Why Chipotle CTO compares technologists to air traffic controllers

CTO Curt Garner says collaboration skills helped the company sustain its digital sales by layering technologies.

By Roberto Torres • Nov. 17, 2020

How 5 mega chains are designing restaurants for a digital future

From McDonald's to Chipotle, limited-service brands are spending big on drive-thru, drive-in and pickup technology to grow revenue as the contactless experience becomes king. Here’s a breakdown of their designs.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman • Nov. 17, 2020

Explore the 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

Chick-fil-A adds online ordering through its website

Previously, customers could only place orders via the restaurant's website for catering. But after testing the feature in two markets over the summer, the chicken chain is allowing online ordering across its entire system.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 13, 2020

Lyft may wade further into restaurant delivery

The ride-sharing company is interested in expanding into delivery and creating a model without a consumer-facing marketplace that could potentially lower commission rates. 

By Julie Littman • Nov. 11, 2020

McDonald's new loyalty program will optimize digital, drive-thru opportunity

The chain will begin piloting the program, which offers personalized orders and deals across all digital touchpoints, at select Phoenix, Arizona, restaurants prior to a nationwide launch next year.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 9, 2020

Will ghost kitchens define the restaurant industry's future?

While investor interest booms and sales have the potential to outpace traditional models, questions linger about how much this emerging market could disrupt business in the long term. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 9, 2020

Wendy's taps operations chief as chain shifts focus to digital channels

To create more consistent experiences across its entire footprint, the chain named Deepak Ajmani as its new chief operating officer overseeing both company and franchise locations.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 6, 2020

Starbucks brews buzz for mobile ordering in new holiday campaign

With the tagline "Festive is a tap away, download the app today," the effort touts mobile ordering as the pandemic dissuades people from lingering in coffee houses.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 5, 2020

The cooking robotics space expected to be a $322M business by 2028, study says

The fast food industry is expected to see a 17% per year growth rate through 2028, the highest of any sector, according to Research Nester.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 5, 2020

Ghost kitchen provider Reef raises $700M

Reef will use the funding to grow from around 4,800 locations to 10,000, and CEO Ari Ojalvo said ghost kitchens "will be a significant part of non-parking revenue" for the company. 

By Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman • Nov. 4, 2020

White Castle is bringing Flippy the robot to 10 more restaurants

The robot optimizes staffing during hard-to-fill, late-night shifts at the 24-hour restaurant, and integrates with delivery applications to sync order completion with driver pickup times.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 27, 2020

Burger King parent to modernize 10K drive-thrus by 2022

Restaurant Brands International will add over 40,000 digital screens to Burger King and Tim Hortons brands that will provide predictive technology, contactless payment options and integrate with loyalty programs.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 27, 2020

Independent restaurants go dark to keep the lights on

The Independent Restaurant Coalition estimates that as many as 85% of mom-and-pop restaurants could close by the end of 2020. But some of them are finding new life in virtual brands and ghost kitchens. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 26, 2020

72% of franchisees have enhanced delivery, drive-thru amid the pandemic, study shows

The shift toward delivery and online ordering — which now make up 39% of sales compared to 20% in 2019 — is expected to be long lasting especially as consumer adoption grows, according to TD Bank.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 22, 2020

Yelp adds alerts for businesses accused of racism

The company's notification system was introduced in response to a surge of media-fueled reviews over the past few months warning users of businesses' alleged racist conduct. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 9, 2020

Uber Eats revamp looks to improve restaurant discoverability

New assets include Hidden Gem recommendations and family favorites, as well as the ability to order at multiple restaurants through a single order. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 8, 2020

McDonald's shaves down drive-thru times by almost 30 seconds, study shows

The chain's speed of service is likely helped by its Dynamic Yield technology and streamlined menus, including the elimination of all-day breakfast. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 6, 2020

Grubhub offers free subscription to Lyft Pink members

The partnership will give Lyft Pink members unlimited free delivery from nearly 200,000 restaurants and will better position both companies against rival Uber.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 6, 2020

Mapping the rise of ghost kitchens

Are ghost kitchens really on their way to becoming a mainstream restaurant channel? And what risks come with the opportunity they promise? Restaurant Dive aims to answer these questions and more in a six-part article series. 

Oct. 5, 2020

Taco Bell sets up personalized taco gifting service ahead of holiday rush

Available through Taco Bell's website and app, the feature will be permanent, showing the chain's continued bets on loyalty innovations.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 1, 2020

SevenRooms integrates its waitlist product with Google's Reserve

Guests can add themselves to a waitlist online from home via the restaurant's chosen channels, where they can view real-time estimates.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 30, 2020

Inspire Brands invests in POS integration platform ItsaCheckmate

The tech will help Arby's parent company streamline operations across its systems, the majority of which manually adds food orders from multiple channels to its POS platform.  

By Emma Liem Beckett • Sept. 30, 2020

Nearly half of consumers will try new brands if the ad is relevant, study shows

Before diverting marketing dollars to video-based social media — as Chipotle has done with its successful TikTok campaigns — marketers need to remember that context matters more than ever, according to a DoubleVerify study.

By Aaron Baar • Sept. 29, 2020

Domino's promotes CTO, restructures tech unit as CIO retires

Kelly Garcia will replace EVP and CIO Kevin Vasconi, who is retiring Oct. 2, the company announced Monday.

By Roberto Torres • Sept. 23, 2020

How chains are automating the curbside experience

Customers calling in for their food upon arrival have created logistical headaches for many chains new to curbside, and they are turning to geofencing and integrated alert systems to create a better experience.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 23, 2020