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Restaurant industry leaders are excited for artificial intelligence to make the business better. But many feel unprepared to handle its implementation. Thats according to a new survey from consulting firm Deloitte that asked hundreds of restaurant industry executives about their current use and future plans for AI. Overwhelmingly, respondents cited AIs potential to enhance the guest experience; to make a customers time more enjoyable, comfortable, and memorable, as a top benefit of the tech. In fact, almost all98%operators in the survey said they expect a high impact on the customer experience in three years. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} AI is already showing up to help restaurant guests. It answers the phones, works the back office, and helps with marketing efforts. Eventually, itll show up during table service. Plenty of restaurants are already using AI to their advantage; 8 in 10 industry leaders surveyed by Deloitte say theyll increase spending on the tech in the next year. Most of the surveys respondents work in quick service restaurants; nearly half work as franchise operators for larger brands. But that doesnt mean AI and its benefits are reserved for corporate restaurants. Big chains are usually first to test new technologies in the restaurant space, and AI is no different, says Emma Blecker, a New York-based operations consultant. It makes sense, the tools are often built for them, and theyve got the resources to spend on research and development, pilot programs, training, and rollouts. But that doesnt mean small operators are missing out. For now, she advises, restaurants of all sizes can learn from industry early adopters, experimenting with new tech tools and ideas, like these: AI can handle the conversation According to Deloittes survey results, less than 1 in 5 surveyed leaders use conversational voice AItech that can talkin their restaurants daily operations now. But they plan to; roughly a third are testing or piloting the tech, with another third planning or developing a conversational AI strategy. Voice AI can staff a drive-thru, taking orders and upselling to guests with smart add-onsthink: Do you want fries with that? except instead of blindly suggesting a side of fries to every customer, it uses factors like their order, time of day, or even the weather to suggest something else. It can also answer their phone, providing diners with info on location, hours, reservations, and other details, a boon for busy restaurants, like perennial San Francisco favorite Flour + Water, which tapped a local service called Hostie to work the phones. Its already made guests and employees happier. We’re finding that people walking in the door already have answers to some of the questions theyd walk in with prior, says Amanda Flores, director of operations for the Flour +Water restaurant group. That means fewer people walk in frustrated and the host gets to spend more time with people that are stoked to be here with their questions already answered. AI targets the right diners Restaurant software has long collected data on dinersaverage spend, visit frequency, dining preferencesand AI can help make sense of all the numbers. For example, a text-based feature from reservations and customer relationship management platform SevenRooms helps restaurants segment customers into target groups and generate text messages to invite them to special events, share new menu items, or offer same-day reservation nudges. Celeb-chef backed Fabio Viviani Hospitality group, an early product tester for SevenRooms, said the tech helped book 1,800 reservations and drove close to half a million dollars in revenue in six months. The groups chief marketing officer said the texts had a 98% open rate. About half of restaurant operators in the survey say they already see a high impact from AI-enhanced loyalty tech; another quarter think theyll see a high impact in three years. AI is coming to the table The case for AI at fast food and other casual restaurants is straightforward; it can make the experience faster, easier, and more pleasant for people on both sides of the transaction. But integrating technology into full-service dining is a trickier proposition; even the best bots cant replace warm, in-person hospitality. But it can certainly help, and a new generation of devices has the potential to enhance human service. Plenty of companies are working on new, hands-free devicespins, glasses, earpiecesthough transformational change is likely years away. (Jony Ive, the longtime Apple design exec and architect of the iPhone, recently sold his new company to OpenAI with vague promises to right the iPhones wrongs, moving our eyes from screens to reality.) In fact, its already being tested. Yum China, the Shanghai-based parent company of American brands KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, and also the largest restaurant company in that country, just debuted a hands-free AI assistant for some of its KFC restaurant managers. They wear earphones and smart watches wired to process language and offer help, from inventory reminders to real-time troubleshooting. Its a pilot program, but the point is to help employees look up from screens and better interact with the physical world in front of them. Still, practicalities might slow progress. In Deloittes survey, less than a third of industry leaders said their businesss tech and talent are ready to implement big AI-related changes. In a recent conversation, Kelly Esten, chief marketer for restaurant point of sale company Toast, declined to speculate on how soon transformative new hardware might arrive at Americas restaurants. But Esten agrees its coming. I do think were going to go through another platform shift, she told me, and it creates a tremendous amount of opportunity for restaurants and for restaurant tech. {"bockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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Kentucky has its first measles outbreak of 2025, as the U.S. case count sits just short of a 30-year high.There have been 1,267 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Texas confirmed three more measles cases this week tied to a major outbreak that raged through the late winter and spring.There are three other large outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,212 cases from mid-October through June 24. The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions.Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 1,169 as of Wednesday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 2,810 measles cases and eight deaths as of Wednesday, according to data from the state health ministry.Other U.S. states with active outbreakswhich the CDC defines as three or more related casesinclude Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah.In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated.Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. How many measles cases are there in Texas? Texas added three outbreak-related cases Tuesday, for a total of 753 across 36 counties, most of them in West Texas, state data shows.Throughout the outbreak, 99 people have been hospitalized.State health officials estimated less than 1% of casesfewer than 10were actively infectious as of Tuesday.Fifty-five percent of Texas’ cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 414 cases since late Januaryjust under 2% of its residents. Statewide, officials said Tuesday only two countiesGaines and Lamarhad ongoing measles transmission.The state also said Tuesday there are 37 cases across 19 counties that don’t have a clear link to the outbreak now, but may end up added to it after further investigation.The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. How many measles cases are there in New Mexico? New Mexico had 94 measles cases Friday. Five cases were confirmed last week in a jail in Luna County, which prompted health officials to urge locals to get vaccinated and halted in-person visits. The jail’s outbreak grew to 13 by Tuesday. All of the cases are in unvaccinated adults.Seven people have been hospitalized since the state’s outbreak started. Most of the state’s cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Dona Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each.An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma held steady Tuesday for a total of 17 confirmed and three probable cases.The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Arizona? Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. They are linked to a single source, the county health department said June 9. All four were unvaccinated and had a history of recent international travel. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of 16 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of 10 related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May. Four of the people were on the flight with the first person diagnosedan out-of-state traveler not included in the state countwhile five got measles from exposure in the airport and one elsewhere.Health officials are also tracking an unrelated case in a Boulder County resident. The person was fully vaccinated but had “recently traveled to Europe, where there are a large number of measles cases,” the state health department said.Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. How many cases are there in Georgia? Georgia has an outbreak of three cases in metro Atlanta, with the most recent infection confirmed June 18.The state has confirmed six total cases in 2025. The remaining three are part of an unrelated outbreak from January. How many cases are there in Illinois? Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state. It grew to eight cases as of June 6, but no new cases were reported in the following weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.The state’s other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. How many cases are there in Iowa? Iowa has had six total measles cases in 2025.Four are part of an outbreak in eastern Johnson County, among members of the same household. County health officials said the people are isolating at home, so they don’t expect additional spread. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas added three more case this week for a total of 83 across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but three of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. How many measles cases are there in Kentucky? Central Kentucky has an outbreak of four cases, the state announced Monday. The cases are in Fayette County, which includes Lexington, and neighboring Woodford County.The state has confirmed seven total cases this year. How many cases are there in Michigan? Grand Traverse County in northern Michigan has an outbreak of four cases as of Wednesday.The state declared an earlier outbreak of four cases in Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, over June 2. The state has had 18 cases total in 2025; eight are linked to outbreaks. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana had 24 measles cases as of Tuesday, an increase of one since Friday. Sixteen were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed upMontana’s first in 35 years.Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases.There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn’t seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized. All of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated.There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. How many cases are there in Utah? Utah had nine total measles cases as of Tuesday. At least three of the cases are linked, according to the state health department.State epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said last week she is aware of at least three different measles clusters in the state. She expects to see more cases because there are other unvaccinated people who were exposed.At least two of the people infected had to be hospitalized and two are pregnant. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.? Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.Health officials declared earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania over after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee’s outbreak also appears to be over.Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year. Most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity.”Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination ratesabove 95%due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling, and death. How can you treat measles? There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Devi Shastri, AP Health Writer
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Firefighters were struggling Thursday to bring a major wildfire on Greece’s southern island of Crete under control, hampered by gale force winds whipping up the flames.Thousands of people were evacuated from hotels and homes overnight after the fire started Wednesday afternoon in the Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast, officials said.The head of the hoteliers’ association of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, Giorgos Tzarakis, told local media about 5,000 tourists had been evacuated from the area, and that several homes and businesses had been damaged.By Thursday morning, 230 firefighters backed by 10 water-dropping helicopters were battling the flames advancing through forest and farmland.Gale force winds in the area, with gusts reaching about 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, “are constantly creating . . . new outbreaks, making firefighting work very difficult,” said fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told The Associated Press overnight that tourists who had been evacuated from the area had been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other parts of the island.Several residents were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no reports of serious injuries.The Fire Service and a civil protection agency issued mobile phone alerts for the evacuations and appealed to residents not to return to try to save their property.As fires crested ridgelines and edged toward residential areas overnight, the blaze sent clouds of ash into the sky, illuminated by the headlights of emergency vehicles and water trucks that lined the coastal road near the resorts of Ferma and Achlia on the southeast of Crete.Crete is one of Greece’s most popular destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists.The risk of wildfires remained very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the Fire Service.Wildfires are frequent in the country during its hot, dry summers, and the fire department has already tackled dozens across Greece so far this year.In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned while trying to swim away from the flames. Derek Gatopoulos and Elena Becatoros, Associated Press
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