(NewsNation) — As AI advances, some companies within the restaurant industry are eager to capitalize on the technology and integrate it into their workflows to enhance efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.
Tennessee-based franchisee Charter Foods has begun implementing PAR Technology’s Coach AI in its restaurants, giving operators a more efficient way to process data, streamline workflows and enhance the overall customer experience.
Charter Foods owns and operates over 400 fast food restaurants across nine states in the South and Northeast regions of the U.S. The restaurants include Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, KFC, Pizza Hut Express and A&W.
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What is Coach AI?
CEO of PAR Technology Savneet Singh told NewsNation that “Coach AI is very much like a ChatGPT for restaurant operators.”
He describes it as a generative AI tool that transforms complex business information into actionable insights, making it easier for restaurant operators to make critical decisions and saving them time.
“Coach AI acts as a bonus Area Coach, pulling point of sales, labor, speed of service, guest satisfaction, delivery performance data and more to keep operations moving smoothly,” Singh explained.
John Rankin, senior director of Charter Foods, told NewsNation that organizing and analyzing complex restaurant data previously took “several hours” and explained that Coach AI has essentially “killed the need for spreadsheets” by presenting business intelligence in a straightforward, usable manner.
“I’ve been able to make better business decisions for my company based off of its use,” Rankin emphatically told NewsNation.
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AI implementation could lead to increased customer satisfaction
Within 90 days, Coach AI identified an opportunity for Charter Foods in late-night sales by pinpointing locations that could benefit from extended hours. Those restaurants then saw their late-night sales increase by 20%, mutually benefiting customers craving a late-night snack and sales for the restaurants that stayed open.
Singh explained that Coach AI also improves the customer experience by ensuring that back-of-house operations are operating as efficiently as possible.
“It looks at real-time data to help stores serve guests quickly and accurately, whether they’re in-store, at the drive-thru, or ordering online. That kind of consistency goes a long way in making guests happy,” he said.
Singh added that the technology “also monitors third-party delivery, flagging stores where guests might be getting the wrong items or missing parts of their order.”
He clarified that rather than displacing employees, as some fear AI might, Coach AI serves as “a tool to help the worker.”
