News Briefs

Jack in the Box Inc. is leveling up the gaming world as Internet sensation and beloved mascot Jack Box brings his irreverent charm to Fortnite. Players will grind their way through corporate ranks in "Jack's CEO Minigames" that culminates with the ultimate prize: becoming CEO of Jack in the Box.  

Gamification is on trend for restaurants. Approximately 40% of respondents believe that online gamers are likely (33%) or very likely (6%) to respond positively to pop-up messages for food orders, according to HT's 2025 Restaurant Technology Study. 

This innovative collaboration reimagines classic Fortnite maps into an immersive Jack-themed universe where up to 12 players compete simultaneously – perfect for those late-night gaming sessions that demand serious munchies. Squad up to navigate through environments built with iconic Munchie Meal items, from cult classic curly fries and tiny tacos to fan favorite Coca-Cola drinks, in an adventure as unexpected and out-of-the-box as Jack himself.

Jack’s CEO Minigames

• CEO MINIGAMES: Players compete in 7 random minigames in a battle royale format. After each mini game round, players earn XP that helps them get promoted to the next rank with the ultimate goal of reaching CEO status.
• PLAYER PROGRESSION: Players earn XP based on their performance in the minigames. XP is required to level up to the next job title. (Intern → Manager → Director → VP → CEO MINIGAMES)
• VOTE: After each minigame, players return to the lobby and chat with Jack to vote on the next minigame they want to play! Players will then compete in the minigame that receives the most votes.

Exclusive Wearables and Free Jack in the Box

To celebrate the launch, fans can score a secret, exclusive wearable Jack head for their characters—just by purchasing a Munchie Meal with a Coca-Cola beverage through the Jack App!

And that’s not all—Jack in the Box is giving one lucky player the ultimate prize: free Jack in the Box for a year*! Here’s how to enter:

• Achieve the CEO title in the mini games.
• Take a screenshot of your win.
• Share your screenshot on the JITB X account with the hashtag #FreeJack.
• Download the Jack App and become a Jack Pack member.

Once all entry requirements are verified, one winner will be randomly selected on the last day of launch month!

There is no shortage of luxurious amenities to be found at the new Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel by Hilton, in Scottsdale, AZ (which opened in March of 2024). Guests exploring the 11 stories of the hotel will find 20,000 sq. ft. of event space, a grand first floor pool and rooftop pools, and bar, along with two signature restaurants, and an exceptional array of technologically advanced products and services. 

Even when guests turn away from the hotel’s interior space to gaze through a window at the desert landscape view, their eyes may be drawn to the latest advancements in luxury and convenience. That’s because Caesars Republic Scottsdale has outfitted its windows with over 700 PoE (Power over Ethernet) automated roller shades from PowerShades, an industry-leading provider of manual and automated window shades for residential, commercial, and hospitality locations. 

According to Robert Allen, chief operating officer for HCW Development, the hotel developer, PowerShades’ True PoE automated shades were a natural fit to meet his company’s goals for the hotel. 

“We believe the products we select should contribute to the sustainability and efficiency of our hotels,” he said. “At the same time, luxury is essential to Caesars Republic Scottsdale customers; they expect the very best products and services. PowerShades met all these needs, with sleek, sophisticated products that offer both contemporary style and sustainable luxury.”

Sustaining the Guest Room Climate

Caesars Republic features automated shades from PowerShades in all 265 guest rooms, as well as in common areas throughout the hotel including one of the two restaurants, a bar and terrace, a modern fitness center, and a 7,000-sq-ft, free-span ballroom. 

All the windows in the guest rooms feature both light-filtering and room-darkening fabric automated shades that guests can control separately.

Hotel guests can control the shades via an in-room wall panel conveniently located next to the bed. They easily lower the blackout shades at bedtime, creating the perfect environment for sleeping. And they can set the shades to raise and let the sun into the room when they want to wake in the morning, offering a soothing, natural alternative to a wake-up call or alarm. 

The shades in all the guest rooms are integrated into the Hotel’s Building Management System (BMS) to allow the hotel staff to conserve energy based on room occupancy and time of year. At check-in, hotel staff can prepare a room’s thermostat and PowerShades automated blinds according to predetermined set points depending on seasonal conditions and the location of the sun. 

“Sustainability and reducing our energy-usage footprint are important at Caesars,” Allen said. “With the automated shades, we’re able to conserve energy in unoccupied guest rooms by setting the blackout shades to lower in the spring and summer, naturally cooling the room. In the colder months, we can preset all the shades to raise and let the sun warm the rooms.”

Setting the Scene at Table Settings

Allen continued, “Our staff can do the same thing in public areas like our Seven rooftop restaurant, setting the shades to maximize the comfort of our guests.”

By setting the automated shades to manage glare and temperature, restaurant guests can experience the most comfortable dining experience, which can lead to longer visits and repeat business. Plus, the hotel can set the shades to create the ideal ambiance for a beautiful dining experience any time of day. For example, the shades can glide open at lunchtime to create a bright, inviting atmosphere. Or they can gradually close at dinnertime to give a dining space a warm, intimate feel.

PoE Was a Powerful Advantage

Allen explained how PowerShades stood out from competitive offerings.  “One of the main reasons why Caesars Republic Scottsdale opted to work with PowerShades was their advanced, proprietary, PoE technology,” he said. “We understood this meant that we would be getting a cost-effective energy-management solution that was easy to install and easy to implement.”

PowerShades True PoE shades provide all the benefits of the company’s groundbreaking RF automated product, along with additional advantages not found in any other type of motorized shade. With PoE automated shades, a single CAT5 cable provides both power and communications, so there is no proprietary hard wiring necessary. Plus, the PoE motor is low voltage (under 50V AC), eliminating the need for a licensed electrician. And with power coming from a single, central source, more information can be transferred on the network cable while improving reliability over traditional RF solutions. 

Many of the shades in Caesars Republic Scottsdale feature PowerShades’ latest True PoE motors. The benefits of this updated version (introduced in 2024) include up to 6Nm torque capability for controlling shades up to 19 ft., quieter motors, and 13x more processing power.

A Perfect Fit for Caesars, and for Every Size Window

PowerShades automated shades are custom configured to fit every window and every application, which Allen and his team found to be particularly important given the hotel’s diverse range of window shapes and sizes. 

“Our hotel has been designed and built with floor-to-ceiling glass throughout,” Allen noted. “It features some of the largest windows we’ve installed in any of our hotels. PowerShades was able to provide us with automated shades as large as 171” wide x 117” deep. They are a perfect fit, and they’re library-quiet too.”

The Reviews Are In

“PowerShades’ products were a perfect match for Caesars Republic Scottsdale-- a hotel that’s committed to luxury, style, and advanced technology,” Allen concluded. “Our staff loves their convenience, including our housekeepers who appreciate the time savings that the pre-scheduled, coordinated raising and lowering of the shades provides. And our guests talk about the shades using language like ‘total convenience’ and 'first class products.’”

When guests stay at Caesars Republic Scottsdale hotel, they are privy to a wealth of beautiful and luxurious amenities. But for some guests, there’s one group of technologically advanced products that, you could say, makes their stay at this hotel a shade more memorable.

PAR Technology Corp. announced the launch of its PAR POS Spring Release, which combines enhanced core performance and new features to elevate operations. Significant investment and focus have been made in innovating key areas such as guest convenience, in-store resilience and platform extensibility in response to growing market expectations.

PAR was among the POS software vendors featured in HT's POS Software in 2025: Key Trends and Features on the Horizon 

"At PAR, we're building for the future. We have the scale to consistently evolve our platform while investing in purposeful innovation—so our customers never have to choose between stability and innovation," said Oli Ostertag, General Manager of PAR POS. "This release reflects that balance, delivering faster, more resilient core performance alongside smarter tools for staff, convenient guest experiences, and simplified enterprise administration. And by reimagining our APIs, we're making it easier than ever for operators and integrators to build with us."

Key Features

Enhanced Guest Convenience & Experience
This new release will bring additional enhancements around guest convenience. Guests can now enjoy secure, contactless payment and ordering options such as Pay via SMS and QR code with PAR® Pay, along with the ability to pay for in-store orders via their loyalty accounts, and the flexibility to add items to open orders throughout their stay.

These features offer a seamless dining and checkout experience that prioritizes convenience without disrupting service flow. Operators benefit from faster transactions and improved table turnover, helping staff serve more guests with greater efficiency.

Streamlined Staff Operations
As part of its commitment to point-of-service innovation, the PAR POS Spring Update introduces Geofencing Integration for ETA on Kitchen Chits—displaying real-time guest arrival estimates to improve prep timing, reduce waste, and streamline pickup operations. Seamlessly integrated with geolocation platforms, the feature is fully customizable with a rich library of fonts, sizes, and colors for maximum clarity and kitchen flexibility.

Restaurants will also enjoy the option of tailored pricing on item modifiers to accommodate specific guest requests. For example, "add mayo" can be priced differently from "heavy mayo," allowing operators to reflect nuanced guest requests and maximize profitability with greater pricing accuracy.

Greater tax support is included in this update, accommodating and reflecting regional quantity-based tax rules, such as those in Ontario, Canada, as well as marketplace facilitator taxes from third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats for more accurate reporting and better visibility into tax obligations.

Platform Extensibility and Flexibility 
PAR continues to invest in its platform's core performance and adaptability. Operators can now define and manage custom data—like product codes, category tags, and tracking numbers—tailored to their brand and fully accessible via API for seamless syncing and reliable cross-system tracking. Meanwhile, a new real-time Data Feed significantly accelerates item availability updates—reducing sync times from 5–10 minutes to near-instant—while also boosting performance for reporting and API integrations. Together, these upgrades reinforce PAR's commitment to core platform performance, reliability, and adaptability.

The PAR POS Spring Release reflects PAR's ongoing commitment to pushing the innovation envelope for growing and enterprise restaurants in the industry. For more information on PAR Technology and PAR POS, please visit partech.com. 

Smarter Tools for Smarter Kitchens

• Energy Intelligence: Monitors and optimizes energy use across key equipment, reducing utility costs by up to 15%
• Real-Time Equipment Monitoring & Alerting: Tracks performance and visualizes issues using digital twins to enable proactive maintenance and extend asset life
• Predictive Maintenance: Uses AI to detect early warning signs before breakdowns occur—minimizing downtime and repair costs
• Remote Equipment Control: Adjusts settings on the fly from anywhere, giving operators unmatched flexibility and responsiveness
• Temperature & Environmental Control: Continuously monitors refrigeration and HVAC systems to maintain food safety standards and ensure ideal working conditions
• AI-Powered Forecasting: Predicts guest traffic and demand down to the hour using historical patterns and live data — helping reduce waste, improve prep accuracy and optimize staffing
  
   

Popmenu's digital marketing and online ordering solutions are available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace and can be deployed on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and integrate with Oracle Simphony POS. Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a centralized repository of enterprise applications offered by Oracle and Oracle partners.  

The integration of Popmenu's online ordering solutions with Oracle Simphony POS enables:

• Greater efficiency, fewer errors: Online orders for pickup, delivery, and catering that are placed on Popmenu's platform flow directly into the Simphony POS. This helps eliminate manual uploads and reduces risk of human error.
• Synchronized menu updates: Any menu changes made in the Simphony POS appear on Popmenu and OpenTable. Operators can also adjust which menu items show up online with simple toggles.
• Better experience for guests and staff: Online ordering is one stop and easy to use.
• Easy reporting: All dine-in and online order reports live within the Simphony POS. 
   

Through Oracle Cloud Marketplace, Oracle customers can also take advantage of Popmenu's interactive menus, custom-built websites, AI-powered marketing, and AI phone answering to drive new and repeat business.  

According to Popmenu's research, 69% of consumers order takeout or delivery or dine at restaurants at least once a week.* Attracting more guests and providing a smooth ordering experience are top-of-mind for restaurant operators who have to compete more aggressively in a tough market.

Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a one-stop shop for Oracle customers seeking trusted business applications and services that offer unique solutions.

OCI is a cloud designed to run any application faster, and more securely, for less. OCI can help address a variety of data privacy, sovereign AI, and low latency requirements as it is the only hyperscaler capable of delivering 150+ AI and cloud services at the edge, in a customer's datacenter, across clouds, or in the public cloud. Oracle's distributed cloud delivers the benefits of the cloud with greater control and flexibility while also providing the consistent performance, SLAs, and global pricing for which OCI has become known.

"Restaurant operators want to remove friction in their ordering process that can hinder productivity and sales. Popmenu's ordering solutions do just that, making sure online ordering is efficient, accurate, and easy for both guests and staff," said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu. "We're also excited to help more Oracle customers boost their digital presence and overall order volume through Popmenu's marketing platform. By joining Oracle Cloud Marketplace, we are underscoring our commitment to the Oracle community and making it easy for customers to benefit from our solutions. Tapping into the power of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure will help Popmenu and our customers to deliver on business needs."  

BOB Hotels is the latest hospitality brand to deploy a powerful new combination: Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud-based, guest-centric hotel technology and property management system (PMS), integrated with olive, the industry's first AI-powered booking engine.

With this partnership, BOB Hotels is setting a new standard for guest-centric booking. It combines a frictionless, three-click journey with real-time personalization and intelligent merchandising—all powered by live guest data.

“Guests don’t care about your tech stack,” said Jānis Krums of BOB Hotels. “They care about how it feels to book a room. olive and Stayntouch make it feel seamless, smart, and guest-first.”

Why BOB Hotels Chose olive x Stayntouch

By pairing Stayntouch’s flexible, cloud-native PMS with olive’s AI-powered, natively embedded booking engine, hotels like BOB Hotels can:

• Boost conversions through personalized booking journeys tailored to guest location, referral source, and travel segment.
• Optimize experiences in real-time, dynamically adjusting offers based on user behavior, seasonality, and real-time intent signals.
• Accelerate revenue growth through the seamless booking of upsells, experiences, and group room blocks.
• Leverage rich booking data to power smarter marketing, from attribution and retargeting to lookalike audience creation and marketing automation. 

“When you pair Stayntouch with olive's smart, real-time booking system, you see real results. We're seeing brands like BOB Hotels connect with their guests in ways that not only create seamless experiences but also boost their bottom line and keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. That's what gets me excited—seeing hotels turn great guest moments into success stories for their business.” said Jacob Messina, CEO of Stayntouch

“The future of hotel commerce is guest-centric and data-driven,” said Eric Lutz, CEO of olive. “Every hotel deserves technology that’s built around their guests, not around their systems. With Stayntouch and olive, hotels like BOB Hotels deliver the kind of intuitive, personalized booking experience guests deserve while growing their business at the same time.”