Technology: Page 6

  • Inspire Brands Alliance Kitchen
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    Permission granted by Inspire Brands
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    Inspire Brands buys delivery tech firm Vromo

    The parent company of Dunkin’ and Buffalo Wild Wings bought the firm for an undisclosed sum, marking its first deal since its $11.3 billion Dunkin’ buy. 

    By • Feb. 13, 2024
  • A man carrying orange bags with the word Grubhub on the side.
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    My Place Hotels of America taps Grubhub for food delivery

    The hotel franchisor aims to enhance the guest experience through the partnership, as hotel dining becomes increasingly digital.

    By Jenna Walters • Feb. 12, 2024
  • 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
  • Taco Bell exterior
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    4 ways Yum accelerated tech deployment in 2023

    From kiosks to automation, the company debuted proprietary systems across thousands of locations to improve operations and grow sales.

    By • Feb. 8, 2024
  • McDonald's drive thru sign
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s sets sights on $45B in loyalty sales

    A larger loyalty member pool will provide more customer data for the fast-food chain to improve personalization.

    By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 7, 2024
  • A sign is posted in front of a McDonald's restaurant on April 28, 2022 in San Leandro, California.
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s invests aggressively in technology

    The fast food giant’s three-pronged plan aims to digitally transform customer experience, franchise operations and core systems, President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said Monday.

    By Matt Ashare • Feb. 6, 2024
  • A fleet of Starship delivery robots.
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    Courtesy of Starship
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    Starship Technologies raises $90M, reaches $230M in total funding

    The autonomous delivery bot company will use the additional funding to expand operations, enter new markets and develop its AI technology.

    By • Feb. 6, 2024
  • An image of a hand holding a smart phone with a KFC Rewards logo on the screen
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    Courtesy of KFC
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    KFC US launches points-based digital rewards program

    Members earn 10 points for every eligible dollar spent online. Points are redeemable for free food in KFC’s Secret Recipe Vault, which rotates rewards.

    By • Feb. 6, 2024
  • An image of Toni Ronayne, Perkins president, and Steven Roach, CTO of Ascent Hospitality
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    Permission granted by Ascent Hospitality Management
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    Ascent Hospitality bolsters C-suite with CTO, Perkins president hires

    Toni Ronayne will lead Perkins after serving as managing director, Canada at Little Caesars, while Steven Roach becomes chief technology officer after working at Focus Brands.

    By • Feb. 5, 2024
  • An image of Yelp home screens on Apple iOs devices
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    Permission granted by Yelp
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    Yelp enhances user experience with AI-driven features

    Large language models will create business summaries for restaurant, food and nightlife businesses based on content from reviews. 

    By • Jan. 30, 2024
  • A photo of several Jersey Mike's sandwiches with lots of meat
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    Courtesy of Jersey Mike's
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    Jersey Mike’s to use SoundHound’s phone AI in at least 50 restaurants

    The AI tech now answers “100% of calls” at participating stores and recognizes natural language, meaning diners can order a #55 or “Big Kahuna” and the system understands these terms describe the same sub.

    By • Jan. 25, 2024
  • An image of an indoor mini golf course with neon lighting
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    Permission granted by Puttshack
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    How Puttshack and Pinstripes sustain AUVs over $8M

    At the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida, company executives discussed how post-pandemic consumer trends are driving traffic in the eatertainment space.

    By • Jan. 22, 2024
  • A photo of a hamburger from Weigel's
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    Permission granted by Weigel's
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    4 tech upgrades that can drive foodservice sales

    AI-powered ordering, back-office training programs and more can help improve operations and boost revenue for c-stores’ growing meals businesses.

    By Amanda Baltazar • Jan. 17, 2024
  • Taco Bell's Las Vegas Live Mas Live event will preview new products and partnerships for 2024
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell Corp.
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    Taco Bell stages Las Vegas fan experience ahead of Super Bowl LVIII

    A gathering in the style of tech conferences will preview new products and partnerships coming in 2024, all against a big game backdrop.

    By Peter Adams • Jan. 12, 2024
  • Blue and purple Taco Bell sauce packets are inscribed with messages against a metaverse-themed backdrop.
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    Retrieved from Taco Bell Corp. on August 25, 2022
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    Yum names Pizza Hut exec as chief digital and technology officer

    Joe Park, who directed the rollout of Pizza Hut’s managerial tool HutBot and early deployments of Dragontail AI, assumes his role on March 1.

    By • Jan. 11, 2024
  • An in-store bar.
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    Retrieved from Maizano on November 27, 2023
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    Deep Dive

    7 restaurant industry trends to watch in 2024

    Development costs will remain high and service fees could frustrate diners, but personalized offers and labor-saving tech may give brands an edge.

    By , , • Jan. 10, 2024
  • A person on a laptop in a cafe.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    Opening a restaurant? These are the metrics that actually matter

    Here are key findings to help operators understand what strong business metrics look like, and make better business decisions moving forward.

    By Ming-Tai Huh, GM of Restaurants at Square • Jan. 8, 2024
  • An image that says Chowly has acquired Targetable
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    Courtesy of Chowly
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    Chowly buys digital marketing platform Targetable

    The addition of the marketing technology will allow Chowly to help its restaurant clients boost their online ordering traffic.  

    By • Jan. 4, 2024
  • a Burger King burger and a person's face being scanned by facial recognition tech
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    Retrieved from Burger King Brazil on December 21, 2023
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    Burger King turns hangovers into discounts with facial recognition

    In the tradition of its “Whopper Detour” and “Burn that Ad” campaigns, the chain’s latest stunt uses mobile technology to drive engagement.

    By Chris Kelly • Dec. 21, 2023
  • Wingstop's new Dallas location will serve as a laboratory for new restaurant layouts.
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    Wingstop names CIO

    Chris Fallon joins the wing brand as it prepares to roll out a $50 million in-house technology platform built to allow it to leave Olo’s system.

    By • Dec. 15, 2023
  • Yellow, square-shaped robots roam a farm field
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    Courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill
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    Chipotle invests in regenerative farming robots

    The restaurant chain is looking to reduce its dependence on conventional fertilizer with a fleet of autonomous, weed-cutting bots.

    By Sarah Zimmerman • Dec. 14, 2023
  • A man in a dark car at a Wendy's drive-thru that uses artificial intelligence to take orders
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    Retrieved from Wendy's on December 11, 2023
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    Wendy’s franchisees can pilot drive-thru AI in 2024

    Wendy’s FreshAI, a partnership with Google Cloud, used drive-thru chatbots to shave 22 seconds off service times at a Columbus, Ohio, test site compared to the local market average.

    By • Dec. 11, 2023
  • McDonald's Q1 Earnings Up On Higher Menu Prices, Overseas Growth
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s doubles down on geofencing

    The chain will expand its Ready on Arrival mobile pickup technology, which can trim wait times by about 60 seconds, in its top six markets by 2025.

    By • Dec. 11, 2023
  • An image of Uber Eats Manager platform with percent off offers
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    Permission granted by Uber Eats
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    Uber Eats adds marketing tools to bolster restaurants’ holiday sales

    The delivery aggregator added holiday happy hours, multi-location offers and percentage-off offers to help restaurants attract new and existing consumers.

    By • Dec. 8, 2023
  • Kiosks for ordering food sit in the dining area of a McDonald's restaurant located inside the company's new corporate headquarters on June 4, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
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    Scott Olson / Staff via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s taps Google Cloud to super-size analytics, AI

    The fast food giant said it plans to leverage the hyperscaler’s hardware and software capabilities across thousands of locations worldwide.

    By Matt Ashare • Dec. 8, 2023
  • The prize center inside a Dave & Buster's restaurant
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    Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic via Getty Images
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    Dave & Buster’s sees future in revamped restaurants and loyalty growth

    The restaurant chain is remodeling its store fleet and enhancing its loyalty program with personalized offerings. 

    By Bryan Wassel • Dec. 7, 2023