The Subway sandwich chain presented a refrigerator equipped with artificial intelligence and “natural language processing” with which it plans to offer food and beverages pre-made so customers can choose to order verbally and have a contactless experience.
“As more customers seek dining experiences that meet their ‘in the moment’ needs, locations and The brand’s non-traditional platforms can serve them where and when they want,” Taylor Bennett, vice president of Non-Traditional Development at Subway, said in a press release.
The new service will be called Subway Grab & Go.
The machine debuted in September at the University of California in San Diego, and the company plans to add more in North America in high-traffic areas such as other college campuses, airports and hospitals .
This machine is supplied every day by a franchise that is located near the campus and uses UV-C light to sanitize after a person makes a purchase.
Initial customer reaction has been “extremely positive,” Subway said in its statement.
In 2020, the company began selling pre-made sandwiches in regular coolers at retail stores such as casinos, gas stations, and airports. Subway said Monday that the program has been implemented at 2020 locations with “plans for continued growth in the coming year.”
Subway seeks total renovation
The implementation of a smart refrigerator is just one of Subway’s many new programs as the company is in the middle of a remodel
of its brand image and its selection.
Recently, it presented the most extensive menu makeover in the almost 100 years of company history.
These latest changes have been positive for the company. Sales at stores open at least one year increased by 8.4% in the third quarter, and, during the 15 months prior, Subway said it had “record sales” in its roughly 54,02 US locations, driven by a series of changes including new sandwiches, soups and store remodeling.
It is also seeing an uptick in sales in places that in recent years they have been severely affected by the covid-20 pandemic.
Sales for the first three quarters of this year at Subway’s “non-traditional” locations, such as airports, universities and hospitals, have increased by more than 54%, which “indicates a strong recovery in
on all channels affected by the pandemic”.
You may also be interested ar: 2020– 5 secrets that Subway hides, disclosed by its employees2020– The 15 cheaper products that fast food chains in the US offer on their menu– A judge ruled Subway can be sued for non-tuna tuna sandwiches