Apr. 17—Technology has become an integral part of many restaurant and retail businesses. Point-of-sale systems, delivery services, customer rewards, and more are being managed through different software systems.

That's where Albuquerque business owners Corey Fiala and Lee Caperton found a problem. There were just too many programs — at one point, one of Caperton's restaurants was using eight different software systems.

So, Fiala and Caperton created Hospitality AI, a startup company that consolidates software programs for businesses and uses artificial intelligence to predict business and customer needs.

"What we decided to do was integrate every platform and software system that was necessary to run retail and hospitality-type businesses," Caperton said. "Part of our mission was to take back some control for the restaurant, you know, through online ordering and delivery websites — all the things that had been partitioned out before in multiple systems."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in online deliveries, many restaurants began using third-party delivery softwares like UberEats and Grubhub. Caperton said Hospitality AI cuts out the middle man, allowing restaurants to manage their own online orders.

Both Fiala and Caperton have long careers in the hospitality industry. In 2009, Fiala, who has a programming background, launched one of the first tablet-based point-of-sales softwares, Lavu. Caperton's first job was in the restaurant business — at 15. He worked at TGI Fridays before eventually opening several restaurants and returning to school to get a medical degree.

The AI uses a bot, which runs in the background of the program, to analyze data to, for example, price ingredients or suggest potentially popular new dishes or products. The bot can also suggest to customers other purchases they might enjoy.

"Part of what we're doing with algorithmic thinking, you know, AI, is find out ... how do we make the experience better, not only for the business owner, but also for the customer," Fiala said.

Hospitality AI is currently on the market. The company has already contracted with a handful of businesses, including Tamashi Sushi and Sushi King.

Fiala and Caperton set up meetings with all potential clients to assess their needs. The program costs $99 per month, which Caperton said is a savings compared to the cost of many types of software on top of each other.