News Briefs

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Pizza Hut announced two new executive marketing appointments: Kalen Thornton will join the company as Global Chief Brand Officer and Melissa Friebe will become Chief Marketing Officer, U.S.

Kalen Thornton will join the company as Global Chief Brand Officer reporting to Pizza Hut Division Chief Executive Officer, Aaron Powell, effective June 10. In this role, Thornton will lead Pizza Hut's global brand strategy and oversee all aspects of marketing across 110 markets and territories. Thornton will also be responsible for guiding the brand to a new chapter of relevance – harnessing the power of strategic, engaging customer connections across physical and digital touchpoints and ensuring that the brand maintains its status as a cultural icon.

Thornton most recently served as Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing for PepsiCo North America, where he led partnerships and built brand affinity across sports entertainment properties – leveraging media, content, and activation investments to drive growth for the beverage portfolio. During his time at PepsiCo, Thornton also served as Chief Marketing Officer of Gatorade. Before diving into the beverage business, Thornton held multiple marketing leadership roles for the Nike and Jordan brands over nearly ten years, where he was instrumental in leading transformational brand initiatives.

In addition to Thornton's appointment, Melissa Friebe will become Chief Marketing Officer, U.S., reporting to incoming Pizza Hut U.S. President, Carl Loredo. Friebe joins Pizza Hut from Taco Bell, where she served in a number of positions over nearly three decades with the brand, most recently as Chief Brand Strategy Officer. In her new role at Pizza Hut, she will lead all aspects of marketing for the brand's U.S. business. Friebe will succeed Lindsay Morgan, who is departing the brand after serving more than eight years in various marketing leadership roles.

Seattle-based Picnic Works, Inc., and Roboworx, a subsidiary of Administrative Resource Options Inc.  announced a strategic collaboration to facilitate the national rollout of Picnic’s fleet of autonomous Picnic Pizza Stations. This partnership aims to enhance the efficiency and consistency of pizza production across numerous restaurant locations.

Founded in 2016, Picnic has been at the forefront of integrating technology with food service. The Picnic Pizza Station is designed to seamlessly fit into existing commercial kitchens, assembling 130+ pizzas per hour, depending on size, with precision and efficiency. Recognized as a Kitchen Innovation Winner by the National Restaurant Association, Best in Show at CES, and listed in the FoodTech 500, this innovation is set to revolutionize operations in restaurants, live event venues, convenience stores, universities, convention centers, corporate campuses, and other food service venues.

"At Picnic, our expertise in food and technology drives us to constantly innovate," said Michael Bridges, CEO of Picnic. "To ensure the seamless deployment and support of Picnic Pizza Stations across the country, we sought out a dedicated partner. Finding Roboworx, with their exceptional automation expertise, perfectly aligns with our mission to help our customers thrive."

Roboworx, dedicated to the service, support and customer success of robotics, will deploy the Picnic Pizza Stations and provide ongoing support and preventive maintenance. This collaboration ensures that the devices remain operational and efficient, allowing Picnic’s customers to focus on their core business activities without the distraction of managing advanced robotic systems.

"In a world where robotics continually enhance our lives, the Picnic Pizza Station stands out as a truly unique and groundbreaking innovation that delivers faster, more consistent and more convenient pizza production,” said Chris McNelis, vice president of operations, Roboworx. "Our team of automation experts at Roboworx will provide 24/7 remote monitoring, preventive maintenance, and any break/fix support to ensure the Picnic Pizza Stations are working properly so Picnic’s customers can focus on running their businesses, not managing their stations. We’re all about customer success."

Lightspeed Commerce Inc. the one-stop commerce platform empowering merchants to provide the best omnichannel experiences, and Uber announced a new North American partnership to directly integrate Uber Direct and Uber Eats marketplace into Lightspeed's platform.

Through the partnership, Lightspeed will have built-in integrations with the Uber Eats marketplace and Uber Direct, Uber's white-label delivery facilitation service, enabling Lightspeed merchants to:

• List their menu offerings on and take orders from the Uber Eats marketplace, which is accessed by millions of monthly active platform consumers; and
• Take orders from their own branded website through Lightspeed's Order Anywhere, then access delivery via Uber Direct, allowing them to pay only the associated delivery fee without the added cost of developing their own custom delivery fleet.

The combination of solutions enables merchants to satisfy their customers' delivery demands, tap into new markets through the Uber Eats marketplace and reduce overhead on direct-to-consumer orders with Lightspeed Order Anywhere and Uber Direct.

"We are incredibly excited to be announcing this strategic partnership with Uber, as we believe it unlocks incredible value for our hospitality customers," said JD Saint-Martin, President of Lightspeed. "The restaurant industry continues to face significant challenges with staffing and increasingly narrow revenue margins. This partnership is an opportunity to provide our customers some relief in the form of a world-class delivery network and cost savings plan. We believe this is only the first step in a long-term relationship with Uber."

"On-demand delivery is now a core expectation for consumers, with 75% of them expecting express delivery as an option, and merchants are taking note," said Bernie Huddlestun, Head of Uber Direct for the US and Canada. "We're proud to partner with Lightspeed to offer restaurants solutions that meet their customers' needs and encourage repeat orders, while giving restaurants the flexibility to offer seamless delivery experiences in the way that works best for growing their business."

This integration is now available to Lightspeed Restaurant customers in North America with additional markets to follow.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. has transformed its popular loyalty program, Red Robin Royalty , making it easier for members to earn free food and perks faster than ever before. 

Based on an internal survey conducted in 2023, where more than half of guest respondents indicated that they are looking to earn more rewards faster, Red Robin has replaced its previous rewards structure, which rewarded guests with a free entree for every nine entrees purchased.

• Domino’s Revamped Loyalty Pays Off

Now, Red Robin Royalty members will earn one point for every dollar spent on qualifying purchases, not just entrees. For every 100 points earned, members will receive a $10 reward to use on their Red Robin favorites.  

"Our Red Robin Royalty members deserve to feel like royalty when dining with us," said Kevin Mayer, Red Robin's Chief Marketing Officer. "This overhauled loyalty program is the latest in a series of upgrades at Red Robin to enhance the guest experience through culinary innovation and superb service, and now, our members will be able to earn points faster, along with other exclusive perks, allowing them to cash in on their continued love of our delicious burgers, which is the number one ask that we heard.

VIP Experiences 

"The new VIP-like experience gives members the royal treatment with crave worthy sneak peeks and early access to new menu items, exclusive offers, including free birthday burgers (and kids' birthday burgers for Red Robin's littlest fans), plus a free appetizer for new members on sign-up. Somehow, Red Robin's Towering Onion Rings taste even better!

Red Robin has always been about craveable food paired with an unbridled approach to hospitality and bottomless fun. The new loyalty program comes as Red Robin introduces its new Leave Room for Fun marketing campaign meant to remind people how great it feels to embrace their fun side and incentivize guests to dine at Red Robin for moments of connection over creative and delicious food that only Red Robin can provide.

Red Robin's more than 13-million-member strong Royalty program first launched in 2008 and is one of the original restaurant programs to reward guests for their loyalty. To sign up for Red Robin Royalty® and begin earning rewards and perks from Red Robin throughout the year, visit redrobin.com/rewards and download the Red Robin mobile app. Full terms and conditions apply.

The Wendy's Company announced the appointment of Abigail Pringle to the newly created role of President, U.S. and E.J. Wunsch to President, International effective June 17. Pringle has served as President, International and Chief Development Officer since 2019, and in numerous leadership roles across Development, Operations and Strategic Initiatives since joining the Company in 2002.   Wunsch has served as Chief Legal Officer since joining the Company in 2016. He has been a strategic partner on various international initiatives across Australia, Asia, Europe and South America. Prior to Wendy's, Wunsch oversaw a substantial international legal portfolio with The Procter & Gamble Company, including four years stationed in Singapore with responsibility throughout Asia.

As President, U.S., Pringle will direct all aspects of the Wendy's  U.S. business, which includes more than 6,000 Company-operated and franchised restaurants. Wunsch will assume similar accountability for the Wendy's International business across 33 countries and U.S. territories.

"Since joining Wendy's earlier this year, I've carefully reviewed our business strategy and structure, and believe dedicated Presidents for our U.S. and International business segments alongside our global centers of excellence will help us accelerate our growth in same restaurant sales, digital and new restaurant development even faster," said President and CEO Kirk Tanner. "I believe having one leader with clear accountability for development and operational performance in both the U.S. and International businesses, along with a singular voice to those respective franchise systems, will be a catalyst to accelerating growth and performance. Fortunately, we have exceptional leaders for these important roles on the leadership team today. Abigail has been a critical architect of our restaurant development journey and has put our International business on firm footing that is ready for accelerated growth. She will now bring that discipline and drive for outsized performance to our U.S. business. E.J. is a strong, strategic business leader who has been deeply involved in the business in his current role. I'm confident he will bring his global experience and keen business acumen to support the health of our existing International business and grow our footprint further around the world."   

"It has been a career highlight to lead our Global Development and International business over the past five years," said Pringle. "I know our U.S. business and franchisees exceptionally well and am confident that we still have much potential opportunity ahead for sales, profit and restaurant growth."

Wunsch said, "I see a huge opportunity for Wendy's on the international stage. I'm eager to support our current franchise and Company operations in driving outsized growth, while also advancing our footprint to bring more Wendy's to more customers around the globe."