Restaurant AI & Technology Report

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., president and chief executive officer of the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) discuss the latest around reopening restaurants in the state of Texas. Since the green light was given to reinstate operations in Texas, recent survey data shows 40 percent of dining venues have opened their doors and reestablished food service. The association has worked closely with Governor Greg Abbott by creating a recovery reopening task force known as the Texas Restaurant Promise.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and Terrie Wendricks, vice president of shopper insights for C+R Research, review the recently conducted research around grocery shopping trends. The firm organized surveys and weekly live consumer panels to obtain information of supermarket buying habits since the onset of this pandemic. The late findings indicate consumers fear over contracting the virus and financial distress, leading to an uptick of online orders or less frequent trips to the store to minimize risk of exposure.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and co-founder and executive chairman of Seated, Bo Peabody, review insights and measures around safely reopening restaurants from the first-hand experience of Peabody’s involvement in the task force for the initial reopening of Georgia restaurants. The industry has been patiently awaiting the green light to reinstate operations. Food safety has always been embedded into the backbone of foodservice but now the industry must apply new systems to alleviate customer fears of contracting illnesses via dining venues. The key changes that must take place include increasing table spacing, eliminating reuseable menus, creating separate entrances and exits, requiring servers to wear masks, and providing disposable tableware.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and Steve Starr, principal at Starrdesign, examine a closer look into the subsequent restaurant design. Starrdesign is an interior design firm dedicated to the foodservice industry, aimed towards increasing brand value for restauranteurs. Over the last six to eight weeks, the industry has experienced many paradigm shifts. Post pandemic, design alterations will take place in two stages; phase one will be the reduction in seating and increase in space between tables. The second phase will be the consumer and operational adjustment to the “new normal.”

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and Jon Taffer, executive producer and host of Bar Rescue, creatively strategize innovative ideas to save the bar and entertainment industry post COVID-19. The expert behind building back the bar business is resetting America during this unsettling time by enlightening us with unique concepts to resourcefully conduct business in the new era of dining and entertainment. A revolution around operations are discussed including compartmentalizing areas within the restaurant and bar setting, technological advancements for safe, frictionless service and an emphasis on re-engineering menus.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron and founder of Room 33 Speakeasy, Rebecca Styn, converse about strategies around ensuring brand existence post pandemic. In this massive interruption that the restaurant and bar industry has experienced, operators are now looking at new ways to creatively pivot their models in hopes of ending up on the other side of this crisis.

Room 33 launched on New Year’s Eve in 2017. This prohibition-inspired speakeasy has remained operational during this crisis with innovative take-out and delivery offerings. The brand tapped into a market that they had not previously engaged with, leading to their success in expanding reach during this unsettling time.

Dark kitchens were on the rise before coronavirus hit. Now, with countless restaurants limited to only pickup and delivery orders, they have become a necessity. In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Geoff Alexander—the president of Asian fast casual joint Wow Bao—to explore how dark kitchens might be a solution for brands struggling to survive the pandemic.

In a public letter to congressional leaders, the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) has asked Congress to provide economic aid to address the acute financial struggles foodservice distributors are currently facing. In this special episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Mark Allen, the president and chief executive officer of IFDA, to explore the broader implications of the pandemic for the restaurant industry supply chain.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Jason Morgan, the chief executive officer of American bistro Bellagreen and the Original ChopShop. Morgan previously served as the chief financial officer for Zoe’s Kitchen, and shares his thoughts on the differences between how a small brand—compared to a large brand—can approach this crisis.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) just proposed a $240 billion blueprint for restaurant recovery to Congress. In this special episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron breaks down the proposal’s key points and explores next steps for the industry at large.