Restaurants need to incorporate apps to keep a seat at the table

As ordering online increases, eateries need to change their strategies related to customer flow, menus, real estate and data, says Ritual CEO Ray Reddy. 

By Ray Reddy • March 4, 2019

Yelp's diversification generating significant user growth

The tech company's investments in kiosks and its integration with Grubhub’s restaurant network have helped make it more formidable to OpenTable.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 27, 2019

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

Delivery throws restaurants a lifeline during extreme weather

Heat waves and snow storms can cripple sales for restaurants that rely on dine-in traffic, but delivery partnerships can help squeeze new growth opportunities out of inclement conditions. 

By Julie Littman • Feb. 27, 2019

Pizza Hut to test delivery bots with FedEx

The company could get a competitive edge with this partnership as it becomes the first national pizza chain to test autonomous delivery robots.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 27, 2019

Presto, ShiftOne gain new funding for employee retention technology

Presto will put $30 million in new investments toward its AI platform, and ShiftOne will use its additional $2.6 million to bring new features to its scheduling system as demand for staffing forecasting grows. 

By Kevin Whiteley • Feb. 27, 2019

Shake Shack overhauling enterprise systems with 'Project Concrete'

The burger chain is investing in automated business processes to eliminate administrative manual tasks.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 27, 2019

Wendy's brings franchise 'technology to life' through council

As technology becomes embedded in franchises, the chain is distributing responsibilities throughout the C-suite following the retirement of former CIO David Trimm.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 26, 2019

OpenTable to ban repeat no-shows in the UK

The company has launched its Book Responsibly feature across the pond, which bars users if they fail to appear at reservations four times in a 12-month period.  

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 21, 2019

Shake Shack hires first CIO to oversee 'all aspects of technology'

CIO Dave Harris' experience in reservation and POS systems, loyalty programs and consumer websites, will pair him closely with new CMO Jay Livingston.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 21, 2019

Wendy's $50M cyberattack settlement signals growing threat to QSRs

The chain's latest lawsuit reveals how costly cyberattacks can be for restaurants, which are facing hacks to POS systems and loyalty programs.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 19, 2019

Are mobile units a new growth opportunity for QSRs?

Food carts like MOVE System's solar-powered, battery-rechargeable units offer brands the opportunity to test different markets, attract single-unit franchisees and build brand awareness. 

By Kevin Whiteley • Feb. 15, 2019

AI technology is coming to drive-thrus

This innovation can collect restaurant operational data and reduce the labor burden for QSRs by processing drive-thru orders quickly and accurately. 

By Julie Littman • Feb. 14, 2019

Why is Pizza Hut testing delivery with Grubhub?

The surprising move marks the first partnership between a major pizza brand and a third-party delivery service, and it's unclear how it will benefit the chain — especially since it's shaved down delivery times.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 13, 2019

Burger King's 'Whopper Detour' generated 1.5M app downloads

Trolling McDonald's helped catapult Burger King's app to the top of Apple’s App Store rankings, Restaurant Brands' CEO said during a conference call with analysts this week.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 12, 2019

Yum Brands hunts for global leader to build digital, tech strategy

Technology is "increasingly at the forefront of our strategic planning efforts" and stands as one of the four "growth drivers" for the parent company of Pizza Hut and KFC, said CEO Greg Creed.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 8, 2019

Nima creates data map of restaurants that serve allergen-free menu items

The company, known for its pocket-sized allergen testers, analyzed dishes from the top 100 chains to create a platform of over 250,000 eateries and more than 3 million Nima-tested dishes. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 7, 2019

Chipotle rolls out 'Chipotlane' drive-thrus for digital orders

The windows allow diners to collect their orders from the chain, which saw more than 40% growth in digital sales last year, without leaving their cars.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 7, 2019

Digital restaurant ordering expected to triple by 2020

Restaurant apps or websites lead the trend by processing 70% of orders while the other 30% were completed through third-party apps or other types of apps/websites.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 5, 2019

Super Bowl QSR ads don't always lead to meaningful traffic gains

Many fast food brands turned to promotions instead, and location data can help understand the full impact of these marketing efforts. 

By Julie Littman • Feb. 4, 2019

Take-out app Ritual to triple restaurant partnerships in 2019

By the end of the year, the app — which helps local businesses ramp up their digital offerings — will be available in 50 cities globally and will partner with 15,000 restaurants. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 31, 2019

Robot delivery market to triple by 2024

Demand will continue to drive the expansion of this emerging tech, which is expected to hit $34 million in five years and to make small orders more viable for restaurants and third-party logistics providers.

By Julie Littman • Jan. 30, 2019

Why restaurants should switch to EMV chip card tech

Businesses that still rely on magnetic stripe payment systems are at risk of fraud and increased chargeback payments, according to Tidal Commerce CEO Drew Sementa. 

By Drew Sementa • Jan. 29, 2019

Why 'ghost' restaurants are changing the delivery game

Delivery-only concepts are using data to fill gaps in the market and experiment with their menus faster than traditional formats can. But without a storefront, can they make meaningful connections with their customers?

By Kristine Sherred • Jan. 24, 2019

Food delivery robots, pizza ATM feed college students' demand for convenience

Starship Technologies has launched a fleet of 25 robots on wheels at George Mason University, while Ohio State University's pizza vending machine sold 400 hot pies in its first week. 

By Kristine Sherred • Jan. 23, 2019

Report: Loyalty rewards, coupons bring QSR customers back

But as fast food competition intensifies, chains should also leverage their mobile apps to capture repeat diners and boost profits.   

By Kristine Sherred • Jan. 22, 2019