Foodics CRO: True AI Advantage in F&B Lies in Operational Integration, Not Just Adoption
Belal Zahran, Chief Revenue Officer at Foodics, stated that artificial intelligence tools will not inherently represent a sustainable competitive advantage for food and beverage (F&B) companies, as these technologies are rapidly becoming widespread and accessible to various businesses.
Speaking at a panel titled "Egypt’s Largest Industry, Yet the Least Invested In – Unleashing the Empowerment of the F&B Sector" during the Entlaq Summit for the launch of the Egypt State of Entrepreneurship Report in El Gouna, Zahran explained that the real advantage will lie in how companies integrate AI into their operational models and leverage their available data.
He added that integrating technology into daily operations can help food establishments improve profit margins, reduce losses and waste, and enhance operational efficiency, ultimately boosting their capacity for growth and expansion.
Zahran pointed out that the F&B sector possesses a distinct nature compared to many other industries, given its reliance on a high volume of daily transactions and recurring customer interactions. This environment generates massive amounts of data that can be utilized to improve performance and drive informed decision-making.
He emphasized that investing in technology should not be limited to merely purchasing new tools or applications. Instead, it must be tied to redesigning operational processes and leveraging data in a way that helps management understand customer behavior and optimize resource efficiency.
Furthermore, he noted that these elements have also become crucial for investors. The valuation of startups and enterprises operating in the F&B sector is no longer tied solely to sales volume, but rather to their ability to build a scalable operational model and achieve higher levels of efficiency and profitability.