US-based restaurant technology company SpotOn has opened beta access for SpotOn Profit AI, an AI-driven feature aimed at helping independent restaurants improve profitability.

The new capability sits within the existing SpotOn dashboard and runs analysis on supported data from SpotOn Profit Assist, including sales, labour and accounting information.

SpotOn said the system also considers external signals, such as local weather, which might be affecting restaurant performance.

Each suggestion appears in the dashboard with three elements: what changed in the restaurant’s performance; what might be contributing to that change; and what action operators may want to take.

SpotOn chief product officer Bryan Solar said: “SpotOn Profit AI is designed to surface a clear recommendation, explain why it matters, and leave the decision with the operator.

“Going public with the beta gives us the chance to keep building this with restaurant operators and focus on the recommendations that are accurate, useful, and worth their time.”

The beta builds on SpotOn’s broader restaurant management tools, including its point-of-sale system, SpotOn Profit Assist, SpotOn Reserve, SpotOn Teamwork and supported third-party integrations.

SpotOn said opening the beta will allow restaurant clients to help refine the recommendations within the platform they already use.

During the trial, the company plans to work with participating operators to determine which insights are useful in weekly operations, where further detail is required and which extra data inputs could make SpotOn Profit AI more “valuable”.

SpotOn Profit AI is currently available in open beta for SpotOn restaurant customers, with full rollout targeted by the end of the year.

In April, SpotOn partnered with Popmenu to help operators grow revenue while simplifying daily operations.