Smile and palm wave authentication improves consumer experience and satisfaction with merchants
NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verifone, the global payments leader for the world’s best-known enterprise merchants, financial institutions, fintechs and small merchants, and PopID, the leader in biometric software, today announced a global partnership to launch biometric solutions that enable payments and loyalty transactions to be completed in a fast and secure manner, simply with a smile or a palm wave.
Verifone and PopID have partnered to create biometric modules comprised of biometric sensors and software to enable existing Verifone or third-party payment terminals to accept face and palm authentication. Verifone will also embed biometric modules in Verifone Victa, its newest portfolio of payment terminals.
Verifone is building an open and interoperable biometric payments solution to enable consumer platforms, digital wallets, merchants, acquirers, networks and issuers to seamlessly process biometric-authenticated commerce transactions using the industry’s existing payments infrastructure.
Verifone’s solution will leverage its vast array of existing global assets: 45M devices (15M of which run 200 proprietary payment applications managed by Verifone’s cloud-based device management platform); integrations with 2,500 ECRs/POSs; 150+ payment processors, and acceptance of 40+ global, local, and alternate payment methods.
“With millions of new and existing payment devices in the United States and globally, Verifone is key to driving global acceptance of biometric transactions,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. “Verifone’s decision to enter and lead the biometrics identity and payments race represents an important milestone in the growth and continued usage of biometrics.”
“We believe that widespread acceptance of biometric loyalty and payments provides profound benefits to consumers, merchants and issuers,” said Himanshu Patel, CEO of Verifone. “Consumers will enjoy faster, more secure checkout and seamless access to loyalty programs. Merchants benefit from increased speed, security, customer satisfaction and retention. Our joint biometrics solution with PopID exemplifies Verifone’s commitment to reducing complexities in commerce while improving consumer experiences at physical or digital points of sale.”
This announcement follows demonstrations of PopID-integrated Verifonebiometrics at NRF’25: Retail’s Big Show in New York City in January 2025.
AboutVerifone
Verifone shapes ecosystems for online and in-person commerce experiences, including everything businesses need – from secure payment devices to eCommerce tools, acquiring services, advanced business insights, and much more. As a global fintech leader, Verifone powers omni-commerce growth for companies in over 165 countries and is trusted by the world’s best-known brands, small businesses and major financial institutions. The Verifone platform is built on a four-decade history of innovation and uncompromised security, annually managing more than 14B transactions worth over $480B on physical and digital channels. Learn more at www.verifone.com and follow Verifone on LinkedIn,X,Facebook and Instagram.
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
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Whataburger to extend PopID’s biometric payments solution with payments processing powered by J.P. Morgan Payments
New York, August 6, 2024 – J.P. Morgan Payments today announced an expanded relationship with PopID to deploy in-store biometric payments to pilot merchants across the United States.
The pay-by-face biometric payment solution allows shoppers to complete transactions more seamlessly, removing the need for customers to pull out their phones or credit cards. Biometric loyalty program check-in and payment provides a swift ordering and checkout experience for merchants and customers alike. PopID research has shown the platform decreases ordering and check out times by up to 90 seconds per transaction and can increase ticket size by 4 percent.
“This is a giant step forward in helping our clients reimagine the entire retail experience for their customers and bringing best-in-class biometrics payments solutions to the market,” said Jean-Marc Thienpont, Managing Director, Omnichannel & Biometric Solutions at J.P. Morgan Payments. “We offer something that is hard to match – the stability, scale and trust of a world-class bank combined with the technology and agility of a fintech.”
Clients will also benefit from the expanded collaboration between J.P. Morgan Payments and PopID. Whataburger, which already accepts biometric payments through PopID’s solution, plans to extend biometric payments with payments processing powered by J.P. Morgan Payments.
“We are excited to continue to embrace biometric payments to help us revolutionize the way our customers purchase their favorite food reliably and securely,” said Jerry Phillips, VP of Technology, Whataburger. “At Whataburger, we believe in innovation, and this marks a significant step forward in enhancing our overall dining experience. This new offering allows us to provide a faster, safer and seamless checkout process for our valued guests, backed by the stability of an established financial institution.”
Whataburger has already seen a positive impact with faster checkout times and increased loyalty engagement at the counter and on self-ordering kiosks. After registering for biometric loyalty and payment in the Whataburger mobile app, guests no longer need to pull out their mobile phones and scan the QR code to check into the loyalty program or further authenticate payment, which is done through a biometric scan.
How it works:
The J.P. Morgan Payments biometric checkout solution is powered by PopID, which uses enhanced facial identification technology to create a secure, reliable and convenient method for customer identification and payment authentication. During enrollment, the customer takes a photo of their face that is converted into a template, encrypted and securely stored in the PopID cloud. When a purchase is initiated, the template of the transaction is matched against the template stored in the cloud and informs the result of the match to the merchant. As a merchant-agnostic solution, customers can utilize their facial biometrics at any participating pilot merchant once they enroll. The solution is consent-driven and customers can opt-in and out of the program at any time at their discretion.
“We are thrilled to continue working with J.P. Morgan Payments to deliver enhanced biometric check in and payment solutions to merchants,” said John Miller, CEO at PopID. “We’ve seen a remarkable increase in speed and a rise in customer loyalty when biometric technology is available. Allowing people the freedom to authenticate loyalty and pay how they want, while leveling up security, is critical to today’s consumer.”
South Florida Motorsports (SFM), the organizers of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX, was the first client to use J.P. Morgan Payments’ biometric payments solution, which debuted in retail stores at the Miami International Autodrome during the 2024 race May 3-5, 2024. Previously, FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX completed a successful biometric payments proof of concept in 2023, with 100 percent of the transactions authenticated and processed successfully in under a second.
Offering end-to-end payment processing and comprehensive security and fraud protection from one of the world’s most trusted banks, J.P. Morgan Payments provides fintech with foundation to help organizations grow, diversify and thrive.
J.P. Morgan Payments combines treasury services, trade & working capital, card and merchant services capabilities to help clients pay customers or employees, in different currencies, around the world. It processes nearly $10 trillion payments daily, operating in over 160 countries and over 120 currencies, and is #1 in USD payments volume. In 2023, J.P. Morgan Payments reported $18.3 billion in revenue across the firm, up from approximately $14 billion in 2022, representing a 31 percent increase, excluding the impact of equity investments.
About J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank
J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank is a global leader across banking, markets and securities services. The world’s most important corporations, governments and institutions entrust us with their business in more than 100 countries. With $34.0 trillion of assets under custody and $665.9 billion in deposits, the Corporate & Investment Bank provides strategic advice, raises capital, manages risk and extends liquidity in markets around the world. Further information about J.P. Morgan is available at www.jpmorgan.com.
About PopID
PopID, a majority owned subsidiary of Cali Group, aims to be the universal gateway for verifying an individual’s identity based on face for applications such as loyalty and payment. Through PopID’s merchant solutions, consumers can use biometric checkout at more than 380 locations of quick serve restaurants and retailers across the United States. To view locations where its solutions are used, click here.
About Whataburger
Whataburger serves up Goodness 24/7. Our original recipes are made to order, just like you like it, and we pride ourselves on extraordinary hospitality and meaningful connections in our communities. That’s what’s led fans to Whataburger since Harmon Dobson served our first customer in 1950. Headquartered in San Antonio, we’ve stayed close to our roots while building sales of more than $3 billion annually across our 16-state footprint and over 1,000 restaurants. Even with our exceptional menu, we know that people make the difference at Whataburger. That’s why we’re among QSR Magazine’s Best Brands to Work For in 2023 and consistently win culture excellence awards, including Top Workplaces 2023. Want to become part of our orange spirit? Apply to become a Family Member (what we call our employees) at whataburger.com/careers. Just hungry for a great meal? Download our app on ios or android to order ahead. Shop Whataburger branded merchandise and selected sauces including our famous Fancy and Spicy Ketchup at WhataStore.com and find Whataburger original-recipe products in grocery stores. See our press kit for a list of locations, fun facts, milestones and other company information.
Media Contacts
J.P. Morgan Payments
Nadine Youssef, [email protected]
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Adopting PopID’s industry-leading biometric check-in and checkout system allows for a faster, easier, and more personalized customer experience.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AND PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA, April 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.
The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.
“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.
Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”
About Steak n Shake
Steak n Shake, born in 1934 on Route 66, is an iconic brand famous for originating the Steakburger and serving legendary milkshakes for 90 years and counting. With over 500 locations across the globe, Steak n Shake is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nation’s Restaurant News Golden Chain Award and Zagat’s #1 Voted Milkshake. Steak n Shake Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings Inc. For more information, please visit www.steaknshake.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @steaknshake.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
Evan Grant
PopID, Inc. [email protected]
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Toshiba’s investments in technologies like A.I., Computer Vision, and Biometrics empower retailers to think beyond limitations and create experiences beyond what they thought was possible
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.– Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, known for transforming retail operations and consumer experiences, will showcase its innovative solutions in booth (#3625) at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Retail’s Big Show on January 14-16, 2024, at the Javits Center in New York. As the needs of modern consumers continue to rise and the competitive landscape becomes increasingly fierce, retailers must seize the opportunity to adopt cutting-edge solutions that meet current expectations and set the stage for future growth. A new Incisiv retail study to be revealed at NRF reports that an overwhelming 97% of respondents said that innovation is a critical component of their future growth strategy, with 65% believing that retail leadership is committed to investing in innovation.
This year, the company will invite retailers to look beyond existing limitations in an immersive, real-time shopping journey, demonstrating Toshiba’s investments in orchestrating innovative modular technologies. The Frictionless Experience in the booth will show how connected technologies like A.I., computer vision, biometric solutions, and more can work seamlessly to solve today’s retail challenges of operational efficiency and shopper experience. The immersive experience emphasizes the importance of empowering retailers to drive their journey and thrive in an era where adaptability is synonymous with survival.
“At Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, we are passionate about retail, and our investments lead to a future where retailers are empowered to address critical industry challenges like labor shortages, loss prevention, and inventory management while enhancing consumer experiences,” said Rance Poehler, President and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Our key bets are on A.I., computer vision, and other cutting-edge technologies driving digital transformation to enable retailers to hear, see, and sense the needs of their business and the shopper for brilliant commerce outcomes that enrich experiences inside and outside the store for retailers across the globe.”
The modular ELERA® Commerce Platform is the backbone of the immersive experience in this year’s booth and gives retailers complete control over how they transform their business. Retailers need agile solutions to strategically adopt innovative technologies that align with their business goals and consumer preferences. ELERA® software as a service (SaaS) makes solutions more affordable and innovation more accessible to retailers of all segments and sizes.
“The future is frictionless, and our immersive experience showcases the possibilities of these new technologies that are modular, composable and connected, and now accessible to retailers,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP and Head of Marketing and Communication at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “We leverage A.I.-driven insights to better serve our retail customers’ priorities and accelerate the future of retail.”
Toshiba is a global leader in retail technology thanks to its ecosystem of dynamic capabilities fueled by a broad portfolio of end-to-end solutions that are unmatched in the industry. Many of the ELERA® solutions at NRF incorporate technology from Toshiba’s ecosystem of innovation partners to provide niche solutions that best serve the unique demands across retail segments. As part of the new ELERA® Security Suite, ELERA® Loss Prevention incorporates Qualcomm® System-on-Chip (SoC) technology that empowers retailers to minimize shrink while providing consumers with enhanced checkout experiences and reduced friction. ELERA® Security Suite also includes ELERA® Produce Recognition, featuring advanced computer vision integrated with Intel technology to increase scanning accuracy at self-checkout and reduce the need to enter codes for a faster and friendlier consumer experience. As interest in non-traditional payments grows, Toshiba’s Vision Kiosk accepts biometric loyalty and payments, powered by PopID.
As part of its commitment to the industry, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is also sponsoring and hosting a range of additional activities throughout the show:
NRF Foundation Student Program, Technology Track (Friday, January 12, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) The NRF Foundation Student Program draws 1,000 students and 100 educators from 120+ colleges and universities to educate, inspire, and motivate students to pursue careers in the industry.
RetailROI SuperSaturday Event (Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) RetailROI SuperSaturday features retail’s most prominent thinkers for revealing discussions on retail security and how C-level executives can foster innovative environments. Proceeds generated benefit the Retail Orphan Initiative.
Incisiv Speakeasy (Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 6 p.m. start) Toshiba is sponsoring an exclusive panel and dinner for retailers featuring new research jointly conducted by Incisiv and Toshiba. Attendees will receive an in-depth look at consumer data and insights driving innovative technology and retail solutions in the future. Register here.
Rock & Roll Underground (Monday, January 15, 2024 | Time 8:30 p.m., music starts at 9 p.m.) Toshiba is a major sponsor for the annual Incisiv Rock & Roll Underground, which brings together musicians from companies across retail for a night of live music and fun. Retailers register here.
About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions:
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions empowers retail to thrive and prosper through a dynamic ecosystem of smarter, more agile solutions and services that enable retailers to resiliently evolve with generations of consumers and adapt to market conditions. Supported by a global organization of devoted employees and partners, retailers gain more visibility and control over operations while enjoying the flexibility to build, scale, and transform retail experiences that anticipate and fulfill consumers’ ever-changing needs. Visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, to learn more.
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Tec Corporation, which is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Contacts
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Elizabeth Romero
Director, Corporate Communications [email protected]
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Automation at CaliExpress by Flippy™ Enables Premium Wagyu Blend Burgers For the Masses at Traditional Burger Price Points
Pasadena, CA – Cali Group, a holding company using technology to transform the restaurant and retail industries, Miso Robotics, creator of Flippy (the world’s first AI-powered robotic fry station), and PopID, a technology company simplifying ordering and payments using biometrics, announced today that they are soon opening CaliExpress by Flippy™, the world’s first fully autonomous restaurant. Utilizing the most advanced systems in food technology, both grill and fry stations are fully automated, powered by proprietary leading-edge artificial intelligence and robotics. Guests will watch their food being cooked robotically after checking in with their PopID accounts on self-ordering kiosks to get personalized order recommendations and make easy and fast payments. The new CaliExpress by Flippy restaurant is located in a prime retail location in Pasadena, California on the northwest corner of Green Street and Madison Avenue at 561 E. Green St.
Transforming Food Quality for Consumers, and Transforming the Workplace For Restaurant Employees
For customers, these various technologies will enable CaliExpress by Flippy to deliver freshly made burgers based on a wagyu blend at price points competitive with other premium burgers using standard meat. Uniquely, the grill robot grinds the high quality beef in real-time after the order is placed, resulting in a burger patty that melts in the mouth. Flippy, the famous robotic fry station, will serve up crispy, hot fries made from top grade potatoes that are always cooked to exact times. The menu is very simple, comprising burgers, cheeseburgers, and french fries.
For employees working at CaliExpress by Flippy, these technologies will create a safer, easier, and friendlier kitchen. At the fry station, Flippy represents revolutionary breakthroughs in safety as slippage and burns can be nearly eliminated, as well as in waste reduction in both food and oil. The CaliExpress by Flippy kitchen can be run by a much smaller crew, in a less stressful environment, than competing restaurants — while also providing above average wages.
“To our knowledge, this is the world’s first operating restaurant where both ordering and every single cooking process are fully automated,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and board member of Miso Robotics. “The marriage of these various technologies to create the most autonomous restaurant in the world is the culmination of years of research, development, and investment in a family of revolutionary companies.”
The CaliExpress by Flippy location will also be a pseudo-museum experience presented by Miso Robotics. Including dancing robot arms from retired Flippy units, experimental 3D-printed artifacts from past development, photographic displays, and much more, the space is designed to serve noteworthy food, plus inspire the next generation of kitchen AI and automation entrepreneurs. Local schools and educational groups are encouraged to reach out for tours.
“AI-powered, robotic order-taking and cooking enables the major chains that feed America to substantially improve quality, consistency and speed,” said Rich Hull, CEO of Miso Robotics. “Miso is proud to partner with Cali Group and PopID to make CaliExpress by Flippy a reality. Flippy has been an incredible success story and now everyone in Southern California can come take a look — and a taste — for themselves.”
CaliExpress by Flippy will open in December 2023 by reservation only with a grand opening to follow. Go to MisoRobotics.com/CaliExpress to book a reservation, sign-up for special offers, and tour information.
About Cali Group
Cali Group is a holding company that invests in restaurants and companies developing technologies for the restaurant and retail industries.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve the largest challenges in back-of-house kitchen operations. Making an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including Flippy, the world’s first fully autonomous robot for the fry station. With proprietary industry knowledge, data, and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first seven years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve the overall dining experience.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
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In a first for biometric payments in the UAE, Network International, the leading enabler of dig-ital commerce in the Middle East and Africa region, and Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in the UAE, announced today that they have implemented the Face Pay face verification platform for payments from consumer authentication service provider PopID.
Customers to Carrefour stores in Deira and Amsaf are now able to purchase food, daily essen-tials, and more using Face Pay. Consumers can enroll for the service through the Carrefour mo-bile app or website, and then purchase products at Carrefour by smiling at a payment terminal instead of pulling out a phone or card. This solution is based on proprietary facial recognition technology developed by PopID, and provisioned through Network International’s acceptance network for mass adoption across the UAE.
“Carrefour is a leader in introducing new technologies that enhance the customer experience, whilst finding solutions that can eliminate friction,” said Bernardo Perloiro, Chief Operating Of-ficer – GCC at Majid Futtaim Retail. “Face verification will make it easier and more convenient for our customers to check out efficiently – without having to reach for their wallets. This safe, seamless payment method only takes a few seconds, and we are excited to be one of the first re-tailers to be rolling this out across the UAE in partnership with PopID and Network Internation-al.”
“We are thrilled to continue driving the evolution of biometric payments with the UAE’s first-of-its-kind face verification platform. Face Pay aims to make checkouts quick, convenient and seam-less for a superior customer experience, and secure businesses from potential fraud with robust security protocols,” said Andrew Key, Group Managing Director – Acquiring at Network Inter-national. “Network International is proud to be the first acquirer to launch Face Pay-enabled bi-ometric payments acceptance in the country. With a strong track record of leading payments in-novation in the region, we aim to continue investing in strategic partnerships that further the po-tential of payments across the UAE.”
“In America and Japan, we have demonstrated that allowing consumers to link Face Pay to loyalty accounts and payment methods enhances revenue, increases speed of ordering and check out, drives loyalty engagement, and reduces fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and investment company, Cali Group. “We are excited to implement the platform with Carrefour and Network International in grocery for the first time in this region.”
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Doha, – January 22, 2023 – QNB Group, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa, has launched a new biometric payment acceptance solution for its merchants in Qatar.
QNB, together with its key partners, will be helping merchants with outlets in Qatar to offer customers the simplicity, convenience, and security of facial biometric payments.
This solution is based on proprietary facial verification technology developed by PopID, provisioned through QNB’s acceptance network, and supported by Visa via tokenization.
The technology enables customers to authenticate payments for goods and services through facial verification, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrolment. As a one-time sign-up, users will create their profile by taking a selfie of their face using their smartphone, before entering their phone number and card details. The technology then tokenizes the card number and securely links it to the facial biometric template. It only takes a minute or two to set this up and then only a few seconds to make the payment. The merchants will offer the in-store sign-up using a QR capability.
These developments highlight the driving forces behind facial biometric technology and the wide range of opportunities it is opening up for the future of payment solutions and much more.
Mr. Adel Al-Malki, Senior Executive Vice President – Group Retail Banking, stated:
As the payment landscape evolves, QNB is always at the forefront of this evolution, and constantly willing to be an early adopter of innovative technologies that drive frictionless and enhanced payment experience – putting our customers and merchants experience at the centre of everything we do. Being the ‘first in Qatar’ in another innovation that augments the already rich range of payment options that includes functionality such as contactless payments, QNB “MyPOS” (Tap on Phone payment acceptance) and Samsung/Google/Apple pay, to mention a few.
“In America and Japan, we have demonstrated that allowing consumers to link PopPay to loyalty accounts and payment methods substantially increases speed of ordering and check out, drives loyalty engagement, and reduces fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and its parent company, Cali Group. “We are excited to work with Visa and QNB to bring this loyalty and payment platform to businesses and consumers in Qatar.”
About QNB
QNB Group, currently ranked as the most valuable bank brand in the Middle East and Africa. Through its subsidiaries and associate companies, the Group extends to more than 30 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is 27,000 operating through 1000 locations, with an ATM network of more than 4,600 machines.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.
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PopID-XPR Partnership Powering Samsung System Displayed at Booth #3657 at NRF
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, January 15, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — PopID, a biometric fintech company and XPR, a global kiosk software platform, announced today a fully integrated solution on the new Samsung Kiosk Windows 10 IoT Enterprise edition using face verification to check in and check out. These products, which are also in commercial production in quick service restaurants, are on display at the NRF Show in New York at Booth #3657.
The face verification platform for ordering and payment, called PopPay, has been demonstrated to have various benefits for operators and consumers over the last few years. Specifically, the benefits of PopPay Check In for quick service restaurants are:
* Increased speed. When consumers use face verification to check in at the beginning of the ordering process, they immediately see their favorite orders and can quickly click to repeat the order instead of having to spend time recreating the entire order from scratch. The result is that the average time to order for regular customers moves from minutes to seconds.
* Increased ticket size. When consumers repeat their favorite orders, there is an opportunity to upsell them based on their ordering history. Statistically significant data shows that consumers using PopPay Check In spend about 4.5% more than consumers anonymously ordering.
* Increased loyalty engagement. Loyalty engagement on self ordering kiosks is limited by the complexity of consumers needing to open up an app on their phone and scan a QR code or type in a phone number on the kiosk in a public environment. PopPay has been shown to substantially increase loyalty enrollment and usage on self ordering kiosks in quick service restaurants.
“Consumer expectations are ever-evolving, especially in the food service industry, which is prompting quick-service restaurants to dramatically transform the way they meet these growing demands,” said Chris Mertens, Vice President of U.S. Sales, Displays, Samsung. “Delivering quality meals is no longer enough – restaurants must now entice and delight customers through seamless and secure transactions. Through our strategic partnerships with PopID and XPR, our customers can achieve this goal by embracing the new Windows kiosks that captivate consumers through every point of contact.”
The benefits of PopPay Check Out on the new Windows kiosk for quick service restaurants are:
* Decreased payment processing fees. PopPay has developed new forms of money transfer and settlement that can substantially reduce payment processing fees for operators.
* Reduced fraud. PopPay has been working with global financial institutions to demonstrate that, when a picture is used to verify a payment transaction, there is less risk of fraud.
“Samsung and XPR have delivered a high quality, low cost self ordering kiosk to the fast food market,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of retail tech investment company, Cali Group. “Now their customers can increase revenue, lower costs, and improve the guest experience by adding PopPay software to their hardware systems.”
“We are excited to deliver this new solution to our global customer base. Facial verification for payment and reorder from history will speed up the ordering process” said Nikhil Lagoo, Vice President Global Sales of XPR. “XPR can ‘turn on’ this enhanced functionality with a simple software update, and operators can easily leverage the benefits of personalized communications with their customers on self ordering kiosks.”
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com.
About XPR
XPR is a leading hospitality technology solution provider that offers Plug & Play, Cloud-based and AI-backed Self Ordering Solutions, including Self Ordering Kiosks, Virtual Kiosks for Contactless Ordering and Mobile Apps. XPR’s solution helps every restaurant set a new standard of guest experience while simultaneously boosting revenue. With a customer base across restaurant types, locations, and countries, XPR’s success is driven by the agility and commitment to innovate and develop customer focused solutions. Visit www.xprpos.com for more information.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.
Evan Grant
PopID, Inc.
+1 949-478-2012 [email protected]
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2023-02-09 21:56:372023-02-09 21:56:37PopPay Integrated Into XPR-Samsung Self Service Kiosks For QSR Restaurants
PopID, a biometric fintech company, and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, retail’s first choice for unified commerce solutions, have announced a partnership to integrate PopPay into Toshiba’s front-end point-of-sale and self-service solutions running its ELERA Commerce Platform. PopPay enables consumers to authenticate their identity for payment and/or loyalty using artificial intelligence-based facial verification software. Toshiba will distribute the integrated solutions to the restaurant, quick service restaurant (QSR), convenience stores (C-store), grocery and other retail segments.
One of the first fully integrated solutions will feature PopPay biometric cameras incorporated with the Toshiba Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk and will be showcased at NRF 2023 in New York, on January 15-17, 2023. Customers who opt-in can scan items using the Pro-X scanner and then tender the transaction by selecting the on-screen PopPay button to have their face scanned. PopPay then authenticates loyalty and payment without requiring a card or phone.
“Whether at restaurants, convenience stores, or in other retail segments, consumer interest in non-traditional payment methods is growing exponentially across the globe with regions previously dominated by cash leapfrogging card transactions into mobile payments,” says Rance Poehler, President and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Even in the U.S., where card payments showed strong acceptance, the adoption of non-traditional payments has seen an uptick. We know the market is ready with Gen Z and Millennials trending in this direction.”
Younger consumers have learned from prior generations that revolving credit debt is risky therefore driving them to pay via debit, electronic funds transfer, or Automated Clearing House (ACH) because there are no interest fees. MX reports that reduced consumer confidence has many Gen Z respondents supporting the growing interest in mobile payments. The same report cites that most respondents (73%) have connected mobile payment apps to their financial accounts. In addition to their aversion to credit, Millennials and Gen Z also seek more convenience in their retail interactions. The Food Industry Association reports that 53% of Gen Z and 55% of millennial shoppers want greater convenience in their future grocery shopping experience.
“With nearly a quarter of America’s consumer spending running through Toshiba’s point-of-sale solutions, Toshiba is the largest retail-focused solutions company in the U.S. and globally,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of the investment company, Cali Group. “This partnership will enable Toshiba’s customers to use our technology to increase revenue, drive loyalty engagement, improve operations, and lower costs while enhancing the overall customer experience.”
“We are excited to partner with PopID to deliver speed, ease of use, and convenience to retailers and their shoppers,” continued Poehler. “We look forward to implementing PopPay in new industries to meet growing demand across retail segments.”
ELERA and its suite of solutions help free retailers from legacy technology constraints. With more control over store operations, retailers can enhance efficiency and productivity at scale. Integration of PopPay for automatic payments offers the retailer offers numerous benefits like faster transactions, higher throughput, reduced stress at checkout for the shopper leading to larger ticket size, increased loyalty participation driven by automation, and lower payment processing fees when integrated into point-of-sale systems, self-ordering kiosks, and drive-thru systems at QSR chains.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com.
About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a global market share leader in retail store technology and retail’s first choice for unified commerce solutions. Together with a global team of dedicated business partners, we advance the future of retail with innovative commerce solutions that enhance customer engagement, transform the in-store experience, and accelerate digital transformation. To learn more, visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Elizabeth Romero
Director, Corporate Communications [email protected]
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2023-02-09 21:49:062023-02-09 21:49:06PopID and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Partner to Deliver Biometric Enabled Point-of-Sale and Self-Checkout Systems
DOHA, Qatar–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the world awaits kick-off of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Visa (NYSE: V), the Official Payment Technology Partner of FIFA, has readied a payments network that will enable contactless purchases throughout all official venues, including eight stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival™. With more than one million fans expected to travel to Qatar for the tournament, Visa has installed 5,300 contactless-enabled payment terminals at official FIFA venues, making FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever. Visa will also trial new payment innovations to give fans easy access to simple and secure digital ways to pay.
The FIFA World Cup™ provides a global stage for Visa to showcase and test new technologies, enhance the fan experience and leave a lasting impression on the host country. Visa will bring a number of digital payment solutions to Qatar, including several limited pilots to demonstrate how future Visa payment solutions may come to life:
Pay with Your Face: Marking the first-time it will be used for payments in Qatar, facial recognition technology is a collaboration between Qatar National Bank (QNB) and POP ID and supported by Visa via tokenization. The solution allows customers to authenticate payments using just their face, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrollment. It will be piloted at three Flat White Specialty Coffee branches.
Card Art Gets Animated: As consumers become more accustomed to getting things instantaneously, Visa is piloting a digital card issuance solution for limited cardholders in Doha. After simply scanning a QR code, a digital prepaid card will be instantly issued and can be added to a mobile wallet. The digital card will feature animated card art, with the official mascot La’eeb, demonstrating a future in which consumers could bring greater personalization and even digital animation to their Visa cards.
Accepting Payments Gets Simpler for SMBs: In partnership with three Qatar-based banks the Visa Tap to Phone solution is now available to merchants in Qatar who want to fast-track their ability to accept digital payments in advance of the expected tourist influx. Visa Tap to Phone makes it easier for merchants to use their Android NFC-enabled devices they already own to accept contactless payments—simply by downloading an app.
Tap to Ride Around Doha: Keeping traffic flowing smoothly during FIFA World Cup™ has been a top priority and Visa, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, is enabling contactless payment acceptance on taxis so fans and Qatari residents will be able pay for their trips with their Visa card or smartphone, making paying for their journeys in and around Doha faster and more convenient.
Earlier this month, Visa unveiled Visa Masters of Movement, a first-of-its-kind hybrid experience featuring an interactive pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Doha where fans will be able to create digital art inspired by their own signature movements. Eligible fans will have the option to mint this digital art into their own NFT in partnership with Crypto.com.
Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for GCC at Visa, said: “As FIFA’s long-standing partner, Visa wants to give football fans from around the world the best way to pay in Qatar, while experiencing exciting new innovations such as the fusion of art, football and technology at Visa’s Masters of Movement venue. With thousands of contactless payment terminals, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ promises to be the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever for the more than one million fans coming to enjoy the magic of football.”
Visa has been FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner since 2007. As a global supporter of both men’s and women’s football, Visa aims to offer experiences that bring people closer to the action, whether they are among the one million people anticipated in Qatar or the five billion viewers expected worldwide for this year’s tournament. In addition to providing the latest in payments innovations at official FIFA venues, Visa seeks ways to further its commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport through programs such as Financial Football, a video game that combines entertainment and education in an action-packed virtual football tournament.
For more information about Visa’s activities during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, please visit Visa.com.
About Visa Inc.
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2023-02-09 21:47:422024-04-18 11:14:48Visa Brings Innovative Payment Experiences to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
PASADENA, Calif. and DUBAI, UAE, April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PopID, a consumer authentication service, and Visa (NYSE: V), the world’s leader in digital payments, announced a partnership to collaborate on launching facial verification payment acceptance in the Middle East region. The goal of the partnership is to provide cardholders with new safe, secure, and innovative ways to pay.
The first operators to welcome PopPay (PopID’s facial biometric payment solution) in the market will be Costa Coffee, MMI, and grocery chain Géant, in addition to Cove Beach at Caesars Palace Dubai and Coca-Cola Arena Dubai, both of which belong to the portfolio of Dubai Holding, the diversified global investment company headquartered in Dubai, UAE.
In addition to select brick-and-mortar businesses of Dubai Holding adopting PopPay as a new way to accept payments, PopID has recently signed an agreement with Dubai Holding to soon establish a joint venture that will support the roll-out of PopPay in the CEE and MENA regions.
During the initial phase of the partnership, Dubai Holding will deploy PopPay at some of its assets across its leading destinations and attractions, which will be followed by the adoption of the payment technology across Dubai Holding’s wider ecosystem and through partners across CEE and MENA region.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 85% of executives believe biometrics will be used to authenticate the vast majority of payments in the next ten years. “Facial biometric payments are at the forefront of payments innovation, providing cardholders a fast, seamless and most importantly, secure way to authenticate and make a payment,” said Akshay Chopra, Head of Visa CEMEA Innovation & Design. “From across our partner network, we’ve seen heightened interest in co-creating new facial and biometric payments moments. Through this partnership with PopPay, we are keen to help clients roll out biometric payment capabilities faster and with more success.”
Under the alliance with Visa, issuing banks will be invited to join the platform and give their customers the ability to link their facial biometrics to their debit or credit cards to make payments; and acquiring banks will be offered the opportunity to distribute PopID’s proprietary face pay terminals to brick and mortar businesses. “We expect face pay to become the global standard for payments, and we are determined to make PopPay the consumer brand that is used and trusted by people all over the world,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID.
Throughout 2022, the platform will look to further scale across the Middle East region by partnering with key merchants to provide this leading payments technology to consumers. This second international deployment follows the launch of PopPay Japan through a joint venture with a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp.
About PopID
PopID provides a trusted and secure platform that enables businesses to give their customers and employees the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial verification.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.
About Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding is a diversified global investment company with operations in over 13 countries and employing over 20,000 people. Established in 2004, Dubai Holding touches the lives of millions of Dubai residents and visitors through its extensive portfolio of over AED 130 billion worth of assets that support the diversification and sustainable growth of Dubai’s economy across 10 key sectors: Real Estate, Hospitality, Leisure & Entertainment, Media, ICT, Design, Education, Retail, Manufacturing & Logistics and Science.
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2023-02-09 16:39:432024-04-18 11:16:24Visa and PopID Form Partnership to Launch Facial Verification Payments in the Middle East
Blue Chip Investors & Strategics, Founders, and CEO Bet on World-Class Proprietary Technology and Capital Efficient Growth to Drive Further Consolidation of the Ghost Kitchen Industry
PASADENA, Calif., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Kitchen United, ghost kitchen and restaurant hub technology pioneer, announced a $100M Series C fundraise, which includes some of the world’s preeminent financial and strategic investors. Kitchen United welcomes new investors: Alimentation Couche-Tard / Circle K (TSX: ATD), The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), B. Riley Venture Capital, a subsidiary of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), Simon (NYSE: SPG), Phillips Edison & Co (NASDAQ: PECO), and The HAVI Group. Additionally, strong participation continued from all existing institutional and strategic investors: GV, various funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, RXR, DivcoWest, Cali Group, GoldenArc Capital, General Global Capital, and Rich Product Corporation. Lastly, Kitchen United founders, Harry Tsao and John Miller, Kitchen United CEO, Michael Montagano, and two-time NFL Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, made significant investments in the round. On completion of this round, the company’s total raise to date reaches approximately $175M.
“This Series C financing further solidifies Kitchen United’s leadership position in the industry,” said Michael Montagano, Kitchen United’s Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. “Kitchen United uniquely sits at the intersection of technology, food, and real estate. Our solution serves as the technological and physical infrastructure revolutionizing centrally located distribution hubs through streamlining off-premises ordering and consumption. To that end, we are thrilled to partner with leading investors across grocery, convenience, restaurants, malls, packaging, logistics, distribution, automation, and urban and suburban real estate development,” says Montagano.
“We see many commercial opportunities in partnering with Kitchen United as it prepares for considerable scale. We believe this business stands apart from other industry players with its centralized locations, multi-format offerings, experienced management team, and mature technology stack — all of which align with Circle K’s mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day as we work together to shape the future of convenience,” said Kevin Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard.
“The rising trend of off-premises dining presents a major growth opportunity for the ghost kitchen sector, and Kitchen United is uniquely positioned for significant expansion in the years ahead,” says David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner, GV. “We’ve long been impressed with Kitchen United’s exceptional execution and unparalleled leadership in the sector. We’re excited to continue partnering with Michael Montagano and the entire Kitchen United team as they open more kitchen centers across the country and reach more restaurants and consumers.”
In the past two years, Kitchen United has unveiled multiple industry-leading initiatives, including collaborations in grocery with Kroger and at Simon properties nationwide.
Kitchen United currently has approximately 200 operational kitchens across 20 regions, powered by its industry-leading proprietary technology, with plans to significantly increase its technological and physical footprint in the near term. The company has seen triple-digit top-line growth for three consecutive years, all supported by industry-leading metrics. Kitchen United’s proprietary technology enables customers to order from multiple prepared food and consumer goods brands on the same ticket and with the same delivery driver, all synchronized to maximize quality and payload, and minimize time and expense.
Kitchen United will continue its focus on Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Texas as key markets with continued expansion throughout other US trade areas. Additionally, Kitchen United will be further evolving its industry-leading multi-concept ordering technology platform Kitchen United OS, for use by customers including Burger King, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A., Portillo’s, Panera Bread, Dog Haus, Wingstop, and Brinker International.
About Kitchen United
Founded in 2017, Kitchen United is a leading provider of restaurant hub technology, streamlined logistics and turn-key commercial kitchen space that empowers foodservice operators to tap into the growing off-premises business opportunity and offers consumers a first-of-its-kind to-go experience. The company offers a value-driven, low-risk way for emerging and established restaurant brands to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premises dining and expand delivery areas. For additional information, please visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2022-07-25 11:32:372022-07-25 11:32:37Kitchen United, the Ghost Kitchen and Restaurant Hub Technology Pioneer, Announces $100M Series C Fundraise
Brand leverages Miso Robotics to innovate its culinary process for tortilla chips
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced its latest digital innovation, Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips. Chipotle’s culinary and technology teams called on Miso Robotics to customize its latest robotic solution to cook and freshly season Chipotle’s delicious tortilla chips.
“We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience. Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle’s crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant,” said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, Chipotle.
Chipotle’s culinary team guided Miso in tailoring its technology to maintain the culinary integrity of the brand. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Chippy is trained to replicate Chipotle’s exact recipe – using corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil – to cook chips to perfection, season with a dusting of salt, and finish with a hint of fresh lime juice. It was imperative that the technique remained the same so customers receive delicious, craveable chips every time.
“Everyone loves finding a chip with a little more salt or an extra hint of lime,” said Nevielle Panthaky, Vice President of Culinary, Chipotle. “To ensure we didn’t lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect.”
Chippy is currently being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center, Chipotle’s innovation hub in Irvine, Calif., and will be integrated into a Chipotle restaurant in Southern California later this year. The company is leveraging its stage-gate process to listen, test and learn from crew and guest feedback before deciding on a national implementation strategy.
“When Chipotle challenged us to see if our technology could meet the brand’s high standards for culinary quality, we couldn’t wait to flex our engineering and design muscles,” said Mike Bell, CEO, Miso Robotics. “This partnership will allow us to move into new territory to help improve back-of-house functions and assist team members with their day-to-day responsibilities.”
An innovator in restaurant technology, Chipotle continues to invest in emerging solutions to support its growing digital business and reduce friction in its restaurants. The company believes technology deployed consistently and correctly can improve the human experience. Chipotle already leverages artificial intelligence with its concierge chat bot, Pepper. Pepper ensures guests have an exceptional experience on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com. Chipotle customers can select from frequently asked questions or ask their own questions to get a response quickly. Chippy joins Pepper in Chipotle’s artificial intelligence suite to improve Chipotle’s overall guest and employee experience.
ABOUT CHIPOTLE
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,950 restaurants as of December 31, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2021 lists for Forbes’ America’s Best Employers and Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. With nearly 100,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.
ABOUT MISO ROBOTICS
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve some of the largest gaps in back-of-house kitchen operations. Ready to make an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including: Chippy, Flippy 2, CookRight and Sippy.
With real industry knowledge and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first five years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the overall dining experience. For more information about the future of restaurant automation, visit: https://misorobotics.com.
he world’s first fast-food hamburger chain doubles down on automation after success of pilot program
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 15, 2022 — Today, White Castle – the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain – announced plans to further expand its work with Miso Robotics and install Flippy 2 in 100 standalone locations. The announcement is the latest milestone for the partnership, which began in September 2020 with the deployment of the original Flippy to a White Castle in the Chicagoland area. Following an upgrade to Flippy 2 in November 2021, White Castle’s commitment to Miso’s technology was cemented after seeing an immediate positive impact on daily operations and the productivity of its team members.
By taking over the work of an entire fry station, Flippy 2 alleviates the pain points that come with back-of-house roles at quick-service restaurants to create a working environment for its human coworkers that maximizes the efficiency of the kitchen. The improved workflow allows for the redeployment of team members to focus on creating memorable moments for customers. White Castle anticipates many improvements in efficiency, product quality and team member experience as a result of its partnership with Miso Robotics.
Rollouts of Flippy 2 are being phased by region and will be planned out and scheduled in the months and years ahead.
“We could not be more grateful for the confidence White Castle has shown in us as we enter into the next phase of our partnership,” said Mike Bell, CEO of Miso Robotics. “White Castle was the first large brand to embrace our technology and we are thrilled that our Flippy pilot made such a positive impact on their operations that they want to integrate 100 more. We can’t wait to continue on this journey with such an outstanding partner.”
Miso Robotics is primarily funded by individual investors and has been one of the most successful equity crowdfunding campaigns in history. With over 15,000 shareholders, the company has raised more than $50MM in crowdfunding to date and is currently in its Series E round, which kicked off with a market valuation of $500 million. To invest in Miso Robotics, visit: https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
Miso Robotics is offering securities through the use of an Offering Statement that has been qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Tier II of Regulation A. A copy of the Final Offering Circular that forms a part of the Offering Statement may be obtained from: Miso Robotics https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1710670/000110465922012145/tm222587d2_partiiandiii.htm.
About White Castle
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for 100 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider® in 1921. Today, White Castle owns and operates 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve some of the largest gaps in back-of-house kitchen operations. Ready to make an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including: Flippy 2, CookRight and Sippy.
With real industry knowledge and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first five years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the overall dining experience. Miso is now accepting new investors for its Series E round. To invest in the future of restaurant automation, visit: https://invest.misorobotics.com.
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Wendy’s First Kitchen is First QSR Chain in Japan to Accept Face Pay
PASADENA, Calif. & TOKYO PopID, Japan Computer Vision (“JCV”, a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp), and Wendy’s First Kitchen (“WFK”) announced today the launch of PopPay – PopID’s face-recognition-based ordering and payment system – in Tokyo, Japan. As a first step in the launch, Wendy’s First Kitchen locations in Akasaka Mitsuke, Shibuya Center, and Jiyugaoka will begin accepting payments using PopPay, representing the first time a QSR chain in Japan is accepting payments authenticated using a customer’s face.
Using the new system, WFK’s customers will be able to link their face to a credit card or First Kitchen prepaid card and then pay by simply smiling at a camera-equipped tablet connected to a self-ordering kiosk manufactured by PLANET Co. Ltd. (“PLANET”). They will also be able to see their order history to simplify their ordering experiences. In cases where consumers’ hands are full or when they don’t have their wallets with them, they will be able to make payments without the need for cash or a mobile phone.
“We believe that PopPay is a safer, more convenient, and faster way for our customers to order and pay. We will work together with our partner companies to make this payment method the one that our customers prefer,” said a spokesperson from WFK. “In the near future, we would like to upgrade the system so that customers can enjoy even more of the benefits of being a loyal customer with just one look, even if they come to the store empty-handed.”
PLANET and JCV have jointly developed a hospitality solution that uses face recognition technology to simplify transactions in restaurants, solve problems, and strengthen the creation of new points of contact with customers.
Building on their success with WFK, PopID and JCV, (a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp.), will collaborate to pursue additional business opportunities aimed at providing the PopPay platform to other restaurant and retail businesses in Japan.
Andrew Schwabecher, CEO of JCV said, “Hundreds of brands now accept PopPay in the United States, and we have witnessed exponential growth in consumer usage.” He also said, “We have worked closely with the PopID engineering team to customize the platform for the Japanese market, and we expect businesses and consumers in Japan to embrace PopPay as a better way to transact.”
In Asia, face pay has recently exploded as the preferred payment method for consumers, because it is more convenient and secure. “Multinational financial institutions believe that face pay is likely to become a global standard, because it is the most effective way to prevent payment fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. He also said, “Outside of the US market, we will create open loop platforms for banks, wallets, and other payment companies to enable consumers to link any payment system to their faces to spend against.”
In addition, a presentation for the media regarding this initiative (co-hosted by First Kitchen and JCV) is scheduled for December 1, 2021 (Wednesday).
About PopID
PopID provides a trusted and secure platform that enables businesses to give their customers and employees the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition.
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The Intelligent Automation provider for the commercial kitchen and trusted global manufacturer set out to bring new efficiency to order fulfillment.
PASADENA, Calif., June 22, 2021 — Today, Miso Robotics – the startup transforming the foodservice industry with Intelligent Automation – announced its partnership with Lancer Worldwide – a global beverage dispenser manufacturer trusted by the world’s top food and beverage brands – to build an intelligence backed, automated beverage dispenser that will bring enhanced functionality for a future-focused commercial kitchen.
Miso Robotics and Lancer Worldwide Automated Beverage Dispenser
At a time when the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is facing record labor shortages, operators are looking for ways to streamline operations, cut costs and implement solutions that drive a better and faster customer service experience. The pandemic drastically shifted the paradigm, creating new models for operator revenue streams that relied on drive-thru, takeout and delivery more so than ever before. While sixty to seventy percent of certain QSR sales came from the drive-thru lane pre-pandemic, as COVID spread, major QSRs experienced a jump as high as 90 percent.1Yet, the new delivery and drive-thru model have made the always-critical need of speed and efficiency an even bigger challenge as volume increases and staff decreases have added minutes to the clock for order completion. Because of this, total average drive-thru times slowed down by 29.8 seconds last year.2
Savvy operators are warming up to the power of automation and robotics to accelerate recovery and meet demand. Miso Robotics has been leading the field in commercial kitchen automation through a robot-as-a-service (RaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that began with Flippy and has since branched out to CookRight. While these two flagship products focus on food specifically, implementation success has proven broader back of house tasks can benefit from intelligent operational efficiency. Miso Robotics and Lancer saw the need for beverage automation in the commercial kitchen – an area of order completion that has long been plagued with inefficiency as workers look to navigate compact, fast paced kitchens and unpredictable order volume during shifts.
“Lancer has consistently supplied the market with dependable products for more than 50 years and there was no question when it came time to decide who to partner with to create an automated beverage dispenser,” said Jake Brewer, Chief Strategy Officer of Miso Robotics. “Lancer has a legacy of stand-out industry quality and shares in our vision for beverage innovation and futuristic design. Order fulfillment is a major factor for customer satisfaction and operators can’t afford to have a beverage left behind when a delivery driver or customer visits. We are extremely excited to create a product that will not only make the lives of those working in commercial kitchens better, but will be a game changer for the industry as a whole to deliver a world-class customer experience.”
The new automated beverage dispenser will integrate with the point of sales (POS) system and come equipped with a guided workflow for employees to ensure accurate order completion synced with driver and customer arrival times. The machine will be able to automatically pour drinks and advance beverages to enable an easy grab-and-go format for staff. When an order comes in, the connected approach will allow the beverage dispenser to ‘know’ the beverage needs associated with the order and will automatically issue the appropriate sized cup, begin pouring and seal the drink. The entire process is timed to complete as close as possible with the time the meal/remainder of the order is ready for hand off to the customer or delivery driver.
“Lancer has always stood out as a trusted global beverage dispenser manufacturer because we put our customer and partner needs at the forefront of every project we undertake,” said Brad Davis, Director of Applied Technologies for Lancer Worldwide. “The quick service brands we work with every day are well aware of what their challenges are – they know they need more efficiency, and they know there is new technology out there that could make it possible. Miso Robotics will help us bring all the right pieces together for an innovative design that makes automation, connectivity, and intelligence possible for operators. We are excited to collaborate with them to bring this concept to life, and into the hands of operators around the world.”
Miso Robotics’ Series D Opens
The need for new technology to enter the back of house has quickly become a business imperative for quick service brands. As a result, interest in Miso Robotics has continued to surge. The company was able to able to raise over $25mm in crowdfunding during their Series C, which recently closed. On the heels of this partnership, the company is announcing the open of their Series D round raise – which kicks off with a market valuation of $350mm, a $270mm increase since their $80mm Series C open. To invest in Miso Robotics’ Series D and Intelligent Automation visit https://invest.misorobotics.com/ today and shape the future of the commercial kitchen.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
About Lancer Worldwide
Lancer Worldwide, a leader in next-generation beverage dispensing, was established in 1967 in San Antonio, Texas. Lancer Worldwide leads in innovation and is committed to delivering a beverage dispensing experience that exceeds customer expectations. Through quality and a passion for innovation, Lancer creates products that generate profit for its global customers and gives them a distinct advantage in the marketplace. Lancer Corporation is a subsidiary of Hoshizaki Corporation, one of the world’s largest suppliers of commercial kitchen equipment. Lancer Worldwide maintains sales and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, China and the United Kingdom.
1 Bluedot: State of What Feeds Us Report
2 SeeLevel HX: 2020 SeeLevel HX Annual Drive-Thru Study
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Equipped with new expanded cooking capabilities, the artificial intelligence-driven platform powering Flippy will now be available without a robotic counterpart
PASADENA, Calif., May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Miso Robotics – the startup transforming the foodservice industry with intelligent automation – announced the release of its standalone software as a service (SaaS) offering, CookRight. Packed with expanded cooking capabilities and accessible through an affordable subscription model, CookRight is the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) powered cooking platform able to automatically identify and track products and tasks. CookRight’s first platform application is focused on the grill and will deliver new levels of precision, quality and efficiency to restaurants – a long-standing gap within the industry. As operators look to rebound from the effects of the pandemic, Miso Robotics brings a data-driven operational approach to enhance customer satisfaction and curb costs to help move the industry into long-term recovery and new growth.
The food service industry has historically relied exclusively on humans to manually follow a cooking workflow that adheres to cooking standards set by operators and health officials. A worker is expected to monitor the cook time, quality and consistency of food in kitchens. Yet, while most cooks think they are accurately overseeing the items on the grill, the traditional practices of relying on a wall clock, a manual timer or intuition when deciding to flip or remove those items has continuously caused food to be undercooked, cooked incorrectly and inconsistently. The resulting effects have led to frequent health and safety risks, as well as customer dissatisfaction. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), every year, an estimated 1-in-6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases – often caused by exposure to bacteria because the food has not been handled properly or cooked to the correct internal temperature. One outbreak has the potential to drastically reduce the immediate and future success of a restaurant.
CookRight offers a proven method to ensure food safety and cooking standards are met. An advanced AI platform that incorporates machine learning, sensors and computer vision, CookRight has served as the foundation of Miso Robotics’ flagship product, Flippy – known for its robotic grilling and frying capabilities. The software allows cooks to track a food item on a grill and monitor cooking time automatically to deliver precision-level cooking. Able to provide a data-rich workflow with alerts built in to guide staff and keep cooking on track from the moment an item is placed on the grill, CookRight not only improves the cooking process but also assists in ensuring accurate order completion. Built and designed with the modern-day digitized employee in mind – CookRight simplifies tasks and provides operational assistance through an easy-to-navigate user interface to help employees focus on customer service needs such as speed, accuracy and quality. With the adoption of the platform, operators and workers benefit from a streamlined training approach that cuts time investment and costs, while improving cooking performance.
The new release of CookRight as a standalone software service comes to market with advanced grilling capabilities. Now operators can apply precision cooking to a variety of grilled food items on their menus, without the need to purchase Flippy, giving them access to a cutting-edge technology tool capable of unearthing valuable insights that reduce operational expenses and help deliver the best customer experience possible.
Key benefits of the platform and expanded capabilities that will come with the new SaaS offering include:
Wide Range of Grilling Capabilities
In addition to burgers, CookRight provides precision grilling to chicken, fish, steak, sausage, hot dogs, and more. Miso Robotics plans to expand cooking ‘applications’ to other common quick-service menu items as well.
Perfect Consistency and Precision Targeting
Accurate Image Recognition and Product Timing: True cook time is tracked for each product placed on the grill and requires no manual intervention. As soon as a product goes on, CookRight immediately identifies what the item is (with greater than 96% accuracy) and starts the timer for it – eliminating human error like starting a timer late or not at all.
Machine Learning: CookRight identifies exactly where a product is placed on the grill and has the ability to learn each grill’s heat distribution to cook those items more precisely. The software can also flag performance and maintenance issues to the kitchen staff.
Critical Task Alerts: Alerts are sent to kitchen staff when an action needs to occur like flipping the product or taking it off the grill.
Correct Assembly Process: Allows for real-time quality control to prevent quality errors before they go out – ensuring that everything that belongs in the bag gets in the bag.
Powerful Analytics
Miso Kitchen Intelligence (Miso KI) Dashboard: Delivers operational insights – including real-time metrics, automated reporting and data drill downs – to improve food quality, drive efficiency and save money. This intuitive dashboard will enable restaurant managers to supervise multiple workflows simultaneously and understand any precise issues that might compromise the quality of food coming out of their kitchens.
Supply Management: Closely monitors for any supply chain issues – using data to track problems with the food instead of relying on the person cooking it.
Easy Installation
Because CookRight was designed by restaurant people for restaurant people, the software comes with an easy self-installation kit that includes a user interface tablet, camera(s) and a small computer.
“The beauty of CookRight and its machine learning capabilities is that it can literally learn how to identify any item placed on a grill and know how long it needs to be cooked, moved or flipped in real-time,” said Buck Jordan, President and Chairman of Miso Robotics. “CookRight obtains unprecedented amounts of information on kitchen operations that have never been captured before – leading to better food for customers, a better workplace for kitchen staff and cost savings for restaurant owners. It’s the partner restaurant operators and staff need in the kitchen. This is a critical time for the industry and solutions like CookRight can truly turn the tide and move us into recovery.”
According to the National Association of Restaurants, tech adoption for the industry has rapidly accelerated during the pandemic. Across all 6 segments—quick service, fast casual, casual, family, fine dining, and coffee and snack—some 40% of operators said they added tech solutions to their businesses. Miso Robotics is leading the way in valuable solutions to bring the industry forward into a more promising future. Since the pandemic, interest in Miso Robotics has exploded. This announcement comes on the heels of the closing of Miso Robotics’ Series C funding round on April 30.
Since the crowdfunding campaign launched on SeedInvest in April 2020, the company has raised more than $21 million and has become the highest-grossing technology deal ever featured on the crowdfunding platform. To invest in the future of intelligent kitchen automation before the close of the round, visit https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2021-05-04 14:58:072021-05-04 15:00:41Miso Robotics Announces CookRight Software as a Standalone Offering to Increase Accuracy in Kitchens
New Flippy ROAR comes equipped with zero-footprint design and advanced cooking capabilities including the Impossible Burger and financing options
PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Miso Robotics today announced global commercial availability of the Flippy Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR) – a zero-footprint, cost-efficient intelligent robotic kitchen assistant for the evolving commercial kitchen. Flippy ROAR hits the market with advanced cooking capabilities to quickly learn menu items, allowing operators to appeal to new customers and retain eaters with consistently cooked options. As the restaurant industry looks to reopen and regrow in a post-pandemic world, Miso Robotics plans to offer financing options through TimePayments to empower food service providers to quickly adopt automation technology – now mission critical for addressing ‘new normal’ challenges such as indoor staffing and dining limitation, the need for enhanced health and safety standards, and improved margins as delivery and takeout increase in popularity.
Earlier this year, Miso unveiled a prototype enabling Flippy to glide across multiple workstations on a rail. The final design for global commercial availability mounts Flippy on an overhead rail (ROAR), keeping it out of the path of busy kitchen staff to increase safety and throughput by interacting with a food hopper capable of dispensing the perfect amount of food for preparation before moving to the cooking station. New backend advancements to ChefUI, Miso Robotics’ proprietary software, assist kitchen workers with operational interactions and workflows through an easy to navigate dashboard view of the web-based application displayed on a 15.6″ touchscreen monitor mounted on the ROAR system.
Through the dashboard, employees can see the foods in line to be prepared next. Capable of identifying current temperatures, predicting time remaining to meet consistency in taste perfection, and alerting staff of unsafe internal cooking temperatures, ROAR features powerful image processing and depth perception from Intel® RealSense™ technology. Enabled by Intel® RealSense™ Depth Camera D415, ChefUI can not only identify food and temperatures, but can also learn and reclassify new foods introduced to Flippy. Staff can also opt to change cooking times and alter portion sizes for foods coming out of the hopper to map back to customer customization requests.
“Intel® RealSense™ technology is used to develop products that enrich people’s lives by enabling machines and devices to perceive the world in 3D,” said Joel Hagberg, head of product management and marketing, Intel® RealSense™ Group. “We are excited to be a part of the new Flippy ROAR design that delivers new automation and intelligence to the restaurant industry.”
Along with enhanced camera, thermal sensing and UI capabilities, Flippy ROAR makes new advances in machine learning to quickly adapt to new menu items – jumping to include 19 (and counting) total food items to its frying abilities, and adding the Impossible Burger to Flippy ROAR’s grilling skillset. With a different patty make-up than the traditional burger, Impossible Burgers require special cooking care to lock in the flavor and taste that has escalated them as a new menu item favorite across quick service restaurant chains and independent operators. The combination of advanced computer vision and deep learning software Miso Robotics has brought to their latest design is able to account for differences in texture and thickness of the Impossible Burger, in real-time, adjusting grilling technique to achieve perfection.
Adapting to new food trends is key for operators looking to attract customers and stay competitive as delivery and takeout explodes to offer customers a wider pool of restaurant choices amid the pandemic. Operators reopening are being faced with smaller margins, less foot traffic and new health and safety concerns. The need to minimize the risk of contamination and scale production with limited staffing options due to social distancing concerns – quickly – has never been more important for the industry. With that in mind, Miso Robotics’ brings Flippy ROAR to global commercial availability with NSF International (NSF) certification. An independent, global public health organization that certifies products to regulatory standards and protocols, NSF ensures health and cleanliness standards are incorporated into new product designs.
“Certification to NSF/ANSI food equipment standards mean Flippy ROAR meets rigorous requirements for material safety, hygienic design and performance,” said Sara Risley, associate managing director of food equipment at NSF International. “The NSF mark signifies Miso Robotics’ commitment to health and safety – providing reassurance that the product can be easily cleaned to prevent foodborne illness and won’t leach harmful chemicals into food.”
Flippy ROAR gives operators a certified product to decrease human contact in the cooking process and recent partnerships with PopID and Pathspot will further bring less contamination and spread of viral infections to future kitchen environments. With Flippy ROAR, production speeds increase and social distancing concerns in the kitchen are quickly addressed. Staff are able to shift to front of the house roles where needs have increased for customer service-oriented activities like heavier and regular cleaning regimes, delivery and takeout order fulfillment, and outdoor ordering and hosting.
“We’re are incredibly excited to announce global commercial availability of Flippy ROAR,” said Mike Bell, CEO of Miso Robotics. “After we shared a sneak peek of the prototype in January, we’ve seen demand through the roof from operators, especially in light of COVID-19. Miso Robotics is confident that this demand will set us up for success and provide the automation the industry needs to not only recover but accelerate growth.”
To help operators tackle regrowth challenges immediately, Miso Robotics has partnered with TimePayments to offer financing options for immediate access for Flippy ROAR. Miso Robotics will also evolve their robot-as-a-service model to include cheaper upfront cost Flippy ROAR and a manageable monthly software fee for operators.
For more information, please contact [email protected]. The company also continues its crowdfunding raise on SeedInvest to allow individual investors to become a part of bringing innovative technology to the food service market. To invest in Miso Robotics visit: https://www.seedinvest.com/miso.robotics/series.c
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
Newest Release of PopEntry+ Platform Lets Employees
Answer Health Questions Using Hand Gestures Alone
PASADENA, CA, September 14 – No population has been struck harder by COVID-19 than seniors. PopID, a Pasadena-based company, today announced the installation of its AI-enabled health screening system at its 35thsenior living community in the U.S. The fixed biometric device, PopEntry+, is the first true, contact-free platform to combine facial recognition for employee identification, instant fever detection, and hand gesture recognition for health question screening.
PopID’s latest system was installed this week at Modena Cherry Creek, a newly built 96-unit senior community in Denver owned and operated by Solera Senior Living, which develops, owns and operates many innovative senior communities across the country. The system will serve as a key safety measure to protect this vulnerable demographic.
Solera’s founder and CEO Adam Kaplan said this: “We are confident that PopEntry+, as part of our overall suite of technology, will continue to be an important protocol for helping keep our residents, staff and family members as safe as possible.” He added: “Solera has had no members infected with COVID-19 within any of our properties. I really credit that to our protocols and technology such as PopID’s, which has been an important line of defense to keeping this virus outside our walls.”
The employees at senior communities simply scan their faces into the system via the PopID website. They then can stand before the fixed device to be recognized and have their temperatures taken instantly, hands-free, with or without masks. The device lets them know within seconds whether they have a fever. Additionally, the employee uses a thumbs up or thumbs down hand gesture to answer health questions on the screen, making the process 100% contact-free.
“Our new hand gesture recognition technology enables humans to communicate with public devices without touching the screen,” said John Miller, chairman of the Cali Group and founder/CEO of PopID. “This new mechanism for human-computer interaction will play a central role in the future of facilities management as well as retail ordering and payment.”
The PopEntry+ device also integrates easily with different HR systems, resulting in efficient storage and organization of health screening data for audibility and traceability. Finally, it offers office and academic building administrators an added level of security. Once the device recognizes the employee or student, it can unlock the door for entry or deny entry if the user is unrecognized or determined to have a fever.
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device adds temperature screening to help ensure their safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com.
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Ole Miss Among Many to Implement PopID’s “Return to Learn” Platform
PASADENA, CA, August 26 – As college, university, and K-12 school administrators grapple with how best to enhance the safety of their communities for a possible return to the classroom and athletic field, a growing number have embraced a new automated temperature screening technology as one important measure to help them do so.
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is among many academic institutions across the nation that are implementing PopID’s “Return to Learn” platform, which utilizes PopEntry+ for automated temperature testing, a health screening questionnaire, and on-campus certification.
Keith Carter, Athletic Director, University of Mississippi, had this to say: “Like other college athletic programs around the country, Ole Miss puts the health and safety of its student-athletes and staff above all else. We are pleased to add PopID’s technology to the steps we are taking to ensure their safety on and off the field.”
Once students, faculty, administrators, and athletic staff scan their faces into the system via a website, they need only stand before the fixed device to be recognized and have their temperatures taken instantly, hands-free, with or without masks. If they are shown not to have a fever, they will receive a text message confirming their daily health status, thus allowing entry to other campus buildings. PopID is offering academic institutions a significant discount for its “Return to Learn” platform versus the commercial sector.
Dozens of large and small academic institutions are installing PopEntry+, including: University of Antelope Valley (CA), Bismarck State College (ND), Lane College (TN), Lock Haven University (PA), Metropolitan Community College Kansas City (all schools) (MO), and University of Redlands (CA).
“As a college professor, I am extremely satisfied with the progress made by our university’s leadership,” observed Bill Southworth, University of Redlands. “Return to Learn complements the many measures we are implementing to provide the safest possible environment for students and faculty returning to campus.”
In addition to temperature screenings, PopEntry offers college communities enhanced security using advanced facial recognition technology. When affixed to the entryway of a dormitory, for example, the hands-free device can unlock the door when the student is recognized. It is easily adaptable to a variety of on-campus locations, e.g., library turnstiles, dining halls, auditoriums, and stadiums, and is expandable to include pay-by-face transactions on and around campus using PopID’s PopPay function.
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device adds temperature screening to help ensure their safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com.
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Debut of Hands-Free, Facial Recognition Payment System, from PopID, Follows Rollout of Company’s Entry Devices at Workplaces and Colleges
PASADENA, August 14 – With California imposing strict restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, a number of restaurant and retail store owners in the city of Pasadena have quietly established the nation’s first dense “face-pay” network. These small business owners have embraced an advanced facial recognition technology that lets their customers make secure, hands-free purchases using only their faces.
PopID, a Cali Group company, today announced the city-wide deployment of its PopPay “face-pay” service following the successful roll-out of the company’s PopEntry facial recognition device that lets workers and students safely “scan-in” to their workplace and college campus facilities. Users can now add a credit or debit card to their PopID accounts for a safer, truly hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay.
The launch in Pasadena of a dense network of businesses and people using the PopID platform for both payment and entry kicks off a city by city rollout of the contactless payment service. “In each new city we enter, we initially focus on installing PopEntry systems in the workplace and on local college campuses,” said John Miller, chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “As these communities grow comfortable using PopID to check in, we enlist area restaurants and retailers to offer PopPay for transactions.”
Some of the Pasadena restaurants and retailers now accepting PopPay include:
Again Café
Arroyo Chop House
BAN SUP refill
Barcelona
Bubble Puff and Tea
CaliBurger
Contessa Italian Foods
Daddy’s Chicken Shack
DogHaus
Fair Oaks Burger
The Fit Bar Superfood Cafe
Food Bar
Lêberry Bakery
Lemonade
Mediterranean Grill
Milkcow Café
Monopole Wine
Parkway Grill
Pho Banh Mi Che Cali
Real Food Cafe
Space Bar Wellness Center
Smitty’s
Sorriso
Taste of Pace
Tortas Mexico
…others
Customers can take advantage of PopID’s facial recognition payment service in one of a number of ways: at the drive-thru, at an in-venue kiosk, via a display screen affixed to the sneeze guard at the counter, or tableside with a waiter scanning the patron’s face using a hand-held Android device. Once recognized, the business simply draws from the customer’s PopIDaccount before sending a text message confirming payment. PopID accounts also tie to loyalty programs for automatic credit with every purchase. The user has full control over their account and can opt out of the secure service at any time.
Over the last three years, PopID has been tested and adapted for payment and loyalty programs at regional and national restaurant brands throughout the country including Belcampo , Bojangles, CaliBurger, Dair-i-o, Deli Time, Plant Power, and Port of Subs. In addition to allowing a safer, hands-free payment method, the system has been shown to make the ordering process quicker and more efficient.
PopPay follows the national roll-out of PopEntry+, the combined facial recognition and thermal temperature screening device now in use in private and government offices, factories, restaurants, assisted living facilities, sports venues and on college campuses.
About PopID
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device used facial recognition to allow entry to a building or office, while its PopEntry+ device adds thermal temperature screening as a measure to help ensure worker safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com
PASADENA, Calif., July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle®, the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, announced today a planned pilot with Miso Robotics – creators of the first autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy – to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry. As part of the deployment, White Castle will bring the new version of Flippy, Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), into kitchens for testing and future integration. The deployment will put autonomous frying to work for enhanced production speeds, improved labor allocation and an added layer of health and safety in the cooking process. Committed to delivering the best customer dining experience, White Castle’s selection of Miso Robotics marks a move by the pioneering chain to modernize operations for even faster, fresher and delicious meals, every time.
Like many sectors, the restaurant industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been forced to reexamine business operations and best practices. Through the adoption of innovative and forward-looking technologies – like robotics automation and artificial intelligence – restaurants can build a future focused kitchen that reassures customers of the best standards in food preparation. White Castle’s decision to pilot Flippy in the kitchen creates an avenue for reduced human contact with food during the cooking process – reducing potential for transmission of food pathogens. The implementation also brings intelligence to cooking, tapping into sensors, intelligent monitoring and anticipated kitchen needs to keep food temperatures consistent, that ensure optimal quality and a perfect bite for customers. With Flippy in the kitchen automating repetitive, time consuming and dangerous tasks like frying, team members can be redeployed to more customer-experience driven tasks.
“White Castle is an industry innovator, and we take a great amount of pride in our history – never forgetting about the future ahead,” said Lisa Ingram, 4th generation family leader and CEO of White Castle. “With 100 years of quick service success, the time has never been more perfect to envision what the next century of White Castle and the restaurant industry looks like. Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle’s brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining. A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come.”
Founded in 1921, White Castle became the first fast food restaurant. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, White Castle created the framework for the modern QSR business model and reinvented the restaurant experience. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary, it Flippy ROAR’s deployment commemorates another historic moment in the chain.
“Miso Robotics couldn’t be more excited to bring Flippy ROAR into White Castle,” said Buck Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of Miso Robotics. “Artificial intelligence and robotics brings a very real opportunity to continuously enhance the cooking process and optimize taste for restaurants. White Castle’s brand is iconic, navigating new challenges to bring their menu to more customers, prepared in a healthier environment by staff in better working conditions that adhere to social distancing needs is something only Miso Robotics can do. We look forward to being a part of White Castle’s next 100 years.”
Flippy ROAR will deploy later this fall. The deployment will test speeds in production, taste, quality and operational optimization with backend POS integration. Following integration, Flippy ROAR’s zero-footprint design will be tested to improve employee and food preparation, for wider location integration.
About White Castle® White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider®, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2020-09-20 16:46:452020-09-20 16:46:45White Castle Selects Miso Robotics for a New Era of Artificial Intelligence in the Fast Food Industry
Dairi-O is Latest of Dozen-Plus QSR Brands Adopting PopID To Reduce Ordering Time, Increase Loyalty Usage and Streamline Payments
PASADENA, Calif. – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that it is launching its facial recognition platform in self-ordering kiosks at Dairi-O, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America. Using PopID, Dairi-O customers will be able to conveniently and instantly pull up their favorite customized orders and pay for their meals without needing a card or phone.
Dairi-O intends to install the PopID software in all of its locations in the first half of 2020.
“We love how PopID makes it so easy for our customers to re-order their favorite items in a matter of seconds, resulting in shorter lines during peak hours and faster delivery of food to customers,” said Jeff Speaks, Chief Executive Officer of Dairi-O. “Additionally, our customers can pay for their food without reaching into their wallets and fumbling through cards.”
Operating in North Carolina since 1947, Dairi-O is preparing for a major wave of expansion. Currently, the brand has one of the highest average unit volumes in the industry and is the most recent chain to follow a growing list of small and medium sized restaurant brands using PopID, including CaliBurger, Deli Time, Plant Power, Rounds Bakery, Global Village Cafe, Saola, Treehouse, Ray’s, Coffee House and Milkcow Cafe. In these stores, consumers generally prefer to use PopID to login to their loyalty accounts on kiosks, with kiosk logins reaching up to approximately 1,500 times per week at some locations. Of those consumers that use PopID to login, approximately 75% also use it to pay. Further, transaction times for those using PopID are generally three times faster than for non-PopID users.
“One of the oldest and most successful fast casual concepts in the country is leading the QSR industry into the future of food,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We look forward to sharing the magic of digital identity with Dairi-O customers. ”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
About PopID:
PopID is a cloud-based platform that enables merchants to offer consumers the option of authenticating their identity using facial recognition. After registering for the service once, consumers can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2019-11-29 13:10:092019-11-29 13:11:30Dairi-O Launches PopID In North Carolina
Integration of PopID’s Cloud-based Software Into Door Entry Hardware Creates Simpler and More Secure Method for Access Control in Commercial Buildings
PASADENA, Calif., October 24, 2019 (Newswire.com) – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that its personal digital identity service can now be used to more conveniently unlock doors in workplaces. The platform is now being used in various locations in the Los Angeles area to enable employees to enter their access-controlled buildings using only their face. Managers of buildings that currently utilize electronic key cards or smartphones for controlled access into and inside of the buildings can replace their existing entry system with the PopID entry system; when a registered PopID member that is authorized to enter taps the PopID button on the entry module, the door unlocks. For those workers that do not wish to use biometrics to authenticate, key cards and mobile devices can also be used with the PopID hardware to unlock the doors. Building managers
can designate authorized employees and hours of entry at each location.
“Phone-based entry systems have been replacing electronic key cards, and PopID powered entry systems offer several advantages over phone-based entry systems,” explained Scott Ziola, President of Ziola Enterprises, a firm specializing in access control systems. “In addition to being faster than phone-based entry systems, PopID allows consumers to enter even when their phone batteries fail or they just left their phone in the car.” Ziola continued: “Further, unlike traditional access control solutions, PopID will soon provide building and facility managers with alerts about tailgaters following authorized users into a secure location without installing any additional equipment.”
Over the last two years, PopID has enabled thousands of consumers at restaurant chains across the country to quickly and easily access their loyalty accounts, view and select from past orders and pay at self-service kiosks. Consumers can register once for PopID at www.popid.com and then use service at participating restaurant chains to order and pay without having a credit card, as well as to enter their workplace without having an electronic key card. The initial deployments of the PopID door entry system will be in close proximity to areas where PopID is already being used by consumers for food ordering and payment.
“The expansion of our platform from kiosk check-in and payment authentication to door entry authentication illustrates how personal digital identity will become an important part of everyday life,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We believe the PopID service will be trusted by both businesses and consumers in any situation where individual identities must be confirmed, in various environments in the physical world as well as the digital world.”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID offers a cloud-based platform that enables consumers to authenticate their identity using facial recognition. The PopID platform is available through the company’s line of self-ordering kiosks or readily integrated into customers’ existing hardware. Founded in 2016, PopID is revolutionizing customer interactions at brick-and-mortar businesses via kiosk ordering and payment processing, as well as streamlining identify verification for building entry at commercial, residential and professional facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
Verifone and PopID Partner to Drive Adoption of Biometric Payments and Loyalty
Smile and palm wave authentication improves consumer experience and satisfaction with merchants
NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verifone, the global payments leader for the world’s best-known enterprise merchants, financial institutions, fintechs and small merchants, and PopID, the leader in biometric software, today announced a global partnership to launch biometric solutions that enable payments and loyalty transactions to be completed in a fast and secure manner, simply with a smile or a palm wave.
Verifone and PopID have partnered to create biometric modules comprised of biometric sensors and software to enable existing Verifone or third-party payment terminals to accept face and palm authentication. Verifone will also embed biometric modules in Verifone Victa, its newest portfolio of payment terminals.
Verifone is building an open and interoperable biometric payments solution to enable consumer platforms, digital wallets, merchants, acquirers, networks and issuers to seamlessly process biometric-authenticated commerce transactions using the industry’s existing payments infrastructure.
Verifone’s solution will leverage its vast array of existing global assets: 45M devices (15M of which run 200 proprietary payment applications managed by Verifone’s cloud-based device management platform); integrations with 2,500 ECRs/POSs; 150+ payment processors, and acceptance of 40+ global, local, and alternate payment methods.
“With millions of new and existing payment devices in the United States and globally, Verifone is key to driving global acceptance of biometric transactions,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. “Verifone’s decision to enter and lead the biometrics identity and payments race represents an important milestone in the growth and continued usage of biometrics.”
“We believe that widespread acceptance of biometric loyalty and payments provides profound benefits to consumers, merchants and issuers,” said Himanshu Patel, CEO of Verifone. “Consumers will enjoy faster, more secure checkout and seamless access to loyalty programs. Merchants benefit from increased speed, security, customer satisfaction and retention. Our joint biometrics solution with PopID exemplifies Verifone’s commitment to reducing complexities in commerce while improving consumer experiences at physical or digital points of sale.”
This announcement follows demonstrations of PopID-integrated Verifone biometrics at NRF’25: Retail’s Big Show in New York City in January 2025.
About Verifone
Verifone shapes ecosystems for online and in-person commerce experiences, including everything businesses need – from secure payment devices to eCommerce tools, acquiring services, advanced business insights, and much more. As a global fintech leader, Verifone powers omni-commerce growth for companies in over 165 countries and is trusted by the world’s best-known brands, small businesses and major financial institutions. The Verifone platform is built on a four-decade history of innovation and uncompromised security, annually managing more than 14B transactions worth over $480B on physical and digital channels. Learn more at www.verifone.com and follow Verifone on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact: [email protected]
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
J.P. MORGAN PAYMENTS AND POPID TO EXPAND BIOMETRIC OFFERINGS
Whataburger to extend PopID’s biometric payments solution with payments processing powered by J.P. Morgan Payments
New York, August 6, 2024 – J.P. Morgan Payments today announced an expanded relationship with PopID to deploy in-store biometric payments to pilot merchants across the United States.
The pay-by-face biometric payment solution allows shoppers to complete transactions more seamlessly, removing the need for customers to pull out their phones or credit cards. Biometric loyalty program check-in and payment provides a swift ordering and checkout experience for merchants and customers alike. PopID research has shown the platform decreases ordering and check out times by up to 90 seconds per transaction and can increase ticket size by 4 percent.
“This is a giant step forward in helping our clients reimagine the entire retail experience for their customers and bringing best-in-class biometrics payments solutions to the market,” said Jean-Marc Thienpont, Managing Director, Omnichannel & Biometric Solutions at J.P. Morgan Payments. “We offer something that is hard to match – the stability, scale and trust of a world-class bank combined with the technology and agility of a fintech.”
Clients will also benefit from the expanded collaboration between J.P. Morgan Payments and PopID. Whataburger, which already accepts biometric payments through PopID’s solution, plans to extend biometric payments with payments processing powered by J.P. Morgan Payments.
“We are excited to continue to embrace biometric payments to help us revolutionize the way our customers purchase their favorite food reliably and securely,” said Jerry Phillips, VP of Technology, Whataburger. “At Whataburger, we believe in innovation, and this marks a significant step forward in enhancing our overall dining experience. This new offering allows us to provide a faster, safer and seamless checkout process for our valued guests, backed by the stability of an established financial institution.”
Whataburger has already seen a positive impact with faster checkout times and increased loyalty engagement at the counter and on self-ordering kiosks. After registering for biometric loyalty and payment in the Whataburger mobile app, guests no longer need to pull out their mobile phones and scan the QR code to check into the loyalty program or further authenticate payment, which is done through a biometric scan.
How it works:
The J.P. Morgan Payments biometric checkout solution is powered by PopID, which uses enhanced facial identification technology to create a secure, reliable and convenient method for customer identification and payment authentication. During enrollment, the customer takes a photo of their face that is converted into a template, encrypted and securely stored in the PopID cloud. When a purchase is initiated, the template of the transaction is matched against the template stored in the cloud and informs the result of the match to the merchant. As a merchant-agnostic solution, customers can utilize their facial biometrics at any participating pilot merchant once they enroll. The solution is consent-driven and customers can opt-in and out of the program at any time at their discretion.
“We are thrilled to continue working with J.P. Morgan Payments to deliver enhanced biometric check in and payment solutions to merchants,” said John Miller, CEO at PopID. “We’ve seen a remarkable increase in speed and a rise in customer loyalty when biometric technology is available. Allowing people the freedom to authenticate loyalty and pay how they want, while leveling up security, is critical to today’s consumer.”
South Florida Motorsports (SFM), the organizers of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX, was the first client to use J.P. Morgan Payments’ biometric payments solution, which debuted in retail stores at the Miami International Autodrome during the 2024 race May 3-5, 2024. Previously, FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX completed a successful biometric payments proof of concept in 2023, with 100 percent of the transactions authenticated and processed successfully in under a second.
Offering end-to-end payment processing and comprehensive security and fraud protection from one of the world’s most trusted banks, J.P. Morgan Payments provides fintech with foundation to help organizations grow, diversify and thrive.
J.P. Morgan Payments combines treasury services, trade & working capital, card and merchant services capabilities to help clients pay customers or employees, in different currencies, around the world. It processes nearly $10 trillion payments daily, operating in over 160 countries and over 120 currencies, and is #1 in USD payments volume. In 2023, J.P. Morgan Payments reported $18.3 billion in revenue across the firm, up from approximately $14 billion in 2022, representing a 31 percent increase, excluding the impact of equity investments.
About J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank
J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank is a global leader across banking, markets and securities services. The world’s most important corporations, governments and institutions entrust us with their business in more than 100 countries. With $34.0 trillion of assets under custody and $665.9 billion in deposits, the Corporate & Investment Bank provides strategic advice, raises capital, manages risk and extends liquidity in markets around the world. Further information about J.P. Morgan is available at www.jpmorgan.com.
About PopID
PopID, a majority owned subsidiary of Cali Group, aims to be the universal gateway for verifying an individual’s identity based on face for applications such as loyalty and payment. Through PopID’s merchant solutions, consumers can use biometric checkout at more than 380 locations of quick serve restaurants and retailers across the United States. To view locations where its solutions are used, click here.
About Whataburger
Whataburger serves up Goodness 24/7. Our original recipes are made to order, just like you like it, and we pride ourselves on extraordinary hospitality and meaningful connections in our communities. That’s what’s led fans to Whataburger since Harmon Dobson served our first customer in 1950. Headquartered in San Antonio, we’ve stayed close to our roots while building sales of more than $3 billion annually across our 16-state footprint and over 1,000 restaurants. Even with our exceptional menu, we know that people make the difference at Whataburger. That’s why we’re among QSR Magazine’s Best Brands to Work For in 2023 and consistently win culture excellence awards, including Top Workplaces 2023. Want to become part of our orange spirit? Apply to become a Family Member (what we call our employees) at whataburger.com/careers. Just hungry for a great meal? Download our app on ios or android to order ahead. Shop Whataburger branded merchandise and selected sauces including our famous Fancy and Spicy Ketchup at WhataStore.com and find Whataburger original-recipe products in grocery stores. See our press kit for a list of locations, fun facts, milestones and other company information.
Media Contacts
J.P. Morgan Payments
Nadine Youssef, [email protected]
PopID
Sean Olson, [email protected]
Whataburger
[email protected]
Steak n Shake Is the First National Restaurant Chain to Deploy Biometric Check-in and Checkout in All Stores Nationwide
Adopting PopID’s industry-leading biometric check-in and checkout system allows for a faster, easier, and more personalized customer experience.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AND PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA, April 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.
The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.
“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.
Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”
About Steak n Shake
Steak n Shake, born in 1934 on Route 66, is an iconic brand famous for originating the Steakburger and serving legendary milkshakes for 90 years and counting. With over 500 locations across the globe, Steak n Shake is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nation’s Restaurant News Golden Chain Award and Zagat’s #1 Voted Milkshake. Steak n Shake Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings Inc. For more information, please visit www.steaknshake.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @steaknshake.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
Evan Grant
PopID, Inc.
[email protected]
NRF 2024: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Invites Guests to Transcend Ordinary Retail Experiences with an Immersion into the Latest Innovations
Toshiba’s investments in technologies like A.I., Computer Vision, and Biometrics empower retailers to think beyond limitations and create experiences beyond what they thought was possible
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.– Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, known for transforming retail operations and consumer experiences, will showcase its innovative solutions in booth (#3625) at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Retail’s Big Show on January 14-16, 2024, at the Javits Center in New York. As the needs of modern consumers continue to rise and the competitive landscape becomes increasingly fierce, retailers must seize the opportunity to adopt cutting-edge solutions that meet current expectations and set the stage for future growth. A new Incisiv retail study to be revealed at NRF reports that an overwhelming 97% of respondents said that innovation is a critical component of their future growth strategy, with 65% believing that retail leadership is committed to investing in innovation.
This year, the company will invite retailers to look beyond existing limitations in an immersive, real-time shopping journey, demonstrating Toshiba’s investments in orchestrating innovative modular technologies. The Frictionless Experience in the booth will show how connected technologies like A.I., computer vision, biometric solutions, and more can work seamlessly to solve today’s retail challenges of operational efficiency and shopper experience. The immersive experience emphasizes the importance of empowering retailers to drive their journey and thrive in an era where adaptability is synonymous with survival.
“At Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, we are passionate about retail, and our investments lead to a future where retailers are empowered to address critical industry challenges like labor shortages, loss prevention, and inventory management while enhancing consumer experiences,” said Rance Poehler, President and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Our key bets are on A.I., computer vision, and other cutting-edge technologies driving digital transformation to enable retailers to hear, see, and sense the needs of their business and the shopper for brilliant commerce outcomes that enrich experiences inside and outside the store for retailers across the globe.”
The modular ELERA® Commerce Platform is the backbone of the immersive experience in this year’s booth and gives retailers complete control over how they transform their business. Retailers need agile solutions to strategically adopt innovative technologies that align with their business goals and consumer preferences. ELERA® software as a service (SaaS) makes solutions more affordable and innovation more accessible to retailers of all segments and sizes.
“The future is frictionless, and our immersive experience showcases the possibilities of these new technologies that are modular, composable and connected, and now accessible to retailers,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP and Head of Marketing and Communication at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “We leverage A.I.-driven insights to better serve our retail customers’ priorities and accelerate the future of retail.”
Toshiba is a global leader in retail technology thanks to its ecosystem of dynamic capabilities fueled by a broad portfolio of end-to-end solutions that are unmatched in the industry. Many of the ELERA® solutions at NRF incorporate technology from Toshiba’s ecosystem of innovation partners to provide niche solutions that best serve the unique demands across retail segments. As part of the new ELERA® Security Suite, ELERA® Loss Prevention incorporates Qualcomm® System-on-Chip (SoC) technology that empowers retailers to minimize shrink while providing consumers with enhanced checkout experiences and reduced friction. ELERA® Security Suite also includes ELERA® Produce Recognition, featuring advanced computer vision integrated with Intel technology to increase scanning accuracy at self-checkout and reduce the need to enter codes for a faster and friendlier consumer experience. As interest in non-traditional payments grows, Toshiba’s Vision Kiosk accepts biometric loyalty and payments, powered by PopID.
As part of its commitment to the industry, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is also sponsoring and hosting a range of additional activities throughout the show:
NRF Foundation Student Program, Technology Track (Friday, January 12, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) The NRF Foundation Student Program draws 1,000 students and 100 educators from 120+ colleges and universities to educate, inspire, and motivate students to pursue careers in the industry.
RetailROI SuperSaturday Event (Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) RetailROI SuperSaturday features retail’s most prominent thinkers for revealing discussions on retail security and how C-level executives can foster innovative environments. Proceeds generated benefit the Retail Orphan Initiative.
Incisiv Speakeasy (Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 6 p.m. start) Toshiba is sponsoring an exclusive panel and dinner for retailers featuring new research jointly conducted by Incisiv and Toshiba. Attendees will receive an in-depth look at consumer data and insights driving innovative technology and retail solutions in the future. Register here.
Rock & Roll Underground (Monday, January 15, 2024 | Time 8:30 p.m., music starts at 9 p.m.) Toshiba is a major sponsor for the annual Incisiv Rock & Roll Underground, which brings together musicians from companies across retail for a night of live music and fun. Retailers register here.
About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions:
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions empowers retail to thrive and prosper through a dynamic ecosystem of smarter, more agile solutions and services that enable retailers to resiliently evolve with generations of consumers and adapt to market conditions. Supported by a global organization of devoted employees and partners, retailers gain more visibility and control over operations while enjoying the flexibility to build, scale, and transform retail experiences that anticipate and fulfill consumers’ ever-changing needs. Visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, to learn more.
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Tec Corporation, which is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Contacts
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Elizabeth Romero
Director, Corporate Communications
[email protected]
World’s First Fully Autonomous, AI-Powered Restaurant Opening in Southern California
Automation at CaliExpress by Flippy™ Enables Premium Wagyu Blend Burgers For the Masses at Traditional Burger Price Points
Pasadena, CA – Cali Group, a holding company using technology to transform the restaurant and retail industries, Miso Robotics, creator of Flippy (the world’s first AI-powered robotic fry station), and PopID, a technology company simplifying ordering and payments using biometrics, announced today that they are soon opening CaliExpress by Flippy™, the world’s first fully autonomous restaurant. Utilizing the most advanced systems in food technology, both grill and fry stations are fully automated, powered by proprietary leading-edge artificial intelligence and robotics. Guests will watch their food being cooked robotically after checking in with their PopID accounts on self-ordering kiosks to get personalized order recommendations and make easy and fast payments. The new CaliExpress by Flippy restaurant is located in a prime retail location in Pasadena, California on the northwest corner of Green Street and Madison Avenue at 561 E. Green St.
Transforming Food Quality for Consumers, and Transforming the Workplace For Restaurant Employees
For customers, these various technologies will enable CaliExpress by Flippy to deliver freshly made burgers based on a wagyu blend at price points competitive with other premium burgers using standard meat. Uniquely, the grill robot grinds the high quality beef in real-time after the order is placed, resulting in a burger patty that melts in the mouth. Flippy, the famous robotic fry station, will serve up crispy, hot fries made from top grade potatoes that are always cooked to exact times. The menu is very simple, comprising burgers, cheeseburgers, and french fries.
For employees working at CaliExpress by Flippy, these technologies will create a safer, easier, and friendlier kitchen. At the fry station, Flippy represents revolutionary breakthroughs in safety as slippage and burns can be nearly eliminated, as well as in waste reduction in both food and oil. The CaliExpress by Flippy kitchen can be run by a much smaller crew, in a less stressful environment, than competing restaurants — while also providing above average wages.
“To our knowledge, this is the world’s first operating restaurant where both ordering and every single cooking process are fully automated,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and board member of Miso Robotics. “The marriage of these various technologies to create the most autonomous restaurant in the world is the culmination of years of research, development, and investment in a family of revolutionary companies.”
The CaliExpress by Flippy location will also be a pseudo-museum experience presented by Miso Robotics. Including dancing robot arms from retired Flippy units, experimental 3D-printed artifacts from past development, photographic displays, and much more, the space is designed to serve noteworthy food, plus inspire the next generation of kitchen AI and automation entrepreneurs. Local schools and educational groups are encouraged to reach out for tours.
“AI-powered, robotic order-taking and cooking enables the major chains that feed America to substantially improve quality, consistency and speed,” said Rich Hull, CEO of Miso Robotics. “Miso is proud to partner with Cali Group and PopID to make CaliExpress by Flippy a reality. Flippy has been an incredible success story and now everyone in Southern California can come take a look — and a taste — for themselves.”
CaliExpress by Flippy will open in December 2023 by reservation only with a grand opening to follow. Go to MisoRobotics.com/CaliExpress to book a reservation, sign-up for special offers, and tour information.
About Cali Group
Cali Group is a holding company that invests in restaurants and companies developing technologies for the restaurant and retail industries.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve the largest challenges in back-of-house kitchen operations. Making an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including Flippy, the world’s first fully autonomous robot for the fry station. With proprietary industry knowledge, data, and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first seven years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve the overall dining experience.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using consumer-initiated biometric verification. PopID’s platform gives consumers the option of identifying themselves quickly and easily – with their face or palm – for checking in, earning loyalty, ordering, and making payments – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopID and its offerings, visit www.popid.com.
Miso Robotics Announces Ecolab Partnership and Investment
Network International and Carrefour implement PopID’s face verification platform, a first for biometric payments in the UAE
In a first for biometric payments in the UAE, Network International, the leading enabler of dig-ital commerce in the Middle East and Africa region, and Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in the UAE, announced today that they have implemented the Face Pay face verification platform for payments from consumer authentication service provider PopID.
Customers to Carrefour stores in Deira and Amsaf are now able to purchase food, daily essen-tials, and more using Face Pay. Consumers can enroll for the service through the Carrefour mo-bile app or website, and then purchase products at Carrefour by smiling at a payment terminal instead of pulling out a phone or card. This solution is based on proprietary facial recognition technology developed by PopID, and provisioned through Network International’s acceptance network for mass adoption across the UAE.
“Carrefour is a leader in introducing new technologies that enhance the customer experience, whilst finding solutions that can eliminate friction,” said Bernardo Perloiro, Chief Operating Of-ficer – GCC at Majid Futtaim Retail. “Face verification will make it easier and more convenient for our customers to check out efficiently – without having to reach for their wallets. This safe, seamless payment method only takes a few seconds, and we are excited to be one of the first re-tailers to be rolling this out across the UAE in partnership with PopID and Network Internation-al.”
“We are thrilled to continue driving the evolution of biometric payments with the UAE’s first-of-its-kind face verification platform. Face Pay aims to make checkouts quick, convenient and seam-less for a superior customer experience, and secure businesses from potential fraud with robust security protocols,” said Andrew Key, Group Managing Director – Acquiring at Network Inter-national. “Network International is proud to be the first acquirer to launch Face Pay-enabled bi-ometric payments acceptance in the country. With a strong track record of leading payments in-novation in the region, we aim to continue investing in strategic partnerships that further the po-tential of payments across the UAE.”
“In America and Japan, we have demonstrated that allowing consumers to link Face Pay to loyalty accounts and payment methods enhances revenue, increases speed of ordering and check out, drives loyalty engagement, and reduces fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and investment company, Cali Group. “We are excited to implement the platform with Carrefour and Network International in grocery for the first time in this region.”
QNB is first in Qatar to launch Facial Payments Solution
Doha, – January 22, 2023 – QNB Group, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa, has launched a new biometric payment acceptance solution for its merchants in Qatar.
QNB, together with its key partners, will be helping merchants with outlets in Qatar to offer customers the simplicity, convenience, and security of facial biometric payments.
This solution is based on proprietary facial verification technology developed by PopID, provisioned through QNB’s acceptance network, and supported by Visa via tokenization.
The technology enables customers to authenticate payments for goods and services through facial verification, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrolment. As a one-time sign-up, users will create their profile by taking a selfie of their face using their smartphone, before entering their phone number and card details. The technology then tokenizes the card number and securely links it to the facial biometric template. It only takes a minute or two to set this up and then only a few seconds to make the payment. The merchants will offer the in-store sign-up using a QR capability.
These developments highlight the driving forces behind facial biometric technology and the wide range of opportunities it is opening up for the future of payment solutions and much more.
Mr. Adel Al-Malki, Senior Executive Vice President – Group Retail Banking, stated:
As the payment landscape evolves, QNB is always at the forefront of this evolution, and constantly willing to be an early adopter of innovative technologies that drive frictionless and enhanced payment experience – putting our customers and merchants experience at the centre of everything we do. Being the ‘first in Qatar’ in another innovation that augments the already rich range of payment options that includes functionality such as contactless payments, QNB “MyPOS” (Tap on Phone payment acceptance) and Samsung/Google/Apple pay, to mention a few.
“In America and Japan, we have demonstrated that allowing consumers to link PopPay to loyalty accounts and payment methods substantially increases speed of ordering and check out, drives loyalty engagement, and reduces fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and its parent company, Cali Group. “We are excited to work with Visa and QNB to bring this loyalty and payment platform to businesses and consumers in Qatar.”
About QNB
QNB Group, currently ranked as the most valuable bank brand in the Middle East and Africa. Through its subsidiaries and associate companies, the Group extends to more than 30 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is 27,000 operating through 1000 locations, with an ATM network of more than 4,600 machines.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.
PopPay Integrated Into XPR-Samsung Self Service Kiosks For QSR Restaurants
PopID-XPR Partnership Powering Samsung System Displayed at Booth #3657 at NRF
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, January 15, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — PopID, a biometric fintech company and XPR, a global kiosk software platform, announced today a fully integrated solution on the new Samsung Kiosk Windows 10 IoT Enterprise edition using face verification to check in and check out. These products, which are also in commercial production in quick service restaurants, are on display at the NRF Show in New York at Booth #3657.
The face verification platform for ordering and payment, called PopPay, has been demonstrated to have various benefits for operators and consumers over the last few years. Specifically, the benefits of PopPay Check In for quick service restaurants are:
* Increased speed. When consumers use face verification to check in at the beginning of the ordering process, they immediately see their favorite orders and can quickly click to repeat the order instead of having to spend time recreating the entire order from scratch. The result is that the average time to order for regular customers moves from minutes to seconds.
* Increased ticket size. When consumers repeat their favorite orders, there is an opportunity to upsell them based on their ordering history. Statistically significant data shows that consumers using PopPay Check In spend about 4.5% more than consumers anonymously ordering.
* Increased loyalty engagement. Loyalty engagement on self ordering kiosks is limited by the complexity of consumers needing to open up an app on their phone and scan a QR code or type in a phone number on the kiosk in a public environment. PopPay has been shown to substantially increase loyalty enrollment and usage on self ordering kiosks in quick service restaurants.
“Consumer expectations are ever-evolving, especially in the food service industry, which is prompting quick-service restaurants to dramatically transform the way they meet these growing demands,” said Chris Mertens, Vice President of U.S. Sales, Displays, Samsung. “Delivering quality meals is no longer enough – restaurants must now entice and delight customers through seamless and secure transactions. Through our strategic partnerships with PopID and XPR, our customers can achieve this goal by embracing the new Windows kiosks that captivate consumers through every point of contact.”
The benefits of PopPay Check Out on the new Windows kiosk for quick service restaurants are:
* Decreased payment processing fees. PopPay has developed new forms of money transfer and settlement that can substantially reduce payment processing fees for operators.
* Reduced fraud. PopPay has been working with global financial institutions to demonstrate that, when a picture is used to verify a payment transaction, there is less risk of fraud.
“Samsung and XPR have delivered a high quality, low cost self ordering kiosk to the fast food market,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of retail tech investment company, Cali Group. “Now their customers can increase revenue, lower costs, and improve the guest experience by adding PopPay software to their hardware systems.”
“We are excited to deliver this new solution to our global customer base. Facial verification for payment and reorder from history will speed up the ordering process” said Nikhil Lagoo, Vice President Global Sales of XPR. “XPR can ‘turn on’ this enhanced functionality with a simple software update, and operators can easily leverage the benefits of personalized communications with their customers on self ordering kiosks.”
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com.
About XPR
XPR is a leading hospitality technology solution provider that offers Plug & Play, Cloud-based and AI-backed Self Ordering Solutions, including Self Ordering Kiosks, Virtual Kiosks for Contactless Ordering and Mobile Apps. XPR’s solution helps every restaurant set a new standard of guest experience while simultaneously boosting revenue. With a customer base across restaurant types, locations, and countries, XPR’s success is driven by the agility and commitment to innovate and develop customer focused solutions. Visit www.xprpos.com for more information.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.
Evan Grant
PopID, Inc.
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PopID and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Partner to Deliver Biometric Enabled Point-of-Sale and Self-Checkout Systems
PopID, a biometric fintech company, and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, retail’s first choice for unified commerce solutions, have announced a partnership to integrate PopPay into Toshiba’s front-end point-of-sale and self-service solutions running its ELERA Commerce Platform. PopPay enables consumers to authenticate their identity for payment and/or loyalty using artificial intelligence-based facial verification software. Toshiba will distribute the integrated solutions to the restaurant, quick service restaurant (QSR), convenience stores (C-store), grocery and other retail segments.
One of the first fully integrated solutions will feature PopPay biometric cameras incorporated with the Toshiba Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk and will be showcased at NRF 2023 in New York, on January 15-17, 2023. Customers who opt-in can scan items using the Pro-X scanner and then tender the transaction by selecting the on-screen PopPay button to have their face scanned. PopPay then authenticates loyalty and payment without requiring a card or phone.
“Whether at restaurants, convenience stores, or in other retail segments, consumer interest in non-traditional payment methods is growing exponentially across the globe with regions previously dominated by cash leapfrogging card transactions into mobile payments,” says Rance Poehler, President and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Even in the U.S., where card payments showed strong acceptance, the adoption of non-traditional payments has seen an uptick. We know the market is ready with Gen Z and Millennials trending in this direction.”
Younger consumers have learned from prior generations that revolving credit debt is risky therefore driving them to pay via debit, electronic funds transfer, or Automated Clearing House (ACH) because there are no interest fees. MX reports that reduced consumer confidence has many Gen Z respondents supporting the growing interest in mobile payments. The same report cites that most respondents (73%) have connected mobile payment apps to their financial accounts. In addition to their aversion to credit, Millennials and Gen Z also seek more convenience in their retail interactions. The Food Industry Association reports that 53% of Gen Z and 55% of millennial shoppers want greater convenience in their future grocery shopping experience.
“With nearly a quarter of America’s consumer spending running through Toshiba’s point-of-sale solutions, Toshiba is the largest retail-focused solutions company in the U.S. and globally,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of the investment company, Cali Group. “This partnership will enable Toshiba’s customers to use our technology to increase revenue, drive loyalty engagement, improve operations, and lower costs while enhancing the overall customer experience.”
“We are excited to partner with PopID to deliver speed, ease of use, and convenience to retailers and their shoppers,” continued Poehler. “We look forward to implementing PopPay in new industries to meet growing demand across retail segments.”
ELERA and its suite of solutions help free retailers from legacy technology constraints. With more control over store operations, retailers can enhance efficiency and productivity at scale. Integration of PopPay for automatic payments offers the retailer offers numerous benefits like faster transactions, higher throughput, reduced stress at checkout for the shopper leading to larger ticket size, increased loyalty participation driven by automation, and lower payment processing fees when integrated into point-of-sale systems, self-ordering kiosks, and drive-thru systems at QSR chains.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com.
About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a global market share leader in retail store technology and retail’s first choice for unified commerce solutions. Together with a global team of dedicated business partners, we advance the future of retail with innovative commerce solutions that enhance customer engagement, transform the in-store experience, and accelerate digital transformation. To learn more, visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
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[email protected]
Visa Brings Innovative Payment Experiences to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
DOHA, Qatar–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the world awaits kick-off of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Visa (NYSE: V), the Official Payment Technology Partner of FIFA, has readied a payments network that will enable contactless purchases throughout all official venues, including eight stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival™. With more than one million fans expected to travel to Qatar for the tournament, Visa has installed 5,300 contactless-enabled payment terminals at official FIFA venues, making FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever. Visa will also trial new payment innovations to give fans easy access to simple and secure digital ways to pay.
The FIFA World Cup™ provides a global stage for Visa to showcase and test new technologies, enhance the fan experience and leave a lasting impression on the host country. Visa will bring a number of digital payment solutions to Qatar, including several limited pilots to demonstrate how future Visa payment solutions may come to life:
Pay with Your Face: Marking the first-time it will be used for payments in Qatar, facial recognition technology is a collaboration between Qatar National Bank (QNB) and POP ID and supported by Visa via tokenization. The solution allows customers to authenticate payments using just their face, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrollment. It will be piloted at three Flat White Specialty Coffee branches.
Card Art Gets Animated: As consumers become more accustomed to getting things instantaneously, Visa is piloting a digital card issuance solution for limited cardholders in Doha. After simply scanning a QR code, a digital prepaid card will be instantly issued and can be added to a mobile wallet. The digital card will feature animated card art, with the official mascot La’eeb, demonstrating a future in which consumers could bring greater personalization and even digital animation to their Visa cards.
Accepting Payments Gets Simpler for SMBs: In partnership with three Qatar-based banks the Visa Tap to Phone solution is now available to merchants in Qatar who want to fast-track their ability to accept digital payments in advance of the expected tourist influx. Visa Tap to Phone makes it easier for merchants to use their Android NFC-enabled devices they already own to accept contactless payments—simply by downloading an app.
Tap to Ride Around Doha: Keeping traffic flowing smoothly during FIFA World Cup™ has been a top priority and Visa, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, is enabling contactless payment acceptance on taxis so fans and Qatari residents will be able pay for their trips with their Visa card or smartphone, making paying for their journeys in and around Doha faster and more convenient.
Earlier this month, Visa unveiled Visa Masters of Movement, a first-of-its-kind hybrid experience featuring an interactive pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Doha where fans will be able to create digital art inspired by their own signature movements. Eligible fans will have the option to mint this digital art into their own NFT in partnership with Crypto.com.
Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for GCC at Visa, said: “As FIFA’s long-standing partner, Visa wants to give football fans from around the world the best way to pay in Qatar, while experiencing exciting new innovations such as the fusion of art, football and technology at Visa’s Masters of Movement venue. With thousands of contactless payment terminals, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ promises to be the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever for the more than one million fans coming to enjoy the magic of football.”
Visa has been FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner since 2007. As a global supporter of both men’s and women’s football, Visa aims to offer experiences that bring people closer to the action, whether they are among the one million people anticipated in Qatar or the five billion viewers expected worldwide for this year’s tournament. In addition to providing the latest in payments innovations at official FIFA venues, Visa seeks ways to further its commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport through programs such as Financial Football, a video game that combines entertainment and education in an action-packed virtual football tournament.
For more information about Visa’s activities during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, please visit Visa.com.
About Visa Inc.
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
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Visa and PopID Form Partnership to Launch Facial Verification Payments in the Middle East
PASADENA, Calif. and DUBAI, UAE, April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PopID, a consumer authentication service, and Visa (NYSE: V), the world’s leader in digital payments, announced a partnership to collaborate on launching facial verification payment acceptance in the Middle East region. The goal of the partnership is to provide cardholders with new safe, secure, and innovative ways to pay.
The first operators to welcome PopPay (PopID’s facial biometric payment solution) in the market will be Costa Coffee, MMI, and grocery chain Géant, in addition to Cove Beach at Caesars Palace Dubai and Coca-Cola Arena Dubai, both of which belong to the portfolio of Dubai Holding, the diversified global investment company headquartered in Dubai, UAE.
In addition to select brick-and-mortar businesses of Dubai Holding adopting PopPay as a new way to accept payments, PopID has recently signed an agreement with Dubai Holding to soon establish a joint venture that will support the roll-out of PopPay in the CEE and MENA regions.
During the initial phase of the partnership, Dubai Holding will deploy PopPay at some of its assets across its leading destinations and attractions, which will be followed by the adoption of the payment technology across Dubai Holding’s wider ecosystem and through partners across CEE and MENA region.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 85% of executives believe biometrics will be used to authenticate the vast majority of payments in the next ten years. “Facial biometric payments are at the forefront of payments innovation, providing cardholders a fast, seamless and most importantly, secure way to authenticate and make a payment,” said Akshay Chopra, Head of Visa CEMEA Innovation & Design. “From across our partner network, we’ve seen heightened interest in co-creating new facial and biometric payments moments. Through this partnership with PopPay, we are keen to help clients roll out biometric payment capabilities faster and with more success.”
Under the alliance with Visa, issuing banks will be invited to join the platform and give their customers the ability to link their facial biometrics to their debit or credit cards to make payments; and acquiring banks will be offered the opportunity to distribute PopID’s proprietary face pay terminals to brick and mortar businesses. “We expect face pay to become the global standard for payments, and we are determined to make PopPay the consumer brand that is used and trusted by people all over the world,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID.
Throughout 2022, the platform will look to further scale across the Middle East region by partnering with key merchants to provide this leading payments technology to consumers. This second international deployment follows the launch of PopPay Japan through a joint venture with a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp.
About PopID
PopID provides a trusted and secure platform that enables businesses to give their customers and employees the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial verification.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.
About Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding is a diversified global investment company with operations in over 13 countries and employing over 20,000 people. Established in 2004, Dubai Holding touches the lives of millions of Dubai residents and visitors through its extensive portfolio of over AED 130 billion worth of assets that support the diversification and sustainable growth of Dubai’s economy across 10 key sectors: Real Estate, Hospitality, Leisure & Entertainment, Media, ICT, Design, Education, Retail, Manufacturing & Logistics and Science.
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Kitchen United, the Ghost Kitchen and Restaurant Hub Technology Pioneer, Announces $100M Series C Fundraise
Blue Chip Investors & Strategics, Founders, and CEO Bet on World-Class Proprietary Technology and Capital Efficient Growth to Drive Further Consolidation of the Ghost Kitchen Industry
PASADENA, Calif., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Kitchen United, ghost kitchen and restaurant hub technology pioneer, announced a $100M Series C fundraise, which includes some of the world’s preeminent financial and strategic investors. Kitchen United welcomes new investors: Alimentation Couche-Tard / Circle K (TSX: ATD), The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), B. Riley Venture Capital, a subsidiary of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), Simon (NYSE: SPG), Phillips Edison & Co (NASDAQ: PECO), and The HAVI Group. Additionally, strong participation continued from all existing institutional and strategic investors: GV, various funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, RXR, DivcoWest, Cali Group, GoldenArc Capital, General Global Capital, and Rich Product Corporation. Lastly, Kitchen United founders, Harry Tsao and John Miller, Kitchen United CEO, Michael Montagano, and two-time NFL Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, made significant investments in the round. On completion of this round, the company’s total raise to date reaches approximately $175M.
“This Series C financing further solidifies Kitchen United’s leadership position in the industry,” said Michael Montagano, Kitchen United’s Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. “Kitchen United uniquely sits at the intersection of technology, food, and real estate. Our solution serves as the technological and physical infrastructure revolutionizing centrally located distribution hubs through streamlining off-premises ordering and consumption. To that end, we are thrilled to partner with leading investors across grocery, convenience, restaurants, malls, packaging, logistics, distribution, automation, and urban and suburban real estate development,” says Montagano.
“We see many commercial opportunities in partnering with Kitchen United as it prepares for considerable scale. We believe this business stands apart from other industry players with its centralized locations, multi-format offerings, experienced management team, and mature technology stack — all of which align with Circle K’s mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day as we work together to shape the future of convenience,” said Kevin Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard.
“The rising trend of off-premises dining presents a major growth opportunity for the ghost kitchen sector, and Kitchen United is uniquely positioned for significant expansion in the years ahead,” says David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner, GV. “We’ve long been impressed with Kitchen United’s exceptional execution and unparalleled leadership in the sector. We’re excited to continue partnering with Michael Montagano and the entire Kitchen United team as they open more kitchen centers across the country and reach more restaurants and consumers.”
In the past two years, Kitchen United has unveiled multiple industry-leading initiatives, including collaborations in grocery with Kroger and at Simon properties nationwide.
Kitchen United currently has approximately 200 operational kitchens across 20 regions, powered by its industry-leading proprietary technology, with plans to significantly increase its technological and physical footprint in the near term. The company has seen triple-digit top-line growth for three consecutive years, all supported by industry-leading metrics. Kitchen United’s proprietary technology enables customers to order from multiple prepared food and consumer goods brands on the same ticket and with the same delivery driver, all synchronized to maximize quality and payload, and minimize time and expense.
Kitchen United will continue its focus on Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Texas as key markets with continued expansion throughout other US trade areas. Additionally, Kitchen United will be further evolving its industry-leading multi-concept ordering technology platform Kitchen United OS, for use by customers including Burger King, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A., Portillo’s, Panera Bread, Dog Haus, Wingstop, and Brinker International.
About Kitchen United
Founded in 2017, Kitchen United is a leading provider of restaurant hub technology, streamlined logistics and turn-key commercial kitchen space that empowers foodservice operators to tap into the growing off-premises business opportunity and offers consumers a first-of-its-kind to-go experience. The company offers a value-driven, low-risk way for emerging and established restaurant brands to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premises dining and expand delivery areas. For additional information, please visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.
CHIPOTLE TESTS AI KITCHEN ASSISTANT, CHIPPY
Brand leverages Miso Robotics to innovate its culinary process for tortilla chips
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced its latest digital innovation, Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips. Chipotle’s culinary and technology teams called on Miso Robotics to customize its latest robotic solution to cook and freshly season Chipotle’s delicious tortilla chips.
“We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience. Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle’s crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant,” said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, Chipotle.
Chipotle’s culinary team guided Miso in tailoring its technology to maintain the culinary integrity of the brand. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Chippy is trained to replicate Chipotle’s exact recipe – using corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil – to cook chips to perfection, season with a dusting of salt, and finish with a hint of fresh lime juice. It was imperative that the technique remained the same so customers receive delicious, craveable chips every time.
“Everyone loves finding a chip with a little more salt or an extra hint of lime,” said Nevielle Panthaky, Vice President of Culinary, Chipotle. “To ensure we didn’t lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect.”
Chippy is currently being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center, Chipotle’s innovation hub in Irvine, Calif., and will be integrated into a Chipotle restaurant in Southern California later this year. The company is leveraging its stage-gate process to listen, test and learn from crew and guest feedback before deciding on a national implementation strategy.
“When Chipotle challenged us to see if our technology could meet the brand’s high standards for culinary quality, we couldn’t wait to flex our engineering and design muscles,” said Mike Bell, CEO, Miso Robotics. “This partnership will allow us to move into new territory to help improve back-of-house functions and assist team members with their day-to-day responsibilities.”
An innovator in restaurant technology, Chipotle continues to invest in emerging solutions to support its growing digital business and reduce friction in its restaurants. The company believes technology deployed consistently and correctly can improve the human experience. Chipotle already leverages artificial intelligence with its concierge chat bot, Pepper. Pepper ensures guests have an exceptional experience on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com. Chipotle customers can select from frequently asked questions or ask their own questions to get a response quickly. Chippy joins Pepper in Chipotle’s artificial intelligence suite to improve Chipotle’s overall guest and employee experience.
ABOUT CHIPOTLE
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,950 restaurants as of December 31, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2021 lists for Forbes’ America’s Best Employers and Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. With nearly 100,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.
ABOUT MISO ROBOTICS
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve some of the largest gaps in back-of-house kitchen operations. Ready to make an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including: Chippy, Flippy 2, CookRight and Sippy.
With real industry knowledge and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first five years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the overall dining experience. For more information about the future of restaurant automation, visit: https://misorobotics.com.
SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
White Castle Expands Partnership with Miso Robotics to Install Flippy 2 in 100 New Locations
he world’s first fast-food hamburger chain doubles down on automation after success of pilot program
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 15, 2022 — Today, White Castle – the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain – announced plans to further expand its work with Miso Robotics and install Flippy 2 in 100 standalone locations. The announcement is the latest milestone for the partnership, which began in September 2020 with the deployment of the original Flippy to a White Castle in the Chicagoland area. Following an upgrade to Flippy 2 in November 2021, White Castle’s commitment to Miso’s technology was cemented after seeing an immediate positive impact on daily operations and the productivity of its team members.
By taking over the work of an entire fry station, Flippy 2 alleviates the pain points that come with back-of-house roles at quick-service restaurants to create a working environment for its human coworkers that maximizes the efficiency of the kitchen. The improved workflow allows for the redeployment of team members to focus on creating memorable moments for customers. White Castle anticipates many improvements in efficiency, product quality and team member experience as a result of its partnership with Miso Robotics.
Rollouts of Flippy 2 are being phased by region and will be planned out and scheduled in the months and years ahead.
“We could not be more grateful for the confidence White Castle has shown in us as we enter into the next phase of our partnership,” said Mike Bell, CEO of Miso Robotics. “White Castle was the first large brand to embrace our technology and we are thrilled that our Flippy pilot made such a positive impact on their operations that they want to integrate 100 more. We can’t wait to continue on this journey with such an outstanding partner.”
Miso Robotics is primarily funded by individual investors and has been one of the most successful equity crowdfunding campaigns in history. With over 15,000 shareholders, the company has raised more than $50MM in crowdfunding to date and is currently in its Series E round, which kicked off with a market valuation of $500 million. To invest in Miso Robotics, visit: https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
Miso Robotics is offering securities through the use of an Offering Statement that has been qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Tier II of Regulation A. A copy of the Final Offering Circular that forms a part of the Offering Statement may be obtained from: Miso Robotics https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1710670/000110465922012145/tm222587d2_partiiandiii.htm.
About White Castle
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for 100 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider® in 1921. Today, White Castle owns and operates 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice through intelligent automation solutions that solve some of the largest gaps in back-of-house kitchen operations. Ready to make an immediate financial impact on a restaurant’s bottom line, Miso’s AI-driven platform incorporates robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to power and develop its breakthrough products, including: Flippy 2, CookRight and Sippy.
With real industry knowledge and learnings accrued through brand partnerships over its first five years, Miso’s products are constantly evolving to drive consistency, increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the overall dining experience. Miso is now accepting new investors for its Series E round. To invest in the future of restaurant automation, visit: https://invest.misorobotics.com.
PopID and SoftBank’s Japan Computer Vision Partner to Launch PopPay In Japan
Wendy’s First Kitchen is First QSR Chain in Japan to Accept Face Pay
PASADENA, Calif. & TOKYO PopID, Japan Computer Vision (“JCV”, a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp), and Wendy’s First Kitchen (“WFK”) announced today the launch of PopPay – PopID’s face-recognition-based ordering and payment system – in Tokyo, Japan. As a first step in the launch, Wendy’s First Kitchen locations in Akasaka Mitsuke, Shibuya Center, and Jiyugaoka will begin accepting payments using PopPay, representing the first time a QSR chain in Japan is accepting payments authenticated using a customer’s face.
Using the new system, WFK’s customers will be able to link their face to a credit card or First Kitchen prepaid card and then pay by simply smiling at a camera-equipped tablet connected to a self-ordering kiosk manufactured by PLANET Co. Ltd. (“PLANET”). They will also be able to see their order history to simplify their ordering experiences. In cases where consumers’ hands are full or when they don’t have their wallets with them, they will be able to make payments without the need for cash or a mobile phone.
“We believe that PopPay is a safer, more convenient, and faster way for our customers to order and pay. We will work together with our partner companies to make this payment method the one that our customers prefer,” said a spokesperson from WFK. “In the near future, we would like to upgrade the system so that customers can enjoy even more of the benefits of being a loyal customer with just one look, even if they come to the store empty-handed.”
PLANET and JCV have jointly developed a hospitality solution that uses face recognition technology to simplify transactions in restaurants, solve problems, and strengthen the creation of new points of contact with customers.
Building on their success with WFK, PopID and JCV, (a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp.), will collaborate to pursue additional business opportunities aimed at providing the PopPay platform to other restaurant and retail businesses in Japan.
Andrew Schwabecher, CEO of JCV said, “Hundreds of brands now accept PopPay in the United States, and we have witnessed exponential growth in consumer usage.” He also said, “We have worked closely with the PopID engineering team to customize the platform for the Japanese market, and we expect businesses and consumers in Japan to embrace PopPay as a better way to transact.”
In Asia, face pay has recently exploded as the preferred payment method for consumers, because it is more convenient and secure. “Multinational financial institutions believe that face pay is likely to become a global standard, because it is the most effective way to prevent payment fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. He also said, “Outside of the US market, we will create open loop platforms for banks, wallets, and other payment companies to enable consumers to link any payment system to their faces to spend against.”
In addition, a presentation for the media regarding this initiative (co-hosted by First Kitchen and JCV) is scheduled for December 1, 2021 (Wednesday).
About PopID
PopID provides a trusted and secure platform that enables businesses to give their customers and employees the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition.
Contacts
Yale Goldberg
Chief Operating Officer
440-781-9036 | [email protected]
Miso Robotics Partners with Lancer Worldwide to Bring Automated Beverage Dispenser to Quick-Service Restaurant Industry
The Intelligent Automation provider for the commercial kitchen and trusted global manufacturer set out to bring new efficiency to order fulfillment.
PASADENA, Calif., June 22, 2021 — Today, Miso Robotics – the startup transforming the foodservice industry with Intelligent Automation – announced its partnership with Lancer Worldwide – a global beverage dispenser manufacturer trusted by the world’s top food and beverage brands – to build an intelligence backed, automated beverage dispenser that will bring enhanced functionality for a future-focused commercial kitchen.
Miso Robotics and Lancer Worldwide Automated Beverage Dispenser
At a time when the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is facing record labor shortages, operators are looking for ways to streamline operations, cut costs and implement solutions that drive a better and faster customer service experience. The pandemic drastically shifted the paradigm, creating new models for operator revenue streams that relied on drive-thru, takeout and delivery more so than ever before. While sixty to seventy percent of certain QSR sales came from the drive-thru lane pre-pandemic, as COVID spread, major QSRs experienced a jump as high as 90 percent.1Yet, the new delivery and drive-thru model have made the always-critical need of speed and efficiency an even bigger challenge as volume increases and staff decreases have added minutes to the clock for order completion. Because of this, total average drive-thru times slowed down by 29.8 seconds last year.2
Savvy operators are warming up to the power of automation and robotics to accelerate recovery and meet demand. Miso Robotics has been leading the field in commercial kitchen automation through a robot-as-a-service (RaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that began with Flippy and has since branched out to CookRight. While these two flagship products focus on food specifically, implementation success has proven broader back of house tasks can benefit from intelligent operational efficiency. Miso Robotics and Lancer saw the need for beverage automation in the commercial kitchen – an area of order completion that has long been plagued with inefficiency as workers look to navigate compact, fast paced kitchens and unpredictable order volume during shifts.
“Lancer has consistently supplied the market with dependable products for more than 50 years and there was no question when it came time to decide who to partner with to create an automated beverage dispenser,” said Jake Brewer, Chief Strategy Officer of Miso Robotics. “Lancer has a legacy of stand-out industry quality and shares in our vision for beverage innovation and futuristic design. Order fulfillment is a major factor for customer satisfaction and operators can’t afford to have a beverage left behind when a delivery driver or customer visits. We are extremely excited to create a product that will not only make the lives of those working in commercial kitchens better, but will be a game changer for the industry as a whole to deliver a world-class customer experience.”
The new automated beverage dispenser will integrate with the point of sales (POS) system and come equipped with a guided workflow for employees to ensure accurate order completion synced with driver and customer arrival times. The machine will be able to automatically pour drinks and advance beverages to enable an easy grab-and-go format for staff. When an order comes in, the connected approach will allow the beverage dispenser to ‘know’ the beverage needs associated with the order and will automatically issue the appropriate sized cup, begin pouring and seal the drink. The entire process is timed to complete as close as possible with the time the meal/remainder of the order is ready for hand off to the customer or delivery driver.
“Lancer has always stood out as a trusted global beverage dispenser manufacturer because we put our customer and partner needs at the forefront of every project we undertake,” said Brad Davis, Director of Applied Technologies for Lancer Worldwide. “The quick service brands we work with every day are well aware of what their challenges are – they know they need more efficiency, and they know there is new technology out there that could make it possible. Miso Robotics will help us bring all the right pieces together for an innovative design that makes automation, connectivity, and intelligence possible for operators. We are excited to collaborate with them to bring this concept to life, and into the hands of operators around the world.”
Miso Robotics’ Series D Opens
The need for new technology to enter the back of house has quickly become a business imperative for quick service brands. As a result, interest in Miso Robotics has continued to surge. The company was able to able to raise over $25mm in crowdfunding during their Series C, which recently closed. On the heels of this partnership, the company is announcing the open of their Series D round raise – which kicks off with a market valuation of $350mm, a $270mm increase since their $80mm Series C open. To invest in Miso Robotics’ Series D and Intelligent Automation visit https://invest.misorobotics.com/ today and shape the future of the commercial kitchen.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
About Lancer Worldwide
Lancer Worldwide, a leader in next-generation beverage dispensing, was established in 1967 in San Antonio, Texas. Lancer Worldwide leads in innovation and is committed to delivering a beverage dispensing experience that exceeds customer expectations. Through quality and a passion for innovation, Lancer creates products that generate profit for its global customers and gives them a distinct advantage in the marketplace. Lancer Corporation is a subsidiary of Hoshizaki Corporation, one of the world’s largest suppliers of commercial kitchen equipment. Lancer Worldwide maintains sales and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, China and the United Kingdom.
1 Bluedot: State of What Feeds Us Report
2 SeeLevel HX: 2020 SeeLevel HX Annual Drive-Thru Study
Miso Robotics Announces CookRight Software as a Standalone Offering to Increase Accuracy in Kitchens
Equipped with new expanded cooking capabilities, the artificial intelligence-driven platform powering Flippy will now be available without a robotic counterpart
PASADENA, Calif., May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Miso Robotics – the startup transforming the foodservice industry with intelligent automation – announced the release of its standalone software as a service (SaaS) offering, CookRight. Packed with expanded cooking capabilities and accessible through an affordable subscription model, CookRight is the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) powered cooking platform able to automatically identify and track products and tasks. CookRight’s first platform application is focused on the grill and will deliver new levels of precision, quality and efficiency to restaurants – a long-standing gap within the industry. As operators look to rebound from the effects of the pandemic, Miso Robotics brings a data-driven operational approach to enhance customer satisfaction and curb costs to help move the industry into long-term recovery and new growth.
The food service industry has historically relied exclusively on humans to manually follow a cooking workflow that adheres to cooking standards set by operators and health officials. A worker is expected to monitor the cook time, quality and consistency of food in kitchens. Yet, while most cooks think they are accurately overseeing the items on the grill, the traditional practices of relying on a wall clock, a manual timer or intuition when deciding to flip or remove those items has continuously caused food to be undercooked, cooked incorrectly and inconsistently. The resulting effects have led to frequent health and safety risks, as well as customer dissatisfaction. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), every year, an estimated 1-in-6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases – often caused by exposure to bacteria because the food has not been handled properly or cooked to the correct internal temperature. One outbreak has the potential to drastically reduce the immediate and future success of a restaurant.
CookRight offers a proven method to ensure food safety and cooking standards are met. An advanced AI platform that incorporates machine learning, sensors and computer vision, CookRight has served as the foundation of Miso Robotics’ flagship product, Flippy – known for its robotic grilling and frying capabilities. The software allows cooks to track a food item on a grill and monitor cooking time automatically to deliver precision-level cooking. Able to provide a data-rich workflow with alerts built in to guide staff and keep cooking on track from the moment an item is placed on the grill, CookRight not only improves the cooking process but also assists in ensuring accurate order completion. Built and designed with the modern-day digitized employee in mind – CookRight simplifies tasks and provides operational assistance through an easy-to-navigate user interface to help employees focus on customer service needs such as speed, accuracy and quality. With the adoption of the platform, operators and workers benefit from a streamlined training approach that cuts time investment and costs, while improving cooking performance.
The new release of CookRight as a standalone software service comes to market with advanced grilling capabilities. Now operators can apply precision cooking to a variety of grilled food items on their menus, without the need to purchase Flippy, giving them access to a cutting-edge technology tool capable of unearthing valuable insights that reduce operational expenses and help deliver the best customer experience possible.
Key benefits of the platform and expanded capabilities that will come with the new SaaS offering include:
Wide Range of Grilling Capabilities
In addition to burgers, CookRight provides precision grilling to chicken, fish, steak, sausage, hot dogs, and more. Miso Robotics plans to expand cooking ‘applications’ to other common quick-service menu items as well.
Perfect Consistency and Precision Targeting
Accurate Image Recognition and Product Timing: True cook time is tracked for each product placed on the grill and requires no manual intervention. As soon as a product goes on, CookRight immediately identifies what the item is (with greater than 96% accuracy) and starts the timer for it – eliminating human error like starting a timer late or not at all.
Machine Learning: CookRight identifies exactly where a product is placed on the grill and has the ability to learn each grill’s heat distribution to cook those items more precisely. The software can also flag performance and maintenance issues to the kitchen staff.
Critical Task Alerts: Alerts are sent to kitchen staff when an action needs to occur like flipping the product or taking it off the grill.
Correct Assembly Process: Allows for real-time quality control to prevent quality errors before they go out – ensuring that everything that belongs in the bag gets in the bag.
Powerful Analytics
Miso Kitchen Intelligence (Miso KI) Dashboard: Delivers operational insights – including real-time metrics, automated reporting and data drill downs – to improve food quality, drive efficiency and save money. This intuitive dashboard will enable restaurant managers to supervise multiple workflows simultaneously and understand any precise issues that might compromise the quality of food coming out of their kitchens.
Supply Management: Closely monitors for any supply chain issues – using data to track problems with the food instead of relying on the person cooking it.
Easy Installation
Because CookRight was designed by restaurant people for restaurant people, the software comes with an easy self-installation kit that includes a user interface tablet, camera(s) and a small computer.
“The beauty of CookRight and its machine learning capabilities is that it can literally learn how to identify any item placed on a grill and know how long it needs to be cooked, moved or flipped in real-time,” said Buck Jordan, President and Chairman of Miso Robotics. “CookRight obtains unprecedented amounts of information on kitchen operations that have never been captured before – leading to better food for customers, a better workplace for kitchen staff and cost savings for restaurant owners. It’s the partner restaurant operators and staff need in the kitchen. This is a critical time for the industry and solutions like CookRight can truly turn the tide and move us into recovery.”
According to the National Association of Restaurants, tech adoption for the industry has rapidly accelerated during the pandemic. Across all 6 segments—quick service, fast casual, casual, family, fine dining, and coffee and snack—some 40% of operators said they added tech solutions to their businesses. Miso Robotics is leading the way in valuable solutions to bring the industry forward into a more promising future. Since the pandemic, interest in Miso Robotics has exploded. This announcement comes on the heels of the closing of Miso Robotics’ Series C funding round on April 30.
Since the crowdfunding campaign launched on SeedInvest in April 2020, the company has raised more than $21 million and has become the highest-grossing technology deal ever featured on the crowdfunding platform. To invest in the future of intelligent kitchen automation before the close of the round, visit https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/
Press Contact
Diane Zuniga
909-510-0433
[email protected]
Miso Robotics’ Flippy ROAR Hits Global Commercial Availability to Spur Regrowth Amid Pandemic
New Flippy ROAR comes equipped with zero-footprint design and advanced cooking capabilities including the Impossible Burger and financing options
PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Miso Robotics today announced global commercial availability of the Flippy Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR) – a zero-footprint, cost-efficient intelligent robotic kitchen assistant for the evolving commercial kitchen. Flippy ROAR hits the market with advanced cooking capabilities to quickly learn menu items, allowing operators to appeal to new customers and retain eaters with consistently cooked options. As the restaurant industry looks to reopen and regrow in a post-pandemic world, Miso Robotics plans to offer financing options through TimePayments to empower food service providers to quickly adopt automation technology – now mission critical for addressing ‘new normal’ challenges such as indoor staffing and dining limitation, the need for enhanced health and safety standards, and improved margins as delivery and takeout increase in popularity.
Earlier this year, Miso unveiled a prototype enabling Flippy to glide across multiple workstations on a rail. The final design for global commercial availability mounts Flippy on an overhead rail (ROAR), keeping it out of the path of busy kitchen staff to increase safety and throughput by interacting with a food hopper capable of dispensing the perfect amount of food for preparation before moving to the cooking station. New backend advancements to ChefUI, Miso Robotics’ proprietary software, assist kitchen workers with operational interactions and workflows through an easy to navigate dashboard view of the web-based application displayed on a 15.6″ touchscreen monitor mounted on the ROAR system.
Through the dashboard, employees can see the foods in line to be prepared next. Capable of identifying current temperatures, predicting time remaining to meet consistency in taste perfection, and alerting staff of unsafe internal cooking temperatures, ROAR features powerful image processing and depth perception from Intel® RealSense™ technology. Enabled by Intel® RealSense™ Depth Camera D415, ChefUI can not only identify food and temperatures, but can also learn and reclassify new foods introduced to Flippy. Staff can also opt to change cooking times and alter portion sizes for foods coming out of the hopper to map back to customer customization requests.
“Intel® RealSense™ technology is used to develop products that enrich people’s lives by enabling machines and devices to perceive the world in 3D,” said Joel Hagberg, head of product management and marketing, Intel® RealSense™ Group. “We are excited to be a part of the new Flippy ROAR design that delivers new automation and intelligence to the restaurant industry.”
Along with enhanced camera, thermal sensing and UI capabilities, Flippy ROAR makes new advances in machine learning to quickly adapt to new menu items – jumping to include 19 (and counting) total food items to its frying abilities, and adding the Impossible Burger to Flippy ROAR’s grilling skillset. With a different patty make-up than the traditional burger, Impossible Burgers require special cooking care to lock in the flavor and taste that has escalated them as a new menu item favorite across quick service restaurant chains and independent operators. The combination of advanced computer vision and deep learning software Miso Robotics has brought to their latest design is able to account for differences in texture and thickness of the Impossible Burger, in real-time, adjusting grilling technique to achieve perfection.
Adapting to new food trends is key for operators looking to attract customers and stay competitive as delivery and takeout explodes to offer customers a wider pool of restaurant choices amid the pandemic. Operators reopening are being faced with smaller margins, less foot traffic and new health and safety concerns. The need to minimize the risk of contamination and scale production with limited staffing options due to social distancing concerns – quickly – has never been more important for the industry. With that in mind, Miso Robotics’ brings Flippy ROAR to global commercial availability with NSF International (NSF) certification. An independent, global public health organization that certifies products to regulatory standards and protocols, NSF ensures health and cleanliness standards are incorporated into new product designs.
“Certification to NSF/ANSI food equipment standards mean Flippy ROAR meets rigorous requirements for material safety, hygienic design and performance,” said Sara Risley, associate managing director of food equipment at NSF International. “The NSF mark signifies Miso Robotics’ commitment to health and safety – providing reassurance that the product can be easily cleaned to prevent foodborne illness and won’t leach harmful chemicals into food.”
Flippy ROAR gives operators a certified product to decrease human contact in the cooking process and recent partnerships with PopID and Pathspot will further bring less contamination and spread of viral infections to future kitchen environments. With Flippy ROAR, production speeds increase and social distancing concerns in the kitchen are quickly addressed. Staff are able to shift to front of the house roles where needs have increased for customer service-oriented activities like heavier and regular cleaning regimes, delivery and takeout order fulfillment, and outdoor ordering and hosting.
“We’re are incredibly excited to announce global commercial availability of Flippy ROAR,” said Mike Bell, CEO of Miso Robotics. “After we shared a sneak peek of the prototype in January, we’ve seen demand through the roof from operators, especially in light of COVID-19. Miso Robotics is confident that this demand will set us up for success and provide the automation the industry needs to not only recover but accelerate growth.”
To help operators tackle regrowth challenges immediately, Miso Robotics has partnered with TimePayments to offer financing options for immediate access for Flippy ROAR. Miso Robotics will also evolve their robot-as-a-service model to include cheaper upfront cost Flippy ROAR and a manageable monthly software fee for operators.
For more information, please contact [email protected]. The company also continues its crowdfunding raise on SeedInvest to allow individual investors to become a part of bringing innovative technology to the food service market. To invest in Miso Robotics visit: https://www.seedinvest.com/miso.robotics/series.c
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/.
Press Contact
Diane Zuniga
909-510-0433
[email protected]
Senior Communities Rush to Adopt AI-Enabled Health Screening System to Enhance Safety of Staff & Residents
Newest Release of PopEntry+ Platform Lets Employees
Answer Health Questions Using Hand Gestures Alone
PASADENA, CA, September 14 – No population has been struck harder by COVID-19 than seniors. PopID, a Pasadena-based company, today announced the installation of its AI-enabled health screening system at its 35th senior living community in the U.S. The fixed biometric device, PopEntry+, is the first true, contact-free platform to combine facial recognition for employee identification, instant fever detection, and hand gesture recognition for health question screening.
PopID’s latest system was installed this week at Modena Cherry Creek, a newly built 96-unit senior community in Denver owned and operated by Solera Senior Living, which develops, owns and operates many innovative senior communities across the country. The system will serve as a key safety measure to protect this vulnerable demographic.
Solera’s founder and CEO Adam Kaplan said this: “We are confident that PopEntry+, as part of our overall suite of technology, will continue to be an important protocol for helping keep our residents, staff and family members as safe as possible.” He added: “Solera has had no members infected with COVID-19 within any of our properties. I really credit that to our protocols and technology such as PopID’s, which has been an important line of defense to keeping this virus outside our walls.”
The employees at senior communities simply scan their faces into the system via the PopID website. They then can stand before the fixed device to be recognized and have their temperatures taken instantly, hands-free, with or without masks. The device lets them know within seconds whether they have a fever. Additionally, the employee uses a thumbs up or thumbs down hand gesture to answer health questions on the screen, making the process 100% contact-free.
“Our new hand gesture recognition technology enables humans to communicate with public devices without touching the screen,” said John Miller, chairman of the Cali Group and founder/CEO of PopID. “This new mechanism for human-computer interaction will play a central role in the future of facilities management as well as retail ordering and payment.”
The PopEntry+ device also integrates easily with different HR systems, resulting in efficient storage and organization of health screening data for audibility and traceability. Finally, it offers office and academic building administrators an added level of security. Once the device recognizes the employee or student, it can unlock the door for entry or deny entry if the user is unrecognized or determined to have a fever.
Video of the Denver installation here:
https://youtu.be/vNGSYbc4hjo
About PopID
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device adds temperature screening to help ensure their safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com.
Academic Institutions Adopt New Automated Temperature Screening Technology As Plans to Return to Classrooms and Athletic Fields Take Shape
Ole Miss Among Many to Implement PopID’s “Return to Learn” Platform
PASADENA, CA, August 26 – As college, university, and K-12 school administrators grapple with how best to enhance the safety of their communities for a possible return to the classroom and athletic field, a growing number have embraced a new automated temperature screening technology as one important measure to help them do so.
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is among many academic institutions across the nation that are implementing PopID’s “Return to Learn” platform, which utilizes PopEntry+ for automated temperature testing, a health screening questionnaire, and on-campus certification.
Keith Carter, Athletic Director, University of Mississippi, had this to say: “Like other college athletic programs around the country, Ole Miss puts the health and safety of its student-athletes and staff above all else. We are pleased to add PopID’s technology to the steps we are taking to ensure their safety on and off the field.”
Once students, faculty, administrators, and athletic staff scan their faces into the system via a website, they need only stand before the fixed device to be recognized and have their temperatures taken instantly, hands-free, with or without masks. If they are shown not to have a fever, they will receive a text message confirming their daily health status, thus allowing entry to other campus buildings. PopID is offering academic institutions a significant discount for its “Return to Learn” platform versus the commercial sector.
Dozens of large and small academic institutions are installing PopEntry+, including: University of Antelope Valley (CA), Bismarck State College (ND), Lane College (TN), Lock Haven University (PA), Metropolitan Community College Kansas City (all schools) (MO), and University of Redlands (CA).
“As a college professor, I am extremely satisfied with the progress made by our university’s leadership,” observed Bill Southworth, University of Redlands. “Return to Learn complements the many measures we are implementing to provide the safest possible environment for students and faculty returning to campus.”
In addition to temperature screenings, PopEntry offers college communities enhanced security using advanced facial recognition technology. When affixed to the entryway of a dormitory, for example, the hands-free device can unlock the door when the student is recognized. It is easily adaptable to a variety of on-campus locations, e.g., library turnstiles, dining halls, auditoriums, and stadiums, and is expandable to include pay-by-face transactions on and around campus using PopID’s PopPay function.
Video showing PopEntry+ on a college campus:
https://youtu.be/pD-7MEydT2o
About PopID
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device adds temperature screening to help ensure their safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com.
Restaurants & Retailers in Pasadena Establish Nation’s First Pay-by-Face Network
Debut of Hands-Free, Facial Recognition Payment System, from PopID, Follows Rollout of Company’s Entry Devices at Workplaces and Colleges
PASADENA, August 14 – With California imposing strict restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, a number of restaurant and retail store owners in the city of Pasadena have quietly established the nation’s first dense “face-pay” network. These small business owners have embraced an advanced facial recognition technology that lets their customers make secure, hands-free purchases using only their faces.
PopID, a Cali Group company, today announced the city-wide deployment of its PopPay “face-pay” service following the successful roll-out of the company’s PopEntry facial recognition device that lets workers and students safely “scan-in” to their workplace and college campus facilities. Users can now add a credit or debit card to their PopID accounts for a safer, truly hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay.
The launch in Pasadena of a dense network of businesses and people using the PopID platform for both payment and entry kicks off a city by city rollout of the contactless payment service. “In each new city we enter, we initially focus on installing PopEntry systems in the workplace and on local college campuses,” said John Miller, chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “As these communities grow comfortable using PopID to check in, we enlist area restaurants and retailers to offer PopPay for transactions.”
Some of the Pasadena restaurants and retailers now accepting PopPay include:
Customers can take advantage of PopID’s facial recognition payment service in one of a number of ways: at the drive-thru, at an in-venue kiosk, via a display screen affixed to the sneeze guard at the counter, or tableside with a waiter scanning the patron’s face using a hand-held Android device. Once recognized, the business simply draws from the customer’s PopIDaccount before sending a text message confirming payment. PopID accounts also tie to loyalty programs for automatic credit with every purchase. The user has full control over their account and can opt out of the secure service at any time.
Links to videos showing how PopPay works:
Self-Ordering Kiosk:
https://youtu.be/fEMtvi-QsZk
Order at Counter:
https://youtu.be/0QEOPEnK4E0
Drive-Thru:
https://youtu.be/M5wRbWuBXek
Over the last three years, PopID has been tested and adapted for payment and loyalty programs at regional and national restaurant brands throughout the country including Belcampo , Bojangles, CaliBurger, Dair-i-o, Deli Time, Plant Power, and Port of Subs. In addition to allowing a safer, hands-free payment method, the system has been shown to make the ordering process quicker and more efficient.
PopPay follows the national roll-out of PopEntry+, the combined facial recognition and thermal temperature screening device now in use in private and government offices, factories, restaurants, assisted living facilities, sports venues and on college campuses.
About PopID
PopID, a Cali Group company, offers businesses a secure platform that gives workers and consumers the option of authenticating their identity using advanced facial recognition. The company’s PopEntry device used facial recognition to allow entry to a building or office, while its PopEntry+ device adds thermal temperature screening as a measure to help ensure worker safety and wellness. The company’s PopPay opt-in digital wallet allows customers to pay with their faces as a hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay. After registering for the service once, people can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments, and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID‘s vision at: https://www.popid.com
Contact:
Peter Himler
Flatiron Communications LLC (for PopID)
Google Voice: 516-308-1120
[email protected]
WhatsApp: peterhimler
Twitter: @peterhimler
White Castle Selects Miso Robotics for a New Era of Artificial Intelligence in the Fast Food Industry
PASADENA, Calif., July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle®, the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, announced today a planned pilot with Miso Robotics – creators of the first autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy – to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry. As part of the deployment, White Castle will bring the new version of Flippy, Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), into kitchens for testing and future integration. The deployment will put autonomous frying to work for enhanced production speeds, improved labor allocation and an added layer of health and safety in the cooking process. Committed to delivering the best customer dining experience, White Castle’s selection of Miso Robotics marks a move by the pioneering chain to modernize operations for even faster, fresher and delicious meals, every time.
Like many sectors, the restaurant industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been forced to reexamine business operations and best practices. Through the adoption of innovative and forward-looking technologies – like robotics automation and artificial intelligence – restaurants can build a future focused kitchen that reassures customers of the best standards in food preparation. White Castle’s decision to pilot Flippy in the kitchen creates an avenue for reduced human contact with food during the cooking process – reducing potential for transmission of food pathogens. The implementation also brings intelligence to cooking, tapping into sensors, intelligent monitoring and anticipated kitchen needs to keep food temperatures consistent, that ensure optimal quality and a perfect bite for customers. With Flippy in the kitchen automating repetitive, time consuming and dangerous tasks like frying, team members can be redeployed to more customer-experience driven tasks.
“White Castle is an industry innovator, and we take a great amount of pride in our history – never forgetting about the future ahead,” said Lisa Ingram, 4th generation family leader and CEO of White Castle. “With 100 years of quick service success, the time has never been more perfect to envision what the next century of White Castle and the restaurant industry looks like. Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle’s brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining. A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come.”
Founded in 1921, White Castle became the first fast food restaurant. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, White Castle created the framework for the modern QSR business model and reinvented the restaurant experience. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary, it Flippy ROAR’s deployment commemorates another historic moment in the chain.
“Miso Robotics couldn’t be more excited to bring Flippy ROAR into White Castle,” said Buck Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of Miso Robotics. “Artificial intelligence and robotics brings a very real opportunity to continuously enhance the cooking process and optimize taste for restaurants. White Castle’s brand is iconic, navigating new challenges to bring their menu to more customers, prepared in a healthier environment by staff in better working conditions that adhere to social distancing needs is something only Miso Robotics can do. We look forward to being a part of White Castle’s next 100 years.”
Flippy ROAR will deploy later this fall. The deployment will test speeds in production, taste, quality and operational optimization with backend POS integration. Following integration, Flippy ROAR’s zero-footprint design will be tested to improve employee and food preparation, for wider location integration.
About White Castle®
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider®, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegi
Press Contact
Diane Zuniga
909-510-0433
[email protected]
Dairi-O Launches PopID In North Carolina
November 26, 2019
Dairi-O is Latest of Dozen-Plus QSR Brands Adopting PopID To Reduce Ordering Time, Increase Loyalty Usage and Streamline Payments
PASADENA, Calif. – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that it is launching its facial recognition platform in self-ordering kiosks at Dairi-O, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America. Using PopID, Dairi-O customers will be able to conveniently and instantly pull up their favorite customized orders and pay for their meals without needing a card or phone.
Dairi-O intends to install the PopID software in all of its locations in the first half of 2020.
“We love how PopID makes it so easy for our customers to re-order their favorite items in a matter of seconds, resulting in shorter lines during peak hours and faster delivery of food to customers,” said Jeff Speaks, Chief Executive Officer of Dairi-O. “Additionally, our customers can pay for their food without reaching into their wallets and fumbling through cards.”
Operating in North Carolina since 1947, Dairi-O is preparing for a major wave of expansion. Currently, the brand has one of the highest average unit volumes in the industry and is the most recent chain to follow a growing list of small and medium sized restaurant brands using PopID, including CaliBurger, Deli Time, Plant Power, Rounds Bakery, Global Village Cafe, Saola, Treehouse, Ray’s, Coffee House and Milkcow Cafe. In these stores, consumers generally prefer to use PopID to login to their loyalty accounts on kiosks, with kiosk logins reaching up to approximately 1,500 times per week at some locations. Of those consumers that use PopID to login, approximately 75% also use it to pay. Further, transaction times for those using PopID are generally three times faster than for non-PopID users.
“One of the oldest and most successful fast casual concepts in the country is leading the QSR industry into the future of food,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We look forward to sharing the magic of digital identity with Dairi-O customers. ”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
About PopID:
PopID is a cloud-based platform that enables merchants to offer consumers the option of authenticating their identity using facial recognition. After registering for the service once, consumers can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
PopID Expands Face-Based Identify Verification Service to Entry Applications
Integration of PopID’s Cloud-based Software Into Door Entry Hardware Creates Simpler and More Secure Method for Access Control in Commercial Buildings
PASADENA, Calif., October 24, 2019 (Newswire.com) – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that its personal digital identity service can now be used to more conveniently unlock doors in workplaces. The platform is now being used in various locations in the Los Angeles area to enable employees to enter their access-controlled buildings using only their face. Managers of buildings that currently utilize electronic key cards or smartphones for controlled access into and inside of the buildings can replace their existing entry system with the PopID entry system; when a registered PopID member that is authorized to enter taps the PopID button on the entry module, the door unlocks. For those workers that do not wish to use biometrics to authenticate, key cards and mobile devices can also be used with the PopID hardware to unlock the doors. Building managers
can designate authorized employees and hours of entry at each location.
“Phone-based entry systems have been replacing electronic key cards, and PopID powered entry systems offer several advantages over phone-based entry systems,” explained Scott Ziola, President of Ziola Enterprises, a firm specializing in access control systems. “In addition to being faster than phone-based entry systems, PopID allows consumers to enter even when their phone batteries fail or they just left their phone in the car.” Ziola continued: “Further, unlike traditional access control solutions, PopID will soon provide building and facility managers with alerts about tailgaters following authorized users into a secure location without installing any additional equipment.”
Over the last two years, PopID has enabled thousands of consumers at restaurant chains across the country to quickly and easily access their loyalty accounts, view and select from past orders and pay at self-service kiosks. Consumers can register once for PopID at www.popid.com and then use service at participating restaurant chains to order and pay without having a credit card, as well as to enter their workplace without having an electronic key card. The initial deployments of the PopID door entry system will be in close proximity to areas where PopID is already being used by consumers for food ordering and payment.
“The expansion of our platform from kiosk check-in and payment authentication to door entry authentication illustrates how personal digital identity will become an important part of everyday life,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We believe the PopID service will be trusted by both businesses and consumers in any situation where individual identities must be confirmed, in various environments in the physical world as well as the digital world.”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID offers a cloud-based platform that enables consumers to authenticate their identity using facial recognition. The PopID platform is available through the company’s line of self-ordering kiosks or readily integrated into customers’ existing hardware. Founded in 2016, PopID is revolutionizing customer interactions at brick-and-mortar businesses via kiosk ordering and payment processing, as well as streamlining identify verification for building entry at commercial, residential and professional facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.