Olin, AI Assistant for Culinary Industry

The Role of Technology in the Culinary Industry

In today’s digital era, technology has become an inseparable part of everyday life. Many jobs are now supported by artificial intelligence or AI. According to Microsoft and LinkedIn reports, 92% of intellectual workers in Indonesia are already using generative AI in their work, a much higher number than the global average.

However, the benefits of AI are not only limited to office workers or the world of technology. Behind the busyness of the kitchen and customer service, culinary business actors have also begun to feel the importance of technology support in running their business.

PT Esensi Solusi Buana (ESB), a cloud-based software provider company specifically for the food and beverage business (F&B), sees the challenges faced by business actors firsthand. Starting from the decision making that is still a lot based on intuition, to the limited time to analyze operational data as a whole.

Seeing this need, ESB presents Olin, the first AI assistant specially designed for the culinary world. Officially launched in 2025, Olin was developed for two full years to truly understand the rhythm and challenges facing the F&b business.

Olin: active and proactive AI assistant

Different from the usual apps that are just waiting for commands, Olin works actively. Every day, Olin reads transaction data, monitors sales trends, and provides recommendations that can be directly applied by business owners. Starting from determining the best-selling menu, looking at the busiest hours, to evaluating ongoing promotions.

Gunawan, Co-Founder & The CEO of ESB, emphasized that the use of AI technology today is no longer just an option, but a must. According to him, like it or not, AI has started, and will continue to change the way business people run their daily business.

“So the question now is, are we ready to survive in the midst of a completely changed way of competing?” Gunawan said at the Luncheon Media Table event “From the Kitchen to Data: Winning Culinary Competition Through Adoption of AI Early on” in Jakarta, Tuesday (30/7).

He also added, although AI is not an instant solution, those who adopt it first will actually feel greater benefits in the future.

“The sooner we start, the faster AI understands the character of our business and provides relevant insight. Therefore, AI needs to be seen not as a threat, but as a tool to grow together, create synergy and help businesses develop side by side in a healthy ecosystem,” he said.

Benefits of Olin in the Culinary Business

One of the business actors who has directly experienced the benefits of AI is Regan S. Subagio, the owner of the Hong Kong Bay restaurant. For Regan, AI like Olin not only helps work to be more efficient, but also gives a competitive advantage.

“Olin helps us analyze ongoing promos and show their impact on sales,” said Regan. “So we no longer rely on feelings, but data. This makes promotional and up-selling strategies much more focused and effective.”

Since its opening in 2022, Hongkong Bay has been using the ESB system as an operational and financial foundation. With support such as Chef Christo and Chef Fransisca from MasterChef Indonesia, Regan believes that the quality of taste needs to be supported by a strong system.

“The ESB features are like a treasure. Through this system, I can see the rush hours, even knowing whether the outlets have run recipes according to standards. This is not only having control, but also our basis in formulating business strategies.”

long-term strategy with technology

In line with Regan, Ayu Switriani, F&B Director of Temuku, also highlighted the importance of using technology such as Olin and ESB as the foundation in making business decisions and supporting business growth.

“Olin not only noted, but gave us data-based insight. What needs to be improved, which one can be optimized.

Armed with a background in the culinary and operational fields, Ayu sees that the current digital system is no longer just a tool, but has become a necessity. He realized that there are still many business actors who are accustomed to the manual method or feel doubtful because of the initial cost. However, in the midst of increasingly complex business challenges, he believes systems such as ESB can actually be the key to building a brand that is consistent and ready to develop.

For Temuku, technology adoption is not just a matter of efficiency, but a long-term strategy to maintain quality and pave the way for expansion. “With a solid digital foundation, we believe that Temuku can go further, from a strong local brand, towards national and even global competitiveness,” he explained.

Olin as a Strategic Partner

Built from the spirit to answer the real needs of business actors, Olin is present not only as a tool, but as a smart assistant who accompanies strategic decisions every day. With features such as sales projection, automatic detection of potential fraud, to customer data-based promotional recommendations.

After a minimum of three months of use, Olin was able to produce business analysis and projection with an accuracy rate of up to 98% and was proven to drive sales increases by more than 50%. Through an easy-to-use approach, Olin provides the benefits of having business analysts, accountants, auditors, and consultants in a system that is ready to support sustainable growth.

With data-based solutions such as Olin and an integrated operational system, culinary business actors have more than just auxiliary technology. They have strategic partners who are ready to assist in every important decision. However, for ESB, real support does not stop at mere features or technology, what is more essential is to ensure that every innovation presented, is able to help business actors run daily operations more efficiently, intelligently and sustainably.

Gunawan assessed that the f&b industry was too large and important to continue to rely on manual systems. He and his team built ESB because they saw firsthand the challenges faced by business actors when they had to make decisions without integrated and real-time data support.

“Olin and technology are present not just a tool, but a strategic partner who empowers. Not to replace humans, but instead strengthening connections between humans, so that business owners can focus on the most valuable things to build a team and create the best experience for customers,” he said.