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This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by restaurant real estate expert and 10Rep founder Kyle Inserra. Together they explore the rise of kitchen automation, curbside robotics, and why DoorDash is pausing its Voice AI. Packed with insights from the National Restaurant Show, this episode covers the latest in tech, data, and operations shaping the restaurant world.

Timestamps:

00:00:40 – AI Dominates the National Restaurant Show

• AI matures beyond hype as operators start real implementation
• Back-of-house robotics everywhere—from fryers to vid machines
• Tariff uncertainty stalls investment for some tech vendors
   🗨️ “I saw so much automation for the back of house—everyone was there this year.” — Carl

00:05:10 – AutoLane Launches Curbside OS for Autonomous Pickup

• Think of it as air traffic control for self-driving food pickups
• Testing in SF and Austin ahead of Tesla robo-taxi launches
• Cuts pickup time from 2 minutes to 1 — massive implications
   🗨️ “It’s choreography for self-driving cars—and it's coming fast.” — Carl

00:09:40 – Wingstop Goes All-In on Smart Kitchens

• Proprietary AI forecasts demand and halves cook times
• Rollout success across franchise system — rare in the space
• Shows power of in-house tech stacks over integrations
   🗨️ “Wingstop isn’t trying to beat the competition—they’re trying to beat themselves.” — Kyle

00:12:10 – DoorDash Trend Report: Robots, TikTok & Global Palates

• Men more likely to trust AI-cooked meals; Gen Z shops by photo
• Garlic naan, pad thai, miso soup among top 10 DoorDash orders
• Half of users take 5–10 minutes deciding what to eat
   🗨️ “If you aren’t in the carousel, you’re not in the consideration set.” — Carl

00:20:00 – DoorDash Pauses Voice AI, Names Preferred Tech Partners

• Voice AI project shelved—for now—due to underperformance
• Integration partners now include Toast, Square, Otter, Checkmate
• More scrutiny coming for tech vendors to meet Doordash standards
   🗨️ “Most GenAI projects fail because they’re poorly tested—DoorDash just pressed pause.” — Carl

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