There is a new employee at Primanti Bros., one who never needs a vacation or asks for a pay raise.

This employee is not a person, but rather a digital twin, an IBM artificial intelligence bot. The bot is a software application programmed or trained to do human tasks.

”The purpose is to improve fan experience,” said Caitlin Stritmatter, Primanti Bros.’ director of financial planning and analysis. “The goal is to automate areas that can be done using bots so that creates more time to dedicate to our fans.”

In the Primanti Bros. company, customers are referred to as fans, managers are head coaches and assistant managers are assistant coaches. Bartenders and servers are players.

The use of this technology will allow for the entire Primanti Brothers team to spend more time taking care of diners.

Courtesy of Primanti Brothers Primanti Brothers is using IBM artificial intelligence to take care of office tasks.  

With bots, reports can be compiled in a timely manner and with zero manual input. Employees who would typically run those reports can be working on something else in the restaurant. Fewer people are needed in the office.

A sales and labor bot runs daily at 6 a.m. The information is available for review by 6:05 a.m. For example, if a report shows a high number of take-out sales on Saturday afternoons, then restaurants can be staffed accordingly. Hiring has been an issue for the food industry, especially since the 2020 pandemic.

This automation can help keep costs down and allow for the restaurant to grow, Stritmatter said. The most recent addition is a location inside Kennywood in West Mifflin, which is scheduled to open later this spring.

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The specific technology Primanti Bros. is using is called Robotic Process Automation. It was developed and trained by Salient Process, a digital process automation consultancy firm. The process will give Primanti Brothers ownership error free data analysis in real time, according to Jimmy Hewitt, Salient Process’ senior automation advisor.

This is relatively new concept in the restaurant industry, Hewitt said. The technology — referred to as digital workers — is more commonly deployed at banks, healthcare systems and large retailers.

“The fact that Primanti Bros. is using Robotic Process Automation bots — they are pioneers, early adopters in the restaurant space,” Hewitt said.

Stritmatter did not give specific costs for Primanti Bros. to implement the technology, only calling it “an investment.” The first one paid for itself in three months, Stritmatter said. Once it’s live, the time savings begin immediately.

“We have 38 restaurants now, but if and when we add more, the savings only increases,” Stritmatter said. “The investment was spent — it doesn’t matter how much we grow in the future, the bot still knows what to do.”

Technology has helped to deal with rising operational costs from the adoption of computers to being able to order online and the ever-changing landscape of the restaurant industry.

“Our core values are building on the tradition of our product,” Stritmatter said. “This is a way to build on that tradition, and keep it going. “

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