Pingo Doce has launched an innovation that promises to turn the payment experience into its restaurants and potentially revolutionize restoration in Portugal.
It is an Artificial Intelligence System (AI) that automatically reads the contents of the client’s board, without the need to pass each article individually at the terminal.
Payment for AI is already reality in Sintra
The news was announced by Pingo Doce and is already in operation at the Fresh Food of Alegro Sintra restaurant.
The system was developed by Start-up Retail Robotics Solutions and is based on image recognition technology.
It works through five self-checkout boxes that automatically identify the dishes on the board, analyzing characteristics such as shape, color and texture.
According to the company, quoted by, “the system uses advanced technology to recognize dishes in the same way as humans – identifying patterns in form, color and texture.”
With each new use, system accuracy improves, making the payment process faster and more reliable.
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Objective: Reduce waiting times
José Esteves, director of IT from Pingo Doce, explained that the project was designed to improve the customer experience.
“Customer service in fresh food restaurants remains essential and differentiating, but we believe technology can play a relevant role,” he said.
The official also added that “AI use makes it possible to implement innovative solutions that allow us to improve our customers’ experience in store, which in this case translates into a reduction in the time spent on registration and payment and consequent decrease in waiting times.”
A model with expansion potential
Although for now it is only available in Alegro Sintra, this type of system may in the future be replicated in other spaces of the brand – and even in restaurants of other chains.
Automation of the payment process, combined faster and lower error margin, can become a relevant tool in a sector that increasingly values efficiency and customer service.
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