Back in 2012, honeygrow opened its first location at 16th and Sansom streets in Center City Philadelphia.
Founder Justin Rosenberg wanted to create a new space that brings people together with high quality, wholesome, and simple foods.
Since its opening, honeygrow has become known for its stir-fry, salads, and honeybars.
Fast forward to more than a decade later and honeygrow has opened more than 60 locations across the United States, with dozens more on the horizon over the next year.
In more recent years, the brand has undergone a fully digital transaction system, from its in-store kiosks, to its web app, and inclusion on third-parties apps, as well.
In September 2023, the company took a big step in its digital transformation with the debut pilot of its PreciTaste Prep Assistant tool. The tool is used to assign tasks to team members, track progress on those tasks, and provide data on prep times.
“The prep tool, honestly, has been a game changer for our teams,” said Becca Ridgway, operations services manager at honeygrow.
Prior to its launch, honeygrow team members used to do all its prep tasks manually, using handwritten notes and placing them on a board for everyone to see.
The launch has helped remove a lot of the manual labor of the prepping and overall workflow.
“The prep tool has been awesome in the sense of it’s using our forecasted sales, plus our average ingredient usage, and being able to generate prep needs based on that,” Ridgway added.
The prep tool also displays the shelf life for every ingredient, which ensures freshness and allows team members to think proactively about cost savings.
By the end of 2023, the prep tool was rolled out to all honeygrow locations.
According to Ridgway, the prep tool cuts prep time by an average of up to four hours daily.
Honeygrow’s AI implementation isn’t just for its team members, however.
Customers are also able to immerse themselves into the experience.
When placing an order, customers can use the on-site kiosks to decide what they would like to order, and also have the option to adjust or customize their order as needed.
The prep tool and kiosks both also have photos coinciding with all the ingredients to help with potential language barriers.
With the added convenience that the prep tool and kiosks have brought to honeygrow, Ridgway believes more stores and brands should be leaning into artificial intelligence.
“It’s there to help you and guide you, and save you time and money,” said Ridgway.
