Last April we introduced you to Rita the robot, a food-runner made by Bear Robotics that was bringing meals to tables at 61 Chili’s restaurants. Bear is based in Redwood City, California, and also operates out of a second office in Addison.
“To know Rita is to love her,” Wade Allen, SVP of innovation for Brinker International, said at the time. “Team members have realized she really is there to make their jobs easier.”
Today Bear Robotics got renewed momentum, thanks to Rosemont, Illinois-based US Foods Holding Corp.
One of America’s largest foodservice distributors, US Foods has added Bear Robotics to its CHECK Business Tools program. The program provides foodservice operators across the country with a growing suite of tech solutions designed to help drive traffic, simplify staffing, and reduce waste.
Bear participated in US Foods’ incubator program
Bear Robotics was selected to join the the CHECK line-up after it participated in US Foods’ Innovative Partnerships incubator program, which takes applications twice each year. More than 20 restaurant tech companies vied for the opportunity this go-round, US Foods said, and only one other firm—7shifts—was added to the CHECK program.
“Bear Robotics and 7shifts offer highly advanced and meaningful technology solutions that directly address many of the labor challenges our restaurant operators face today,” David Eschler, VP of culinary and restaurant operations at US Foods, said in a statement.
Bear Robotics, like other potential tech solutions chosen for the US Foods incubator, took part in regional customer engagement events to demo its solution and gauge operator interest and viability. Following the successful intro, Bear’s robotic servers are now being activated nationally within the CHECK Business Tools program.
“We know that as the technology space continues to expand in the restaurant industry, operators’ technology needs also have rapidly advanced,” Eschler added. “Providing our customers with access to the latest technologies as part of our CHECK Business Tools program is core to helping our customers ‘Make It.’ We’re energized by the opportunity to share these innovative solutions with operators across the country.”
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