The now highly scrutinized field of artificial intelligence is making its way into brick-and-mortar businesses, including restaurants. Companies like Slang.ai are using AI to answer phone calls and help customers make reservations. Restaurant365, a more established company, helps restaurants manage the operations that customers don't see, like budgeting, payroll, human resources, accounting and inventory.
Nathan Thurston has been using the tool for nearly a year at his Charleston restaurant Miller's All Day. The breakfast-focused restaurant, which has locations downtown and on James Island, sources its ingredients from several small purveyors. Before Restaurant365, which is now valued at more than $1 billion, Thurston had to rely on organized chefs who closely tracked the supply of ingredients coming in and out of Miller's All Day.
The technology helps Thurston and his team organize ingredients based on availability, automates recipes, and notifies restaurants when prices for items increase. Thurston, who is among several Charleston restaurateurs adopting restaurant loyalty application Blackbird, says the technology has been essential in managing a troubled supply chain.
Currently, Blackbird is used in over 20 restaurants in Charleston.
Parker Milner/Staff
Blackbird, from the developers of Eater and Resy, aims to connect restaurants with their most loyal customers. Accessible online or through an iOS app, it tracks customer visits and gives restaurants the power to reward them with perks like free appetizers or priority access for reservations.
To use Blackbird, customers must download the app and find a Blackbird tag, shaped like a hockey puck, which most Charleston restaurants place at the register, at the door or near a table. They tap “check in” to scan the tag, which records their visit to the restaurant.
Rewards are determined by each restaurant, and visits are quantified using $FLY, a fungible token that serves as currency on Blackbird's platform. Tippling House, for example, offered Blackbird users free champagne and burritos last month, while Miller's All-Day rewards include a free cinnamon roll or a flight of half mimosas. Thurston said the app is helping restaurants connect with customers “on a new level.”
