The American firm is committed to growing technology in casinos, although the food is the same, the backstage is changing rapidly since the pandemic. Coming? Food that suits generation Z, says the firm.
Dishes such as lasagna, casserole, beans, lentils and corn cake have been favorites among Chileans since 2017.
The survey is not from Tasty Atlas, but from Aramark in Chile, a food services and facilities management firm that has been growing double digits since the pandemic, billing more than US$18 billion in annual sales, and whose sector is strongly driven by digital transformation and the evolution of consumer preferences.
This allows them to know how much food is consumed daily in the companies they serve, but it also allows them to understand other things.
“We have the entire database of what thousands of people consume in a casino during a year. Artificial intelligence (AI) can tell us what is the preferred dish, what is the optimal cost to offer, what will best satisfy the customer and what is the best possible option depending on the weather and other variables," explained Chilean Ari Bermann, Growth Vice President Latam of Aramark to AméricaEconomía .
With a presence in 15 countries and a 40-year history in Mexico, Argentina and Chile, the multinational that was born as a supplier of vending machines, is driving its growth through an ambitious plan of innovation and technological adoption to transform the industry in the region.
Globally, the firm has a not inconsiderable number of 270,000 employees and since the pandemic has declared double-digit annual growth. The projection for this year is 8%, including its food, maintenance, facilities and mining areas.
It is, under that same line of thought, that Aramark made an approximate investment of US$200,000 this year in the seventh edition of its Innovation Meeting, an annual event where more than 100 local and international technological solutions aimed at companies and startups met. .
There food and science came together, with proposals that ranged from training programs for food workers through virtual reality, or the launch of FoodLab, an incubator of gastronomic ideas designed to respond to the growing demand of consumers, offering the possibility to personalize the menus of the future.
Also in that space, Smart Eye Experience was presented, a tool that allows monitoring and understanding the behavior of food consumers in space and time.
An additional business Aramark has found has been in payments, with Aramark Pay, a digital food benefits management platform. This allows companies to create and manage individual profiles for each employee, facilitating personalized and efficient management of benefits.
"Currently [consumers] have more power of choice and prefer simplified payment formats. There is an increase in consumption in retail formats and a preference for convenient and quality options," commented Bermann.
Along the way, it provides employees with multiple online payment options available at partner establishments, and immediate access to electronic invoices and receipts for suppliers, “simplifying the documentation process and improving transparency and tax compliance for both employees and companies.” ”, he assured.
FOOD FOR GENERATION Z
Although Aramark is over 80 years old, it is always changing to adapt to fashionable tastes.
In this dynamic context, the multinational in Chile serves approximately 250,000 services daily and conducts satisfaction surveys among 9% of its diners to continually improve its services, also venturing into vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diets, popular among generation Z.
And, according to Bermann, with the millennial and genZ generational change came a more informed and sophisticated consumer, which reflects a growing concern for the health and nutritional quality of food.
On the other hand, this South American country stands out in the region for its highest per capita spending on food.
“Chile is very attractive [within the industry] because it has a higher per capita spending rate than another country in Latin America, with an average ticket of approximately US$ 10. This, despite the fact that it has fewer restaurants per 10,000 inhabitants than other countries, and that is also because they have a more demanding consumer, which indicates a potential market for growth,” says Bermann.
In addition, Chilean consumers "are more demanding regarding quality and compliance with health standards." While labor flexibility and changes in work styles have driven an increase in the consumption of prepared and delivery options.
This is where new technologies can help discern and improve service.
AI IN FOOD
Despite its potential, Latin America lags behind other regions in artificial intelligence education and training.
According to a study by the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG), while Europe, the United States and Asia are making significant progress in the training of executives and professionals in AI, Latin America is notably lagging behind, with a training rate that barely reaches 2%. in contrast to 7% in Europe and 11% in Asia.
“We have to continue educating people,” he stressed.
One way to see the usefulness of this tool is the account that Bermann makes, based on the analysis of the preferences and behavior of the thousands of people they serve daily.
“I can calculate not only the number of menus that I have given during a year, and I can determine the dish with the greatest acceptance, and link that with the VOC (or Voice of the Consumer) and predict which dish is going to be successful. This is what artificial intelligence does, which helps us have better answers to be able to provide better solutions to our clients,” he details.
On the other hand, the concept of food waste emerges as a crucial issue in the Latin American inflationary context.
Previously, typical households had a broader family structure, which made it easier to manage food purchased in quantity to satisfy different tastes and needs. But today, households tend to be smaller, with the average number of children per family significantly reduced. In Chile, for example, the average has decreased to 0.8 children per family, while migrant households often have two or more children.
This transition in family structure brings significant challenges in terms of food management and consumption.
“Buying food in smaller quantities and the need to adapt to diverse tastes increases costs and waste. Furthermore, the preparation process at home involves additional consumption of gas and energy,” Bermann noted.
Faced with these challenges, the production of foods with a longer shelf life, through appropriate packaging techniques, appears as a promising solution. This is how, consequently, at Aramark they are developing products that extend their useful life on average three times.
“As consumers look for alternatives that fit their new family and lifestyle realities, the food industry must continue to innovate,” adds Ari Bermann.
The other great challenge for Aramark and the industry is dealing with the high cost of food, with an IPA (Food Price Index) that until two years ago was in double digits.
“We cannot suddenly raise the prices of the products. And this is where AI can help us put together more efficient menus and provide tools to better distribute alternatives (…) People believe that technology like robots eliminates jobs, but history has shown us that this has not happened: Technology, together with adequate training, will create more and new jobs with
different functions. What is certain is that people have to continue feeding themselves and we are going to have to continue cooking,” concludes Bermann.
