Technology: Page 25
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Par Technology expands into loyalty with $500M Punchh acquisition
The addition of the loyalty and guest engagement firm will help Par create an all-in-one cloud platform for its 100,000-plus global restaurant clients.
By Julie Littman • April 9, 2021 -
OpenTable opens 1st restaurant as innovation lab
The reservation platform's brick-and-mortar eatery is located inside Kayak Miami Beach — the first hotel from sister company Kayak— and will be used to hone diner data and develop new technology.
By Alicia Kelso • April 8, 2021 -
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 -
Yelp adds new search filters for Asian-owned businesses
Anti-Asian hate crimes rose in 2020, but support for these businesses is increasing, with searches rising 130% in February on Yelp's platform.
By Julie Littman • April 7, 2021 -
OpenTable launches restaurant restriction heat map for diners
The reservation platform will also roll out a hub for operators on Thursday called At Your Service, which includes flow controls to limit the number of covers or parties that can book a reservation.
By Alicia Kelso • April 6, 2021 -
Squarespace buys reservation platform Tock for $400M
The acquisition comes a year after Tock pivoted from offering pre-paid reservations to providing a resource for restaurants to add an online takeout and delivery menu.
By Julie Littman • April 1, 2021 -
DoorDash, Olo settle dispute
The two companies hashed out a new multi-year agreement after DoorDash sued Olo in October for $7 million, claiming breach of contract, fraud and concealment.
By Julie Littman • Updated April 23, 2021 -
Pizza Hut adds drive-thru lanes to over 1,500 US restaurants
Nearly a year after it debuted contactless curbside pickup, the chain has added digital order pickup windows in a continued effort to modernize its system.
By Julie Littman • March 30, 2021 -
Chipotle gives away $100K in bitcoin for National Burrito Day
By asking people to register for a chance to win burritos or bitcoin, the restaurant can continue to build out its first-party data about consumers for future campaigns.
By Robert Williams • March 30, 2021 -
Chipotle invests in self-driving delivery company Nuro
This marks the first time the fast casual chain has significantly funded a third-party technology company since 2018 and follows recent tech acquisitions by McDonald's and Yum Brands.
By Julie Littman • March 25, 2021 -
Yum Brands acquires Tictuk to deepen commerce capabilities for social media, messaging
The owner of KFC and Taco Bell makes its second tech acquisition in a month as it looks to transform its business on a faster timetable.
By Peter Adams • March 24, 2021 -
Domino's teams with Datatron to streamline AI and machine learning tech
The platform is automating and standardizing the deployment, monitoring, management, governance and validation of the pizza chain's artificial intelligence models.
By Alicia Kelso • March 23, 2021 -
What Olo's $450M IPO means for the restaurant industry
Founder and CEO Noah Glass talks about how he wants to expand Olo's digital ordering capabilities with an influx of capital after shares rose 39% during day one of trading.
By Julie Littman • March 19, 2021 -
Walmart explores ghost kitchens
The retailer's Canadian division is testing the virtual food court concept at several locations that will have meals from brands like Quiznos, Saladworks, Taco del Mar and The Cheesecake Factory Bakery.
By Jeff Wells , Emma Liem Beckett • March 12, 2021 -
Sonic diners can now tip carhops through its app
The functionality, which CMO Lori Abou Habib said is a top request from customers, is available at 1,000 of the chain's 3,500 locations and will be available systemwide by the end of 2021.
By Alicia Kelso • March 11, 2021 -
Postmates' robotics division splits off, becomes Serve Robotics
Serve Robotics closed its first funding round and will continue to develop and operate autonomous delivery robots in urban markets as it pursues new partnerships.
By Emma Liem Beckett • March 3, 2021 -
Yum Brands buys Kvantum's AI business to 'fast-track' data-driven marketing
The owner of KFC and Taco Bell will combine Kvantum's machine learning tech with culture-based insights from Collider Lab, a consultancy it acquired in 2015.
By Peter Adams • March 2, 2021 -
McDonald's mulls partial sale of AI company Dynamic Yield
Following franchisee complaints, the fast food giant is evaluating the tech company's drive-thru performance and could sell the part that works with outside retailers.
By Alicia Kelso • Updated March 1, 2021 -
88% of restaurants considering swapping to digital menus, survey says
Seventy-six percent of operators plan to continue offering contactless payment options this year as well, Square's Future of Restaurants 2021 report shows.
By Julie Littman • Feb. 24, 2021 -
Olo files to go public with $100M offering
The software company posted a 94% increase in revenue during 2020 as customers shifted toward digital ordering channels during the pandemic.
By Julie Littman • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Yelp adds takeout features, enhanced analytics to Waitlist
The latest updates to the company's restaurant products include guest profiles and POS integration, which give users more data on operational performance, customer preferences and ordering behavior.
By Julie Littman • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Toast considering IPO valued at $20B, WSJ reports
The software company, which processed 50 million digital guest orders in 2020, is also exploring a sale or merger with a special purpose acquisition corporation, per the publication.
By Julie Littman • Feb. 22, 2021 -
Will Clubhouse be the next social media platform for marketers?
The parent company of Burger King and Popeyes jumped on the buzzy app last week, opening the possibility of another digital channel for brands to utilize.
By Chris Kelly • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Report: Loyalty customers spend more than twice as much on takeout meals
The spending disparity between loyalty members and non-members reflects why so many major brands, including Taco Bell, Wendy's and White Castle, have added or enhanced their loyalty programs during the pandemic.
By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 17, 2021 -
McDonald’s agrees to independent review of contentious technology fees
At the request of the National Franchisee Leadership, which claims that no outstanding fees were due, the chain said it plans to enlist Ernst & Young to provide certainty that payables are owed.
By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 16, 2021 -
Taco Bell franchisee to break ground this month on new Defy model
The two-story store with four drive-thru lanes in Minnesota will let mobile order customers use digital check-in screens to scan unique QR codes and then have their order delivered through a proprietary lift system.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Aug. 12, 2021