ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
May 2022
May 23
Guest Experience Is Everything: 6 Ways Hospitality Brands Can Digitize CX to Achieve Operational Excellence
The potential of going digital with operations can seem overwhelming. But you don’t have to run, you can walk first. Here's how.
May 23
Mission Possible: Rising Star Uses Data to Understand 'Unknown' Guests
Courtney Maxedon oversees all digital initiatives for Kahala Brands. She was presented with the Top Women in Restaurant Technology Rising Star award at MURTEC.
May 20
NRA Show News: Flybuy Adds Apex Order Pickup Lockers to Platform
Flybuy Platform adds locker pickup alongside pickup in-store, curbside and in the drive-thru.
May 20
NRA Show News: Wow Bao Launches First Virtual Kitchen National Loyalty Program
Powered by Paytronix, the points-based ‘Bao Bucks’ rewards guests for ordering directly from Wow Bao.
May 19
QSRs Need to Look Beyond Resumes to Better Serve Volume Hiring Efforts
By focusing not only on the amount of hires, but also prioritizing the right hires, QSRs can help drive retention efforts as well as achieve better business outcomes. Here's how.
May 18
Virtual Victories: Three Restaurants Share The Secret Sauce Behind Their Virtual Brands
Executives from Dog Haus Worldwide, Starbird Chicken and CEC Entertainment share their very different and very successful approaches to virtual brands and off-prem sales.
May 16
Love of Local Restaurants Leads Rising Star to Tap Technology to Solve Challenges
Jen Lesniak, Senior Director of Consumer Products at SpotOn, was presented with the Top Women in Restaurant Technology – Rising Star award at MURTEC.
May 16
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Adds Online Ordering for Catering
Fuzzy’s fans can now conveniently place and pay for catering orders through the Fuzzy’s Taco Shop website.
May 13
How I Created a Patented Pizza Press to Streamline Processes in Mici Italian’s Kitchens
As co-founder and president of Mici Italian, fast-casual franchise, my desire to simplify complex family recipes led to the creation of a patented pizza press to help automate and expedite the pizza-making process.
May 11
Marco's Pizza Creates Custom Cloud-Based Order Management
By owning and operating the customized cloud technology platform, Marco's Pizza says it can reduce the need for middleware, and it will be a device-agnostic system, providing a huge savings to franchisees.
May 11
Starbucks' Billion-Dollar Investment
Drive-thru and mobile order & pay now drives 70% of Starbucks’ U.S. store volume. The coffee retailer is aligning its investments to meet changing consumer & employee demands.
May 11
CKE to Invest $500M in Digital Transformation
More than 500 Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations across 20 markets being updated by the end of the year.
May 10
How Autonomous Kitchens Benefit Restaurants
Autonomous kitchens reduce food costs and waste by precisely using only what is needed and accurately dispensing the ingredients to prepare each meal.
May 10
Rate of Change of Consumer Behavior in the Food & Beverage Industry is Accelerating
Here’s how to keep up with ever-evolving consumer expectations.
May 09
Rising Star Helps Restaurants Achieve Objectives
AWS’ Laura Beach prioritizes meeting customers’ needs ‘first and foremost.’
May 09
Another Broken Egg Cafe Debuts New Look
Locations in Raleigh and Morrisville, N.C., are the among the locations that feature the New South design with a a full-service bar. Plus the brand has added QR code-enabled payments.
May 09
Food on Demand: The Lowdown on Loyalty, Chipotle, Dine Brands and More
Restaurant Technology Network's Angela Diffly wrote up a few articles about what caught her eye at Food on Demand in Las Vegas May 4-6.
May 09
Taco John's Updates Loyalty Program to Gain Data-Driven Insights
QSR introduces Bigger Bolder Rewards featuring a tiered point system.
May 09
Innovative & Effective Content Marketing In The Hospitality Industry
Restaurants and hoteliers can start gaining an idea of their ideal customer by answering five questions.
May 06
Five Iron Golf Adds Cincinnati Location
In addition to 13 custom-built golf simulators, Five Swings will include a full-service restaurant and bar.
May 06
Sonic Drive-In Franchise Adds Daily Pay Benefit
Since launching earlier this month, 23% of Great American Hospitality's employees have enrolled in DailyPay.
May 06
Company Culture Takes Center Stage in Noodles' New Branding
Uncommon Goodness centers on how the company treats its team members and creates a unique guest experience.
May 04
Bloomin’ Brands Reveals 4 Key Priorities
During a Q1 22 earning call, c-level executives shared details on the company’s plans for Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill and Carraba’s.
May 03
Denny’s Replaces On-Premise Contact Center Solution with 3CLogic
Denny's deploys ServiceNow-centric voice solution to deliver IT and HR employee services through self-service, intelligent customer journeys and AI-powered analytics.
May 02
Technology Amplifies Just Salad’s Sustainability Efforts
On its new mobile app, Just Salad introduced sustainability-oriented features including an earth-friendly menu tag for items that are plant-based and lower on the carbon footprint scale.
May 02
Understanding QR Codes
QR codes themselves can’t be hacked, but there are security risks associated with the destination URL.
May 02
Product Manager Behind Olo Rails, Dispatch Recognized as Top Innovator
Theresa Schaefer, EVP, Product & Design at Olo, was recognized as a Top Women in Restaurant Technology Innovator at MURTEC.
May 02
How Restaurants Can Utilize POS Data to Drive Sales on Cinco de Mayo
From analyzing email subject lines to offsetting labor costs, the right technology is essential if restaurant owners hope to maximize revenue during increased holiday traffic.
Apr 2022
Apr 29
Moe's Southwest Grill Hires New Execs to Lead Transformation
Two new VPs and a new Chief Brand Officer will round out its senior management team.
Apr 27
Chipotle's Q1 Sales Surge 16% YoY
The fast casual brand’s digital sales represent 42% of the fast-casual brand’s food and beverage revenue, and in-restaurant sales increased 33% YoY.
Apr 26
Two Net-Zero KFC Locations Open in China
KFC's Green Pioneer Stores in Hangzhou and Beijing are part of Yum China's climate strategy and goal of reaching net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Apr 26
Jack in the Box Adds Automation to Fryer, Drink Station
QSR partners with Miso Robotics to begin pilot for Flippy 2 and Sippy product lines.
From the Fryer to the Drink Station, Jack in the Box Embraces Automation to Maximize Efficiency and Deliver a Better Customer Experience
Apr 25
Is Technology Changing the Bar Experience?
Digital ordering and advancements in bar techniques offer a new twist to the traditional dining experience.
Apr 25
Innovator Helped bartaco Stand Up On-Demand Service Model
Kelly McArdle helped to oversee the success of bartaco’s pivot to off-premise ordering. Plus, new technology transformed the dine-in experience – allowing guests to seamlessly view a menu, place and pay for their order, all at from a mobile device.
Apr 25
Applebee’s Franchisee Adds Pickup Lockers
Pickup lockers provide an alternative quick, contactless handoff to popular delivery service partners.
Apr 25
3 Ways Phygital Marketing Improves Restaurant Customer Engagement
The combination of a physical presence with digital engagement can deliver an immediate, immersive experience that doesn’t just make brands memorable – it converts.
Apr 25
Burger King Launches Exclusive Frequent Fry'er Program
Royal Perks Members in the US will get free fries for the rest of the year.
Apr 22
Focus Brands Hires New CTO
Tim Voss will oversee the technology piece of all digital channels, with the primary goal of leveraging technology to create more user-friendly loyalty platforms and programs.
Apr 22
Counting on the New Concierge
Help and advice from a virtual concierge? Why hotels should adapt to this technology-forward trend.
Apr 21
Just Salad Details Sustainability Initiatives, Impact
Just Salad's Annual Impact Report details advancements made across carbon labeling and packaging solutions. 91% of its disposable food service packaging was made from recycled and/or renewable materials!
Apr 20
Famous Dave's Deploys Next-Gen Pay-at-Table Technology
The barbecue restaurant chain continues its drive to boost labor productivity and guest experience at all locations across the U.S with Presto.
Apr 20
Quiznos, Taco Del Mar Franchises Join the Metaverse
REGO Restaurant Group and The NFT Agency will drop digital master franchises in one of crypto’s largest virtual worlds.
Apr 20
STUDY: Most Consumers Want Transparency about Sustainable Business Practices
A survey of 7,000 people reveals consumer preference when it comes to restaurants eco-friendly practices and sustainability initiatives.
Apr 19
Chipotle Launches $50M Venture Fund
The new venture fund will have an initial size of $50 million and will be financed solely by Chipotle and will invest in companies that align with it mission.
Apr 18
Sharlene Smith Named Zaxby's COO
Industry vet spent years working at Papa John's and McDonald's. She will be instrumental in driving the Zaxby's national expansion through operational effectiveness, system improvements and people development.
Apr 18
Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop Unifies Digital, Physical CX
Paytronix Order & Delivery provides immediate 25% jump in digital sales.
Apr 18
Innovator Oversaw Rollout of New POS/BOH System at 7000+ Dunkin’ Locations
Inspire Brands’ Lisa Acero received the Top Women in Restaurant Technology Award and was recently promoted to Director of IT Deployment Services.
Apr 18
Panera Bread Uses AI to Monitor Coffee Metrics
The fast casual brand is testing the CookRight Coffee system developed by Miso Robotics.
Apr 15
STUDY: Rising Inflation Leads More Workers to the Gig Economy
Second annual Gig Payments Report from Branch and Marqeta finds faster payments continue to be a top priority for gig workers. Plus, 35% of respondents quit full-time employment to join the gig economy.
Apr 14
Applebee's Virtual Brand Leans on Delivery Partners
Cosmic Wings' menu is prepared in more than 1,575 Applebee’s kitchens nationwide and is available for delivery through Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash.
Apr 14
Machine Vision Casino Chip Counting Application Debuts
Application significantly enhances operational efficiencies and chip counting efficacy.
Apr 14
FAT Brands' New CIO
Michael Chachula has 25+ years of senior management experience in technology and will be focused on delivering scalable, sustainable and efficient technology platforms.
Apr 14
CKE Restaurants Selects New Loyalty Program
Adding Punchh’s technology is the latest chapter in CKE’s digital journey that kicked off with Olo in late 2020.
Apr 13
Food Halls Get a Digital Boost with a Custom-Designed Tech Solution
SpotOn's custom solutions designed for food halls powers Plant City, POST Houston and Zeppelin Station.
Apr 12
Innovator Improves the User Experience with HR Technology
Jennifer Giusti, Director, HR Technology at Darden Restaurants, received the Top Women in Restaurant Technology – Innovator Award at MURTEC in Las Vegas.
Apr 12
HT Exclusive: Kroger Taps Tech, Supply Chain to Help Local Restaurants
Kroger Restaurant Supply was born out of the Kroger’s e-commerce accelerator, which aims to identify new growth areas for the company.
Apr 08
Checklist for Safer Indoor Dining
Many pandemic-weary restaurant patrons are wondering what restaurant and building owners are doing to make their restaurant spaces healthier.
Apr 06
Grocer Aims to Ease Local Restaurants' Supply Chain Woes
Kroger's Dallas division launches restaurant supply division for local restaurants.
Apr 06
McDonald's Canada Adds First Electric Vehicle to Distribution Fleet
With its supply chain distribution partner, Martin Brower, McDonald's Canada is testing the new Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 tractor for distribution to restaurants in the Montréal area.
Apr 05
Visa, PopID Team Up to Launch Facial Verification Payments in the Middle East
Under the alliance with Visa, issuing banks will be invited to join the platform and give their customers the ability to link their facial biometrics to their debit or credit cards to make payments; and acquiring banks will be offered the opportunity
Apr 05
San Francisco Giants Updates POS, Add Mobile Ordering
From concession stands to mobile devices, Oracle MICROS Simphony Cloud POS running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure speeds the ordering process at the Major League Baseball ballpark.
Apr 05
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop Shares Real-Word Impact of Automation
Stratis Morfogen, Founder & CEO, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, took to the stage at MURTEC to share how automation and other technologies have transformed the employee and guest experience.
Apr 04
Omicron’s Threat to the Restaurant Industry
The stakes for replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund are extremely high: 46% of restaurant operators that did not receive an RRF grant believe it’s unlikely they will stay open past the pandemic.
Apr 04
Sweetgreen to Pilot Digital Drive-Thru
To access the drive-thru, customers will need to order through sweetgreen’s digital platform.
Apr 04
Club Quarters Hotels Hires COO, Expands Operations Team
The team was carefully selected for their deep operational experience and history of delivering high-touch, high-tech guest experiences, programming and systems to take Club Quarters to the next level.
Apr 04
Aloha Poke Co. Deploys Full Paytronix Platform
Aloha Poke wants to leverage its rewards program to help retain customers and build a more data-driven marketing operation.