{"id":46420,"date":"2023-06-14T16:46:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.statworx.com\/?p=46420"},"modified":"2023-06-14T16:47:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:47:08","slug":"the-byte-how-we-built-an-ai-powered-pop-up-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.statworx.com\/en\/content-hub\/blog\/the-byte-how-we-built-an-ai-powered-pop-up-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"the byte – How we built an AI-powered Pop-up Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever imagined a restaurant where AI powers everything? From the menu to the cocktails, hosting, music, and art? No? Ok, then, please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

If yes, well, it’s not a dream anymore. We made it happen: Welcome to “the byte” – Germany\u2019s (maybe the world\u2019s first) AI-powered Pop-up Restaurant!<\/a><\/p>\n

As someone who has worked in data and AI consulting for over ten years, building statworx<\/a> and the AI Hub Frankfurt<\/a>, I have always thought of exploring the possibilities of AI outside of typical business applications. Why? Because AI will impact every aspect of our society, not just the economy. AI will be everywhere – in school, arts & music, design, and culture. Everywhere. Exploring these directions of AI\u2019s impact led me to meet Jonathan Speier<\/a> and James Ardinast<\/a> from S-O-U-P<\/a>, two like-minded founders from Frankfurt, who are rethinking how technology will shape cities and societies.<\/p>\n

S-O-U-P is their initiative that operates at the intersection of culture, urbanity, and lifestyle. With their yearly “S-O-U-P Urban Festival<\/a>” they connect creatives, businesses, gastronomy, and lifestyle people from Frankfurt and beyond.<\/p>\n

When Jonathan and I started discussing AI and its impact on society and culture, we quickly came up with the idea of an AI-generated menu for a restaurant. Luckily, James, Jonathan\u2019s S-O-U-P co-founder, is a successful gastro entrepreneur from Frankfurt. Now the pieces came together. After another meeting with James in one of his restaurants (and some drinks), we committed to launching Germany\u2019s first AI-powered Pop-up Restaurant: the byte!<\/p>\n

the byte: Our concept<\/h2>\n

We envisioned the byte to be an immersive experience, including AI in as many elements of the experience as possible. Everything, from the menu to the cocktails, music, branding, and art on the wall: everything was AI-generated. Bringing AI into all of these components also pushed me far beyond of what I typically do, namely helping large companies with their data & AI challenges.<\/p>\n

Branding<\/h3>\n

Before creating the menu, we developed the visual identity of our project. We decided on a “lo-fi” appeal, using a pixelated font in combination with AI-generated visuals of plates and dishes. Our key visual, a neon-lit white plate, was created using DALL-E 2 and was found across all of our marketing materials:<\/p>\n

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Location<\/h3>\n

We hosted the byte in one of Frankfurt\u2019s coolest restaurant event locations: Stanley, a restaurant location that features approx. 60 seats and a fully-fledged bar inside the restaurant (ideal for our AI-generated cocktails). The atmosphere is rather dark and cozy, with dark marble walls, highlighted with white carpets on the table, and a big red window that lets you see the kitchen from outside.<\/p>\n

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The menu<\/h3>\n

The heart of our concept was a 5-course menu that we designed to elevate the classical Frankfurter cuisine with the multicultural and diverse influences of Frankfurt (for everyone, who knows the Frankfurter kitchen, I am sure you know that this was not an easy task).<\/p>\n

Using GPT-4 and some prompt engineering magic, we generated several menu candidates that were test-cooked by the experienced Stanley kitchen crew (thank you, guys for this great work!) and then assembled into a final menu. Below, you can find our prompt to create the menu candidates:<\/p>\n

“Create a 5-course menu that elevates the classical Frankfurter kitchen. The menu must be a fusion of classical Frankfurter cuisine combined with the multicultural influences of Frankfurt. Describe each course, its ingredients as well as a detailed description of each dish’s presentation.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Surprisingly, only minor adjustments were necessary to the recipes, even though some AI creations were extremely adventurous! This was our final menu:<\/p>\n