RTN Member Spotlight: Fredrik Carlegren
Why did your company join RTN?
Toshiba is looking forward to contributing to RTN’s mission of providing technical guidance toward standards for restaurant businesses. The restaurant industry has experienced unprecedented challenges. We value the opportunity to network and collaborate with the outstanding group of RTN members and share ideas that advance capabilities for restaurateurs and help them meet the challenges ahead.
What's your favorite personal past-time?
There are several that I try to focus on weekly! I’d consider myself a ‘foodie’ which means I love trying new foods, exploring the local restaurant scene or just cooking something delicious at home. This goes for the amazing microbrewery scene here in Raleigh-Durham too. With all that food, it’s important to get in a nice long hike on weekends. To top it off, I just re-started piano lessons again after a 40 or so year hiatus.
What three words would you use to describe what's happening in the restaurant industry right now?
Adaptive, Digitalization, Diversification.
What’s your most-used restaurant app?
It probably involves pizza. As the father of two, and seemingly always on the go, we can always agree on a nice pizza for dinner. Our current go-to is usually Papa John’s or Dominoes. I love the delivery trackers, they help a lot when a hungry kid ask “When is the food going to be here?!”
Restaurateur you most admire and why?
I’m a huge fan of Marcus Samuelsson, and fortunate to have met him several times in New York. Not only is his Red Rooster restaurant a fabulous experience with great food, but I love how he has embraced all aspects of the Harlem neighborhood where he lives and works. In addition to that, he still holds close his Ethiopian and Swedish roots. Several years ago, my family was able to attend an event he hosted at his family’s apartment for Ethiopian famine relief. He’s an all-around great person, and excellent restauranteur.
What technology are you most excited about for the future of restaurants?
In today's ever-changing nature of the industry, consumer expectations around dining have changed and the industry is continually adapting to not only meet, but exceed, these expectations. Restaurants need to focus on both hardware and software technology that help drive digital transformation and frictionless experiences. Hybrid solutions that can convert on-the-fly from traditional POS to a self-service solution for contactless checkout will be an advantage in helping restaurateurs reimagine their store. Software commerce platforms that are agile, continuously scalable, and able to add functionality seamlessly without replacing existing technology, help restauranteurs preserve investments, accelerate growth, and evolve at their own pace.