Picnic Works And Minnow Technologies Join Hands To Deliver Enhanced Automation Solutions To The Food Service Industry

Two well-known Seattle firms have formed partnership to develop successful end-to-end kitchen solutions, including smartphone ordering, automated food manufacturing, and self-service pickup.

Fremont, CA: In the face of difficulties, owners and managers of restaurants have stayed steadfastly resilient. According to restaurateurs, there is no slowing down, from contactless service delivery to kitchen automation. However, as restaurant owners and managers look for methods to boost internal efficiency, provide more outstanding restaurant omnichannel experiences, and maintain contact with their patrons, going digital is taking center stage.

"Both companies share a desire to create automation solutions for the foodservice industry," said Clayton Wood, CEO of Picnic. "Minnow's cloud-connected pickup solutions are an excellent complement to Picnic kitchen automation technology. From mobile ordering to secure pickup, together we offer a complete modern automation solution."

Picnic Works, a Seattle-based producer of kitchen automation technology, collaborated with Minnow Technologies. This nearby Seattle IoT startup created the Pickup Pod, a self-service pickup solution for foodservice operators. The collaboration will use both organizations' experience to assist commercial kitchens, stadiums, big franchises, colleges, and retail food service providers in envisioning and implementing end-to-end food automation services. Mobile and kiosk ordering, automated meal assembly, and secure contactless pickup solutions are all priorities.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Picnic to bring leading-edge automation solutions to foodservice operators," said Steven Sperry, CEO and co-founder of Minnow. "Our goal is to create solutions that delight diners while improving the efficiency and profitability of kitchens. By leveraging Picnic kitchen automation technology and Minnow's pickup offering, we have an opportunity to bring best-in-class automation solutions to our customers."

Using the technologies of the two organizations, the collaboration will create bespoke solutions. One example is building out new concession ideas at theme parks, stadiums, or schools. A consumer may make an order by mobile or kiosk, which is then automatically processed by the Picnic station and placed in a heated or insulated Pickup Pod for the customer to retrieve at leisure. Likewise, college students may place mobile pizza orders, which are subsequently prepared by the Picnic Pizza Station and picked up from a Pickup Pod. These end-to-end automation solutions may assist enhance a kitchen's productivity at peak periods, minimize food waste through effective just-in-time ordering and production, and boost customer satisfaction with ordering and pickup.

The Picnic Pizza Station and Minnow Pickup Pods are NSF, ETL/UL certified, have an internet connection, can be integrated with major POS services such as Toast and Square, and are supported by cloud-based software and over-the-air firmware upgrades. Picnic and Minnow's collaboration sets the benchmark for food automation solutions, with a strong foundation of shared technological capabilities and a knowledge of how to construct customer-focused automation technologies.