Technology and AI in the spotlight at Fine Food Australia

With the food and foodservice industry transforming at a rapid pace, presentations about AI, ChatGPT and technology are anticipated to be popular at Fine Food Australia. Talking Tech, a new presentation series, sponsored by Square, will share insights into making operations for foodservice and hospitality easier, more efficient and more profitable.

Topics at each session will delve into restaurant technology in action, how generative AI is transforming the space and whether AI is a threat to the personal touch of dining out.

Sponsored by Food Industry Foresight, Talking Trends will also highlight the value of iPads and cutting-edge software in the kitchen as well as developments in innovation, IoT, automation and robotics in foodservice and product development.

The event will take place from 11–14 September, over two exhibition floors at Sydney ICC, featuring more than 850 exhibitors and over 100 speakers. Hospitality and retail technology exhibitors will be showcased on the upper level and include Square, Triniteq, Zeller Australia, Quandoo, Payoneer, Pronto Software, Lightspeed and more.

Andrew Lawson, Fine Food Australia Event Manager, said it is invaluable for operators in the food, beverage and foodservice industry to be across new and existing technology, which can help companies differentiate in the marketplace, streamline processes and improve efficiency and operating costs.

Tim Kummerfeld from Foodie Coaches, who will be leading the Talking Tech panel discussion ‘Using AI to Boost Business Profits’, said ChatGPT can be a game changer for the restaurant industry.

Foodie Coaches has been using it as a replacement for internet browsing and to assist where writing is required. It is also being used in marketing, policies, procedures, responding to guests, menus, checklists, staff correspondence, supplier negotiations and developing onboarding and training tools.

Ashlinn Reid from Canberra cafe Stella’s By The Lake, fellow panel speaker, said her business has been using ChatGPT to assist with responding to reviews and to create a code of conduct.

Craig Rispin from The Future Trends Group, who will present ‘The hottest AI apps to transform your food business’ as part of Talking Trends, said AI is something the industry shouldn’t be afraid of because of its potential to drastically increase productivity.

According to Rispin, there are numerous examples of successful industry apps, such as AI Palette and Symphony Retail AI. He also has his own AI assistant called Athena, which he predicts will become more common in the future for business operators.

Sven Almenning from Speakeasy Group will be part of the panel discussion Training Tech on the Talking Tech stage, explaining how digital solutions can be used for fast, effective onboarding and training.

Almenning launched Ananas, an online training and staff management platform for the hospitality industry. It has various applications, including use as an onboarding and training tool for new staff, tracking training progress and setting up tailored training programs for each staff member. It also releases editable onboarding document templates each week.