12 TAKEAWAYS FROM FS/TEC 2025 The next hot restaurant tech job, AI’s evolving role in restaurants, and more lessons from this year’s conference. T he recent FSTEC conference in Orlando, Florida, brought together thousands of restaurant technol - ogy specialists and vendors to the Gaylord Palms
“They’re not in the back-of-the-house” count - ing inventory, Kevin Summers, strategy manager, inventory AI counting for Star - bucks, said at the conference. “They can be more in the front-of-the-house, interacting with customers.” 2 Loyalty must constantly evolve A loyalty program is not a “set it and forget it” thing. It’s an effort that needs constant re - visiting, said Dino Northway, senior director of off-premise & guest services for Portillo’s. The Chicago-based fast-casual chain launched a new loyalty program in March that has continued to evolve. Rather than create a program built around coupons or discounts, Portillo’s wanted to build an experience for guests that would be fun and interactive. To date, the program now has about 2 mil - lion members, said Northway. There’s no app. The Portillo’s Perks program lives in an Apple or Google digital wallet. Northway said the chain engages with members with RCS messaging, which is like texting but more interactive. Portillo’s can layer in images, video and links, and guests can reply. “It feels like an app, but it’s not an app,” he said. “It lives in your message stream.” And Portillo’s can have fun with the content. When news of Taylor Swift’s engagement hit, Portillo’s within hours sent Perks mem - bers free onion rings, with the message, “She got a ring. So should you,” Northway said. These little surprises often turn into happy social media posts. “You don’t get that type of experience from just giving a coupon,” he said.
Resort for three days of conversation about the future of AI, the role of technology in the customer journey, and, funda - mentally, the need to keep the human touch of hospitality in operations. Next year, FSTEC will move back to Dallas. But, if you missed this year’s event, here are some nuggets from operators.
1 Tech takes a backseat to ‘connection’ One recurring theme of this year’s FSTEC: Technology that improves hospitality, rather than technology for technology’s sake. And that includes the Tech du Jour, artificial intelligence. Multiple executives highlighted AI’s ability to remove some mundane tasks from the restaurant to free workers up for that hospi - tality. “AI is taking all the bullshit we don’t want to do every day,” Jennifer Bell, CMO with the independent restaurant operator Lettuce En - tertain You Enterprises. “It’s freeing up time for the connection, to be creative and have fun. If we’re not doing it, we’re missing it.” One such example comes from Starbucks, which is debuting a new AI-based inventory counting program that uses tablets with cameras to count inventory in a fraction of the time. That technology is designed to save time to free up store managers for that hospitality.
4 | FSTEC 2025
Powered by FlippingBook