spoon.tech featured on Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine!

We're excited to share that spoon.tech got featured on the September 2023 issue of Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine, Canada's leading publication on the foodservice and hospitality sector.

The feature, aptly titled "Let the games begin!", talks about spoon.tech's story: where it all began, how the solution works and how it is helping franchises and chain restaurants make learning fun and engaging with gamification. Read the full story here:

Let the games begin

spoon.tech leverages the power of gamification for onboarding and training

Turnover for chain and franchise restaurants has been escalating at an alarming pace, with restaurants reporting anywhere from 65 to more than 100 percent rates. With that comes the added cost of onboarding and training, which are taking a significant bite out of already thin margins.

Retention and engagement are especially challenging with the rise of the Gen-Z workforce whose lives revolve around social media and immersive experiences.

spoon.tech, a new and innovative approach to training and engaging this all-important Gen-Z workforce, is now available to operators in Canada. This single digital tool was built on the premise that the key to change management is digitization – and more specifically gamification of front- and back-of-house processes, from onboarding to health-and-safety training to menu preparation.

Where it began

When Daniil Klubov and Rares Bacila launched their first restaurant venture in 2019 with the goal of building a franchise based on digitization, they quickly realized the magnitude of the management challenges facing operators.

“Even before COVID, turnover was a major problem. After that, it became an enormous one,” says Klubov. “Our research shows that more than 20 per cent of processes in QSR need revision and retraining, and up to 30 per cent of operators were not fixing issues and essentially working in chaos.”

Adding to the challenge was managing a younger workforce that is more demanding and difficult to engage, he adds.

“The industry is competing against social media in gaining their attention. You can’t force them to do what you want. For us the question was, how to make them want to do it?”

The partners decided to develop a technology solution that would deliver onboarding and continuous training processes in an engaging and productive way. Since its launch in March 2023, spoon.tech has gained strong traction with chain and franchise operators throughout Europe.

The gamification factor

Gamification is at the heart of spoon.tech’s user experience, which Klubov describes as a combination of Duolingo and TikTok. The technology incorporates a wide range of interactive game elements such as interactive exercises, points, rewards, competition, quizzes, and achievements.  

“Gamification has emerged as a powerful training tool and is essential to creating a more interactive, immersive, and result-driven experience,” explains Klubov.

Data supports the power of gamification in enhancing user engagement, motivation, and knowledge retention. TalentLMS for example reports that 83 percent of users who receive gamified training feel motivated, while 61 per cent of those who receive non-gamified training feel bored and unproductive.

“The increased motivation stems from the inherent fun and excitement that gamification brings to the learning experience,” says Klubov. “Employees are far more likely to invest time and energy into training when it’s an enjoyable activity rather than a mundane obligation.”

How it works 

Implementation is a relatively simple process, he explains. “Operators already have a lot of knowledge stored on their shared drive: from operation protocols to recipes. We transform these into colorful and playful content under the operator's guidance and then we launch."

Many of the gaming activities can be digested in “bite-size pieces” in the way of trivia quizzes, puzzle solving, or quick video clips on assembling a signature menu item.

spoon.tech also supports a full range of front-of-house functions, with modules on customer service, safety and security rules, and wine and menu options. “It covers all the processes staff need to know in a continuous learning format,” says Klubov.

Managers can use the spoon.tech portal to monitor employee progress, run competitions, and develop reward programs.

Fees for spoon.tech are on a per-user basis.  

“Digitally enabling employees is the key to the future success of the restaurant industry,” says Klubov. “That’s why we are very excited to bring spoon.tech innovation to operators in Canada.”

If you want to learn more, visit the spoon.tech website, drop the the team an email at hello@spoon.tech or register directly for a four week trial – the team will be delighted to hear from you!