Technology: Page 11

  • An image of Yelp's reservation management platform.
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    Permission granted by Yelp
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    Yelp expands front-of-house tools with Toast, Google

    A Toast integration will allow restaurants to gain insights from the point-of-sale system, while Reserve with Google will allow diners to reserve a table or join a waitlist from Google Maps and Search. 

    By • May 15, 2023
  • A glass goblet being held up by a hand and filled with an orange liquid on tap.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    How this brewery-gastropub saves 6 hours a week with integrated payroll

    Learn how a brewing company used Square to grow their business, boost revenue and generate higher numbers of repeat customers.

    May 15, 2023
  • A man and a woman dressed as a chef look at a tablet. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Back-of-house Technology

    From voice AI at the drive-thru to robot-powered makelines, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover. 

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • Wendy's ghost kitchen
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    Permission granted by Wendy's
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    Wendy’s will shut down remaining US Reef units

    The closures are slated for this quarter and come less than two years after Wendy’s said it would build 700 Reef units in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

    By • May 10, 2023
  • A picture of someone scanning a QR code at a restaurant.
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    Retrieved from ChatFood on May 10, 2023
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    Deliverect acquires ChatFood, offers dine-in ordering

    Deliverect will roll out new products in the coming months so restaurants can offer ordering via social media and QR codes for dine-in guests.

    By • May 10, 2023
  • Wendy's drive-thru only restaurant UK
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    Permission granted by Wendy's
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    Wendy’s to test Google’s drive-thru chatbot in Ohio

    The tool, called Wendy’s FreshAI, can understand customization requests, respond to common customer questions and offer upsell suggestions. 

    By • Updated May 10, 2023
  • An image of an Amazon Echo device using Uber Eats
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    Courtesy of Uber Eats
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    Uber Eats expands voice order tracking with Amazon Alexa

    The food delivery aggregator initially added voice integrations with Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri last year.

    By • May 8, 2023
  • An image of sweetgreen's automated kitchen in Naperville, Illinois
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen will unveil first automated kitchen this week

    The chain’s Infinite Kitchen, part of ongoing efforts to improve profitability, opened its first location in Naperville, Illinois, on Wednesday.

    By • Updated May 10, 2023
  • A laptop with a picture of a nachos and guacamole dish is right next to a Square mobile device processing a smartphone. A hand reaches out to the laptop.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    5 tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy

    Restaurants are finding new ways to meet consumers on the channels they’re already using. Here are five tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy to more effectively reach and engage with customers.

    May 8, 2023
  • An image promoting renovations and redesigns of existing CKE Restaurants.
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    Courtesy of CKE Restaurants
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    CKE partners with 3 drive-thru AI firms

    The parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. said tests of Presto, Valyant and OpenCity’s drive-thru AI tools helped improve labor efficiency.

    By • May 5, 2023
  • Brinker International launched its second virtual brand, Maggiano's Italian Classics, in 2021.
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    Retrieved from Maggiano's Italian Classics on August 18, 2021
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    Brinker to phase out Maggiano’s Italian Classics virtual brand

    The brand lasted fewer than two years at the restaurant company, which is looking to to free up labor and time to focus on in-restaurant operations. 

    By • May 4, 2023
  • A delivery robot crosses a busy street.
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    Carlos Osorio/AP

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    Deep Dive

    Why delivery robots face a regulatory ‘nightmare’

    Laws for sidewalk-roaming bots have taken hold across states. But variances in each bill complicate the industry's expansion plans.

    By Max Garland • May 3, 2023
  • An image of a Chick-fil-A customer scanning her rewards program at the drive-thru
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    Retrieved from Chick-fil-A on March 17, 2023
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    Chick-fil-A’s geofencing pilot reduced wait times

    The chain found that 100 restaurants trimmed average wait times by one to two minutes using this technology. 

    By • May 3, 2023
  • A restaurant worker uses a tablet for payment operations while restaurant customers mingle in the background.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    The Future of Restaurants report: Square’s 2023 edition

    The Square Future of Restaurants report will help you understand the top trends, the changing landscape and expectations, and the tools and strategies that define the next era of the restaurant industry.

    May 1, 2023
  • A Grubhub worker and a JOCO bike.
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    Grubhub will offer monthly e-bike credits to 500 NYC delivery workers

    Grubhub and e-bike rental platform JOCO say their joint bike rental credit program could improve fire safety in the Big Apple, where 11 people have died in e-bike battery-related fires in 16 months.

    By • April 27, 2023
  • An image showing various food items and brand packaging from LankyBox Kitchen.
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    Courtesy of Virtual Dining Concepts
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    Chuck E. Cheese will serve LankyBox Kitchen in-store

    The eatertainment chain will serve some of its virtual brand’s food in brick-and-mortar locations for a limited time, along with branded packaging and select awards and tokens.

    By • April 25, 2023
  • Yelp, office
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    Courtesy of Yelp
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    Yelp brings AI, video reviews to platform

    Diners can use the new “Surprise Me” function and “Clickable Category Tags” — two of more than a dozen Yelp updates — to find stores and restaurants without specific brands in mind.

    By • April 25, 2023
  • Toast Inc. point of sale device
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    Courtesy of Toast Inc.
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    Toast adds reservation, waitlist management product

    Toast’s latest module could pit it against OpenTable, which recently partnered with Square to manage tables, floor plans and view guest preferences.

    By • April 25, 2023
  • An image of Sweetgreen's rewards program on a smartphone.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen launches two-tiered loyalty program nationwide

    After testing loyalty elements in 2022, the chain settled on a free tier and a $10 monthly subscription tier, which includes a daily $3 order discount. 

    By • April 24, 2023
  • A glass goblet being held up by a hand and filled with an orange liquid on tap.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Square

    How this brewery-gastropub saves 6 hours a week with integrated payroll

    Learn how a brewing company used Square to grow their business, boost revenue and generate higher numbers of repeat customers.

    April 24, 2023
  • A photograph of Cartken autonomous delivery robots in Fairfax, Virginia.
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    Permission granted by Uber Eats
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    Uber Eats, Cartken bring autonomous delivery robots to Virginia

    Following the December launch of autonomous delivery in Miami, the companies are bringing the robots to a shopping and dining district within Fairfax, Virginia. 

    By • April 20, 2023
  • A woman sits at a coffee table looking at a tablet.
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    andresr via Getty Images
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    NCR in recovery as ransomware disrupts widely used point-of-sale system

    In-restaurant purchases are still being processed on NCR Aloha, but other capabilities and business processes remain down, the company said Monday.

    By Matt Kapko • Updated April 21, 2023
  • An image of a hand scanning a QR code in a restaurant.
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    LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
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    Study: 47% of consumers not comfortable using QR codes in restaurants

    Despite more QR codes to view menus, order and pay, 65% of consumers aged 60-plus are uncomfortable using the tech, per a William Blair survey.

    By • April 19, 2023
  • A laptop with a picture of a nachos and guacamole dish is right next to a Square mobile device processing a smartphone. A hand reaches out to the laptop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Square

    5 tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy

    Restaurants are finding new ways to meet consumers on the channels they’re already using. Here are five tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy to more effectively reach and engage with customers.

    April 17, 2023
  • An image of Square's integrated platform with OpenTable
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Square integrates with OpenTable, Facebook to enhance products

    Square added nearly 100 features to its platform, including an integration with Facebook and Instagram which allows operators to add “Order Food” buttons to social media platforms. 

    By • April 12, 2023
  • Domino's integration with Apple CarPlay
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    Courtesy of Domino's
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    Domino’s gasses up in-car ordering with Apple CarPlay integration

    The latest innovation from the "e-commerce company that sells pizza" could help the brand boost sales after a quarter that disappointed investors.

    By Chris Kelly , • April 10, 2023