Technologies for Retail Food Service: EuroCIS 2025 Presents the Food Service Innovation Hub

The food service industry faces fundamental change: digital technologies and automation solutions are increasingly gaining in importance. This trend also results from pressure because rising energy costs and skilled labour shortages are forcing food service providers to become more efficient. Since many retail firms bank on gastronomic offerings for a special customer experience and increased customer loyalty, food service technologies also play a role in the retail industry. EuroCIS 2025 will provide this growing market segment with a dedicated special area for the first time: the Food Service Innovation Hub offers a platform for forward-looking technologies ranging from connected kitchen appliances and smart service solutions to AI-assisted vending.

Food Service Technology Innovations and their Prerequisites
The digitalisation of food service processes promises many advantages but grinds to a halt when individual systems – be it in the kitchen, in service or administration – are not compatible with each other. “Today, cooking works differently to how it did in the past: modern stoves and ovens contain complex software that controls processes. To take an obvious example: if one appliance communicates in degrees Celsius and the other in Fahrenheit, the product will be negatively affected,” says Stefanie Boeck, co-founder of HOOSY e.V., explaining the problem. The NPO HOOSY e.V. is a conceptual partner of the Food Service Innovation Hub at EuroCIS and wants the hospitality sector to be technically interconnected. The aim: food service operations should be able to select and use software and tools according to their needs – regardless of technical limitation or previous knowledge. HOOSY wants to create a standard by means of certificates, ensuring data export and interface communication across the industry. This is a smart investment in the future of the industry because standardisation is also driven forward by regulatory measures: a new EU data regulation aims to standardise interface communication so as to enable interoperability of different systems and achieve smooth digital connection.  

Nicola Wegmüller, Innovation Business Consultant at GLORY, also sees the need for technical development in food service: “AI and connected systems are the core elements of modern automation solutions and therefore the main drivers ensuring the industry is future-proofed,” she explains. “Despite the technological advances made over the past few years we are still in the early stages of the development. It is worthwhile investing in these technologies now, so you don’t get left behind.”

Automation as a Response to Skilled Labour Shortages in Food Service
One of the major challenges for (retail) food service is the shortage of skilled staff and this is exactly what can be remedied by digitalization and automation. Stefanie Boeck looks ahead to the future: “We assume that technologies such as robotics, connectivity and AI will dramatically change if not catapult the hospitality market into the future. If my check-out system automatically talks to the kitchen, bookkeeping and merchandise management, tasks can be performed much more efficiently.”

There is another factor in addition to labour shortages, says Wegmüller. “Customer expectations in terms of availability and convenient services are rising at the same time. To manage this high-wire act – better service despite a difficult staffing situation – our customers are looking for new ways for digitalisation.” AI-based solutions and automation can take over the repetitive tasks or provide assistance in bookkeeping. This reduces the workload of skilled staff allowing them to focus on their key tasks such advising customers or performing creative-culinary tasks.  

Robots and the Internet of Things: Tomorrow’s Kitchen Technology
Intelligent systems also counter skilled labour shortages in kitchens by facilitating workflows for unskilled workers. At the Food Service Innovation Hub MKN will exhibit multi-functional kitchen appliances that are easy to handle even for unskilled employees. In addition, smart kitchen appliances increase efficiency in production processes: they help to save energy, exploit resources optimally and minimise sources of mistakes. Wiesheu will showcase innovative baking technologies that make for a demand-driven production of fresh pastry – thereby also contributing to sustainability.

Technologies can not only boost efficiency in kitchen processes but also contribute to creating a special customer experience. “In technical food-service solutions we currently observe two categories,” reports Stefanie Boeck. “One category of solutions is about programmes or appliances working in the background to execute processes as efficiently as possible and produce quickly. Some robots, however, are not only about the function but also about the wow-factor. Watching a robot mix cocktails is quite an experience.”

Intelligent Service Solutions for an Optimum Customer Experience
Customer experience also plays a key role in service, says Christoph Digwa, CEO, Menoovo GmbH: “In times where experiences and storytelling are getting more and more important, restaurateurs ask us how they can better tell their unique stories and the origin of their products to set themselves apart from competitors.” To this end Menoovo will be showcasing a self-ordering solution at the Food Service Innovation Hub, where the digital menu can be complemented by interactive video content. The generation of videos, images and text is assisted by Artificial Intelligence. Another feature is the digital sommelier who engages in upselling by recommending matching beverages.

Vending & Payment: New Opportunities for ales
The sales of catering products and meals can also be automated. This allows 24/7 self-service to be provided despite scarce human resources.  Modern vending machines or POS kiosks feature AI-assisted functionalities. The Vending Wall presented by GLORY at the Food Service Innovation Hub will, for instance, make automated product recommendations, age verification and stock optimisation all possible.

Food Service Innovation Hub: Special Area at EuroCIS 2025
From 18 to 20 February EuroCIS 2025 will set new standards again with the Food Service Innovation Hub in Hall 10, Stand D20, and demonstrate how digital technologies can shape the future of retail food service.

Participating companies will showcase these products among others:

• Shenzhen Elanda Tech: self-service kiosks and Kitchen Display Systems
• MKN: multi-functional professional cooking technology for efficient and flexible production on a small footprint
• Wiesheu: intelligent baking technology for demand-driven production
• WizarPOS: Android-based POS systems for retail food service including menu and order management as well as table management
• GLORY: scalable SS solution Vending Wall with AI-based product recommendation, age verification as well as stock and price optimisation
• Menoovo: AI-based interactive menu with multi-media content
• Meal Revolution GmbH: food vending machine for a 24/7-self-service concept
• Hallo Cafe: Barista robot with live tasting
• Iovent: smart self-service and vending solutions using IoT and business intelligence
• Alibaba: sponsor of the Coffee Lounge