Dive Brief:
- Fogo de Chão has launched an artificial intelligence voice assistant dubbed Selma to answer phone calls, the chain said in a press release.
- The technology is named after Selma Oliveira, Fogo’s chief culture officer, who the company described as its “matriarch” and one of “the most influential leaders behind the brand’s service philosophy.”
- Selma voice assistant will answer calls across all 88 U.S. locations and help free up team members to focus on hospitality. Fogo is among a growing list of brands, including Five Guys, Red Lobster and Torchy’s Tacos, to adopt phone voice assist technology that ensures customers can place orders, get information from a restaurant and make reservations if the option is available.
Dive Insight:
The addition of Selma is part of Fogo’s growing strategy to incorporate more technology to support its hospitality. The company has been working with Bain Capital, which bought the chain in 2023, over the past two years to modernize its data platform, a process it expects to complete this year, Fogo CEO Barry McGowan told Restaurant Dive during the ICR Conference in January. That platform will be AI-enabled, and include bots that will help analyze consumer, reservation and social sentiment data, he said.
“All those foundational things we’re investing in marketing are really to focus on the pre-visit, the visit and the post-visit so we can personalize,” McGowan said. “This is what we’re doing with the data and marketing.”
He added that using AI and automation, particularly for marketing, will help the brand compete with larger chains that have bigger marketing budgets and have more brand awareness.
Selma voice assist can help with the pre-visit information. Oliveira’s voice was recorded in English, Portuguese and Spanish, allowing Fogo to connect with a diverse consumer base. The system can answer all U.S. calls, answer frequently asked questions, check availability and offer real-time reservations. It can transfer calls to in-restaurant teams if needed.
Fogo claims that early results have led to increased guest satisfaction, high booking completion rates and significant rewards enrollment. The system is expected to generate over 250,000 reservations within its first 12 months.
The full-service chain is also working on a handheld device — tied to its wait management system. That device will provide staff with information like guest preferences, favorite wines and birthdays to better personalize interactions. It allows guests to pay at the table, and connects to the rewards platform and gift cards, he said.
“It’s all about enhancing the guest experience,” McGowan said. “That’s what we want technology to do.”
