Startup Bite offering automated kiosks with facial recognition for restaurants

U.S. fast-food chain Jack in the Box is considering deploying automated kiosks to replace human cashiers at its points-of-sale, CEO Leonard Comma said this week.

The technology to do so is already available from startup Bite, which makes facial recognition kiosks for quick service restaurants, The Spoon reports. The kiosks consist of iPads with proprietary software and machine learning integrated, and use facial recognition to engage customers with loyalty programs, customized menus, and upselling opportunities.

“We think facial recognition can offer a better experience than a cashier who doesn’t know your name or your preferences,” said Steve Truong, Co-Founder and Head of Product for Bite. 

By presenting order history and preferences to customers, Bite could make ordering more efficient, according to The Spoon. By tracking customer purchases, Bite can learn which items to display for individuals, such as vegetarian options for vegetarians.

Restaurants rolling out automated kiosks include CaliBurger, UFood Grill and Malibu Poke.

Bite transitioned to automated kiosks powered by facial recognition a year ago, after launching as an interactive digital menu provider.

Truong says Bite prioritizes explaining and obtaining opt-in consent from customers, and encrypts the data it collects in transit and at rest to protect customer privacy. The company has about a dozen kiosks in pilot projects currently, and rollouts are planned with bigger clients this year.

As previously reported, Alipay launched a point-of-sale system with facial recognition in China last year.

Article Topics

biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  point-of-sale