Business
Portillo's Serves Up Tradition with a Side of Tech: Chicago Icon Pilots Self-Service Kiosks
Strategic Kiosk Rollout, in Partnership with Bite, Will Facilitate Faster Ordering, Shorter Lines, and Visual Menu Exploration to Enhance Guest,Team Member
About this update from Portillo's Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Strategic Kiosk Rollout, in Partnership with Bite, Will Facilitate Faster Ordering, Shorter Lines, and Visual Menu Exploration to Enhance Guest,Team Member Experience\nCHICAGO, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Portillo's Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLO), the fast-casual restaurant concept known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites, today announced that it is piloting kiosks in select restaurants. This strategic test represents a step forward in Portillo's ongoing commitment to embracing technology that will enhance the guest and Team Member experience, while optimizing operational efficiency. The company has installed its first state-of-the-art, 24-inch Bite kiosks at two Chicagoland restaurants, offering Portillo's guests an additional layer of convenience and choice, and freeing up Team Members to support other areas of the restaurant and focus on exceptional guest service.\n\nGuests at Portillo's restaurants in Downers Grove, IL (1500 Butterfield Rd) and Chicago's River North neighborhood (100 W Ontario St) will have the first opportunity to trial the kiosks, which were custom-designed in partnership with Portillo's technology team and Bite. As part of the pilot program, Portillo's plans to install additional kiosks at its restaurants in California later this month. Pilot locations will serve as testing environments, providing valuable insights to guide potential future kiosk implementations.\n\"We've studied best practices across the restaurant industry to identify a next-generation ordering system as a thoughtful addition for both our guests and our Team Members,\" said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer of Portillo's. \"By offering an alternative ordering experience, we're giving guests another way to get their Portillo's however they prefer, while creating flexibility for our teams to focus on what they do best – making delicious food and providing fun, welcoming service. It's about carefully integrating technology to enhance the classic Portillo's experience that has delighted fans for over six decades.\"\nCrucially, this technological addition is designed to complement, not disrupt the Portillo's dine-in experience. The kiosks work alongside existing ordering channels, providing guests with more ways to order. This approach enables Portillo's to strategically redistribute Team Members to other high-value areas of guest service,...