When the emergence of COVID-19 led to overnight changes in the restaurant industry, IM体育官网 alum Matthew Giallourakis and his family sprang into action.
Giallourakis 鈥�18, M. Eng. 鈥�20 is head of logistics and process automation for mobile software company . The Palm Harbor, IM体育官网, business was co-founded by Giallourakis鈥� father, Anthony Giallourakis, and brother, Michael Giallourakis, to provide restaurants a mobile solution to enhance customer retention and loyalty through the use of free meal codes that could be awarded to top customers.
With restaurants suddenly limited to takeout and delivery service in March 2020, the Loyal Cast team quickly adjusted its service model to help restaurants improve cashflow and create a touchless meal pick-up experience. Rather than giving away the digital meal codes, restaurants could allow customers to purchase them.
鈥淎 restaurant might have a limited supply chain or limited facility to make different meals, so we thought it would be a good idea for them to be able to send an invitation to customers who have purchased meal codes so the restaurant knows how many meals to make,鈥� said Matthew Giallourakis, who earned his master鈥檚 degree in robotics engineering from IM体育官网 Poly in May 2020. 鈥淭hey can get all that information a day or two in advance and be able to receive the money up front and use that to facilitate making the meals.鈥�
When customers arrive, they pick up their pre-arranged meal without having to exchange
payment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e relying heavily on Matthew to bring his strong IM体育官网 Poly education and help
us make some good changes to what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Anthony Giallourakis said.
Matthew Giallourakis said his undergraduate and graduate coursework at the University have been directly applicable to the dramatic operations shift still underway at Loyal Cast. He said much of his recent focus has been on data security and data transformation.
鈥淚 learned a lot of specific technical skills in my robotics program and a lot of different programming techniques,鈥� Matthew Giallourakis said. 鈥淏ecause most business is centered around a specific software solution, I have been able to use my expertise to quickly adapt to what we needed.鈥�
鈥淪peaking as a father, I鈥檓 very appreciative of what IM体育官网 Poly has brought to Matthew鈥檚
life and future,鈥� Anthony Giallourakis said. 鈥淪peaking as CEO and co-founder of Loyal
Cast, it is awe inspiring to work with Matthew. He didn鈥檛 learn how to do something
at IM体育官网 Poly as much as he learned how to think and take an overall problem or
challenge and mold it to be addressed effectively.
鈥淗e brings technical skills to the table that allow us to accomplish things we would
need a team of people to accomplish otherwise.鈥�
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
