Computer Vision for Restaurants
Maximize operations to improve speed of service and save on labor costs with Vision AI.
Keep the “Fast” in Fast Food
Speed of service is essential to the success of Quick Service (QSR) and Fast Casual Restaurants (FCR). Computer vision for restaurants provides the real-time data restaurant operators need to understand order fulfillment with unprecedented visibility into behind-the-counter operations as well as in-store and drive-thru occupancy counts.
Restaurant Use Cases
Behind-the-Counter Operations
Problem
QSRs and FCRs lack specific insights into how long it takes for orders to be fulfilled (and if they are fulfilled accurately) – especially with custom orders. The current data does not allow operators to sufficiently address choke points and reduce unnecessary food waste.
Solution
Get immediate alerts about choke points in the food line to reduce order fulfillment times and boost order accuracy. Easily capture real-time data about custom order fulfillment to make better staffing and food inventory decisions.
Speed of Service
Problem
Speed of service is paramount for QSRs and FCRs. The majority of orders are now placed online for off-premise dining, making speed of service increasingly important and more complex.
Solution
With computer vision for restaurants, operators can track and monitor orders from the moment the order is placed to the time it is delivered.
Occupancy Counting
Problem
Relying on best guesses about the number of customers in restaurants costs you money. Historical data about peak times can be unreliable and lead to inefficient staffing decisions.
Solution
Counting customers in real-time means managers can know exactly how many customers there are and how long they’ve been waiting for food. Better allocate staff and improve customer experience with AI restaurant technology.
Drive-thru Vehicle ID, Counting, & Analysis
Problem
With 70% of revenue coming from drive-thru service, it’s critical for QSRs to fulfill orders quickly, correctly, and safely. Stand out from the competition by improving these processes.
Solution
Computer vision provides real-time vehicle ID and tracking to optimize drive-thru speed of service, traffic patterns, and order fulfillment. Get immediate alerts when drive-thru lines get too long to reduce wait times.
- A leading fast casual restaurant needed to better understand its drive-thru experience and parking space utilization to reduce slowdowns, boost efficiency, and increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI’s Smart Restaurant solutions to gain real-time insights into drive-thru experience time, parking space dwell time, utilization, and capacity.
- Successfully offered practical recommendations for reducing wait-times, streamlining traffic flow, and improving sales.
“Using object detection and tracking, along with zones of interest, our solution helped a leading fast casual restaurant build a deeper understanding of their drive-thru wait times throughout the day, as well as the impact of cars waiting at the drive-thru on the congestion of the parking lot. Additionally, our solution helped them identify key parking and congestion patterns to improve customer experience in current and future locations.”
Eric VanBuhler
Director of Software Engineering at alwaysAI
- Deployed alwaysAI’s application for best-in-class object detection, counting, and tracking applications, leveraging existing cameras, for specialty retailers like La-Z-Boy.
- Used object-tracking and custom auto-annotated person detection models to count customers entering the store to provide timely attention from staff.
- Reduced false person detections caused by shadows by 81% and reduced duplicate person counts by 49% on average per month.
“alwaysAI enables Trakwell to bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Their computer vision solutions provide the power and flexibility needed to facilitate the transformation retailers everywhere are searching for.”
Jerry Murphey
President of Trakwell
- DTiQ needed to reduce total development and deployment time for AI projects to increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI Smart Retail solutions to improve drive-thru services for QSR customers like Burger King.
- Successfully reduced project timelines by 4x for new AI projects to unlock new revenue with more advanced deep learning product offerings.
“Our customers are seeking accurate and reliable real-time data of their operations and processes, this partnership helps DTiQ fast-track its computer vision AI, analytics, IoT, and machine learning solutions to increase value for our 45,000+ customers.”
Krzysztof Osiński
SVP of R&D at DTiQ
- Deployed contactless checkout kiosks in the Orlando airport and other SSP America locations
- Worked with POSU to implement an easy-to-use self-checkout system that does not require barcodes or individual item scanning.
- alwaysAI's best-in-class deep learning AI detects each item type and corresponds the item to a SKU and price for each transaction for unparalleled ease and accuracy.
“alwaysAI helps POSU bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Our work in computer vision, and especially with alwaysAI, is a great example of how we use innovation to support our customers' success while extending our leadership position.”
Michael Cassidy
CEO of POS Upgrades, Inc
- A leading fast casual restaurant needed to better understand its drive-thru experience and parking space utilization to reduce slowdowns, boost efficiency, and increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI’s Smart Restaurant solutions to gain real-time insights into drive-thru experience time, parking space dwell time, utilization, and capacity.
- Successfully offered practical recommendations for reducing wait-times, streamlining traffic flow, and improving sales.
“Using object detection and tracking, along with zones of interest, our solution helped a leading fast casual restaurant build a deeper understanding of their drive-thru wait times throughout the day, as well as the impact of cars waiting at the drive-thru on the congestion of the parking lot. Additionally, our solution helped them identify key parking and congestion patterns to improve customer experience in current and future locations.”
Eric VanBuhler
Director of Software Engineering at alwaysAI
- Deployed alwaysAI’s application for best-in-class object detection, counting, and tracking applications, leveraging existing cameras, for specialty retailers like La-Z-Boy.
- Used object-tracking and custom auto-annotated person detection models to count customers entering the store to provide timely attention from staff.
- Reduced false person detections caused by shadows by 81% and reduced duplicate person counts by 49% on average per month.
“alwaysAI enables Trakwell to bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Their computer vision solutions provide the power and flexibility needed to facilitate the transformation retailers everywhere are searching for.”
Jerry Murphey
President of Trakwell
- DTiQ needed to reduce total development and deployment time for AI projects to increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI Smart Retail solutions to improve drive-thru services for QSR customers like Burger King.
- Successfully reduced project timelines by 4x for new AI projects to unlock new revenue with more advanced deep learning product offerings.
“Our customers are seeking accurate and reliable real-time data of their operations and processes, this partnership helps DTiQ fast-track its computer vision AI, analytics, IoT, and machine learning solutions to increase value for our 45,000+ customers.”
Krzysztof Osiński
SVP of R&D at DTiQ
- Deployed contactless checkout kiosks in the Orlando airport and other SSP America locations
- Worked with POSU to implement an easy-to-use self-checkout system that does not require barcodes or individual item scanning.
- alwaysAI's best-in-class deep learning AI detects each item type and corresponds the item to a SKU and price for each transaction for unparalleled ease and accuracy.
“alwaysAI helps POSU bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Our work in computer vision, and especially with alwaysAI, is a great example of how we use innovation to support our customers' success while extending our leadership position.”
Michael Cassidy
CEO of POS Upgrades, Inc
- A leading fast casual restaurant needed to better understand its drive-thru experience and parking space utilization to reduce slowdowns, boost efficiency, and increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI’s Smart Restaurant solutions to gain real-time insights into drive-thru experience time, parking space dwell time, utilization, and capacity.
- Successfully offered practical recommendations for reducing wait-times, streamlining traffic flow, and improving sales.
“Using object detection and tracking, along with zones of interest, our solution helped a leading fast casual restaurant build a deeper understanding of their drive-thru wait times throughout the day, as well as the impact of cars waiting at the drive-thru on the congestion of the parking lot. Additionally, our solution helped them identify key parking and congestion patterns to improve customer experience in current and future locations.”
Eric VanBuhler
Director of Software Engineering at alwaysAI
- Deployed alwaysAI’s application for best-in-class object detection, counting, and tracking applications, leveraging existing cameras, for specialty retailers like La-Z-Boy.
- Used object-tracking and custom auto-annotated person detection models to count customers entering the store to provide timely attention from staff.
- Reduced false person detections caused by shadows by 81% and reduced duplicate person counts by 49% on average per month.
“alwaysAI enables Trakwell to bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Their computer vision solutions provide the power and flexibility needed to facilitate the transformation retailers everywhere are searching for.”
Jerry Murphey
President of Trakwell
- DTiQ needed to reduce total development and deployment time for AI projects to increase revenue.
- Deployed alwaysAI Smart Retail solutions to improve drive-thru services for QSR customers like Burger King.
- Successfully reduced project timelines by 4x for new AI projects to unlock new revenue with more advanced deep learning product offerings.
“Our customers are seeking accurate and reliable real-time data of their operations and processes, this partnership helps DTiQ fast-track its computer vision AI, analytics, IoT, and machine learning solutions to increase value for our 45,000+ customers.”
Krzysztof Osiński
SVP of R&D at DTiQ
- Deployed contactless checkout kiosks in the Orlando airport and other SSP America locations
- Worked with POSU to implement an easy-to-use self-checkout system that does not require barcodes or individual item scanning.
- alwaysAI's best-in-class deep learning AI detects each item type and corresponds the item to a SKU and price for each transaction for unparalleled ease and accuracy.
“alwaysAI helps POSU bring cutting-edge technology to market faster. Our work in computer vision, and especially with alwaysAI, is a great example of how we use innovation to support our customers' success while extending our leadership position.”
Michael Cassidy
CEO of POS Upgrades, Inc
Restaurant Resources
Think you don’t need Computer Vision in your QSR business? Think again.
Before you discard computer vision as a “nice to have,” consider its impact on your operations — like real-time alerts about wait times, speed of service and vehicle identification. Computer vision can provide the data and insights QSRs need to make better business decisions.
The Best AI Technology for Restaurants to Drive More Revenue
Computer vision is the only tech solution that provides real-time, actionable, visual data. With these insights, restaurants gain unprecedented information about order fulfillment and processes to maximize efficiency and drive more revenue.
Speak With an AI Expert to Learn How Practical AI Can Transform Your Business.