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:
1. Delaware North to open Just Walk Out store at NFL stadium
Delaware North has announced that DUUUVAL Express, a store using Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One palm-based biometric identity and payment service will open at EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. DUUUVAL Express will offer a wide variety of grab-and-go items—including freshly prepared hot items such as cheesesteak, hot dogs, pizza, Tex-Mex fare and nachos—along with an assortment of chips, Frito-Lay snacks, Dippin’ Dots ice cream, beer and other packaged beverages.
2. Face scan age verification, automated cocktail machines among Aramark tech highlights for new NFL season
After years of testing, four NFL stadiums will do away with traditional packaged beer portables and exclusively use Aramark’s grab-and-go Walk Thru Bru markets, the company announced. Other tech-related enhancements Aramark plans for the 2023 NFL season include Digital Age Verification through a face scan at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, where it will also pilot Scan & Go at a new Mountain Pass location that allows guests to use their mobile device to add items to their cart and pay using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or credit card; and Bartesian cocktail machines in suites, clubs, and on mobile bar carts at Cleveland Browns Stadium and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to serve premium cocktails to fans in less than 30 seconds per serve after showing their valid, government-issued ID.
3. Grubhub adds first military base to its mobile order/pickup service
Grubhub is bringing its Grubhub Onsite mobile ordering and pickup technology to Naval Station Norfolk through a business venture with The Navy Exchange Service Command. The initiative allows the more than 100,000 military personnel, their families and people living and working on the base to skip the line at restaurants like Panda Express, Firehouse Subs, Burger King and Raising Canes in the Norfolk Main Navy Exchange food court and on base by ordering food and beverages through the Grubhub app for pickup. While this is the first military base to roll out this capability, Grubhub says it plans to expand to additional bases in the upcoming year.
Read more: Grubhub Brings Mobile Ordering and Pickup to Its First Military Property, Naval Station Norfolk
4. UNI opens first self-checkout campus store
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) has opened the MicroMarket self-service convenience store that is the first self-checkout system on campus and allows any UNI student, faculty or staff member with an active UNI ID to select from over 2,000 items available for purchase and pay using credit, Dining Dollars, ID charge and U-Bill or dining gift cards. It follows the recent closing of the more traditional 23rd Street Market campus c-store and is considered "an opportunity to try a new self-service convenience concept,” says Director of Dining Carol Fletcher. “We are excited to see how the campus responds to the MicroMarket and how it might be expanded upon and/or applied in other retail areas."
Read more: Dining opens new self-checkout retail outlet
5. Boston University implements biometric dining hall entry system
Boston University Dining Services has implemented a new way to scan into the dining hall using “advanced biometric authentication” that involves students swiping their hands across electronic scanners located at the entrances of each dining hall. The school partnered with identity technology company IDEMIA’s MorphoWave for the new scanners, which is the same technology used in the TSA PreCheck enrollment process, according to the dining services website.
Bonus: Viewpoint: How can technology help in food waste reduction?
Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]
