Quality service and satisfied customers are the cornerstone of any successful restaurant. In a small eatery, the owner can usually manage the day-to-day operations without too many problems. But once a restaurant grows or becomes part of a larger chain, it’s nearly impossible for owners or top management to oversee every server, engage with every customer, or preempt every conflict. Advances in AI technology, however, can solve these challenges. Computer vision-enabled surveillance cameras can continuously monitor café and restaurant operations, analyze what’s happening, track guest emotions, and share real-time insights with management. With this AI-driven support, owners can swiftly resolve issues and optimize operations. Co-founder of Aldente AI, Laura Taganova, recently spoke with ER10 Media about how AI-powered cameras can revolutionize the hospitality industry.
Follow Kazakhstan’s Startup Movement in the "100 Startup Stories of Kazakhstan", a collaborative project by ER10 Media and Astana Hub. This initiative highlights the most innovative Kazakh startups, showcasing projects that stand out for their creativity and impact. Among the heroes are Astana Hub residents, as well as creators of other innovative technological products and services. The content is available in Kazakh, Russian, and English.
— What is Aldente AI all about?
— Aldente AI is designed to give owners real-time data and information about their business. This data helps them make quick decisions, improve day-to-day operations and enhance the customer experience.
Almost every restaurant or café these days has surveillance cameras — primarily used for security. But those cameras actually capture a wealth of useful information that could be used to optimize business processes and elevate the guest experience.
The problem is that owners or managers often have to sift through hours of footage themselves to extract insights. Realistically, who has time for that? Our solution is the Aldente AI model, which automates this process and makes it manageable for businesses of any size.
— What kind of data can your software collect?
— We gather a wide range of audience metrics: customer traffic, occupancy, peak hours, demographics (age and gender), plus the ratio of new versus returning customers, their reactions, and how long they stay. We also capture operational data like queue length, staff performance, conflicts, and much more. The system then sends real-time notifications or detailed reports about any significant incidents directly to the owner or manager.
— Can a camera track unscrupulous employees or customers? For example, if someone is stealing?
— That’s a popular request not just from restaurants but also from store managers and other businesses. However, it’s a complex functionality that requires a great deal of case-by-case refinement. We do plan to offer it in the future, but it’s not on our immediate roadmap. Right now, our software focuses on boosting service quality. Sometimes staff simply get overwhelmed, and it’s not necessarily their fault — it could be a rush hour when too many customers arrive at once. We help owners see these issues and fix them.
— So your product essentially gives owners a full analytics package for their venue?
— It depends on what the owner needs. Our solution can provide deep analytics for a restaurant or cafe. But from the start, we envisioned Aldente AI for multi-location operators. Such owners often don’t have time to study in-depth analytics. That’s why our product can also handle more practical tasks via real-time notifications.
For example, an owner can instruct our AI model to alert them about specific events — like a queue forming, a staff shortage, a conflict, or a sudden drop in customer flow. If a spike in visitors happens at certain hours and servers are swamped, customers might leave dissatisfied — and our system will immediately notify the owner about all these critical moments.
— How did you come up with the idea for Aldente AI? Was it personal experience or a result of research?
— Before Aldente AI, we worked on a startup called Loca, which got us into the Hero Training program run jointly by Draper University and Astana Hub. We went to the U.S. with Loca, but we already sensed the need to reshape our product to deliver greater business value while reducing heavy marketing and customer acquisition costs.
During Hero Training, we participated in a hackathon focused on computer vision. We brainstormed multiple concepts and ultimately settled on this idea — enabling business owners to interact with their existing cameras, give them prompts, and gain real-time insights into their business.
— At what stage is your startup now? Is it a finished product?
— Yes, we are working. In Kazakhstan, we work with several chains — for example, Coffee Boom, Shashlychok and SF. We recently signed a major American chain, Panda Express, a partnership that started in our product’s very early days. Our priority right now is to run a smooth pilot with them so we can then scale across their entire network.
We’re also in talks with two or three more large U.S. companies that manage thousands of locations worldwide.
From the get-go, our strategy was not to spread ourselves too thin by chasing a large number of small clients. Instead, we wanted to refine our technology with major chains. Our go-to-market plan is to land 5–10 significant partners who will pave the way for broader adoption.
— So, you’re aiming to become an international unicorn?
— Naturally — that’s the dream for most startup founders!
— These days, there are plenty of computer vision startups. How do you stand out?
— Yes, the field is crowded. But we’re focused on a very specific niche and build custom metrics and solutions that are still broadly applicable within that niche. We know the challenges businesses face in this sector and precisely how we can help.
— Are you open to working in other sectors, or will you stay specialized?
— Our product can be used in various industries — retail, logistics, manufacturing, etc. But for now, our goal is to secure a product-market fit in the restaurant space before expanding elsewhere. Our guiding principle is to bring genuine value through technology.
— Today in Kazakhstan, there aren’t many truly seasoned AI specialists. Did you develop Aldente AI with a local Kazakhstani team, or did you have to bring in outside experts?
— It’s true that the pool of top-notch AI talent in Kazakhstan isn’t huge, but we’ve managed to assemble a very strong in-house development team here. They’re highly educated, experienced, and motivated — so we’ve been able to handle all our R&D ourselves, without needing external specialists.
— Have you faced any serious challenges along the way?
— Plenty — and more than we’d like. A lot of people imagine building a startup is all fun and magic, with investor money raining down from the sky. That’s far from reality. You need a bit of craziness to launch and run a startup.
One of our biggest challenges is infrastructure. We rely on cloud solutions, which are costly for real-time video processing. Plus, we work with existing on-site cameras, which don’t always have the best video stream quality. And of course, we depend on the internet speeds in each location.
— Do you think Kazakhstan provides a supportive environment for startups?
— Kazakhstan has enormous potential — look at the growing number of talented founders attracting investments both domestically and from abroad, and expanding to new markets. This is a good sign. But there is still room for development, especially in the area of technological infrastructure and increased support for R&D. If major tech giants and top universities establish a stronger presence in Kazakhstan, it could really accelerate local innovation and draw more international investors.
— What mission drives Aldente AI?
— We want to make the world a better place by improving service, enhancing safety and creating a comfortable environment for businesses and their customers through advanced technology.
— What does the future hold for your startup and this industry? Will computer vision become a go-to tool for business owners?
— We’re working on integrating our platform with the software many businesses already use, aiming to build a multi-agent system that makes day-to-day management much more efficient. Eventually, we envision creating an AI ecosystem that transforms the way businesses operate — giving owners new decision-making tools and making their operations smarter and more tech-driven.
— Now, a bit about you personally. Despite seeing your mom’s challenges in running a business, you became an entrepreneur yourself. How did that happen?
— My mom was in business, so from a young age, I knew it wasn’t easy. I spent almost a decade working in IT across government and quasi-government sectors. Seeing how technology can shape the world and how it can improve real-world businesses made me more and more intrigued by entrepreneurship.
— Where do you find inspiration?
— I am a workaholic by nature. I find energy and inspiration in the very process of work — completing meaningful projects, collaborating with my team and communicating with our clients.
— Which books do you enjoy?
— I like both fiction and business literature — I don't stick to any one genre. Of fiction, I like Vladimir Nabokov very much. As for business books, I can highlight a few useful ones: Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters, A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley, and Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson.
— Is there a particular dream you want to fulfill with your startup?
— We want to become a large global company that genuinely benefits both businesses and society at large.
— If you had to compare your personality — and your startup — to a sport, what would it be?
— I’d say swimming. When you swim, you engage all your muscles and your mind. Our business is similar: success requires mobilizing every resource, all your knowledge, experience, and the endurance to keep going.
