Order With Your Face At Philly Restaurant: Facial Recognition Software Debuts At Fuel

FUEL (http://fuelrechargeyourself.com) announces exciting changes that will make for a faster, fresher and healthier dining experience - all for under $10! Starting this week, Fuellocations (University City, Center City, East Passyunk) will debut 17 new menu additions with all options now being priced for $10 or less. With these additions comes faster service, fresher ingredients and innovative dishes; including the debut of acai bowls, a Tahini smoothie, Toast Boxes, and special menu items by celebrity chef Brian Duffy (of Bar Rescue). Facial recognition ordering kiosks are now installed at the University City and Center City FUEL locations, allowing customers quicker ordering which is key during busy lunch rushes. The kiosks will use facial recognition to identify customers and pull up past orders, allow for credit card ordering and provide visual images of all dishes in one swipe.

"My goal for FUEL is to take fast, casual dining to the next level," said owner Rocco Cima. "We want to focus on the ability for customers to get a great quick lunch or dinner made fresh using the best ingredients at a great price point. New features include 'Toast Boxes', a new category we created to feature our Avocado and Hummus Toast, the perfect dish for a quick recharge on the go; as well as innovative new salads, new acai bowls, paninis, wraps, and rice bowls."

With 17 new additions to the menu at all three locations there is something for everyone, with additional vegan and gluten free options as well. Cima added, "Customer's asked for lower prices and for bolder flavor items and we listened; we are proud to say that every item on our menu is now under $10."

New menu items include additional flavor combinations in smoothie and juice offerings including the "Green Machine", created by Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Tackle, Lane Johnson. Popular beverage trends of subbing dairy choices for almond milk and tahini are incorporated in the "Strawberry Tahini Shake," one of three new smoothies and two new juices that were added to FUEL's menu. The new and improved menu also features more burgers, specifically a crowd favorite in the Quinoa Black Bean Burger. Cima reveals, "We played around with the Quinoa Black Burger for a while now and when meat lovers even fell in love with it we knew we had a winner! These new menu items are in honor of our 10th year of FUEL, and we are thrilled to offer new trends and dishes that our guests often request." These menu additions mean more combination possibilities, over 40 that is, with the FUEL Recharge Combo (½ Panini with a choice of soup or house salad).

Cima partnered with celebrity chef, Brian Duffy, on two menu additions, the Fuel Portabella Cheesesteak Wrap and the Pitatini. "I worked with Brian Duffy on my boards with the Restaurant School (my alma mater). I'm a huge fan of his work on Bar Rescue and I reached out to him for a collaboration. He brings the knowledge of great trends, new ingredients and has consulted on hundreds of restaurants working with the top players in the industry," said Cima.

It's now faster than ever to order your FUEL for the day with new facial recognition ordering kiosks at the University City and Center City locations. These kiosks feature touch screen ordering that remembers your past orders using facial recognition and completes credit card payments all in one step; making healthy eating on the go even easier. "With three new kiosks at these locations, customers have the ability to see nutritional information and vivid photos for everything they are ordering, creating a quicker and more interactive customer experience," says Cima.

An exciting new brunch menu is also underway - stay tuned for info this Spring. In the meantime, the normal menu is available during brunch hours.

Innovative new menu items, facial recognition kiosks and lower pricing are sure to provide even more FUEL to get you through the day.

NEW MENU ITEMS: All Menu Items are now $10 and under

- Toast Box: NEW CATEGORY!

Hummus Toast ($8.95) V: Choice of toast topped with hummus, diced cucumber and tomato, feta, za'atar spice

Avocado Toast ($8.95) V: Choice of toast topped with smashed avocado, crushed red pepper, charred corn, feta, fresh basil

- Go Green:

Citrus Chopped Caesar Salad ($7.95) V: Chopped romaine, grape tomato, red onion, croutons, kalamata olives, cucumber, grated cheese, Fuel's citrus caesar vinaigrette

Fuel BBQ Salad ($9.95): Grilled chicken or tofu, romaine, black beans, charred corn, grape tomato, crunchy strips, shredded cheddar, fuel BBQ dressing

- Burgers: Multigrain bun, lettuce wrap, gluten free bread; all served with housemade pickles

Fuelafel Burger ($8.95) V: Fuelafel burger, lemon aioli, cucumber, tomato, romaine

Quinoa Black Bean Burger ($8.95) V: Quinoa black bean burger, avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro citrus spread

- Rice Bowls:

Gyro Chicken or Tofu ($9.95): chicken or tofu, brown rice, grape tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, kalamata olives, feta, red onion, tzatziki sauce, za'atar spice

- Filler'Up: Choice of Wheat/White/Rye/Gluten Free Panini- White/Wheat Wrap

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