in 2022.

The company will bring diverse biryani flavours and regional favourites in Matkas and premium container packaging options, along with regional starters and sides, local desserts, and beverages. It will continue to add regional favourites, limited-period products, and experience-led items in the dynamic menu and will be available in all major Indian cities.

Bigspoon signed a $2M lease and inventory financing partnership with Grip, India’s leading alternative investment platform, a part of which contributed to the launch and expansion investments of Mehfil. In addition to inventory, the kitchen and operational CapEx towards assets and tech hardware were funded by Grip. The company plans to deploy further growth capital to expand to 200+ outlets, and deepen their house of brands strategy in existing and new kitchens.

Bigspoon is a house of brands, with 8 owned and 6 partner brands in its portfolio. The company is currently present in 14 states and 30+ cities, with the footprint being doubled by the next quarter.

“Biryani has been the single largest ordered item in the country for a decade, yet it is a largely fragmented market with hardly 20% of it being organized. There are only a couple of national players that have a large footprint with Biryani as their USP. Mehfil will stand on three key pillars - standardized & high-quality offerings, value-for-money pricing and tailor-made, premium packaging,” added Kapil Mathrani, Co-Founder & CEO, Bigspoon.

Based in Ahmedabad, Bigspoon is a full-stack cloud kitchen company that own brands like Makhni Brothers, Meals101, Thali Central, et al.

Zomato’s latest announcement on 10-minute food delivery has brought lots of questions to restaurateurs, chefs and even the customer’s mind who are looking forward to a wholesome meal when delivered online.

Till now, Domino’s in India has been regarded as the fasted delivery-run business that promised a 30-minuted delivery, starting from the time you have placed the order to the time it has been delivered.

Though, Zomato’s chief executive Deepinder Goyal has clarified in series of post on how this 10 minute delivery would work, and how it will be safe for the delivery partners as 30-minute delivery.

• 1)    10 minute delivery will be for specific nearby locations, popular and standardized menu.
• 2)    Delivery partners are not informed about promised delivery time.
• 3)    No penalties for late deliveries
• 4)    No incentives for on-time deliveries
• 5)    We are building new food stations to enable the 10-minute service for specific customer locations only.

Goyal also mentioned that 10 minute food delivery will be:

10/10 on food quality

10/10 on delivery partners safety

“We deeply care about how we do, what we do. So, the first thing we told ourselves when we thought about instant food delivery was ‘no compromises’. We narrowed down to these eight principles around which we are building Zomato instant,” added the company.

DoorDash Inc. has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire hospitality technology startup, Bbot.

The addition of Bbot's products and technology to the DoorDash platform offers merchants more solutions for their in-store and online channels, including in-store digital ordering and payments.

Together, Bbot and DoorDash will be able to better support the evolving needs of restaurateurs and other food and beverage venue operators.

"We're excited to bring our combined suite to an even wider selection of merchants across the hospitality space – including bars, hotels, and ghost kitchens – so these businesses can engage with more customers, increase their quality of service, and grow sales," said Tom Pickett, DoorDash's Chief Revenue Officer.

DoorDash provides merchants of all types with affordable tools to grow and run their businesses, whether those tools be third-party or first-party, in-store or online. With Bbot, DoorDash is expanding its suite of first-party Platform Services, which includes DoorDash Storefront, its commission-free online ordering solution, to address merchant demand for a more integrated and simplified software solution.

"Over the past few years, the hospitality industry has seen the benefits of growing their online channels as well as digitizing their in-store operations," said Steve Simoni, CEO of Bbot.

Bbot's in-store digital ordering solution allows merchants to increase sales while creating higher quality experiences for customers and staff.

Bengaluru-based coffee start-up SLAY has introduced the country’s very first Coffee Recommendation Engine in the form of an AR filter.

Coffee is one of the most dynamic beverages in the world that can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. This constant development in the preparation style, flavours and combinations of coffee leads to an extensive menu with confusing names like Macchiato, Ristretto or Affogato - transforming the process of choosing a cup of coffee into a task, which only adds up to the worries of consumers rather than easing them.

By introducing its own coffee-recommending AR filter, SLAY Coffee intends to make this task of picking out a coffee an uncomplicated one. With a few quirky questions to better understand their coffee preferences - such as whether one drinks coffee with or without milk, flavours, hot or cold and so on - the AR filter will recommend a coffee that is perfect for the consumers’ needs and moods.

The filter is available on SLAY Coffee’s Instagram page. All one has to do is click on the filter, answer the four questions with just a nod of their heads and receive a coffee recommendation.

Not only that, but the filter also generates an exclusive coupon code that consumers can redeem during their next coffee purchase on Zomato.

Augmented Reality (AR) filters are computer-generated effects that work with the users’ camera, designed to be superimposed on real-life images and shareable on their social network.

With social media turning into an easily accessible medium with the tech-savvy generation, SLAY Coffee’s AR filter aims at reaching out to maximum coffee lovers to make their coffee discovery journey effortless. The filter offers them an opportunity to embrace new variants of coffee at the tip of their fingers, thereby creating an experience they want to repeat while bolstering the brand’s vision of democratizing great coffee.

US-based food ordering and delivery platform DoorDash has acquired a minority stake in Helsinki-based food-tech brand Wolt Enterprises.

As per the statement, both companies share a mission to build a global platform for local commerce that connects consumers with the best of their community, drives incremental revenue for merchants, and provides meaningful earning opportunities for millions of Dashers and couriers around the world.

"DoorDash and Wolt share a vision to build a global platform for local commerce that empowers the communities we operate in," said Tony Xu, Co-founder and CEO of DoorDash by adding that by joining forces, they believe they will accelerate their product development, bring greater focus to each of markets, and improve the value they provide to consumers, merchants, as well as Dashers and couriers around the world.

Wolt's team of over 4,000 employees operates a leading local commerce platform across 23 countries. Wolt's consumer obsession and attention to detail are evident in its superb consumer loyalty and retention rates. Its operational efficiency allows it to sustainably operate in a variety of environments ranging from rural towns to dense city centers.

"DoorDash has built an incredible business in one of the most significant markets in the world, while we came from a small home country and had to master the art of expansion very early on. During this process, we've come to appreciate the many similarities of our two teams, cultures and companies, as we've been molded by similar circumstances. We're incredibly excited to be joining forces with Tony and the DoorDash team to build something even greater together," added Miki Kuusi, Wolt Co-Founder and CEO.

Upon closing of the acquisition, Miki Kuusi will run DoorDash International, reporting to Tony Xu. Under Miki's leadership, the brand expect to increase their international scale, accelerate product development, and improve our investment efficiency.

"We have an opportunity to build a global platform for local commerce in the internet era," added Xu by pointing that joining forces with Wolt will deepen their pool of superb talent and allow them to accelerate their international growth, while elevating their focus on the U.S.

Food-tech platform Swiggy has announced that it will allow employees to cash in stock options worth $35-40 million over the next two years in July 2022 and 2023.

The programme is pegged at $35-40 million at Swiggy’s $5.5 billion valuation following its $1.25 billion funding round in July, shared reports.

All employees with stock options will be eligible to participate. The value of the stock options will increase in tandem with the company’s valuation.

“As Swiggy grows, we want our team to grow with us and enjoy the fruits of their hard work and valuable contributions. This is an industry-first initiative whereby we are democratising wealth creation by enabling all employees with stock options to participate in liquidity events,” shared Girish Menon, head of human resources, Swiggy by adding that more importantly, by giving them visibility on the liquidity programme, they are giving them the flexibility to plan their cash flow and investments.

Swiggy had conducted its first share buyback in June 2018. Its second, in November 2020, was commissioned via a secondary sale. The value of that buyback was estimated to be in the range of $7-9 million.

The Bengaluru based food delivery platform also mentioned that its food delivery business had surpassed pre-Covid levels and non-food businesses were witnessing robust growth.

“Swiggy and its board have decided to institute a one-of-its-kind programme to enable consistent wealth creation for employees through two distinct liquidity events in the next two years,” added the statement.

Yum! Brands Inc on Tuesday announced the completion of its acquisition of Dragontail Systems Limited (Dragontail), an innovative provider of technology solutions for the food industry, following the successful implementation of the previously announced share scheme of arrangement in accordance with Australian corporations law.

Yum! Brands acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Dragontail for A$0.235 per share in cash or a total of approximately $93.5 million.

With today’s announcement, following the approval by the Australian Federal Court and by Dragontail shareholders and certain other regulatory waivers and rulings, Dragontail is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc.

Also Read: Yum! Brands to acquire kitchen order management and delivery technology platform Dragontail Systems

Yum! Brands estimates that this all-cash acquisition will have an immaterial impact on its 2021 financial results.

“A key growth driver for our business and our teams is the continued acceleration of our digital and technology strategy, including how we leverage our global scale with investments in technology initiatives that enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant unit economics and provide a competitive advantage for our franchisees,” said David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands who is excited to welcome Dragontail and look forward to deploying its AI kitchen order management, delivery and other technologies globally to their brands and franchisees over time.

Dragontail’s platform is focused on optimizing and managing the entire food preparation process from order through delivery. Its connected, intelligent, end-to-end AI-based solution automates the kitchen flow combined with the process of dispatching drivers. It helps restaurants sequence and time each order, while planning optimal delivery routes and combining delivery orders by location. The technology also offers consumer-facing capabilities that enable customers to track their order en route. In addition, it can operate with outside food delivery partners.

Delivery, which Yum! Brands offers in over 39,000 restaurants, is a key part of the company’s strategy, driven by a combination of expanded aggregator partnerships and continued investment in its own branded channels.

“Dragontail’s cutting-edge restaurant technology allows us to tap into the power of AI to optimize the end-to-end food preparation process and accelerate and further enhance our delivery technology capabilities,” added Chris Turner, Chief Financial Officer, Yum! Brands.

Dragontail’s kitchen order management and delivery technology is deployed across nearly 1,500 Pizza Hut restaurants in over 10 countries. Many Pizza Hut restaurants leveraging Dragontail’s platform have already seen a positive impact on sales, order fulfillment and customer satisfaction scores, including product freshness and delivery time.

Yum! Brands’ purchase of Dragontail also brings in house other Dragontail emerging technologies, including its QT AI camera quality control system

The addition of Dragontail to the Yum! portfolio marks the Company’s third technology acquisition in 2021. In March, Yum! Brands acquired the business of Kvantum, Inc., an AI-based consumer insights and marketing performance analytics company with a proven track record of adding significant value in enabling data-driven decisions to drive return on advertising dollars and increase sales. That same month, Yum! Brands also acquired Tictuk Technologies, a leading omnichannel ordering and marketing platform company offering more ways for consumers globally to access and order its brands through text, social media and other conversational channels.

Indian food delivery and aggregator platform Zomato on Thursday shared that its step-down subsidiary, Zomato USA LLC, has been dissolved and wound up.

"Zomato USA LLC (ZUL), step down subsidiary of the company, has been dissolved and wound up," shared the Gurgaon-based start-up in a regulatory filing.

Also Read: Zomato delivers one billion orders, loss widens to INR 3.6 billion in Q1 FY22

ZUL was not a material subsidiary of the company and did not have any business activity and its dissolution will not affect the turnover/revenue of the company, it added.

The company has received intimation on August 18, 2021, regarding dissolution and winding up of Zomato USA LLC effective from August 17, 2021, the filing added.

Zomato presented its quarterly earnings as a public company earlier this month mentioned that its operational revenue increased by 22% to Rs 844 crore in April-June, while net losses rose over 168% from the previous quarter to Rs 360 crore.

As per the release, the adjusted revenue (revenue from operations and customer delivery charges) grew by 26% quarter-over-quarter (“QoQ”) to INR 11.6 billion.

May Interest: Zomato establishes payments subsidiary Zomato Payments

Earlier, in July Zomato raised its Rs 8250 crore through initial public offerings.

Gurgaon-based food delivery brand Zomato on Wednesday announced that it has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary by the name of Zomato Payments Pvt Ltd.

The incorporation has been done to carry the business of providing payment aggregator services and payment gateway services under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules and regulations, said the food delivery platform in a regulatory filing.

"Zomato   Pvt Ltd (ZPPL) is incorporated with an initial subscription of 10,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each aggregating to Rs one lakh only," it added.

Also Read: जोमैटो ने अपनी पेमेंट सब्सिडियरी Zomato पेमेंट की स्थापना की

Shares of Zomato Ltd closed at Rs 138.30 per scrip on BSE, down 0.79 per cent from its previous close.

Earlier, in July Zomato raised its Rs 8250 crore through initial public offerings.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on Tuesday shared that it is exploring the possibility of using next generation technological tools like blockchain and machine learning to ensure food safety and quality.

“These regulatory inspections are essential for ensuring food safety and quality for people,” shared Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI during a virtual event organised by industry chamber CII.

Singhal urged the industry and researchers to come up with simple tools or interventions which regulators can use, reported PTI.

The food safety body is lo0oking for a technique to detect the ratio of materials in a blend, a tool to prevent food fraud, real-time safety monitoring through affordable and rapid testing, among others.

"FSSAI is exploring the possibilities of using technological tools like blockchain, machine learning, etc in obtaining traceability information. Next generation tools like genome sequencing and innovations in chemical and molecular analysis can be very useful in the area of food authenticity and integrity,” added Singhal.

Singhal is also of the opinion that Internet of Things (IoT) has taken a big leap forward and can be used for mounting production and processing operations.

With regard to recycled-PET and recycled plastics for food products, Singhal said FSSAI has promulgated regulations to allow alternate packaging materials.

"However, the authority is also aware of the limitations. These materials are not available in volumes that are desired by the industry," he said, and urged the industry, academia and research bodies to explore ways of making these materials available in sufficient volumes at reasonable prices.

For FSSAI, Singhal said the major thrust areas are simplification of the regulatory regime, IT platforms, and registering as many food businesses as possible.

Food delivery platform which launched its initial public offering (IPO) yesterday, July 14, 2021, was subscribed 1.32 times so far in the second day of the IPO, as per BSE data.

May Interest: Zomato’s IPO kicks off on 14th July: why you should subscribe it

According to the data available with BSE, the shares which are to be allocated for the qualified institutional buyers was subscribed  98 per cent, while those of non institutional investors was subscribed nearly 24 per cent,  the retail individual investors was subscribed 3.87 times.

Also, the shares for the employees’ segment was subscribed nearly 21 per cent, as per BSE.

Zomato’s IPO subscription will go live till 5 pm on July 16^th.

The price band of Zomato IPO is fixed at Rs 72-76 per share of the face value of Rs 1 each and the company aims to raise Rs 9,375 crore through the offer.

The IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 9,000 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) worth Rs 375 crore by existing investor Info Edge (India).

Zomato raised over Rs 4,196 crore (Rs 41,96,51,86,380) from 186 anchor investors in lieu of 55,21,73,505 equity shares at Rs 76 each, ahead of its IPO on Tuesday, 14^th July.

May Interest: Food-tech platform Zomato raises Rs 4,197 crore from anchor investors ahead of IPO

As per a statement by Paytm Money, Zomato IPO saw huge demand coming from young and first time investors. According to the statement, 27% of people who completed the Zomato IPO application on Paytm Money's platform were less than 25 years old while 60% were less than 30 years old.

With food delivery segment growing at a speedy rate, food delivery major Zomato became one of the top brand to gain from the current trend of home delivery or ordering in.

Customer experience improvement (CXI) platform Tattle has announced its integration with Punchh, the restaurant industry’s leading loyalty, offers, and engagement platform. 

This partnership empowers mutually partnered restaurants to effortlessly uncover key operational improvements, resulting in tangible ways to elevate the guest experience, giving team members the data they need to increase positive guest sentiment, ultimately driving sales and transactions.

 “With guest transactions today more evenly distributed across ordering channels than ever before, the measurement of the guest experience has now become paramount for operators to deliver joy to guests,” shared Alex Beltrani, Tattle Founder and CEO by adding that based on 80M data points collected in 2021, delivery and take-out experience has shown to deliver a 20% lower guest satisfaction score compared to its dine-in counterpart, and dine-in showing a 7% decline in guest satisfaction since January 2021.

The integration combines the Punchh platform’s rich view of customer interactions across multiple touchpoints with Tattle’s ability to track incredibly detailed customer feedback across all ordering channels. 

“We are proud to partner with Tattle to empower our restaurant partners to help distinguish their guest experience through elevated customer service,” said Shyam Rao, Co-founder and CEO of Punchh by adding that more than ever before, consumers and restaurants are leaning into data-driven feedback and actionable insights.

Mobility and Food - two seemingly disparate sectors are undergoing one of the most transformational shifts, with far-reaching implications for the way we live. Leading the way forward, Bangalore-based Living Food Co. is using electric vehicles for their delivery fleet in the city to integrate the future of food with the future of mobility.

Currently, 30% of Living Food Company’s last-mile logistics is powered by a homegrown electric bike company and they aim to increase the use of electric-powered vehicles to 100% over the next year.

Speaking of the current industrial food supply chain, it is extremely complex and is plagued by inefficient supply management and wastage. With extreme weather ramping up globally, farmers are facing the brunt of climate change in agricultural practices around the world. Food loss and wastage contribute up to nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Such inefficiencies are massive contributors to global warming, and merit urgent action and innovations that are climate-positive.

Living Food Company solves these issues by delivering insanely fresh, high-quality food while producing minimal food waste. From freshly baked bread to vegetables harvested the same day of delivery, they are setting the standards for food that is better quality and lower in carbon footprint.

They source locally from world-class food artisans that are equally conscious about the environment, setting off a cascading ripple effect and building a marketplace that is geared extensively towards sustainable and environment-friendly practices.

“Our goal is to fundamentally change the way people think about food. We are always integrating new ideas and building innovative pathways to shape the future of food for India and the World. What Living Food started a few months ago will stay relevant for years to come. That's what 'sustainable' means — it works and it matters for everyone,” shared Akash Sajith, CEO of Living Food Company.

Ever imagined getting your food delivered by drones in your balcony or rooftop, get ready to see it very soon as food delivery platform Swiggy has got clearance from the government to start trial of drones for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in India.

The Bengaluru-based food delivery has partnered with ANRA Technologies to experiment the drone deliveries.  

ANRA shared its flight team will launch its first sortie on June 16, 2021 after months of planning, risk assessments, air traffic control integration, training, equipment preparation, and coordination. "For the next several weeks, the flight team will conduct BVLOS food and medical package deliveries in the Etah and Rupnagar districts using ANRA SmartSkies technology," added the statement.

Also Read: ​First drone, delivers Dominos pizza in New Zealand

Over the next several weeks, the flight team will conduct BVLOS food and medical package deliveries in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah and Punjab’s Rupnagar districts using ANRA’s SmartSkies technology, the integrated airspace management firm said.

“Swiggy is excited about the potential that drones offer and look forward to trials on BVLOS operations for the use case of food delivery,” added a statement from Swiggy.

With this association, Swiggy aims to put the long-range proficiencies of drone technology to best use and accomplish some ground-breaking trials.

The BVLOS delivery operations are enabled by ANRA SmartSkies CTR and SmartSkies DELIVERY platforms, which provide execution and management of drone operations in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, ensuring the safety of the Indian National Airspace and seamless integration into the country’s legacy Air Traffic Control systems.

Along with Swiggy, Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, and drone service provider BetterDrones are part of one consortium that will focus on food delivery.

May Interest: ‘Drone’ for delivery

“With an increasing number of technological innovations taking place to smoothen and fasten the last-mile journey, it only becomes natural for us to explore the latest avenues available to maximise the benefit to our consumers,” pointed Shilpa Gnaneshwar, Principal Program Manager, Swiggy.

The iconic Floatel, which was located atop the boat, with sweeping views framed by the old howrah bridge on one side and the Vidyasagar Setu on the other has now been rechristened as Polo Floatel. Originally opened in 2007, the hotel was the first floating hotel in Asia.

The brand has launched an exciting bistro menu via a cloud kitchen by the name of Room Service by Polo Floatel for patrons to enjoy delicacies at the ultimate comfort of their homes.

The all-day menu features an array of dishes and cocktails that pays homage to the city's history. The inspiration behind the menu comes from their love for Calcutta’s classic cuisine and also the brand's north east India’s heritage.

The skilful culinary team has curated a multi cuisine menu which includes a range of vegetarian and non vegetarian options.

“We are excited to be launching our extensive bistro menu, first via Room Service By Polo Floatel. We hope that the City of Joy welcomes us with open arms and that patrons enjoy the delectable culinary selection, reminiscing the old time charm of the city we have on offer,” shared Deval Tibrewalla, CEO and Director, Hotel Polo Towers Group.

Room Service by Polo Floatel has also introduced a unique concept, Celebrations. It’s a curated 3 course meal, for celebrating special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and any other reason that calls for a celebration. The package includes a choice of options from European to Indian to Oriental. The meal is accompanied by customised table mats, scented candles and eclectic stoneware serveware. The brand ensures that this experience is an unforgettable menu.

At the renovated and soon to be launched, Polo Floatel, patrons will now be welcomed with a grand redesign including a newly opened lounge, The Bridge Bistro & Bar and 59 reimagined guestrooms.

The renovations pay homage to the hotels legacy incorporating a decade's worth of maritime style - an evolution that incorporates subtle visual and experiential elements that weave into the unique hotel’s history.

Keeping in mind the environment and to reduce the use of plastic, the brand and the owners have made a conscious effort to deliver the food in reusable containers made of compostable plant fibres.

It also offers takeaway or direct delivery from the property. Guests can also order via food delivery aggregator - Zomato.

“Almost a month back, we announced that we are funding environmental projects to offset our delivery carbon footprint. Today, we are taking yet another important step in our journey towards building a more sustainable enterprise,” shared Deepinder Goyal in a blog on World Environment Day as they have announced to join the global electric mobility initiative.

The food delivery major is joining the Climate Group’s global electric mobility initiative, EV100 and committing to 100% adoption of electric vehicles (EV) by 2030.

Currently, orders are delivered through Zomato’s platform via EVs in cities such as Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.

“The current EV fleet is a small fraction of the active fleet of delivery partners, and we understand that getting to 100% adoption of EVs will not be easy, but is essential in the long run. At the moment, the adoption rate is very low for us and for the two-wheeler industry in general. We believe key barriers that currently impact adoption include limited battery range, lack of charging infrastructure, higher upfront costs and lack of trust in new technology,” added Goyal.

However, given the rapid innovation in this field and positive push by the government, Zomato expect a much faster transition to EVs for the two wheeler industry over time.

The Gurgaon-based startup is actively working with a few EV players to design pilots and create business models that could facilitate a faster transition towards a viable mobility solution for deliveries. 

Nashik-based cloud kitchen known for its nutrilicious meals has opened its doors in Mumbai.

Nutridock is all set to expand and launch their new outlets in the Mumbai suburbs, with plans to launch subscription-based meals soon.

They will be ready to serve in Thane & Dahisar from 5th June; and in Ghatkopar & Lower Parel by the end of June. By the end of the year 2021, they will also be launching at Bandra, Andheri, Goregaon and Powai.

"We want everyone to eat healthy sustainable food. We want to make this achievable to everyone. Healthy food makes a lot of difference in every aspect of your life. Which I think is really important,” shared Aditya Bafna, founder at Nutridock.

Bafna is the founder and a fitness enthusiast is eager to make a healthy lifestyle sustainable and achievable for everyone. Being associated with fitness brands like Asics, Speedo, Giant; he realised the importance of nutrition in fitness, which gave birth to Nutridock. While Celebrity Chef Rakesh Talwar showers direction to this place by wisely designing the recipes with the guidance of their in-house nutritionist, only to bring out the best of health kitchens one could ask for.

The team aspires to impart knowledge about the importance of good nutrition in the journey to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They aim to guide people in their wellness journey by giving them research-based information about food, and highlight the significance of proper nutrition on the progress of their fitness journey.

Nutridock is a mindful eating concept that offers users to create healthy meal plans. They aim to be the catalyst for a nutrition revolution that is centered around embracing food as fuel for one to get information about food and nutrition themselves, which makes healthy living come naturally.

Their unique menu is both scrumptious and health-driven, and will see an introduction of new dishes every three months. It is categorized into - Rice Bowls, Salads, Wraps, Sandwiches, Smoothies, Juices, and desserts.

The order can be placed directly via Website: https://www.nutridock.com/; they are also available on Zomato & Swiggy.

Yum! Brands Inc and Dragontail Systems Limited, an innovative provider of technology solutions for the food industry, have entered into a binding agreement under which Yum! Brands would acquire Dragontail by way of a share scheme of arrangement in accordance with Australian corporations law (referred to as the Scheme).

If the Scheme is successfully implemented, the addition of Dragontail to Yum! Brands’ growing technology portfolio is intended to give Yum! Brands the ability to scale Dragontail’s artificial intelligence (AI) kitchen order management and delivery technology globally.

Australia-based Dragontail’s platform is focused on optimizing and managing the entire food preparation process from order through delivery. Its AI-based solution automates the kitchen flow combined with the process of dispatching drivers. The technology can also operate with outside food delivery partners. In addition, Dragontail’s platform offers consumer-facing capabilities that enable customers to track their order.

Dragontail's Managing Director, Ido Levanon, commented, “Yum! Brands and Dragontail have been working in a fruitful collaboration for years. Dragontail's Board of Directors fully supports this transaction, which it considers to be an attractive opportunity for its shareholders. It will also provide Yum! Brands with innovative technology. The activities of Dragontail and Yum! Brands are complementary, the synergy is natural and we bless the completion of the acquisition.”

Dragontail’s platform is currently deployed across nearly 1,500 Pizza Hut restaurants in over 10 countries. If the Scheme is successfully implemented, Yum! Brands intends to scale and offer Dragontail’s platform to its brands around the world over time.

In addition to its kitchen order management and delivery technology, Yum! Brands’ purchase of Dragontail would also bring in house other Dragontail emerging technologies.

Completion of the acquisition of Dragontail under the transaction documents will mark Yum! Brands’ third technology acquisition in 2021. In March, Yum! Brands acquired the business of Kvantum, Inc., an AI-based consumer insights and marketing performance analytics company with a proven track record of adding significant value in enabling data-driven decisions to drive return on advertising dollars and increase sales. That same month, Yum! Brands also acquired Tictuk Technologies, a leading omnichannel ordering and marketing platform company offering more ways for consumers globally to access and order KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill through text, social media and other conversational channels.

Under terms of the transaction documents, Yum! Brands has agreed to pay A$93.5 million in cash for all of the issued share capital in Dragontail (on a fully diluted basis). Yum! Brands expects the acquisition of Dragontail to close by the end of the third quarter of 2021.

Food delivery majors Swiggy and Zomato on Saturday said that they have halted operations in Hyderabad after the local police seized vehicles of delivery boys and fined them Rs 1000 each.

The food aggregators will resume the services after clarity from the Telangana government on lockdown restrictions in the state.

As per reports, the Telangana government in their list of permitted activities at the time of announcing a lockdown, had included e-commerce (delivery) of goods and merchandise including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. However, violating the state's own Government Order (GO), the police on Saturday stopped delivery executives and in some instances, even assaulted them.

H

"This was an unforeseen development since the official government directive allowed food delivery as an essential service. We have paused our operations till we have clarity from the authorities, keeping in mind the safety of our delivery partners,” added the Zomato spokesperson.

Adding to the same a Swiggy spokesperson added, “While the government’s recent directive allows Swiggy to operate as an essential service not just for our food deliveries but also Swiggy Genie and other services, we have paused our operations due to the on-ground challenges today. We’re prioritising the safety of delivery partners while we await clarity on this matter.”