MarginEdge Launches SmartPrep, Bringing AI-Powered Forecasting Into the Kitchen

New software and hardware solution turns restaurant data into daily prep plans, helping teams reduce guesswork, improve consistency and run more profitable kitchens

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MarginEdge, the leading restaurant management and bill payment platform, today announced the launch of SmartPrep, a new AI-enabled solution that turns restaurant sales forecasts into actionable daily prep plans and brings prep lists, checklists, labeling and execution into one connected workflow.

The launch marks another step in MarginEdge’s investment in AI-native tools that put restaurant data to work in daily operations. Drawing on MarginEdge’s direct POS integration and rich operational data, including sales history, purchases, recipes, inventory, shelf life and prep patterns, SmartPrep can predict demand and translate it into precise, item-level prep recommendations. Its predictions account for factors such as seasonality, day of the week, expected weather and how each kitchen actually operates.

“Restaurant technology has traditionally focused on helping operators understand what has already happened. What’s transformational about AI is its ability to make sense of enormous complexity and predict what teams should do next,” said Bo Davis, co-founder and CEO of MarginEdge. “SmartPrep does that work behind the scenes and gives kitchen teams something remarkably simple. A clear plan for the day. That’s AI at its best. Reducing waste, making people’s jobs easier and helping restaurants operate more profitably.”

Precision in prep is critical to restaurant performance. Preparing too much creates unnecessary food waste and labor costs, while preparing too little can lead to missed sales, inconsistent service and last-minute scrambling. Yet many kitchens still rely on paper lists, spreadsheets, text messages and individual experience to plan and manage prep.

SmartPrep replaces those disconnected processes with a single daily workflow:

• It begins with the restaurant’s AI-powered sales forecast, helping the kitchen anticipate demand before prep begins.
• The forecast becomes organized prep lists and recurring checklists that can be assigned by station, team or location.
• As tasks are completed, managers can see what is finished, what remains outstanding and where follow-through may be slipping.
• SmartPrep connects to a label printer to produce dissolvable labels containing prep details and expiration dates based on each recipe’s shelf life.
• Labels have QR codes that allow rapid tracking of on hands to minimize waste and help dial in production levels.
  

SmartPrep delivers actionable prep recommendations from day one, then becomes increasingly tailored as it learns from each restaurant’s forecasts, operating patterns and actual prep activity. By bringing planning, execution and communication into one connected system, it gives operators greater visibility across shifts and locations.

“Prep cooks are often the MVPs of the kitchen. We didn’t build SmartPrep to replace the expertise cooks bring to the kitchen, we built it to make their work easier and help them do it with greater confidence,” said Eric Jeffay, Director of Product at MarginEdge, who led the development of SmartPrep. “Seeing a prep cook who has spent decades in the kitchen use the tool in their preferred language to plan the day and guide their team is exactly why we built it. AI matters to us when it supports the people working incredibly hard behind the scenes, giving them more time and headspace to focus on the food, their teams and the hospitality that makes restaurants special.”

SmartPrep is supported by a purpose-built hardware package that includes a label printer, dissolvable labels, and optionality to use our bar code scanner or mobile app for tracking. Customers can also purchase a complete bundle with a tablet and stand, or use a compatible tablet they already have in their kitchen.

SmartPrep builds on more than a decade of MarginEdge using machine learning to turn restaurant data into actionable insights. As recent advances in AI unlock new possibilities, MarginEdge is investing heavily to combine our trusted restaurant data, integrated workflows and deep industry expertise to transform how operators run their businesses. The company’s recent $80 million Series D investment is accelerating that work, with SmartPrep representing the latest in a growing set of AI-powered capabilities.

SmartPrep is now available to MarginEdge customers. Learn more here.

About MarginEdge
MarginEdge is the AI-powered restaurant management and finance platform, built by restaurant people for restaurant people. By transforming the messy, fragmented data behind restaurant operations into trusted, actionable information, MarginEdge helps operators understand their business, improve profitability and spend less time on administrative work.

The platform offers invoice processing, inventory management, recipe and menu analysis, budgeting, performance tracking, sales forecasting, supplier bill payment and restaurant spend management capabilities via the MarginEdge card. MarginEdge supports more than 13,000 restaurants, from independent operators and small chains to large franchise and hospitality groups. For more information, visit marginedge.com.

Media Contact
Walker Sands for MarginEdge
marginedgepr@walkersands.com