Imagine a world where you have to wait for 20-minutes or more for a pickup order that was placed over an hour ago? You are in a rush, feeling frustrated, and then find out that your food was sitting on the counter the entire time, ugh the complete “I am done for today, type of mood.” Well, the thought is not too far from the imagination, as Black Engineer Rea Huntley had this type of day when she simply ordered her something to eat, only to find herself waiting for 20-minutes on food that was sitting behind the counter the entire time. The pandemic has forced many restaurants to close, and the surviving restaurants are moving at a slower pace, so what is the solution? FEMI Magazine interviews Rea Huntley, the CEO of Lavii Smart Locker, to understand the basics and necessity of contactless smart food lockers.
Describe your initial experience from when you decided that online pickup orders had to become better, safer, and more reliable for consumers?
One afternoon in Summer 2019, I placed an order at one of my favorite restaurants. Hoping to be in and out, I expected that my order would be at the register, ready to go when I arrived. Instead, when I got there, the line was long, so I had to wait for 20 minutes. I had no idea my order was already prepared and sitting behind the counter. At the time, many restaurants were using an open shelving system for customers to pick up their orders. There was no system in place for them to automatically communicate with customers. I thought that there has to be a better way to make order pickup quicker and more convenient. And that’s where the idea of the smart locker for made-to-order food pickup came to me.
Only one year later, the world was faced with the novel Coronavirus that can be transmitted through human interaction. Our smart lockers became a viable solution to help slow the spread and protect restaurant staff and customers from excessive interaction.
In the company’s pitch video, the team discussed that the fastest time to retrieve food from the Smart Locker is 30 seconds, which is impressive and better than waiting 20 minutes. Does the company plan to shorten that time even more?
Marcus, our Chief Technology Officer, is continuously reviewing the process looking for potential improvements, but for now, our clients are satisfied with the speed at which our operations work. The 30 seconds includes the time it takes to enter an establishment, grab your food, and exit, the customer’s interaction with our locker system is within 10 seconds or less! We’re developing new technology to help simplify other everyday tasks, such as curbside pickup too.
Can you talk more about the pilot program from Washington D.C restaurants? What were the restaurants, how many customers were served, how fast were the customers served, etc.?
We had the chance to onboard two restaurants for our pilot, and one was Shark bar Seafood House in Waldorf, MD, and Crab Boss, Washington, D.C. We were able to process over 3,000 orders error-free during our pilot and received great feedback from the restaurant and restaurant customers. With our simple yet efficient process, customers and third-party drivers could retrieve their food orders from our lockers within 10 seconds or less.
After the pilot program was finished and you saw success, what can other states expect from this company in the future? Also, describe the benefits of using this new innovative technology?
We are looking to expand to other states, help other restaurants optimize their operations, and enhance the customer pickup experience. Due to the unforeseen circumstances and impact the Pandemic has placed on Americans, the need for contactless solutions has increased more than ever. With the increase of takeout orders from the restaurant’s customers and food delivery services, maintaining and adhering to the social distancing guidelines becomes difficult. There is still a need for the parties to interact to complete the transaction. Although the Pandemic will subside shortly, there is still a need to improve the current process for takeout orders as that industry continues to evolve. That’s why our Lavii Smart Food Lockers are the perfect solution. They provide a simple, secure, and seamless pickup process for restaurant customers and third-party drivers.
With impressive numbers and effective feedback, Levii Smart Locker is the invention that we never knew we needed, thanks to the three black engineers making it possible, Rea Huntley, James Bagley, and Marcus Gunn. You can find out more about their smart locker on social media!
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Be sure to visit their website!
If you are ever in the DC area, in select restaurants, you can experience the Lavii Smart Locker for yourself in Maryland, Washington D.C, and Conroe, TX.
Adezza DuBose is a lover of love and mental health speaker. She thrives in uplifting black people and hyping them up to be the best version of themselves. She is a poet, author, and blogger and enjoys eating seafood and vegan food.
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