As food service margins tighten and workforce challenges intensify, leaders are under pressure to modernize operations without losing what matters most: the human experience. Artificial intelligence is often positioned as the solution, and simultaneously as a threat. Will it replace frontline jobs, or will it redefine them?
In a recent episode of the Frontline Innovators podcast, host Justin Lake spoke with Carlos Linares, Founder & CEO of FoodOps IQ and CEO of Third Wish Food Services, about why AI’s real value lies in empowering frontline teams, not replacing them, and what leaders must do to capture that value.
A Global Perspective on Frontline Value
After working across more than 45 countries in food service, retail, and contract catering, Carlos has seen firsthand that while value creation looks similar at a high level, the details matter enormously. Culture, regulation, workforce norms, and customer expectations vary widely, not just between countries, but within them.
In the U.S. alone, operating a national food service organization can feel like managing multiple countries at once. This complexity makes one thing clear: frontline technology cannot be designed as a universal solution. Leaders must understand how work happens in each environment before expecting consistent results.
The Real Pressures Facing Food Service Operators
Food service organizations are navigating a perfect storm. Margins are shrinking, client negotiations are becoming more aggressive, and frontline turnover remains stubbornly high. At the same time, expectations for quality, experience, and consistency continue to rise.
In an industry that depends heavily on people, turnover drives real cost, lost productivity, increased training spend, and inconsistent execution. The faster frontline teams can become confident and effective in their roles, the stronger the operation becomes. This is where technology, when applied correctly, turns into a competitive advantage rather than an added burden.
AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement
Despite widespread concern, Carlos is clear: AI is unlikely to replace frontline roles in contract catering and facilities management. The human touch, service, presence, and connection, is central to the value these organizations deliver.
Where AI excels is augmentation. It can provide frontline employees with real-time guidance, reminders, and alerts exactly when they need them. Instead of relying on memory, manuals, or delayed training, workers can access support in the flow of work. In this model, AI functions as a virtual operational excellence coach, available 24/7, helping teams perform more consistently and confidently.
Why Automation Alone Isn’t the Answer
Transactional tasks like ordering and payment are increasingly automated through kiosks and mobile apps, and in many cases, this improves accuracy and convenience. But food service, especially in workplaces, hospitals, and campuses, is not purely transactional.
Experience matters. Friendly service, personalization, and trust play a significant role in customer
satisfaction and loyalty. Leaders must strike a balance: automate where it removes friction, and invest in people where human interaction creates value. AI should free frontline teams to focus on experience, not eliminate them from it.
Learning While Doing: A Practical AI Use Case
One of the most compelling AI applications Carlos describes is voice-enabled, generative AI that supports frontline work in real time. Imagine a cook preparing a new menu item:
They ask the system to walk them through the recipe, clarify steps, or answer questions on the spot. The result is improved consistency, reduced waste, faster onboarding, and greater confidence, without removing human judgment from the process.
This kind of support doesn’t replace skill; it reinforces it, helping organizations standardize quality while respecting frontline expertise.
Overcoming Fear Through Co-Creation
Fear of job loss remains one of the biggest barriers to frontline technology adoption. Carlos shares an example from Brazil, where a “smart kitchen” concept was designed collaboratively with frontline teams, equipment vendors, and operators.
Instead of engineering the solution in isolation, teams worked together to reduce total cost, improve safety,
lower environmental impact and simplify work. While some roles were reduced, growth created new opportunities elsewhere. Because frontline teams were involved from the beginning, and could see how the changes improved their environment, they embraced the transformation.
Trust, transparency, and shared ownership turned a potential threat into a win-win.
The Power of Unspoken Leaders
Beyond formal leadership roles, every organization has informal influencers: super users and change champions who shape peer behavior. When these individuals are identified early and invested in, they become trusted ambassadors of change. Their enthusiasm, feedback, and credibility often determine whether new tools are embraced or resisted.
Measuring What Matters
Too many transformation initiatives celebrate deployment instead of adoption. As Carlos explains, leaders often track whether a system is live, but not whether it’s being used correctly, consistently, or at all.
True success requires measuring four things: Usage. Process compliance. Efficiency gains. Business impact.
Without clear baselines and ongoing measurement, organizations can’t tell whether technology is delivering value, or quietly failing. Measurement isn’t a reporting exercise; it’s how leaders learn, adjust, and build credibility with frontline teams.
The future of food service isn’t people or AI, it’s people with AI. Leaders who design technology around frontline reality, measure what truly matters, and build trust through transparency will unlock both operational efficiency and better human experiences. Those who don’t risk automating friction instead of eliminating it.
Skyllful’s Digital Readiness Platform equips teams with what they need to excel on the frontlines and gives leaders deeper insight into their experiences. With real-world, mobile training, teams gain more accurate data, improved employee satisfaction, and better internal alignment.
Reach out today for a demo of the platform to see Skyllful’s tech in action.
Want to learn more frontline change management strategies from Carlos Linares? Watch Skyllful’s Frontline Innovators podcast episode, or find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Frequently Asked Questions: Takeaways From the Frontline Innovators Podcast With Carlos Linares
Will AI replace frontline jobs in food service?
Unlikely. While automation will continue to handle transactional tasks, frontline roles that rely on service, experience, and human connection remain essential.
Where does AI provide the most value today?
In real-time enablement, guidance, reminders, alerts, and decision support that help frontline teams perform better in the moment.
Why do technology initiatives fail on the frontline?
Because they’re often designed without frontline input and measured by deployment instead of adoption and impact.
What should leaders measure after go-live?
Usage, compliance, efficiency, and business outcomes, not just whether the system is turned on.
AI is not a replacement strategy, it’s an enablement strategy for frontline teams in food service and facilities management.
