Data & Analytics

Restaurants like Tully's Coffee and Brinker International are combining stored value card technology with savvy marketing initiatives for gift card programs that benefit the restaurants well beyond their initial sale. Through partnerships with local businesses, gift cards are accounting for as much as 30 percent of one restaurant's sales.

A few months back, I was standing on a trade show floor being shown a demo for a new form of e-marketing: targeted text messaging.

When Papa Murphy's wanted to expand from 1,000 locations to more than 4,000 nationwide, the company called on site selection technology to boost its chances of success. Location optimization tools have helped the pizza chain improve its ability to analyze potential markets, and determine demand.

In this POS software peer review, HT talks to a cross section of quick-service restaurant operators, hailing from the traditional drive-up to pizza delivery and smoothie shops. Operators share their unique needs for point of sale software, and the POS technology solutions that are helping them stay competitive.

Avalon product's data visualization software identifies market strengths and vulnerabilites

Solution is world's first; translates security camera footage into information including graphs and charts

Lee Holman, lead retail analyst for IHL Group shares with HT his predictions for POS trends that will continue to have an impact on the foodservice industry over the coming year. Holman and IHL Group identify workforce, environment among top POS concerns for restaurant operators.

A streamlined connection process makes it easier for Starwood guests to connect to the Internet at high-speeds while also creating a valuable in-room marketing touch point.