14 new tech businesses featured at Startup Alley

National Restaurant Association - March 19, 2018

Restaurateurs are always looking for ways to increase their bottom line. One way to do that is keep up with trends and deploy new technology that improves performance and sales.

With that in mind, these 14 new startups are ones to watch at the 2018National Restaurant Association Show’s Startup Alley, May 19 to 22, in Chicago.

Showgoers will see a variety of new businesses, including software developers using data science and artificial intelligence to create business solutions, an app connecting customers with food allergies to allergen-friendly restaurants and a digital designer creating customized beverage menus for iPads.

Here are the companies at this year’s Startup Alley:

Bear Robotics
AI-driven robots create value and help increase profit margins by running and bussing restaurants. These “servers” know return guests’ names, purchasing histories and preferences. They help create a customized experience for each guest.

BigZpoon
This app is dedicated to reducing food waste, helping the environment, and creating win-win situations for operators and their customers.

BillBoss
This mobile payment app allows customers to split items, pay for their meals ‑‑ or portions of them ‑‑ via smartphone. Mobile payment is a growing trend, particularly among millennial diners.

Eatabit
This platform streamlines the process between restaurants and online food ordering partners by standardizing the way the orders get to the restaurants.

Fisherman
This web designer creates customized, intuitive websites that are mobile-optimized.

Glance Technologies Inc.
A mobile payment solution developed for restaurant companies, the app allows customers to pay by smartphone. It also offers location information and the option to earn loyalty points and rewards.

InKind
This software allows restaurateurs to reward their best customers for continued loyalty and ensure they keep having great dining experiences. It collects and stores guests’ preferences and purchasing histories as well as information that customizes their meals.

Kiosko Mobile
This digital ordering system makes kiosk ordering less confusing and complicated. It also helps reduce bottlenecking at point of purchase.

Piik
This software uses pattern recognition and business intelligence to provide interactive analysis, information on trends and recommendations that help grow sales, optimize costs and increase profitability.

Sirved
This app is a comprehensive search engine with more than 100,000 menus in its database. It gives consumers the ability to find any food item by dish, craving or dietary restriction. Sirved eliminates the guesswork, paid reviews and jumping between websites. There’s something to satisfy every taste.

Spiffy
This training app educates staff on subjects like improving the guest experience, upselling alcohol and boosting check averages.

Spokin
This app connects consumers with food allergies to allergen-friendly restaurants in the easiest and most personalized way.

Sponsiv Digital
This iPad-based platform helps increase bar sales by enhancing the guest experience and providing servers with consistent information on wine selections and spirits recommendations, among other things. The end result: Sell more wine, beer, spirits and cocktails.

TransX Systems
This software offers cost-effective marketing and in-store consumer engagement solutions that increase revenue, foot traffic and repeat business. It also helps digitize menus, optimize staffing and monetize your guest Wi-Fi investment.