Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings Introduces Artificial Intelligence Phone Answering System to Stay Ahead of Consumer Ordering Preferences

The ConverseNow AI System to Launch in all 60 Corporate Locations

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BurgerFi International Inc. (Nasdaq: BFI, BFIIW) ("BFI" or the "Company"), owner of one of the nation's leading fast-casual "better burger" dining concepts through the BurgerFi brand, and the high-quality, casual dining pizza brand under the name Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings ("Anthony's"), announced today the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) phone answering systems in all 60 corporate-owned Anthony's locations. The systems will leverage ConverseNow, the leading voice AI technology platform for restaurants.

AI is quickly growing in popularity in the restaurant industry. Reports show that 50 percent of restaurants in the country are planning to implement the technology in the next two to three years. Its success lies in the fact that it helps reduce operating costs, expedite and increase order size, and satisfy consumer preferences.

"There's no question that automation is the future, which is why Anthony's was an early adaptor of this technology" says Ian Baines, Chief Executive Officer at BurgerFi International Inc. "Anthony's started testing AI two years ago with different vendors. Initially, the technology appeared somewhat inconsistent. However, the longer it runs, the more responsive it becomes as the algorithms learn to react to the customer order and then upsell. With ConverseNow's technology, Anthony's is taking the system to the next level for faster service and an improved customer experience."

"Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings is a phenomenal business. We are delighted to work with a leading brand in the restaurant industry and help it benefit from technology that allows it to make better use of its human capital while maximizing its delivery and pick up orders generated by its phone and voice channels," says Vinay Shukla, co-founder, and Chief Executive Officer of ConverseNow. "Through our best-in-class technology, we will further support Anthony's mission to provide its customers outstanding service."

Anthony's off-premises orders account for nearly 50 percent of sales, with 15 percent being phone orders. In total, the restaurants receive 500,000 phone orders a year. The ConverseNow AI technology will undoubtedly help the brand meet this demand as it is designed to handle 100 percent of calls answered and allows for an expected average check increase of 10-12 percent. Additionally, guests will be able to seamlessly integrate their loyalty numbers to earn points and rewards when ordering with AI.

"Anthony's is constantly exploring innovative strategies and new technologies to stay ahead of evolving consumer preferences as part of our commitment to providing the best guest experience," says John Iannucci, Chief Operating Officer at Anthony's. "Phone orders remain a strong sales driver for us, and by introducing ConverseNow's AI systems, all orders are addressed quickly and efficiently."

This announcement comes on the heels of Anthony's first-ever franchising deal with NDM Hospitality Services. The agreement will franchise three Anthony's locations in Florida over the next two years. Currently, the brand is present in Florida, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, with plans for an Eastern Seaboard expansion.

Live in more than 1,200 restaurants across 40 states, ConverseNow serves some of the country's top restaurant brands. The company's groundbreaking voice AI technology has reshaped the future of restaurants, whereby virtual assistants automate the order-taking process so overburdened staff can turn their attention to fulfillment and in-person service.

For more information about BurgerFi International Inc. visit www.burgerfi.com and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings visit www.acfp.com.

Established in 2011, BurgerFi is a leading multi-brand restaurant company that develops, markets, and acquires fast-casual and premium-casual dining restaurant concepts around the world, including corporate-owned stores and franchises. BurgerFi is among the nation's leading better burger concepts with 117 BurgerFi restaurants (92 franchised and 25 corporate-owned). As of October 3, 2022, BurgerFi is the owner and franchisor of the two following brands with a combined 178 locations.

BurgerFi. BurgerFi is chef-founded and committed to serving fresh, all-natural and quality food at all locations, online and via first-party and third-party deliveries. BurgerFi uses 100% American Angus Beef with no steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones, chemicals or additives. BurgerFi's menu also includes high quality wagyu beef, antibiotic and cage-free chicken offerings, fresh, hand-cut sides, and custard shakes and concretes. BurgerFi was named "Best Fast Casual Restaurant" in USA Today's 10Best 2022 Readers Choice Awards for the second consecutive year, QSR Magazine's Breakout Brand of 2020, Fast Casual's 2021 #1 Brand of the Year and included in Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Private Companies List. In 2021, Consumer Report's Chain Reaction Report praised BurgerFi for serving "no antibiotic beef" across all its restaurants, and Consumer Reports awarded BurgerFi an "A-Grade Angus Beef" rating for the third consecutive year. To learn more about BurgerFi or to find a full list of locations, please visit www.burgerfi.com. Download the BurgerFi App on iOS or Android devices for rewards and 'Like' or follow @BurgerFi on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. BurgerFi® is a Registered Trademark of BurgerFi IP, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BurgerFi.

Anthony's. Anthony's was acquired by BurgerFi on November 3, 2021 and is a premium pizza and wing brand that operates 61 corporate-owned casual restaurant locations, as of October 3, 2022. Known for serving fresh, never frozen and quality ingredients, Anthony's is centered around a 900-degree coal fired oven with menu offerings including "well-done" pizza, coal fired chicken wings, homemade meatballs, and a variety of handcrafted sandwiches and salads. Anthony's was named "The Best Pizza Chain in America" by USA Today's Great American Bites and "Top 3 Best Major Pizza Chain" by Mashed in 2021. To learn more about Anthony's, please visit www.acfp.com

ConverseNow provides voice AI-powered virtual ordering assistants for restaurants to automate the order-taking process from high-volume voice channels such as drive-thru and phone. The market leader in voice AI for restaurants, ConverseNow has developed best-in-class technology that takes limitless orders with remarkable accuracy, enhancing guest experience while reducing stress for staff and doubling output during peak hours. Partnering with a growing list of multinational and national brands, ConverseNow has helped restaurants boost same-store sales up to 30%, increase average ticket up to 20%, and provide up to 12 hours of additional labor per store each week. For more information, please visit https://www.conversenow.ai

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to BurgerFi's estimates of its future business outlook, liquidity, prospects or financial results, including expected average check increase,  store opening plans, continued unit growth, expansion, and technological results . Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "projects," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and those discussed in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our ability to continue to access liquidity from our credit agreement and remain compliant with financial covenants therein. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to BurgerFi or persons acting on BurgerFi's behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this press release. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE BurgerFi International