How 5 Bay Area restaurateurs are surviving rising operating costs

Real estate pressures and a chef shortage are forcing restaurants to find creative solutions — like covering workers' Uber rides and having chefs serve diners — to protect their bottom lines and retain talent.

By Rosie Bradbury • Sept. 3, 2019

Yelp personalizes app based on user lifestyle

Users can now tailor their search experience based on diet, accessibility concerns, food and drink categories and interest.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 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

TripAdvisor's Wi-Fi subscription could help restaurants mine diner data

TripAdvisor Wi-Fi Plus lets restaurants offer customers an opt-in for free internet in exchange for their contact information.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 22, 2019

Waitr debuts app redesign amid continued struggles

The new app comes as the platform's stock is on a downward swing and less than a month after its founder and CEO stepped down.

By Lauren Manning • Aug. 22, 2019

Does DoorDash's latest acquisition give it an edge in autonomous delivery?

The delivery platform bought Scotty Labs, a startup developing autonomous and remote-controlled vehicle technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 21, 2019

Domino's bolsters tech lead with new Innovation Garage

Over 100 workers will be tasked with technological development in the space, which features a fully functioning pizza theater to test ideas in a store setting.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 21, 2019

Starship food delivery robots to expand to 100 college campuses before 2022

The tech startup raised $40 million in a Series A funding round, helping it inch closer to its goal of reaching more than 1 million university students.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 21, 2019

Over 50% of consumers don't know how brands use their data, report says

The new survey from Acquia also finds that 65% of customers would stop engaging with a brand that's dishonest about its data usage. 

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 20, 2019

Cava's first test kitchen will accelerate menu innovation

The chain's data scientists will analyze diner reactions to products in real time and evaluate which products and technologies should be scaled. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 20, 2019

FAA grants approval for drone food delivery pilot in North Carolina

Third-party platforms and restaurants are looking to the skies for the next phase of food delivery, but landing in crowded urban areas and navigating liability issues could prove challenging.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 16, 2019

Postmates scores first permit for robot deliveries in San Francisco

The delivery platform's Serve bots are only allowed to roam a few sections of the city and must be accompanied by a human operator, but the technology could help optimize delivery for local drivers.

By Lauren Manning • Updated Aug. 19, 2019

McDonald's, Burger King and Subway pilot scannable programmatic print ads

A Brazilian newspaper printed QR codes to deliver ads that can be customized in real time based on weather and location.

By Robert Williams • Aug. 8, 2019

OpenTable, Quandoo partner to integrate restaurant bookings

Diners will soon be able to book the firms' listed restaurants via both platforms, while American Express plans to add perks for members on Resy.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 7, 2019

Waitr teams with Olo to streamline POS systems

The partnership could strengthen restaurant loyalty by simplifying operations and providing solutions to order errors and delays, a growing trend in the competitive delivery space. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 7, 2019

Jack in the Box lets Snapchat users turn virtual burgers into reality

An AR experience gives customers a chance to win prizes, including seeing their virtual burger creations added to the chain's menu.

By Robert Williams • Aug. 6, 2019

Aramark buys college food delivery service Good Uncle

Growing competition from third-party aggregators is pushing college foodservice providers into offering delivery and pickup. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 6, 2019

Tabletop tech speeds up service and boosts profits, study says

Research into the impact of POS technology at a casual dining chain found that it bridged gaps in waiter performance without impacting staff numbers.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 5, 2019

Chipotle rolls out AI for phone orders

The chain has tested artificial intelligence-generated voice assistants for mobile orders since 2018, and plans to expand the system to all 2,500 stores by the end of the year.

By Alicia Kelso • July 31, 2019

Sweetgreen's new store layout eliminates assembly line

The new store, which will open in New York City this fall, also swaps out chalkboard menus for digital displays and lets customers order from kiosks or staff with iPads.

By Lauren Manning • July 30, 2019

McDonald's revs up personalization rollout to 8K drive-thrus

Within two weeks, the chain expects Dynamic Yield software will be available at over half of its U.S. units and fully implemented by the end of the year. 

By Julie Littman • July 26, 2019

Starbucks' digital strategy is working. Now it wants to dive deeper

With $6.8 billion in revenue during the last quarter and its stock price at an all-time high, the coffee chain is already banking on its tech initiatives.

By Roberto Torres • July 26, 2019

Pizza Hut pilots self-service pickup cubbies

The pizza segment's tech capabilities escalate as Pizza Hut streamlines operations with a feature that syncs with its app, website and phone orders.

By Lauren Manning • July 24, 2019

OpenTable moves into delivery with new app feature

The reservation platform partnered with Uber Eats, Caviar and Grubhub to offer the service to over 8,000 restaurants in 90 metro areas in the U.S. 

By Julie Littman • July 24, 2019

McDonald's departing global CMO will be replaced by 2 new SVPs

Two current employees will fill the newly created roles of global marketing SVP and marketing technology SVP after Silvia Lagnado's departure. 

By Barry Levine • July 23, 2019

Starbucks to license exclusive technology with new partnership

Brightloom, formerly eatsa, will create an all-in-one platform, which will include the coffee giant's mobile and loyalty technology, that will be available to the wider industry.

By Julie Littman • July 23, 2019