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coin-river-blog · 6 years ago

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The Russian Federation, which is yet to regulate digital assets, is now planning to allow four of its regions to test innovations that are not covered by its current legislation. A bill drafted by the Economy ministry envisages the establishment of regulatory sandboxes there. The special economic zones will allow companies, entrepreneurs and authorities to experiment with cryptocurrencies without breaking the federal law.

Also read: Russia Adopts Law to Isolate Runet From the Internet

Regions to Become Test Grounds for Crypto Projects

The draft has been designed to facilitate the development of neuro- and quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented reality as well as crypto and blockchain technologies. Companies are often unable to introduce these innovations to the market due to the absence of a relevant legal framework governing their implementation.

The plan is to launch projects in all of these fields within regulatory sandboxes that will be created in the capital Moscow and the regions of Perm Krai, Kaluga Oblast, and Kaliningrad Oblast, Izvestia reported quoting Savva Shipov, Russia’s deputy minister of economic development. Shipov told the business daily that the main goal is to stimulate innovations with regulations that will be more flexible than those that exist on the federal level.

The authors of the bill point out that similar regulatory mechanisms are already being put in place elsewhere around the world, especially in regards to the financial services sector. This type of arrangements limit the legal risks for businesses and decrease the time and capital needed to develop and introduce innovative products and services.

According to Kirill Kabanov, advisor to the Russian president on the civil society development and human rights, existing laws often do not correspond to economic realities. “For example, for many years cryptocurrencies are actively circulating around the world, but in fact, most countries, including Russia, do not regulate their use,” he noted. “Regulatory sandboxes will be effective if they are used as test grounds for norms that can later be applied to adapt the legal environment to the new technological structure,” Kabanov added.

In fact, President Putin himself ordered Russian deputies to adopt laws and regulations pertaining to the digital economy during the spring parliamentary session, no later than July 1. A package of bills regulating digital financial assets and related matters was introduced in the State Duma last May but the final voting has been postponed multiple times. Even after their adoption, it’s likely that decentralized cryptocurrencies will not be allowed to circulate freely in Russia where money surrogates are banned and the ruble is the only legal tender. That makes the idea of creating regulatory sandboxes permitting these assets and technologies even more appealing.

Vladimir Putin.

The Sandbox Concept – a Compromise Solution

While many governments around the world are still undecided how to deal with cryptocurrencies, some have already taken this cautious but also relatively effective approach that relies on a compromise. Creating sandboxes for testing crypto and blockchain technologies in a laxer regulatory environment allows the sector to develop until the state finds its bearings in terms of national policy regarding digital assets and the industry built around them.

One successful example of this type of solution is Belarus. The former Soviet republic, which is a close ally of Russia often criticized for its authoritarian government, has actually turned out to be quite open towards innovations in the digital space. The executive power in Minsk, led by President Alexander Lukashenko, created a special economic zone called the High Technologies Park (HTP) to accommodate companies working with IT technologies.

In the past year, the HTP has also become home to dozens of crypto businesses including a licensed exchange and companies developing blockchain, crypto payment, and mining solutions. They were able to benefit from the presidential decree “On the Development of the Digital Economy,” which came into force in March 2018 introducing a 5-year tax holiday and other incentives for entities dealing with digital assets and related technologies that are registered residents of the park.

Regulatory sandboxes also allow authorities and traditional financial institutions to be more accommodative towards the nascent crypto industry. Last summer, a Dubai-based platform called Palmex became the first regulated cryptocurrency exchange in the Middle East and North Africa region when the Central Bank of Bahrain licensed it to operate legally within a sandbox. A similar license was also granted to Belfrics Global, a crypto technology provider originally based in Malaysia.

Plans and proposals to set up regulatory sandboxes for crypto-related activities have been put forward in many other countries such as South Korea, India, U.K., Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, Mexico, South Africa, and Israel. Other Russian regions, like the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Primorsky Krai in the Far East, have also been mentioned as possible locations for these experimental economic and administrative zones. If more of these projects are realized, the sandbox concept may prove to be a good compromise as it allows crypto innovations to develop while governments mull and fine-tune regulations without impeding technological and economic progress.

Do you think regulatory sandboxes represent a good mechanism to introduce cryptocurrencies and related technologies to the market? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

Do you agree with us that Bitcoin is the best invention since sliced bread? Thought so. That’s why we are building this online universe revolving around anything and everything Bitcoin. We have a store. And a forum. And a casino, a pool and real-time price statistics.

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Belarus, blockchain technologies, crypto, Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets, Economy, htp, market, regions, Regulations, regulatory sandboxes, Russia

Lubomir Tassev

Lubomir Tassev is a journalist from tech-savvy Bulgaria, which sometimes finds itself at the forefront of advances it cannot easily afford. Quoting Hitchens, he says: ”Being a writer is what I am, rather than what I do.“ International politics and economics are two other sources of inspiration.

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webart-studio · 6 years ago

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The Secret Expertise That Is Taking Synthetic Intelligence To New Locations

Are the robots actually taking up?

By robots, I imply artificially clever machine-based studying algorithms that mimic the workings of a human mind.

Besides… they don’t actually.

With all the thrill about Synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying now you’d suppose that the human mind and the way in which we expect, act, make choices, and function on the earth is on the way in which out.

In actual fact, the way in which the present know-how operates – utilizing neural networks – is considerably incongruent to the workings of the human mind. Not less than in keeping with the “father” of the expansion in AI, Geoffrey Hinton:

“I don’t suppose it’s how the mind works. We clearly don’t want all of the labeled information.”

To grasp what I’m speaking about, and why it issues, let’s take a step again…

The cornerstone to AI: Neural networks and deep studying

On the core of AI analysis are this stuff referred to as neural networks. Neural networks are a framework that permits machine studying algorithms to work collectively, course of complicated information, and carry out duties primarily based on the knowledge. They “study” with out human enter of duties or steps required in a course of.

“Deep neural networks” are broadly utilized in a course of known as “deep studying” in fields akin to picture recognition, pure language processing, evaluation of medical pictures, social community filtering, and different functions.

The issue with neural networks and deep studying

Increasingly individuals are recognizing that neural networks and deep studying have limitations. Deep Studying techniques, opposite to their designation, don’t study. They’re skilled utilizing tens of millions of samples and carry out solely the motion for which they’re skilled. They don’t seem to be clever. Educated techniques can solely reply, they’ll’t study or adapt.

There are additionally main considerations with this type of synthetic intelligence and machine studying as a result of quantity of energy required to carry out actions and the quantity of coaching that’s required. For essentially the most half, the grunt work must be handed off to distant servers on the cloud which considerably will increase the time during which the know-how responds.

Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, is an instance of cloud processing. The phrases are despatched over the web as digital information to a distant laptop, the reply is processed and relayed again in the identical method. The precise speech processing and search is carried out on the distant laptop. Which is okay for issues like Siri, however not for autonomous autos and different time-critical conditions.

For AI and machine studying to progress to the subsequent stage, a quicker and extra environment friendly solution to course of these computations wanted to be found…

Enter “Edge Processing” and BrainChip

Edge processing is – in distinction to processing in “the cloud” – carried out proper on the machine itself.

The leaders on this area are an organization by the title of BrainChip. BrainChip has developed a revolutionary community referred to as Akida that’s sufficiently small, quick sufficient and environment friendly sufficient to carry out these machine studying and clever duties on the machine itself by studying autonomously. That is compared to passing on the work to distant servers – which might not be accessible in every single place. In essential units, the place human life can rely upon AI, you don’t need to be depending on a distant server which will or might not be reachable.

By dealing with these complicated computations on the machine itself, it considerably accelerates the method. For instance, BrainChip’s object classification know-how can course of 1400 pictures per second at 92% accuracy in comparison with present applied sciences that solely course of as much as 15 pictures per second at 82% accuracy! See a illustration of this highly effective know-how within the video beneath:

youtube

The Akida community is the primary of its type that’s designed to study by itself, virtually immediately, in the identical method that the mind learns. This steady real-time studying functionality makes it potential to make use of the Akida chip in merchandise the place typical deep studying techniques can’t be used.

A key success issue to the implementation of BrainChip’s know-how at scale is the truth that it builds on the know-how already accessible – whereby different proposed self-learning networks throw the infant out with the bathtub water.

Right here’s a quote from BrainChip’s founder, Peter van der Made;

“Akida embodies a technique of bridging the hole from deep studying to autonomous studying techniques that goes past the present capabilities of AI. There isn’t any must throw all of it away and begin over. Akida may help to protect an organization’s present funding in AI and progress in direction of autonomous studying clever techniques from there.”

It’s predicted that future Akida chips will incorporate much more traits of the mind, akin to episodic reminiscence – that’s, remembering and anticipating issues that occur in sequence, and predicting which results in understanding.

It actually is the know-how that may take AI to new and mysterious locations, with it’s first launch anticipated within the second half of 2019.

“Actual world” functions of Akida

After all, all this speak about robots, synthetic intelligence, and human-like studying machines is attention-grabbing… however how will this know-how be used within the “actual world”?

BrainChip designed and examined the primary model of its know-how in 2015. It contained a comparatively small community that was in a position to study, with out assist and inside seconds, to drive a simulated automobile round a monitor with out operating into the perimeters. The simulated automobile behaved like a mouse in a maze, “feeling” the boundaries of the monitor to study to navigate it.

In parallel to the BrainChip powered automobile, one other take a look at automobile utilizing widespread and presently accessible machine studying strategies went across the monitor too. This automobile ran into the perimeters and realized the boundary, then returned to the start and tried once more, bumped once more and realized some extra. That is much like the educational technique that’s used right this moment in deep studying networks, the place errors are repeatedly fed again to the community to vary its habits – somewhat than studying autonomously and altering in real-time as Akida does.

See this race automobile demonstration within the video beneath:

vimeo

BrainChip Race Automotive Demonstration (Milestone 1) from Aziana Restricted on Vimeo.

An actual-world software of this know-how contains cybersecurity, the place an unbelievable 98% of threats might be detected in microseconds with simply minutes of coaching. In distinction, a deep studying community would require many hours or days of coaching on a machine to detect solely 97% of threats.

Akida will also be used for picture and video processing to detect objects, hand gestures, and different shifting parts. This has already began to revolutionize safety digicam monitoring, particularly in casinos the place dishonest is a posh and dear drawback. This know-how can study, detect, and alert on line casino workers of issues in real-time video footage.

Conclusion

The Akida know-how created by BrainChip is on the forefront of technological change and the way forward for AI. It’s a completely new method of processing information primarily based on the way in which the mind works and is suited to each deep studying networks in addition to self-learning and autonomous networks – one thing we haven’t seen in mainstream society but.

The cybersecurity, object classification and hand-gesture demonstrations developed up to now are solely scratching the floor of what’s potential with this know-how. It’s the subsequent technology of AI.

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bluebookweb · 7 years ago

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Chipotle’s Commitment to Sustainability and Blendid, the Autonomous Robotic Station

The Marvelous Monday edition of MRM’s Daily Bite features Chipotle Mexican Grill, Villa Restaurant Group, HotSchedules, King-Casey and Revenue Management Solutions, EAS Consulting Group and FoodMinds, Paytronix, Not Your Average Joe’s, 6d bytes, Groupex and DataCandy as well as Medieval Times.

Send news items to Barbara Castiglia at [email protected].

Chipotle’s Sustainability Commitment

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced its commitment to divert half of all of its restaurant waste from landfills by 2020. Since 2015 Chipotle has made strides towards reducing the amount of food and packaging waste bound for landfills, increasing its diversion rate from 31 percent that year to 40 percent in 2017. Now the company embarks on achieving a 50 percent diversion rate.

Landfills can often contain materials that could have been recycled or composted for greater environmental benefits, but instead emit greenhouse gases that may contribute significantly to global climate change. By diverting materials that would otherwise be sent to a landfill, Chipotle is doing its part to help lower emissions and be a positive force for change.

“Increasing our waste diversion rate to 50 percent is an ambitious goal, but we feel it’s important to be assertive in our efforts to advance our purpose,” said Caitlin Leibert, head of sustainability at Chipotle. “We remain deeply dedicated to bringing guests great tasting food while upholding Chipotle’s values and commitment to food made with respect for the land and environment.”

To reach this goal, Chipotle and its partners are implementing several best practices, including:

Reduce: Programs such as Chipotle’s Mindful Prep initiative, which trains restaurant staff to minimize food waste during the preparation process, along with targeted initiatives to reduce packaging, have lowered the amount of total waste upfront.

Right Sizing: Chipotle adjusts services and food preparation to its sales per restaurant so less food is going to waste at the end of day.

Recycling: More in-restaurant recycling and compost programs are being implemented for food packaging disposal. With this, Chipotle is working towards a goal of ensuring 100 percent of its restaurants are recycling by 2020.

Waste Audits: Chipotle goes a step further in waste management by using existing data to predict and manage its waste diversion rate. For example, after auditing its restaurants, the company replaced plastic wrap, a non-divertible product, with reusable lids to reduce the amount of material it sends to landfills. Chipotle is constantly assessing opportunities like these to reduce waste and support the environment.

Food Donations: By 2020, Chipotle has pledged that 80 percent of its restaurants will participate in the Harvest Program, which donates leftover food to local community organizations.

Composting: The company is also committed to increasing the availability of composting in its restaurants to 20 percent by 2020.

A full-time Diversions Coordinator will continue to oversee the work Chipotle is undertaking to meet the 50 percent goal. Chipotle also engages trusted partners to ensure proper waste handling at its restaurants. One of these partners, RiverRoad Waste Solutions, works with approximately half of Chipotle restaurants to constantly evaluate and implement programs to maximize waste diversion.

“Chipotle is never satisfied when it comes to minimizing its environmental impact,” said Kris Bunnell, CEO of RiverRoad Waste Solutions. “The company is always looking for new ways to go above and beyond to do what is best for their guests, the community and the environment.”

Villa Restaurant Group Debuts Online Ordering for Catering Program

Morristown-based Villa Restaurant Group, a global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor, expanded into online ordering for catering for two of its holdings, quick-service pizza brand Villa Italian Kitchen and better-for-you brand with on-the-go options,Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads. As of March , both brands have the ability to fulfill orders for groups of 10 – 500+ at corporate meetings, school functions, sporting events, fundraisers and more – all at the click of a button.

By visiting each brand’s website, catering page or Facebook, guests can choose their order details and plan the menu of their dreams. Villa Restaurant Group will take care of the rest, to provide the easiest ordering experience possible, and can accommodate last-minute needs. Additionally, all prices include plates, utensils, serving utensils and napkins.

“We are thrilled to make our catering offerings more accessible to consumers nationwide,” said Stephanie Beamer, Division Vice President, Franchise & Catering. “Making a catering order through Green Leaf’s and Villa Italian Kitchen has never been easier, thanks to our new platform and customizable options. We hope our loyal customers will be happy to see what we’ve done!”

Founded in 1964 by Michele (Michael) Scotto, a Naples, Italy native, Villa Restaurant Group, began as a small pizzeria next to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Today, Villa Restaurant Group is an international organization that recently celebrated its 52nd anniversary with nearly 400 restaurants in malls, airports, casinos and other high-traffic locations. Villa Restaurant Group’s quick-service restaurant brands, including Villa Italian Kitchen®, Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads®, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt®, South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries®, Far East Asian Fire®, and other emerging brands, can be found across 42 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and five additional countries. Villa also operates full service restaurants in New Jersey under the 40North Restaurant Group® brand including The Black Horse Tavern & Pub®, The Office Tavern Grill®, The OFFICE Beer Bar & Grill®, Steelworks Buffet & Grill®, Piattino® and George & Martha’s®.

HotSchedules Enhances Clarifi

HotSchedules® added new machine learning-based forecasting capabilities within Clarifi, the first cloud-based intelligent operating platform for restaurants. This latest innovation leverages advanced algorithms to automatically produce incredibly accurate forecasts, helping restaurateurs make better ordering and staffing decisions as they deal with the complexities of changing consumer demands, legislative mandates and off-premise requirements.

Clarifi’s advanced forecasting engine partners the manager with the machine. The machine offers raw, unemotional number-crunching power while the manager brings the contextual awareness and human intuition that can only be gained on the job.

“HotSchedules’ advanced forecasting capabilities strike a balance between centralized forecast management for above-store leaders with the changing demands of the day that only a store manager can see,” said Abe Ruiz, chief operating officer, Eat Here Brands. “I’ve seen the forecasting and robust scheduling tools shave as much as a half a point or more off of labor costs while optimizing the guest experience to increase revenue opportunities.”

No two restaurants are the same; therefore, the same forecasting model will not work for all. Clarifi uniquely leverages multiple, competing algorithms to ensure the automatic delivery of the most accurate forecast for each store.

“Our goal is to help our customers minimize human error and get better predictability through machine learning while preserving the managers’ on-the-ground knowledge and experiences. Restaurant managers shouldn’t have to be data scientists, so we are using machine learning with store-level inputs to automatically generate forecasts that help them do their jobs better,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, chief operating officer and head of product at HotSchedules.

King-Casey and Revenue Management Solutions Team Up

King-Casey and Revenue Management Solutions are working together to combine their skill sets in helping restaurant brands optimize their menu strategies.

For certain clients, King-Casey and Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) are combining their approaches: King-Casey specializes in conducting and analyzing in-depth research of customer attitudes and behaviors, while RMS focuses on utilizing point-of-sales data to analyze customer purchasing behavior.

The two companies have started working together on behalf of several clients, and are finding that this approach helps restaurant brands to be smarter as they optimize their menu strategy, design, content and pricing structure in a way that promotes profitability while encouraging repeat customers.

As an example, clients often want to know how to sell more items that will enhance profitability, while understanding the thought process behind customer decisions. By working together, King-Casey and RMS can offer a complete picture of what customers are thinking and how those mindsets can be turned into menu decisions.

“The beauty of this approach is that it’s based on methodologies that our firms have proven over the years,” said Tom Cook, Principal of King-Casey. “For more than 30 years, we’ve been helping restaurants increase sales and profits by applying our customer-centric MenuBoard Optimization process. Now, RMS’s analytical skills and algorithms enable us to develop and test many different product and pricing strategies to determine which are best for improving business performance.”

“We deliver increased margins across menu items for our clients, without negatively impacting customer buying patterns and behavior,” said Mark Kuperman, Chief Operating Officer of RMS. “While we focus on analyzing data that shows customers’ actual buying behavior, King-Casey brings the ability to understand the sentiments driving that behavior. By working together, we can provide clients a powerful combination of knowledge.”

The two firms are now telling their respective clients about this new approach, and are getting significant interest. Founded in 1953, King-Casey is a pioneer in restaurant consulting, branding and design. Clients include Starbucks, McDonald’s, Subway and Del Taco. Revenue Management Solutions, based in Tampa, Florida, is a leader in bringing a data-based approach to pricing and menu optimization for restaurants, providing solutions for a number of leading global restaurant brands, including many of the largest companies in the industry. RMS assists more than 50 major brands in more than 40 countries, with its patented processes of revenue management used in more than 100,000 locations globally.

EAS Partners with FoodMinds

EAS Consulting Group and FoodMinds formed a strategic partnership to help the food industry navigate complicated issues surrounding the science of food and nutrition, the development of products to meet consumer demand and the regulatory hurdles of ensuring safe and compliant product-lines.

As consumer demand for greater transparency in food products increases and federal and state regulatory agencies implement pre-emptive, preventive requirements aimed at protecting consumer safety, the collaborative effort by EAS and FoodMinds will help ensure:

Identification and mitigation of risks to branding and regulatory compliance;

Properly structured, vetted and compliant partnerships with co-manufacturers and suppliers, amidst the current preventive mindset of FDA, state and customer requirements;

Crisis preparedness to maintain brand value and integrity; and

Forward thinking strategic plans and operating procedures, engaging the most up-to-date industry guidance, practices and technology to meet stakeholder expectations.

Together, EAS and FoodMinds offer a comprehensive team of experts, facilitating a structured approach to the most challenging issues facing the food industry. With specialists in food and nutrition sciences; toxicology; microbiology; FDA, USDA, EPA, FTC and state food laws, regulations and enforcement practices; food labeling and claims requirements; product branding; public relations and market research; consumer behavior; crisis communications; and technical and scientific writing, the joint teams have the capability to overcome the numerous challenges facing the food industry and drive successful outcomes for clients.

Paytronix Updates App

Paytronix Systems, Inc., introduced the next version of its branded mobile app with native online ordering, a self-service content management system and a new UI/UX. The new and improved features are designed to give brands more control over their mobile experience and to get their mobile apps up and running quickly and cost effectively.

The updated Paytronix Mobile App includes:

Native Online Ordering – Integrates online ordering platforms, such as OLO, directly into the mobile apps to give guests a slicker experience, enhanced graphics and a more intuitive order flow. Single sign-on integrations mean the guest only has to identify themselves once for ordering and loyalty. Marketers can send out an “order now” push message to their apps that will instantly increase revenue.

Self-Service App Updates – Frees marketers to change the look of their app on the fly without releasing a new version to the Android and Apple stores. The updated content management system enables brands to modify their apps’ look and feel with new color, fonts and images as the promotional calendar changes, the brand evolves, and as guests demand more.

UI/UX – Facilitates customer navigation with a cleaner look and feel and a customizable progress bar. Designed to increase enrollment, the mobile registration pages have been updated with a conversational series of pages that makes it easier to capture and augment customer data.

“In today’s digital and mobile-based world one of the biggest stumbling blocks for brands is creating a seamless, remarkable customer experience in all touch points. The integration of online ordering and rewards programs — or integration of any technology type — is rapidly becoming a ‘table stake,’” said James Park, CEO of Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh. “Native online ordering within an affinity platform combines the two functionalities in one mobile app and gives the guest that holistic and seamless brand experience they expect from a top brand.”

“The latest version of the Paytronix branded mobile apps includes features like native online ordering and more intuitive registration pages that are geared to improving the customer experience and increasing customer engagement via their mobile devices,” said Joel Udwin, mobile product manager, Paytronix Systems, Inc. “At the same time, the self-service CMS gives marketers more control in order to help them drive more revenue from their brands’ mobile experience.”

The Paytronix Mobile Guest Experience platform gives restaurants and retailers all the necessary tools to deploy a complete set of world-class guest engagement tools: website, apps, kiosks, surveys, and messaging. Leveraging the Paytronix API, brands develop applications and mobile responsive web sites that deliver exceptional guest experiences and give marketers the ability to manage their accounts from a branded mobile portal.

D’Amelio Named Chairman and CEO at Not Your Average Joe’s

The Board of Directors of Not Your Average Joe’s appointed Peter D’Amelio to become the Chairman and CEO, succeeding Stephen Silverstein, the company’s Founder. Mr. Silverstein will continue in his role as a Director and will be a consultant to the Company.

In addition, Silverstein has purchased the Dartmouth Not Your Average Joe’s restaurant (it’s original location) and will operate that location as an independent licensee of the company.

Silverstein said, “It is time for Not Your Average Joe’s to transition from being founder led, I couldn’t be more pleased than to turn the reins over to Peter. Owning and running Dartmouth will be full circle for me, allowing me to continue to contribute to the company I founded in new ways. I am pleased to continue to serve on the Board of Directors and I will do everything I can to help Not Your Average Joe’s grow into the national powerhouse it should be.”

D’Amelio said, “I am humbled and honored to be selected to lead Not Your Average Joe’s. I will build on Steve’s vision of scratch food at affordable prices coupled with best of class hospitality. I couldn’t be more excited for the future.”

Not Your Average Joe’s was founded by Stephen Silverstein in 1994. Today, Not Your Average Joe’s operates 22 restaurants in 6 states, employing about 1,600 and serving 4.5 million happy guests a year.

Peter D’Amelio joined Not Your Average Joe’s as President in September 2017. He previously held executive positions with some of the best companies in the industry, including his 18 years at Cheesecake Factory where he was president for five years.

Blendid™ Debuts

6d bytes is launching Blendid™, the world’s first fully autonomous robotic station, to help food service companies meet the needs of consumers who want healthy and delicious blends to fit with their busy lifestyles.

The first Blendid station was unveiled this afternoon on the first floor of Plug and Play, the world’s largest startup innovation platform in Sunnyvale.

The blended drinks, featuring fresh ingredients such as mango, spinach, blueberry, coconut water, kefir, banana and ginger, are prepared by a robot without any human intervention. Customers use mobile apps or tablets at the robotic station to browse through the menu, pick and customize an option to their taste and allergies, make payment, and the robot prepares and serves the blend with all natural ingredients in under two minutes.

Marketed to food service operators and retail franchises, Blendid requires no staff and can be accessible 24 hours a day, making it perfect for busy cafeterias, supermarkets, gyms, airports, stadiums and offices.

“People want healthy and delicious meals on the go,” said Vipin Jain, 6d bytes co-founder and CEO. “Blended drinks are only the beginning. We’ll be adding more cuisines and formats in the near future.”

Jain and co-founder & Chief Technology Officer Venki Ayalur conceived the Blendid concept more than three years ago to lead the robotics and AI revolution that will fundamentally disrupt food and beverage industry. A recent report from McKinsey predicted that food service is among the top three industries to be impacted, with 73 percent of its activities automated by 2030.

“We welcome passionate entrepreneurs into our ecosystem and are excited to showcase 6d bytes’ latest autonomous food technology here at Plug and Play,” said Saeed Amidi, CEO and founder of Plug and Play. “Vipin was the third tenant in our building when we opened our doors in 2006. As Plug and Play grew, so did his startup, which was acquired by Barnes & Noble a few years ago and we’re excited to witness the success of his newest venture.”

“Blendid concept is at the forefront of two major changes impacting the food and beverage industry,” said Eric Benhamou, founder and general partner at Benhamou Global Ventures, an investor in 6d bytes. “Food service operators want expanded, cost-effective service hours and customers want healthy, delicious meals. Blendid is a breakthrough solution to achieve both.”

Blendid is owned by 6d bytes of Sunnyvale, California and is housed at Plug and Play.

Groupex Canada Teams with DataCandy

Groupex Canada teamed with DataCandy. Through this partnership, Groupex will offer DataCandy’s gift card and loyalty program services to its members at discounted prices, providing independent restaurants greater access to professional customer engagement tools.

For over 30 years, Groupex has helped independent food service operators reduce costs on essential restaurant services and supplies by providing a package of quality branded goods and services at prices only available through volume purchasing. Groupex has established itself as one of the largest food service buying groups in Canada by pairing the needs of its 2,700+ members with leading branded suppliers, such as Pepsico, Diversey, Canada Bread, Canadian Linen, Gordon Food Service and now DataCandy.

“Independent restaurants need a way to understand, retain and reward their most loyal customers; size shouldn’t affect their ability to compete and stay profitable,” says Lorne Schwartz, CEO of DataCandy. “Our team is thrilled that Groupex chose DataCandy to be the first gift card and loyalty program service provider in its portfolio. This partnership will open a lot of doors and help independently owned restaurants level the loyalty playing field.”

Medieval Times Breaks Ground in Arizona

– Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament broke ground on its tenth North American castle, to be located in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s Talking Stick Entertainment District in Scottsdale, Arizona, top photo.

With construction slated for completion in early 2019, the 79,000-square-foot 11th Century-style castle will be the only entertainment venue of its type in Arizona. Having entertained more than 67 million guests across the United States and in Toronto over the past three-and-a-half decades, the immersive Medieval Times experience centers around an adrenaline-charged live jousting tournament, filled with awe-inspiring horsemanship and falconry. Heroic knights engage in rousing displays of strength and skill, as fans cheer their champions over a four-course, utensil-free feast, much as they might have 10 centuries ago.

“We are delighted to welcome Medieval Times to our community,” said Delbert Ray Sr., President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. “Over the two years of planning that made today a reality it became clear we have much in common, from our shared respect for family heritage and authenticity to our mutual esteem for the magnificent horse.”

“Today represents more than the start of construction on a new venue,” said Perico Montaner, President and CEO of Medieval Times. “We have tremendous respect for the rich traditions of the Pima–Maricopa people, and are honored to become a part of this proud and storied community.”

Located on a 10-acre lot, adjacent to the Salt River Fields, Medieval Times’ Scottsdale castle will be one of the most architecturally distinctive among its nationwide properties. Designed in muted earth tones to appear as if it’s organically rising from the land, the colossal, stone-walled edifice will incorporate the iconic motifs of Medieval Spain.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament was founded in 1977 in Spain, based on authentic Medieval history and the true story of a noble family with documentation dating back to the 11th Century. The first U.S. castle opened in 1983, and the concept has grown into the most popular dinner attraction in North America, with locations in Atlanta, Baltimore, Buena Park, Calif., Chicago, Dallas, Lyndhurst, N.J., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Orlando, Fla., and Toronto. Medieval Times also is one of the largest breeders of Pure Spanish horses in North America. The 241-acre ranch in Sanger, Texas, has been breeding these rare Andalusian horses since 1992. The horses, known for their glorious physique and noble temperament, are bred and trained for use at all of the Medieval Times dinner attractions. Medieval Times is headquartered in Dallas.

Medieval Times is the latest high-profile attraction to announce plans to open within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s burgeoning Talking Stick Entertainment District. Anchored by Talking Stick Resort, the district also boasts the Odysea Aquarium and Dolphinaris Arizona, Butterfly Wonderworld, Pangaea Land of Dinosaurs, TopGolf and, within the next two years, the anticipated opening of Great Wolf Lodge water park and family entertainment center.

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