Tray scanning with AI revolutionizes the catering industry

Company restaurants, administrations, hospitals, school canteens, all catering structures are taking the digital turn by adopting the tray scan. You haven't taken the plunge yet? This AI payment system has many surprises in store for you.

Practical, intuitive, easy to deploy, discover the many advantages of flatbed scanning with AI.

Familiarize yourself with artificial intelligence tray scanning

In concrete terms, what is the scan tray? It is an autonomous device in the form of a kiosk controlled by Artificial Intelligence. It is equipped with an image recognition system that allows it to photograph the contents of the tray and a self-payment solution.

The way it works is extremely simple.

For the guests:

The guests come in front of the device and pass their tray under the terminal.
They badge.
Your guests leave with their tray and receive their receipt by email.

For your teams:

Before the service, they fill in the menus of the day in the back office and the AI on the products present on the first trays.
Then, during service, the AI automatically detects which dishes have been filled in.
At the same time, your teams can modify product availability and track orders.
In case of unidentified products, your employees check the photos taken by the tray scanner.
Then, at the end of the service, in case of post-service complaints, the operator can correct the errors directly from the operator app.

This technology is particularly well suited to collective catering such as company and government restaurants as well as school and hospital canteens.

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The 6 benefits of visual tray recognition

Now that you've been introduced to the AI Flatbed Scanner and know how it works, you're probably curious to know what benefits it has to offer you.

1. Reduced checkout time

The first and most obvious advantage of tray scanning is the reduction in checkout time and all the repercussions that this can have on you, as a catering professional, but also for all the people eating in your establishment.

This technological tool allows you to divide the waiting time at the checkout by 2. The passage takes an average of 3 to 5 seconds and avoids the need to go to the cash desk.

This fluidity at the checkout is the ideal solution to relieve queues, which is particularly appreciable during rush periods.

Whether in a company, hospital or canteen, no one wants to waste precious minutes standing in a queue. The lunch break being a real factor of well-being at work, it is important to take advantage of it. Guests now have more time to enjoy their meal, talk with their colleagues or engage in the extra-professional activity of their choice. In the case of a company restaurant, employees return to their office rested having had the feeling of having had a quality break.

Reduced waiting time translates into a better customer experience and a higher satisfaction rate. This can only be beneficial for you, as your customers will tend to come back.

2. Less frequent checkout errors

In addition to reducing checkout time, tray scanning is a tool that will allow you to limit checkout errors. If you're a site manager, the last thing you want to see at the end of the day is a difference between the theoretical cash balance and the actual cash balance. This discrepancy may be the result of theft or mishandling. The latter can be the result of the cashier forgetting to charge a product, entering the wrong amount or giving back too much cash.

This is where the tray scan comes in! The analysis of the products consumed and the payment being done by means of a photo taken in high resolution and a prepaid badge, the risk of making a mistake is considerably reduced. No handling of money, a minimum of people involved, you will no longer (or less) worry about doing your accounting.

3. Ease of use

The flatbed scan is suitable for both technophiles and technophobes because this digital solution is very easy to use.

Indeed, this device is intuitive and above all it does not require any manipulation. The guests do not need to enter the details of their order, they just have to pass their tray under the terminal. This tool does all the work and in a minimum of time!

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4. An efficient and global management tool

You can also count on the tray scanner to facilitate the operational management of your activity, as it allows you to monitor the number of guests in real time.

This will help you to have an idea of the number of people who will come to the table during service and to communicate the quantities to be produced to the kitchen teams.

This solution also allows you to quickly and easily re-enter orders once the shot is fired. Because the scanned meals can be processed during or after service, the pressure on staff during busy periods is reduced and their productivity increased tenfold.

5. A simple solution to deploy

Another quality of the scan tray is that it is easy to deploy. Thanks to its compact design, its installation requires very little space. It can fit in a space of 0.7 m². So you won't have to push walls or sacrifice one of your tables to install this device. You can position it on a tray slide or an existing countertop.

To operate it, you will only need a power cable, a network cable and an internet connection. To enable E-wallet payment, the tray scanner must be associated with a touch pad and the cash register.

The maintenance of this terminal is also very easy.

6. A way to delegate repetitive tasks

The tray scanner also frees restaurant employees from repetitive tasks at the cash register. They can now focus on higher value-added tasks such as service, welcoming customers, advising on the offer, restocking, etc. All this has an impact on the customer experience, but also on the motivation of your teams whose work is now more stimulating and rewarding.

As you can see, tray scanning is one of the digital tools that are revolutionizing the world of catering. You and your guests have everything to gain!

👉 To go further: Digital for hospital catering

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How can Innovorder's IA Scan streamline checkout?

The use ofAI Scan is revolutionizing the way foodservice establishments operate, making the guest experience smoother than ever. Say goodbye to long queues, because now it takes your guests an average of just 3 seconds to deposit their tray, validate their badge and release the tray scan. This intelligent, autonomous technology automates your service, delivering an optimized customer experience.

What's more, tray scanning simplifies your operators' day-to-day work. By automating time-consuming, repetitive tasks, this system frees up precious time for your teams, enabling them to focus on higher value-added activities such as service, welcoming guests, restocking or preparing the next day's service.

The 5 advantages of IA Scan, Innovorder's intelligent flatbed scanner :

it streamlines checkout (3 seconds/passage, i.e. 500 passages/hour on average),
it boosts your restaurant's profitability (10-15% more customers, higher average shopping basket),
it simplifies your teams' day-to-day work by reducing repetitive tasks, freeing up their time to concentrate on more rewarding tasks (reception, service, etc.),
it requires no additional handling for your teams before, during or after service,
its offline mode ensures uninterrupted service even in the event of network loss.

Would you like to digitize your establishment using tray scanning with AI to streamline your restaurant and modernize cashiering and the guest experience? Contact an Innovorder expert for personalized advice.

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