Square adds to-go alcohol delivery feature

The commission-free, on-demand delivery option lets restaurants and bars offer customers the option to buy alcohol from their website and have it delivered through DoorDash.

By Alicia Kelso • May 6, 2021

Modern Restaurant Concepts tested ghost kitchens but won't pursue them

CEO Rob McColgan said driving diner awareness in trade areas without physical locations was too challenging, but shared virtual brand Honest Pizza Co. has been successful and could be scaled across its network.

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 3, 2021

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

McDonald's Q1 bolstered by chicken sandwich, marketing investments

The chain also generated nearly $1.5 billion in digital sales for the period and has over 20 million active app users, which could boost its loyalty program once it comes out of test mode.

By Alicia Kelso • April 30, 2021

Most of Landry's restaurants will accept bitcoin in the next 3 months

CEO Tilman Fertitta told CNBC the move to accept cryptocurrencies is "inevitable." Pizza Hut, KFC, Starbucks, Subway and Burger King all accept the payment in some global markets.

By Alicia Kelso • April 29, 2021

3 priorities for a post-pandemic restaurant industry

Restaurants should improve their energy optimization, save money by cutting down food waste and explore cost-effective service models like ghost kitchens, says Therma founder and CEO Manik Suri.

By Manik Suri • April 26, 2021

Study: 39% of married parents would spend more at a restaurant with a loyalty program

Married parents would also purchase more at restaurants if they could order and pay digitally, while single parents are more likely to order more through curbside pickup, research from PYMNTS and Paytronix finds.

By Alicia Kelso • April 23, 2021

Chipotle's digital sales surpass 50% as chain doubles down on mobile pickup

Just over half of the restaurant's digital sales were from order-ahead transactions as the company continues to add Chipotlane models to its footprint.

By Alicia Kelso , Emma Liem Beckett • April 22, 2021

Deliverect lands another $65M in funding, 1 year after raising $18M

The tech company will use the cash infusion to support further R&D, solidify its position in the U.S. and continue its international expansion.

By Alicia Kelso • April 21, 2021

Study: Over 50% of consumers planning a private event in 2021 will cater it

Seventy-two percent of consumers are planning to hold an in-person event this year, with private restaurant space the fourth-most in demand location, according to a survey by Tripleseat and SevenRooms. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 20, 2021

Squarespace files to go public through a direct listing

The website-building platform, which has over 3 million subscribers including restaurants, makes the move weeks after completing its acquisition of reservation system Tock. 

By Julie Littman • April 19, 2021

Successful restaurants put tech innovation on the menu

Here are four key restaurant technology trends that can save labor costs, increase sales, streamline systems, and make consumers feel safer. 

April 19, 2021

Toast adds enhanced tools to contactless order and pay platform

The new options aim to cut overhead costs while allowing guests to create group orders from individual devices and place it onto one check, as well as start a tab on their own.

By Alicia Kelso • April 15, 2021

Slice secures $40M in additional funding

The company plans to expand its vertical platform for its 15,000-plus pizzeria partners, add new products and scale its Slice Accelerates program, which provides $15,000 worth of tech assistance. 

By Julie Littman • April 14, 2021

Par Technology expands into loyalty with $500M Punchh acquisition

The addition of the loyalty and guest engagement firm will help Par create an all-in-one cloud platform for its 100,000-plus global restaurant clients.

By Julie Littman • April 9, 2021

OpenTable opens 1st restaurant as innovation lab

The reservation platform's brick-and-mortar eatery is located inside Kayak Miami Beach — the first hotel from sister company Kayak— and will be used to hone diner data and develop new technology. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 8, 2021

Yelp adds new search filters for Asian-owned businesses

Anti-Asian hate crimes rose in 2020, but support for these businesses is increasing, with searches rising 130% in February on Yelp's platform. 

By Julie Littman • April 7, 2021

OpenTable launches restaurant restriction heat map for diners

The reservation platform will also roll out a hub for operators on Thursday called At Your Service, which includes flow controls to limit the number of covers or parties that can book a reservation.

By Alicia Kelso • April 6, 2021

Squarespace buys reservation platform Tock for $400M

The acquisition comes a year after Tock pivoted from offering pre-paid reservations to providing a resource for restaurants to add an online takeout and delivery menu. 

By Julie Littman • April 1, 2021

DoorDash, Olo settle dispute

The two companies hashed out a new multi-year agreement after DoorDash sued Olo in October for $7 million, claiming breach of contract, fraud and concealment.

By Julie Littman • Updated April 23, 2021

Pizza Hut adds drive-thru lanes to over 1,500 US restaurants

Nearly a year after it debuted contactless curbside pickup, the chain has added digital order pickup windows in a continued effort to modernize its system.

By Julie Littman • March 30, 2021

Chipotle gives away $100K in bitcoin for National Burrito Day

By asking people to register for a chance to win burritos or bitcoin, the restaurant can continue to build out its first-party data about consumers for future campaigns.

By Robert Williams • March 30, 2021

Chipotle invests in self-driving delivery company Nuro

This marks the first time the fast casual chain has significantly funded a third-party technology company since 2018 and follows recent tech acquisitions by McDonald's and Yum Brands.

By Julie Littman • March 25, 2021

Yum Brands acquires Tictuk to deepen commerce capabilities for social media, messaging

The owner of KFC and Taco Bell makes its second tech acquisition in a month as it looks to transform its business on a faster timetable.

By Peter Adams • March 24, 2021

Domino's teams with Datatron to streamline AI and machine learning tech

The platform is automating and standardizing the deployment, monitoring, management, governance and validation of the pizza chain's artificial intelligence models. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 23, 2021

What Olo's $450M IPO means for the restaurant industry

Founder and CEO Noah Glass talks about how he wants to expand Olo's digital ordering capabilities with an influx of capital after shares rose 39% during day one of trading.

By Julie Littman • March 19, 2021