TLDR: Dine Brands, the company behind Applebee’s and IHOP, is making significant investments in artificial intelligence, led by CIO Justin Skelton. The initiatives aim to boost customer traffic, streamline restaurant operations, and personalize the dining experience across its over 3,500 locations. Key deployments include an AI-powered tech support chatbot for franchisees and a personalization engine for customer menu recommendations.
Dine Brands Global Inc., the parent company of popular restaurant chains Applebee’s and IHOP, is strategically integrating artificial intelligence across its extensive network of over 3,500 franchised locations. This ambitious push, spearheaded by Chief Information Officer Justin Skelton, is designed to not only increase customer traffic but also significantly enhance the overall dining experience and operational efficiency.
According to Skelton, AI is rapidly becoming ‘integral to everything we do’ at Dine Brands. The company is adopting a ‘practical’ approach, focusing on AI applications that directly contribute to sales growth and operational improvements. A cornerstone of this strategy is the deployment of an AI-infused tech support chatbot, developed in collaboration with Amazon’s Q generative AI assistant. This tool allows the company’s field technology services staff and franchisees to quickly troubleshoot common technical issues, such as malfunctioning kitchen printers, by querying a knowledge base using natural language. This innovation is already proving effective in reducing problem resolution times, freeing up valuable time for restaurant management.
Beyond back-of-house operations, Dine Brands is also rolling out an AI-powered ‘personalization engine’ aimed at enriching the guest experience. This engine analyzes customer history, ordering behavior, and loyalty data to suggest tailored menu items and promotions. The objective is to empower servers to upsell more effectively and ensure that promotions are highly relevant to individual diners, thereby encouraging repeat visits and increasing average check sizes.
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Furthermore, the company is piloting additional AI-powered tools to optimize in-store operations. These include smart in-store ordering tablets that learn customer preferences, cameras designed to monitor tables and alert staff when assistance is needed or when a table is ready for clearing, and AI manager assistant applications capable of forecasting staffing needs. These technologies are intended to support restaurant staff and streamline workflows, rather than displace human employees, reflecting a broader industry trend towards AI-enhanced operations.
