AI In Action: Texas State Gets a Speedy Assist

At Texas State’s UFCU Stadium in San Marcos, artificial intelligence has proven to be a winning addition among a crowd of fans.

This school year, Chartwells Higher Education installed two self-checkout systems that use AI and computer vision at Cats Corner, a new market offering beverages and packaged snacks. After three home football games, the market’s sales were up 250%, compared to sales at last season’s bar in the same spot, says Jay Smith, director of operations for Chartwells at Texas State. Plus, checkout times average about 15 seconds, or “about a third of the time it takes at a typical concessions stand,” he adds.

Further, because the system recognizes items placed on its tray with 99.9% accuracy, product barcodes are not needed. “This is especially useful in a concessions environment where not every bit of packaging has a barcode,” Smith says. “Items like popcorn or hot dogs are recognized just as quickly as a bottle of water.”

“Fans are excited to use a new technology that most have never seen, but the largest source of customer satisfaction has been the reduction in wait times.”

While Texas State still has a few employees working in the market in case issues arise, Smith says users have been quick to catch on, and any feedback received has been positive. “Fans are excited to use a new technology that most have never seen, but the largest source of customer satisfaction has been the reduction in wait times,” he notes.

Looking ahead, Chartwells is considering doubling down. Smith says they are working with Texas State’s Athletics department to identify other areas in the stadium that could potentially be converted into smart markets.

Editor’s note: This story serves as part of a series listing ways operators are using artificial intelligence. In September, the column covered Taco Bell’s tech test and, before that, Taco John’s use of AI and Boogie Lab’s use of artificial intelligence technology in its sourdough fermentation process.