Franchising

WaBa Grill tests machine-learning from Koala

Provided

March 7, 2022

California-based WaBaGrill has been testing a machine-learning algorithm that analyzed over 115,000 of its orders to collect nearly 260,000 individual data points. Designed by Koala, the platform used the data to help WaBa executives make smart, informed recommendations on re-orders. The Koala successfully doubled the revenue generated by cross-sells, according to a company press release.

"The platform continuously updates as data is collected in real-time, and its recommendations provide even more detailed insight, analysis and successful conversions from suggestion to sale," Walter Beller-Morales, head of Engineering at Koala, said in the release.

At the core of the feature is an affinity-mapping engine that tracks sales of popular items then cross-references it against specific menu items that are most often purchased together. The recommendations are then applied to everyone's existing order experiences, resulting in a digital recommendation tool that outperforms traditional if/then ordering systems by a ratio of 2 to 1.

"What's important to today's restaurant industry is insight," said Brett Spiegel, co-founder and COO at Koala. "The Koala Platform is designed to create opportunities to collect meaningful data while also maximizing transactional efficiency and profitability. It's the next generation of smart ordering and customer satisfaction."

Koala's key features, such as online ordering with built-in analytics and real-time optimization, have made a measurable difference for major restaurant brands, including MOD Pizza, Pei Wei and TGI Fridays.

"This is a game-changer for the digital ordering experience," Spiegel said. "And it's not simply limited to app or web orders. If Koala-powered digital menus are used on-premise, restaurants gain the same increased revenue benefit."