The founders of xtraCHEF, Andrew Schwartz and Bhavik Patel, have launched a new venture after selling their previous company to Toast in 2021. Schwartz and Patel spent several years at Toast before transitioning to other positions, but they have now returned to the restaurant technology sector with Tandem, a company specializing in AI-driven restaurant agents. These agents are designed to handle a variety of back-office functions, including financial management, labor scheduling, purchasing, inventory tracking, and marketing campaigns. Tandem has secured seed funding and is currently testing its technology in a pilot program involving 100 restaurant locations.
Celebrity chef Michael Schulson has joined Tandem as a founding partner, bringing kitchen-side expertise to the project. His involvement shows the importance of practical industry knowledge in shaping restaurant technology solutions. Schulson’s perspective will help ensure that Tandem’s AI tools align with real-world operational needs.
Meanwhile, Crunchtime is expanding its software suite into kitchen display systems (KDS). The company is integrating its operations software, Crunchtime Kitchen, Crunchtime Ops Execution, and Crunchtime Inventory, directly into the KDS interface. This creates a consolidated operational dashboard visible to kitchen staff on their primary screens.
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The updated system enables workers to view active orders while receiving real-time prompts for specific preparations. Staff can also log food waste directly on the screen, which automatically updates inventory levels in Crunchtime’s database. The integration reflects a deeper collaboration between Crunchtime and QSR Automations, its KDS hardware provider, which merged with the company last year.
AI Travel Assistant Launches from Kayak Founders
Steve Hafner and Paul English are introducing Lola, an artificial intelligence assistant. Users can chat with the system to plan trips and make reservations for dining. The software remembers user preferences to offer personalized suggestions.
Lola is free to use but offers paid upgrades. These tiers provide access to better hotel deals and special dining benefits. The company is owned by Booking Holdings, which also manages Kayak and OpenTable.
