Technology: Page 10

  • A branded image for BentoBox.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of BentoBox
    Image attribution tooltip

    BentoBox: Reservation platforms are least popular tool for restaurant search

    Most diners rely on recommendations from friends and family, or on social media posts, when weighing new restaurants to try, per a survey. 

    By • May 25, 2023
  • A muscular video game avatar with a red boxing glove and blue vest stands next to a red chili.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Chipotle
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chipotle gears up for a fight with Street Fighter 6 activation

    The fast casual giant is rewarding consumers who make digital orders with in-game currency and trading free food for viewing time on Twitch.

    By Sara Karlovitch • May 25, 2023
  • A man and a woman dressed as a chef look at a tablet. Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Atosa Catering Equipment's prototype fry machine at the National Restaurant Association show on May 22, 2023.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cooking up automation: 4 labor-saving tech solutions at the NRA Show

    From a hand scanner that detects contaminates to a robot arm that can fry, salt and package food, technology is transforming the back of house.

    By • May 23, 2023
  • Employees of the online review site Yelp watch as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the East Coast headquarters of the tech company on October 26, 2011 in New York City.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Activist investor may pressure Yelp to sell, reports say

    TCS Capital Management wants Yelp to explore strategic alternatives, such as selling itself, as a way to boost shareholder value, per The Wall Street Journal. 

    By • May 23, 2023
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell/ via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chipotle prepares national rollout of RFID for food traceability

    The restaurant chain is expanding its use of the technology to track ingredients from suppliers in real-time.

    By Sarah Zimmerman • May 23, 2023
  • A cook prepares food on a preparation line while a mobile device is attached at the top of the line.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Square

    The top restaurant trends in 2023

    As consumer dining preferences and economic conditions continue to evolve, it’s important to understand restaurant trends and strategies that work.

    May 22, 2023
  • An image of Grubhub's restaurant portal.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Grubhub
    Image attribution tooltip

    Grubhub adds customer insights, other features to restaurant portal

    The Grubhub for Restaurants portal now includes customer insights, self-serve refund requests and an easier way to handle photo shoot access. 

    By • May 19, 2023
  • A photo of Restaurant365 staff.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Restaurant365
    Image attribution tooltip

    Restaurant365 raises $135M

    The restaurant tech firm said the money from L Catterton, KKR and previous investors would support further product development. 

    By • May 19, 2023
  • A photograph of chicken sliders from IHOP's virtual brand TenderFix
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Nextbite
    Image attribution tooltip

    Nextbite cuts more jobs, some staff say it will restructure

    The virtual restaurant brand platform, which made staff cuts twice last year, terminated an unknown number of workers this week, according to LinkedIn posts from 20 former employees. 

    By • May 18, 2023
  • An image of Incentivio's online ordering platform
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Incentivio on May 17, 2023
    Image attribution tooltip

    Incentivio lands $10M in funding to grow restaurant AI capabilities

    The guest engagement platform will use the funding to accelerate growth and invest in product, engineering and innovation for small- and mid-size eateries. 

    By • May 18, 2023
  • A rendering of a Wendy's restaurant with Pipedream's underground delivery system
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Wendy's
    Image attribution tooltip

    Wendy’s tests underground robots for mobile order pickup

    The QSR chain said it is the first to partner with hyperlogistics company Pipedream to create the system, which uses robot couriers to deliver orders from the kitchen to designated parking spots. 

    By • Updated May 18, 2023
  • Taco Bell exterior
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Taco Bell
    Image attribution tooltip

    Yum Brands faces class action suits from employees after ransomware attack

    The Taco Bell and KFC operator is facing litigation after some personal data of company employees was stolen in the attack.

    By David Jones • May 16, 2023
  • An image of Square's Franchise Platform, which rolled out May 2023.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip

    Square adds franchise platform

    Square for Franchise, which was created following the company’s acquisition of GoParrot, lets franchisors monitor multiple units on one dashboard. 

    By • May 16, 2023
  • An image of Yelp's reservation management platform.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Yelp
    Image attribution tooltip

    Yelp expands front-of-house tools with Toast, Google

    A Toast integration will allow restaurants to gain insights from the point-of-sale system, while Reserve with Google will allow diners to reserve a table or join a waitlist from Google Maps and Search. 

    By • May 15, 2023
  • A glass goblet being held up by a hand and filled with an orange liquid on tap.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Square

    How this brewery-gastropub saves 6 hours a week with integrated payroll

    Learn how a brewing company used Square to grow their business, boost revenue and generate higher numbers of repeat customers.

    May 15, 2023
  • Wendy's ghost kitchen
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Wendy's
    Image attribution tooltip

    Wendy’s will shut down remaining US Reef units

    The closures are slated for this quarter and come less than two years after Wendy’s said it would build 700 Reef units in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

    By • May 10, 2023
  • A picture of someone scanning a QR code at a restaurant.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from ChatFood on May 10, 2023
    Image attribution tooltip

    Deliverect acquires ChatFood, offers dine-in ordering

    Deliverect will roll out new products in the coming months so restaurants can offer ordering via social media and QR codes for dine-in guests.

    By • May 10, 2023
  • Wendy's drive-thru only restaurant UK
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Wendy's
    Image attribution tooltip

    Wendy’s to test Google’s drive-thru chatbot in Ohio

    The tool, called Wendy’s FreshAI, can understand customization requests, respond to common customer questions and offer upsell suggestions. 

    By • Updated May 10, 2023
  • An image of an Amazon Echo device using Uber Eats
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Uber Eats
    Image attribution tooltip

    Uber Eats expands voice order tracking with Amazon Alexa

    The food delivery aggregator initially added voice integrations with Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri last year.

    By • May 8, 2023
  • An image of sweetgreen's automated kitchen in Naperville, Illinois
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
    Image attribution tooltip

    Sweetgreen will unveil first automated kitchen this week

    The chain’s Infinite Kitchen, part of ongoing efforts to improve profitability, opened its first location in Naperville, Illinois, on Wednesday.

    By • Updated May 10, 2023
  • A laptop with a picture of a nachos and guacamole dish is right next to a Square mobile device processing a smartphone. A hand reaches out to the laptop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Square
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Square

    5 tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy

    Restaurants are finding new ways to meet consumers on the channels they’re already using. Here are five tips for building an omnichannel restaurant strategy to more effectively reach and engage with customers.

    May 8, 2023
  • An image promoting renovations and redesigns of existing CKE Restaurants.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of CKE Restaurants
    Image attribution tooltip

    CKE partners with 3 drive-thru AI firms

    The parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. said tests of Presto, Valyant and OpenCity’s drive-thru AI tools helped improve labor efficiency.

    By • May 5, 2023
  • Brinker International launched its second virtual brand, Maggiano's Italian Classics, in 2021.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Maggiano's Italian Classics on August 18, 2021
    Image attribution tooltip

    Brinker to phase out Maggiano’s Italian Classics virtual brand

    The brand lasted fewer than two years at the restaurant company, which is looking to to free up labor and time to focus on in-restaurant operations. 

    By • May 4, 2023
  • A delivery robot crosses a busy street.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Carlos Osorio/AP

    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    Why delivery robots face a regulatory ‘nightmare’

    Laws for sidewalk-roaming bots have taken hold across states. But variances in each bill complicate the industry's expansion plans.

    By Max Garland • May 3, 2023
  • An image of a Chick-fil-A customer scanning her rewards program at the drive-thru
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Chick-fil-A on March 17, 2023
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chick-fil-A’s geofencing pilot reduced wait times

    The chain found that 100 restaurants trimmed average wait times by one to two minutes using this technology. 

    By • May 3, 2023