5 tech things: White paper shows growing senior living acceptance of dining robots

In this special edition of its 5 Things series, Food Management highlights five recent technology-related developments affecting the foodservice world.

Here’s your list for today:

At a time when senior-living communities nationwide are looking for creative ways to provide even better experiences for their residents, despite the challenges brought about by staffing shortages, a new white paper says that one answer may be found in applying a high-tech solution for a high-touch impact: robot servers in the dining rooms. The white paper from the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing reports on how dining robots enhanced dining operations while improving the experience for both residents and staff during a 90-day pilot program at two California Front Porch communities—San Francisco Towers in San Francisco and Casa de Mañana in La Jolla—with nearly two out of three residents (65.4%) saying that the robots improved their overall dining experience and over half (51.2%) feeling that the robots allowed the staff servers to spend more quality time with the diners.

Read more: New White Paper From Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing Reveals Increased Resident and Staff Satisfaction With Dining Robots

Related:5 things: Elior reports 18.3% revenue increase in fiscal 2021-22

The first convenience-oriented store in a Nashville sports and entertainment venue to feature Amazon's Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One opened at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 25, when the NHL's Nashville Predators hosted the Colorado Avalanche. A second store powered by Amazon's Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One is planned to open at the arena in early 2023. Meanwhile, earlier in the month, Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee debuted Amazon’s Just Walk Out shopping experience at an NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 16, marking the first time Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One was deployed in Wisconsin.

Read more: Bridgestone Arena to Introduce Amazon One, Just Walk Out Technologies and Fiserv Forum to Elevate Shopping Experience with Wisconsin's First Just Walk Out Technology-enabled Store, The Market by Michelob ULTRA, Powered by Amazon

Ongoing challenges in a tight labor market have been forcing supermarket retailers to rethink their strategies around recruiting and retention, as well as their overall standard operating procedures, in an effort to keep rising labor costs in check. Increasingly, they’ve turned to technology to help them in these efforts, including recruiting platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn, as well as onboarding and training technologies that can help in retention and automated solutions that can make their labor more productive.

Related:5 things: College’s food donation program derailed since March 2020

Read more: How retailers are using automation platforms to increase labor retention

The global drone delivery system market is estimated to exceed $6.6 billion by the end of 2023 by growing at a 14.4% compounded annual growth rate over the assessment period of 2023-2033. Several logistics and shipping companies have invested in building efficient infrastructure for parcel delivery, mostly by drones, which is considered an efficient and innovative transportation service for the delivery of parcels, medical supplies and goods as it minimizes human intervention and delivers products with high accuracy in a short time.

Read more: Expanding At A CAGR Of 14.4%, Global Drone Delivery System Market Is Estimated To Reach Valuation Of US$ 25.5 Billion, States Fact.MR

The ultimate helping hand, robots are uniquely positioned to support restaurants through the current wave of labor shortages and inflated food costs—that is, if they’re introduced and used correctly. Here are some reasons why foodservice operators should learn to embrace robotics and AI.

Read more: Restaurants and robots: Don’t be alarmed

Bonus: Tech Update: Robots continue to take over foodservice tasks

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]