184 stories · last 30 days by relevance
Taco Bell is expanding AI-powered voice ordering in its drive-thrus through a partnership with Omilia, which already operates in nearly 900 U.S. restaurants, signaling continued industry momentum towa
Golden Chick is launching a new marketing campaign, loyalty program, and digital-first strategy to compete in the competitive chicken tender category.
Thanx has integrated its first-party ordering system directly into Square's POS platform, combining Thanx's ordering interface with Square's commerce infrastructure.
Audivi AI has released a new pricing model designed to make drive-thru automation more accessible to quick-service restaurant operators.
Despite access to unprecedented guest data, restaurants struggle to retain customers, suggesting that loyalty programs alone may not drive repeat visits without translating data into personalized expe
Pizza Ranch has selected NCR Voyix to manage restaurant operations across its system, signaling a shift toward modernizing point-of-sale and back-office infrastructure.
Nearly half of U.S. diners switched their favorite restaurant last year, up from 33 percent the prior year—a shift that signals growing customer volatility and potential vulnerability in restaurant lo
Wendy's is investing in digital sales, AI-powered ordering, and menu innovation to address weak customer traffic.
Restaurants are treating in-store audio as a trackable engagement channel alongside other customer touchpoints like loyalty programs and mobile apps, signaling a shift toward measuring and optimizing
Eric Knott, who scaled PDQ as COO before becoming CEO of Kansas City-based Tiki Taco, joined Restaurant Tech Trends to discuss growth discipline learned from both successes and failures.
Quick-service restaurants are receiving a higher share of citations in AI search results compared to fast-casual chains.
Birdcall is pursuing Midwest expansion supported by technology and real estate capabilities.
Labor scheduling is moving to AI — the trade headline signals cost pressure and tech adoption spreading across QSR.
Restaurant operators are adopting voice AI technology to capture phone call data as a way to recognize and engage customers across locations, suggesting the phone channel may become a key loyalty and
Domino's is expanding its global presence while prioritizing digital ordering channels.
Restaurant technology adoption remains a critical challenge; even sophisticated software fails to deliver value without consistent team engagement, according to a discussion with Decision Logic's CEO
DoorDash's acquisition of SevenRooms over a year ago has created uncertainty about the future direction of restaurant reservation systems, signaling potential shifts in how operators manage bookings.
SoundHound AI is introducing voice and agentic AI capabilities for restaurant ordering, drive-thru, and guest service operations, signaling that voice technology is transitioning from experimental to
MarginEdge added real-time cost management, AI forecasting, and back-office automation capabilities to its platform.
Skyline Essentials launched SkAI, an AI forecasting platform designed to help independent and multi-unit restaurant operators predict revenue and labor costs—capabilities historically available mainly
TouchBistro is positioning its POS platform as a unified system for orders, payments, operations, and guest engagement, signaling a shift in how restaurant operators evaluate POS beyond traditional tr
SevenRooms consolidation push reflects intensifying reservations platform competition — timing and feature gaps matter as DoorDash reshapes the market.
Restaurant brands are increasingly centering their apps around loyalty programs, personalization, and direct customer engagement rather than just order-ahead convenience, signaling a shift toward usin
Social-first growth playbook — organic content scaled The Taco Spot to 400-unit pipeline, showing how brands can use owned channels to accelerate franchising velocity.
Toast, a point-of-sale provider, is opening a restaurant, signaling potential vertical integration by software vendors into hospitality operations.
MashMore Potato introduced an AI operating system it says is reducing management workload at its Albany location; the company frames this as a step toward making its model more scalable and software-d
Restaurants are increasingly treating catering as a dedicated sales channel rather than an ad-hoc service, suggesting a shift toward more systematic catering operations and revenue capture.
Chipotle's COO discussed the chain's technology investments in back-of-house operations as part of its strategy to attract and retain younger diners.
McDonald's is testing an AI-powered drive-thru system developed with Google, signaling a push toward automation in order-taking.
Dynamic pricing, subscription programs, and vending machines were once touted as restaurant tech solutions but have largely faded from the industry.
Commerce media platforms struggle with measuring ad impact due to probabilistic attribution and modeled incrementality, but in-store data offers a potential solution to verify whether digital ads tran
Yelp is integrating AI-powered guest management tools into its restaurant platform, connecting discovery and operations workflows; this suggests a shift toward consolidating reservation, waitlist, and
Paytronix and Qu have announced an upgraded menu and order integration feature for restaurants.
Chuck E. Cheese's new CEO is pursuing global expansion through subscription models, AI parent tools, and a shift toward active-play formats, signaling confidence in the chain's financial position to f
Shake Shack is publicly showcasing operational or strategic work under an initiative called 'Project Catalyst,' though specific details about the project's scope or outcomes are not provided in the av
KFC is launching a global brand transformation featuring updated menu items, new restaurant designs, and enhanced digital capabilities aimed at differentiating itself and attracting younger consumers
DoorDash has introduced AI features allowing customers to order food and book reservations using photos and prompts, signaling the company's strategy to reduce friction in the discovery-to-ordering jo
McDonald's is deploying AI to handle drive-thru orders, signaling a shift toward automation in a labor-intensive channel where accuracy and speed have long been operational pain points.
Pizza Factory has adopted PAR Technology's restaurant management software suite.
ezCater is positioning its platform to help restaurants access workplace catering demand through enhanced connectivity features.
Dishio, an AI platform for restaurants, reached 350 customers in its first year by helping operators consolidate guest data and boost retention.
A weekly restaurant finance newsletter examines how social media activity influenced restaurant stock performance, with particular attention to Wendy's.
Miso Robotics, known for its burger-cooking robot Flippy, has acquired pizza automation intellectual property from Zume.
Starbucks is piloting a program called 'Green Apron Creators' to feature employee-generated content on TikTok, with participants receiving compensation.
KFC is overhauling its global menu and restaurant designs.
Deliverect and 5&5 have announced a partnership to expand restaurant technology offerings.
Restaurant tech investors are demanding stronger profitability from vendors, a challenge compounded by weakness in the broader restaurant market.
A restaurant AI executive contends that the most valuable AI applications are unglamorous operational tools—faster lines, accurate orders, ready food—rather than headline-grabbing conversational AI li
Taco Bell has launched a global platform called L.O.C.O.S. aimed at engaging emotionally connected fans.
Kea and Thanx have integrated their platforms to enable phone-order customers to earn rewards and provide restaurants with additional customer data.
