Alain.AI: Creating a Chef’s Digital Twin

Alain Coumont founded Le Pain Quotidien focused on organic ingredients and the brand is now adding a new ingredient to the mix: artifical intelligence. Partnering with November Five, Le Pain Quotidien launched Alain.AI, a tool that can be called the world's first digital twin of a chef-founder and used to help with menu development, recipe standardization, and culinary innovation.

"As a restaurant business, we use AI to go faster and to develop the business further," Annick Van Overstraeten, CEO of Le Pain Quotidien, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. "Our entire F&B team spent several months inputting recipes, testing, and training the system. We are still in the process of continuously improving it.  Typically, F&B professionals, being more creative, are hesitant to use technology in their recipe creation processes. However, they embraced Alain.AI very fast and use it daily, which indicates our success in implementing technology to grow and improve our business."

Brecht Spileers, Managing Director at November Five added: "The entrepreneurial blood of both of us sees potential for Alain.AI beyond Le Pain Quotidien. Especially for international chains, this tool is hugely interesting as it allows franchisees to quickly respond to local opportunities without losing the brand identity in the products."

Van Overstraeten said Alain.AI was created initially to aid in the brand's development in F&B by compiling historic and current recipes into a closed database, allowing the team to develop new recipes more efficiently. In the second phase, the brand plans to incorporate world trends in F&B into the database to create recipes that reflect global trends. In the third phase, the aim is to create digital twins of consumers, allowing Le Pain Quotidien to ask them what they would like to eat and drink at the eateries.   

In total, the system consists of an inventory of 10,000 recipes, and can interpret various languages, units of measurement and local kitchen equipment. In addition, Alain.AI shows the presentation of the dishes and the programme writes the training manuals for the kitchen staff.  In doing so, the chain can ensure that a sandwich in Leuven and New York are prepared and presented the same.

"This platform has the power to change the way we work," said Frank Bordoni, Commercial Director at Alshaya Group, Le Pain Quotidien franchise operator United Arab Emirates. "As with anything, familiarity is key. You don't have to be an IT nerd or be particularly good with a computer. Whether you are doing culinary operations, front-of-house operations or brand operations, this is a great tool and a game changer.".

The Le Pain Quotidien team feels implications for the restaurant industry are substantial including faster and more efficient menu development, better training and consistency across a brand,  the ability to be flexbile and amenable to localization as well as guest enagement. 

"I think AI still has a huge potential for addressing business," said Van Overstraeten. "However, I think we're at the beginning of a long journey and what we shouldn't lose out of our sight is that we have to use technology to help develop the business. There has to be a business case, a use case, for every technology that we're using. You cannot use technology just for the sake of technology."

Van Overstraeten says operators should embrace AI, instead of being fearful. 

"I would tell them that while it is natural to be cautious of new technology, it is essential to understand how AI can enhance business growth and efficiency if used correctly. AI should not be feared but embraced as a tool that can provide significant benefits when applied thoughtfully and strategically."

Plans include using the system for marketing and forecasting with an emphasis on guest needs and privacy. 

"Engaging with guests will be done through our loyalty system, which helps us understand what clients want and how they react to special products and beverages," noted Van Overstraeten. "We fully respect GDPR laws, and all customer data will be anonymized. We will build a robust anonymized database of both clients and non-clients across the 22 countries where Le Pain Quotidien is present, allowing us to monitor preferences and meet their needs without following individuals personally."