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 | yale@popid.com

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
dzuniga@golin.com

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 jwilliams@misorobotics.com. 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
dzuniga@golin.com

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:

  • 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.

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

phimler@flatironcomm.com

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, 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
dzuniga@golin.com

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.