USA. Hospitality group OTG today launched its new mobile order and delivery technology across its airport restaurants and gate lounge areas, allowing travellers to order food and drink directly from their mobile devices.
OTG said that it developed the technology with safety top of mind, in order to provide travellers a fully contactless ordering option that keeps both guest and company crew member properly distanced.
The process is completely intuitive and starts when travellers scan a unique, location-specific QR code found clearly displayed at their seat. Once scanned, travellers are directed to that restaurant or gate lounge’s fully intuitive visual menu.
In an exclusive interview with The Moodie Davitt Report (see below), OTG CEO Rick Blatstein said: “Our mobile platform that we’re using now is a very natural, intuitive, instinctual platform. You’ll remember that it was 2010 when we started rolling out the iPads [across OTG locations in North American airports]. It’s 2020 now so we have a lot of experience of what happens on a device. Now going to a personal device without having to download an app is another level of experience. What you’ll see in the coming months is a very rapid exciting evolution of this platform.”
After menu selections are made, travellers can swiftly check out via a variety of digital payment methods including Apple Pay, Google Pay or by entering a credit card. The order is then immediately sent to the kitchen with the guests’ location embedded, allowing for a seamless delivery directly to their seat.
“We have always looked to tech to create efficient, frictionless guest experiences,” said Blatstein. “Now more than ever it’s critical we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the airport space with the goal of reducing guest touchpoints and allowing for safe social distancing.
“Mobile order is just the first of many tech-based solutions OTG is implementing that promote a seamless and safe guest experience.”
OTG’s mobile order technology comes on the heels of its recently announced implementation of Amazon’s revolutionary checkout-free Just Walk Out tech into its CIBO Express Gourmet Markets.
Q&A: “We don’t believe at OTG that innovation is radical. Innovation is natural.”
Martin Moodie: Rick, you guys were there already in this frictionless space having launched your Amazon Just Walk Out initiative earlier this year. But tell us about the new concept – was it rushed out in quickfire time in response to the COVID-19 crisis or was it a question of simply accelerating existing plans?
Rick Blatstein: It’s really a combination of both. We were heading down this route but when this pandemic happened we sped it up. We pivoted to mobile, where you can order and pay in any of the restaurants or gate lounges and it’s a real simple process that allows you to use many forms of payment.
One of the really unique things about it is that we produce these unique QR codes. Our technology produces thousands and thousands of algorithms… which allows us to know your exact location. We don’t track you inside your phone, but we can track you because you are using that unique QR code in that location. This is based on some proprietary software that we developed inside OTG.
So you can now order and pay either off the iPads – and you can use a disposable stylus by the way, you don’t have to touch it if you don’t like to – or your own device.
Just put me in one of your airport locations and talk me through what will happen.
So, if you’re in, say Newark Airport, and you want to order a takeout from Saison or when you go and sit down in a restaurant or when you’re sitting in the gate hold area – at every seat where there’s an iPad there’s a unique QR code. It’s very important to note that each one is unique. So you scan the QR Code and it opens up into the menu. You order and you pay. You could pay with Apple Pay or with your credit card on file. It’s extremely simple. We know exactly where you are, and we’ll bring your food right out to you.
So it’s fully intuitive?
Absolutely. And you know Martin, all the things that we’ve learned throughout the years – and we’ve learned a whole lot more now – we’re applying to this. We don’t believe at OTG that innovation is radical. Innovation is natural. If something feels natural to you and to me, we believe that’s the highest form of customer experience. Let it feel natural, let it flow.
So our mobile platform that we’re using now is a very natural, intuitive, instinctual platform. You’ll remember, it was 2010 when we started rolling out the iPads. It’s 2020 now so we have a lot of experience of what happens on a device. Now going to a personal device without having to download an app is another level of experience. What you’ll see in the coming months is a very rapid exciting evolution of this platform.
Before this [COVID-19] happened, we were at the summit of business worldwide in our industry. We had airports bursting at the seams, enplanements at record levels… everybody was knocking the cover off the ball. Now we know what it’s like to NOT have customers again.
I think this will be a really interesting template for our industry and your model will be closely watched. Just a point on your iPads, for which you’re so renowned – is there going to be consumer resistance to them in the COVID era and do you think transactions will come instead from people’s personal devices?
No, a little bit surprisingly I’ve not seen any evidence of people being wary of using iPads. That’s because of our cleaning procedures etc. However, the way I look at it is whatever our customers want – and we are in the customer experience business, remember – is ok. If they want to have touchless and use their own personal devices, we’ll take that, or if they want to use one of our iPads, well that’s out there also.
If you said, “Hey Rick do you think you’re going to disrupt your own model and go towards all mobile?” I would say to you, Martin, it’s up to our customers. That’s because how we work inside OTG is that we constantly disrupt ourselves. We don’t stay stuck on an idea or stuck on a road.
We want to keep making it better and if making it better disrupts ourselves and makes something obsolete that we’ve invested in then so be it – because the way that happens is through the customer experience, plain and simple. The customers are the kings and queens, whatever they want they get.
Before this [COVID-19] happened, we were at the summit of business worldwide in our industry. We had airports bursting at the seams, enplanements at record levels… everybody was knocking the cover off the ball.
Now we know what it’s like to not have customers again. I’ve been through that before in my career. Now we all know what it’s like not to have customers, and what the value of a customer really is. If you don’t think about what our customers want and give them what they want and try to exceed their expectations and deliver the best experience possible, then shame on us.
You are absolutely right. And that is now the global reality – we are not going to be at that summit for a long time to come. But people are still going to come through airports and so the art of getting those who do travel to spend – and spend more – becomes critical. Is that the lifeblood for OTG, for every other concessionaire and indeed for the airport?
Absolutely. Without them, there’s no us. We’re here for them, to serve our customers.
Let’s close by talking about Amazon Just Walk Out. That is such a product for its times. I guess it was anyway but clearly even more so now since the crisis began. So will you accelerate that rollout across your estates?
Absolutely. We’ve been working with Amazon for quite some time on this technology and applying it to our estates. Little did I know back then that this pandemic would happen worldwide and that not only would people want convenience, frictionless [experience], speed and the fun of it but that people would really need it. I was not Nostradamus in seeing this coming, but I know that we have what our customers need in terms of technology.
You’ll eventually see it in all our airports. And you’ll see it used in many unique ways. We’re very excited about the future
Just to close Rick, given the current crisis, any message to your peers and the industry at large about the future?
Let’s all stay gather and keep our eye on the ball and take care of our customers and we are all going to get through this.
