b'MAJOR TAKEAWAYSAfter IFBTA CEO Grimes introduced the panel topic, panelists quickly made the answer apparentit depends on who you talk to. While Anthony, Mount and Simons all have some similar supply chain issues, they have others as unique as their operations. Starbucks, for example, is working toward marrying technology to the supply chain wherever it can. It has IoT (Internet of Things) sensors on most equipment to help predict when maintenance or service are needed. It also has a good handle on retail items due to POS scanning. The goal, says Mount, is inventory visibility from one end of the supply chain to the other to balance the flow. We still have a lot of legacy systems were trying to replace, Mount says. Between AI, machine learning and forecasting, we want our system to predict what stores need, and ship it when they need it. Wed like to diplomatically take back-of-house supply issues away so no one in the store has to take inventory, it would free them to focus on customers.Farmers Restaurant Group, as a farmer-owned operation, has different challenges. I wish I had big IT and supply chain departments, says Simon, but I want the supply chain shortened, so more profit goes back to small producers, and our farmer-owners and investors.'