As we enter the footy finals frenzy for both AFL and NRL, a new delivery app developed by Perth startup Home Run using predictive AI technology is making food delivery more efficient based on game results.
Even though no Perth teams have made the finals, Tarik Voirin – the entrepreneur behind this idea – is using artificial intelligence and predictive technology to make the food delivery process more efficient and effective using a hybrid kitchen model – whereby traditional kitchens are combined with virtual kitchens and their own fleet of drivers.
The roof tile engineer emigrated to Perth from France with nothing but a suitcase, completed an MBA and now has plans to open 14 more premises.
Home Run will launch a third and fourth operation in Victoria Park with their supply chain model, network of own drivers and virtual kitchens.
Home Run was established in November 2020 with the simple premise of offering fresh and innovative burgers both online and in-house via a virtual kitchen.
Mr Voirin arrived in Perth from France 15 years ago via a working holiday visa with very limited resources. He launched the business after completing an MBA at the University of Western Australia.
Home Run now does 60% of its business online with its own self-delivery drivers, virtual kitchen as well as restaurants at its original two sites in Market Street, Fremantle and Oxford Street Mt Hawthorn.
“Inflation and wages growth are killing urban retail strip restaurants. Our AI and innovative technology improves margins by making them more efficient in both delivery and in managing supply chain to have less wastage. This is really highlighted during AFL games and we have collected a lot of past data and can now make accurate predictions on future demand based on likely game outcomes,” Tarik said.
Home Run’s vision is to be a global hybrid food outlet: half restaurant, half cloud kitchen, specialising in burgers, fried chicken, and Asian food as well as decadent shakes in a timely fashion, whether ordered in-house or online.
“We are aware of the acute shortage of Uber Eats drivers and casual employees and strive to not only give a great service in-house but to deliver faster and more reliably than Uber Eats currently. This is due to our own network of drivers and to the in-house software and AI we are developing to better manage our own driver network utilisation and cooking flow, giving a technology edge to our business model,” he said.
The third store, specialising in Nepalese food has opened on Albany Highway, Victoria Park and the third Home Run outlet will open there soon, followed by an outlet in Guildford.
He believes his model, of both virtual kitchen and bricks and mortar retail outlet stores can help revitalise home food delivery during live sport broadcasts like AFL and NRL finals.
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