Operations: Page 22

  • A Panera store.
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    Panera Brands shuffles board as it preps for IPO

    Michael Tattersfield, who is resigning as CEO of Krispy Kreme in January, oversaw the doughnut chain as it went public in 2021.

    By • Sept. 25, 2023
  • An image of Krispy Kreme future CEO Josh Charlesworth
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    Courtesy of Krispy Kreme
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    Krispy Kreme promotes Josh Charlesworth to CEO

    Michael Tattersfield, who has served as CEO since 2017, will step down on Jan. 1, but remain on the company's board.

    By • Sept. 25, 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
  • A beige restaurant with Portillo's signage in Allen, Texas
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    Courtesy of Portillo's
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    Portillo’s targets 920 future units, up from 600

    The hot dog chain said it has the ability to grow to 800 full-sized restaurants and 120 smaller pickup, walk-up and other alternative formats.

    By • Sept. 22, 2023
  • Horace Dawson, CEO of Red Lobster, wearing a dark gray suit
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    Courtesy of Red Lobster
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    Red Lobster names Horace Dawson as CEO

    Dawson’s promotion comes more than a year after the seafood chain began searching for a CEO following Kelli Valade’s resignation. 

    By • Sept. 21, 2023
  • A hand receives a White Castle bag from another hand coming from outside the door
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    Courtesy of White Castle
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    White Castle adds in-app delivery with Uber Direct

    Menu items are available for the same price as dine-in, and customers pay a flat fee of $4.99 for delivery. 

    By • Sept. 21, 2023
  • A building with white and brown siding with two black cars at a drive-thru. Signage says Bojangles
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    Permission granted by Bojangles
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    Bojangles to surpass 1K units with current development plans

    The chicken chain has a 250-unit pipeline and is expanding into non-traditional segments, including travel centers, universities and stadiums.

    By • Sept. 20, 2023
  • A photo of a variety of food on a wooden table on trays and in baskets and bowls.
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    Permission granted by ezCater
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    As c-stores level up in foodservice, catering could be an ‘ideal’ next step

    Convenience retailers, especially those in rural areas, can boost revenue and grow their brand presence by offering food that is both delicious and durable.

    By Amanda Baltazar • Sept. 20, 2023
  • A person is in a car and is in the process of ordering Panera using a phone
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    Courtesy of Panera Bread
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    Panera loyalty members can pre-program meals on app, order with swipe

    The order option is the chain’s latest tech enhancement launched this year, including Amazon Alexa ordering and an Amazon One palm scanner test. 

    By • Sept. 20, 2023
  • A red stop-work order is taped to a Boston Market door.
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    Kate Tornone/Restaurant Dive
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    Boston Market pays $630K in back wages in NJ, lifting stop-work order

    The New Jersey Department of Labor gave the green light for Boston Market to reopen 27 locations, but it’s unclear how many have done so.

    By • Sept. 19, 2023
  • Three pocket pizza from Mod Pizza
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    Courtesy of Mod Pizza
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    Mod Pizza makes Pocket Pies permanent

    The menu item, which was first introduced in March as part of Pi Day, echoes Papa Johns’s Papadias and Pizza Hut’s Melts.

    By • Sept. 18, 2023
  • A portrait photo of Kitchen United CEO Atul Sood.
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    Courtesy of Kitchen United
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    Kitchen United promotes Atul Sood to CEO

    The ghost kitchen company remains focused on building a sustainable business model for decades to come, Sood said. 

    By • Sept. 18, 2023
  • Donatos pizza
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    Courtesy of PR Newswire
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    Why Donatos sees opportunity in automated vending machines

    The pizza chain’s forthcoming prototype is just one example of how this technology can be an innovative grab-and-go option, but challenges over the perception of quality persist.

    By Danielle McLean • Sept. 18, 2023
  • Artificial intelligence Smart phone machine learning stock photo
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    iStock/bankkgraphy

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    Sponsored by Fourth

    The top 3 AI solutions for back of house operations

    From more efficient hiring practices to optimizing scheduling and inventory management, here are the top 3 ways to optimize your back of house operations with the help of AI.  

    By Christian Berthelsen • Sept. 18, 2023
  • An image of a brick building with red Chick-fil-A signage
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Chick-fil-A to return to UK in 2025 with first permanent location

    The fast food chain, which is eying additional locations in Europe and Asia, will invest $100 million during the next decade in the country. 

    By • Sept. 15, 2023
  • An image of Moe's Southwest Grill
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    Courtesy of Moe's Southwest Grill
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    Q&A

    Moe’s longer operating hours, new ingredients help traffic

    Since deploying its Project Victory initiative, the TexMex chain has found opportunities — such as slicing whole-muscle beef — in 20% employee idle time, said Chief Brand Officer Tory Bartlett.

    By • Sept. 14, 2023
  • Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz before the Senate HELP committee.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    Howard Schultz resigns from Starbucks’ board

    Schultz’s departure is unlikely to change day-to-day matters at the company, BTIG said, but may deprive Starbucks of his “magic touch” with the brand.

    By • Sept. 14, 2023
  • Headshots of Papa Johns chief operating officer, international, Amanda Clark and chief restaurant officer Joe Sieve
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    Permission granted by Papa Johns
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    Papa Johns makes executive adjustments to support domestic, international growth

    Amanda Clark, currently chief international and development officer, will become chief operating officer, international. Joe Sieve, chief restaurant officer, will assume North American development responsibilities, effective Sept. 18.

    By • Sept. 13, 2023
  • An image of Grubhub's mobile ordering for Naval Station Norfolk
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    Permission granted by Grubhub
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    Grubhub brings mobile ordering to its first naval base

    The technology allows over 100,000 people at Naval Station Norfolk to order pickup from on-base restaurants like Panda Express, Firehouse Subs, Burger King and Raising Canes.

    By • Sept. 13, 2023
  • McDonald's drive thru sign
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s will remove self-serve beverage stations by 2032

    Operators said they are struggling to balance the space needed for drinks stations with slumping dining room traffic and rising digital orders.

    By • Sept. 12, 2023
  • A Pilot foodservice employee.
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    Courtesy of Pilot Travel Centers
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    Diners are happy with c-store food — but retailers have work to do, report says

    Operators need to guard against complacency, as the number of customers “extremely satisfied” with c-store foodservice has fallen from 2022, Intouch Insight said.

    By Jessica Loder • Sept. 11, 2023
  • A stock image of a consumer examining a receipt.
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    Patpitchaya via Getty Images
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    Restaurants should expect a modest negative impact on sales with student loan repayments

    Starbucks, Chipotle and Shake Shack could see same-store sales growth slow as high-income consumers may cut spending, said BTIG.

    By • Sept. 11, 2023
  • A Chick-fil-A restaurant is seen on July 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Chick-fil-A tests robot servers

    A few of the chain's restaurants are using bots to deliver food to tables while staff still refill beverages and clean tables.

    By • Sept. 8, 2023
  • Casey's
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    Retrieved from Casey's.
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    Casey’s expands automated ordering technology

    The system, which the retailer has been testing for the past year, answers incoming phone calls, processes new orders and connects to Casey’s loyalty platform.

    By Brett Dworski • Sept. 8, 2023
  • A photograph of a Potbelly sandwich shop sign.
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    Andrew Burton via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Potbelly CEO hopes digital kitchen will fuel franchise growth

    The sandwich chain is refranchising restaurants in underpenetrated markets where it wants to scale quickly, and an efficiency-focused, digitized backline is proving attractive, said Bob Wright.

    By • Sept. 8, 2023
  • A computer with a screen of Grubhub's restaurant portal
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    Permission granted by Grubhub
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    Grubhub enhances customer insights with order frequency data

    Operators can view how often certain customers order from them and take action like running promotions to bolster return visits. 

    By • Sept. 7, 2023