AI startup Kea has announced a partnership with CBS NorthStar, a leading provider of restaurant technology solutions, to introduce its advanced voice AI technologies to the dining industry. Kea's "cashier in the cloud" AI-powered customer service representative is designed to manage customer interactions and orders over the phone, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency.
Kea’s AI technology will be integrated into CBS NorthStar's Point of Sale (POS) systems, significantly improving restaurant operations. Jeremy Julian, CBS NorthStar’s chief revenue officer, highlighted the potential of this collaboration: "With decades of experience in pioneering restaurant technology solutions that optimize operations, we recognize the immense potential of voice AI to drive operational efficiency and enhance customer service. This partnership with Kea underscores our commitment to propel the restaurant industry forward into the era of AI."
The integration of AI-powered voice technologies allows restaurants to handle customer orders more efficiently, enabling staff to focus on cooking and other essential tasks. Unlike McDonald’s, which recently abandoned its AI voice ordering system, CBS NorthStar believes Kea’s technology offers greater flexibility, allowing restaurants to customize their systems to meet specific needs.
Kea’s technology employs a combination of automated speech recognition and natural language understanding to take customer orders, which are then seamlessly transferred to the kitchen via the restaurant’s POS system. Despite the automation, a human operator can still intervene if necessary to ensure the accuracy of orders.
Since 2022, Kea's voice AI technology has managed over 1 million calls for hundreds of restaurants. Through its partnership with CBS NorthStar, Kea's solution will now be available to more than 10,000 restaurant operators. California Fish Grill, a seafood restaurant chain in the Greater Los Angeles area, has been using the integrated technology for several months. Patrick Waiyawaytar, the chain's vice president for information technology, praised the technology's effectiveness: “I can attest that these technologies are effective for our large-scale operations and will continue to help us grow.”
Founded in 2017, Kea has raised $29.6 million to enhance customer service through conversational AI. The company has successfully digitized phone ordering for 10 enterprise-level restaurant chains, positioning itself as a key player in the AI-driven transformation of the dining industry.
