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Appetie
Corporate catering in an App

Technology Reply believes in supporting companies with their digital transformation, aiming to offer better services to its customers that cover all communication channels. Driven by this attitude, CIRFOOD, one of the leading Italian companies in collective and commercial catering and welfare services, has made the strategic decision to enhance its digital services dedicated to corporate catering by adopting Appetie. The App allows users end-to-end control in a user-friendly platform their entire meal management process: from consulting the menu, to the configuration of personalised dishes and eating habits, to the possibility – for employees – to order and collect their meals directly from their company canteen.

A new digital service for corporate catering services

App and more:
a back-end portal and administration portal

Appetie was created with the support of Technology Reply, the Reply group company specialised in the design and implementation of innovative solutions based on the Oracle technologies. Appetie is a new hybrid App, accessible via the App store within mobile devices (iOS and Android) and via the web. The App is highly customisable and offers modular functionalities that enable the use of the system in company canteens throughout the country. The flexibility that characterises the App’s customisation, including content and colour, being capable of responding to the different configuration specifications and needs of each customer.


In addition to the application, Technology Reply also created a back-end portal for kitchens and an administration portal that allows CIRFOOD’s IT department to configure the various company restaurants and the user profiles.

Meal management,
value-added services and sustainability

The application allows registered users to access various services: from the classic ability to view the “menu of the day” with its nutritional information, to the guide that helps users choose their meal, based on the configuration of personal preferences or eating habits. These functions are further complemented by the option to order a meal or to create personalised dishes, and then receiving them in specific locations within the office, paying for any extra drinks directly online. It is even possible to request special catering services for group events.

The project, launched just before the pandemic with a few initial features, subsequently enriched its range of services, to also enable companies to face the new challenges the lockdown imposed. Employees still forced to work in the office, for example, were able to order and collect their meals in special smart lockers: compartments to be unlocked using QRCodes sent to end users via e-mail once the meal order had been made. Among the results achieved due to the introduction of Appetie, there was also a reduction in food waste and an even more efficient production planning which was based on the actual orders made by users via the App. This sustainability success example links back to CIRFOOD's vision, which has always been to be attentive to issues related to environmental protection and the reduction of food waste throughout its production chain.

The advantages of a microservices architecture

Appetie App makes it possible to configure the entire application based on the requests of customer companies utilizing a microservices model developed in cloud-native mode. The microservices architecture, in fact, facilitates an agile approach and the ability to adapt quickly to changes (since the microservices are independent from one another). This architecture, in turn, allows different teams to work simultaneously, reducing the processing time of individual software development streams and the development cycle timeframes, which enhances the scalability of the system.



CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS

System
Scalability

Wide flexibility
and adaptability

Reduced
processing time



So far, the Appetie App has been installed on almost 4,000 devices. These numbers are expected to increase exponentially with the introduction of new features within the application.

CIRFOOD Italian Catering Cooperative. With over 50 years of history, CIRFOOD is one of the leading Italian companies operating in the collective and commercial catering sectors and in welfare services. Thanks to the work of about 13,000 people – the company’s true strength – CIRFOOD is present in 17 regions and 74 provinces across Italy, Holland and Belgium. “Feed the future” is the philosophy and the vision that has always inspired CIRFOOD in the company’s way of doing business and looking towards the future to improve people’s lifestyles, while respecting the environment. CIRFOOD is committed on a daily basis to nourishing the future with ideas and solutions that can guarantee sustainable development for society as a whole, from an economic, environmental, social and cultural point of view.

Technology Reply is the Reply Group company that specialises in the design and implementation of innovative solutions based on the latest Oracle technologies. Thanks to its in-depth expertise and experience gained in over 20 years of business activity, Technology Reply supports its customers in their processes of innovation and digital transformation, with a team of professionals who are able to step in and provide support at all stages of the project life cycle: analysis, design, implementation, launch and operation. Technology Reply serves as a reference partner for the various on-premises and cloud-based Oracle technologies: BigData, Analytics, eCommerce, Mobile, Identity and Access Management, as well as Content Management. Supported by its agile culture, Technology Reply is becoming a leader of emerging technologies, implementing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning infrastructures, DevOps-based microservices and cognitive technology projects for a wide range of needs, industries and customers.