Omnivore Partners Up, an Immersive Cereal Experience and a Cheesy Pop-Up
5 Min Read By MRM Staff
On today’s plate, we have new restaurant tech partnerships and restaurants for beloved brands. Send news items of interest to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine’s Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com or modernrestaurantmanagement@gmail.com.
Omnivore Adds to POS Dealer Partnerships
Omnivore inked several new point-of-sale (POS) dealer partnerships, offering new solutions designed to streamline restaurant operations and to simplify deployment of the latest third-party app technologies across a wide variety of POS platforms.
Building on strong momentum from new partnerships signed in the first quarter of 2017 with Custom Business Solutions’ (CBS) NorthStar and with Pinnacle Hospitality Systems, Omnivore recently signed on several new POS dealers including Big Apple Hospitality, California Retail Systems, Crescent Business Machines, Data Business Systems, Infinity Restaurant Technology, Missouri Restaurant Solutions, Penn Center Systems, POS Technical Services, Inc., Retail Systems Inc. and United Standard POS. Each of these partners is now a part of the Omnivore Marketplace, enabling restaurant clients to seamlessly test and deploy a wide variety of the latest and most popular apps on the most widely-deployed POS systems, all through a single integration point. Applications range from delivery, reservations and payment solutions to innovations designed to streamline loyalty, gifting and labor. 
“Our partnership with Omnivore has enabled us to add another layer of value for our customers while simultaneously providing best-in-class technical solutions,” said Scott Henson, President and CEO of POS Technical Services. “Together, we have created the ideal answer for restaurant operators who are searching for new solutions to help optimize their operations.”
“Each of the dealer partnerships we have added in 2017 has been strategically selected to help restaurants improve operations, and ultimately, provide better value to customers,” said Omnivore CEO and Co-Founder Mike Wior. “With Omnivore integrated into the POS, restaurants easily access everything from delivery, reservations and payment to loyalty and gifting applications. These partnerships, combined with the Omnivore App Marketplace, present an unparalleled opportunity for brands to drive more effective customer engagements and to increase revenue.”
Wior continued, “As Omnivore continues to capture new market share, we are making POS integrations easier and access to the latest app technologies more readily available. Omnivore remains committed to utilizing key partnerships like those we created in the first half of 2017 to continue to close the gap in the restaurant technology divide.”
Buca di Beppo® Celebrates Orlando Opening
Buca di Beppo®, opened its third Orlando location, Buca Celebration in Kissimmee, FL. top photo. Buca Celebration is located on US Highway 192, tucked between Route 417 and Interstate 4.
“I’m delighted to join the Celebration community with the opening of our third Buca di Beppo location in the Orlando area,” said Robert Earl, Chairman of Planet Hollywood International, Inc., the parent company of Buca di Beppo. “Central Florida is our home and I’m excited for our newest location to provide a welcoming environment for guests with some of our amazing new offerings, such as a new lunch menu and our first ever Happy Hour.”
The new location seats 215 guests, featuring outdoor seating and several semi private dining rooms including the restaurants iconic Pope Room. In addition to offering the signature dishes, the Celebration location will offer a unique lunch menu called Da Vinci Delight. This section of the menu features lighter fare for on-the-go guests with a craving for Italian.
The Spotted Cheetah: The Cheesy Spot to Be
Cheetos-inspired dishes will come to life in New York City at The Spotted Cheetah, the first-ever restaurant devoted to all things Cheetos. Located at 211 W. Broadway, the restaurant will be open to the public by reservation only August 15 – August 17 and will provide guests the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate Cheetos dining experience.
Chef Anne Burrell is lending her culinary expertise at something completely different with the world’s first Cheetos restaurant.
“As a long-time Cheetos fan, I’m thrilled to join forces with a snack brand that is truly an iconic American staple,” said Burrell. “I had so much fun curating this specially crafted, one-of-a-kind menu for the first Cheetos restaurant – I can’t wait to see guests’ reactions!”
The three-course menu will range from $8 to $22, and will feature a total of eleven signature Cheetos-inspired dishes showcasing well-known Cheetos flavors – Cheesy, Flamin’ Hot, Flamin’ Hot Limón, Flamin’ Hot Chipotle Ranch, White Cheddar, Cheddar Jalapeño, and even the Sweetos flavors of cinnamon sugar and caramel.
“Once again, our fans have inspired us with their creativity and playfulness. We’ve seen their love for Cheetos exhibited through innovative dishes, desserts and beverages, which motivated us to create a restaurant that would bring a full Cheetos culinary experience to life,” said Ryan Matiyow, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay. “The Spotted Cheetah is a fun and delicious way for Cheetos to celebrate a variety of favorite flavors in an upscale and playful culinary setting that will wow our guests.”
Guests can reserve a spot or get on the waitlist by visiting www.TheSpottedCheetah.com and making a reservation using the OpenTable app on the homepage and all the recipes will be available in a free digital cookbook starting August 15.
Kellogg’s® Will Open Immersive Cereal Experience
In July 2016, Kellogg’s NYC cereal café opened for fans to reimagine the cereal experience with one of the industry’s most iconic brands. With its business partner, Co.create NYC, led by culinary and hospitality experts Anthony Rudolf and Sandra Di Capua, they collaborated with numerous creative partners including renowned chefs and unexpected restaurants and culinary institutions.
The company felt the concept was too big to be contained in a mere 1,600 square feet, so they are moving to a new undisclosed home in downtown New York City.
“We are thrilled and humbled by the response we have received with Kellogg’s NYC,” said Aleta Chase, Kellogg’s Marketing Director. “We are happy to expand on the experience and look forward to making it even more amazing in downtown NYC later this year.”
On August 13, Kellogg’s NYC will close its doors in Time Square to prepare for a grand opening downtown this winter.
Sodexo Cracks its Commitment
In support of Sodexo’s global commitment to source only cage-free eggs by 2025, the food services and facilities management company’s U.S. operations said they are on track to surpass this goal. By adding hard-boiled eggs to its cage-free commitment—which already includes shell and liquid eggs—70 percent of its total egg spend in U.S. will be sourced from cage-free products by spring 2018.
70 percent of its total egg spend in U.S. will be sourced from cage-free products by spring 2018.
Further, the company’s 12,500 accounts in the U.S. will begin to source open sow housed pork products this fall, all part of its broad commitment to improve the humane treatment of animals in its supply chain.
“As one of the largest food service providers in the world, this is the right decision for us,” says Jim Pazzanese, Vice President of Supply Management. “These changes will have a positive impact on our organization, the environment and ultimately on our business. Our customers care about where their meat comes from and how animals are treated, and we want to give them the satisfaction of knowing their products are being sourced ethically and are sustainably raised.”
In 2015, Sodexo announced its animal welfare commitment that encompassed changes to its supply of eggs, chicken, pork, dairy and beef. Improving the sustainability of its supply chain comes as a result of a rigorous process to gather opinions and evolving preferences of nearly 15 million Sodexo customers who are served every day in the U.S.