News Briefs

Intouch Insight, a provider of customer experience management solutions in North America, has released the second edition of its Emerging Experience study today in partnership with QSR Magazine. The report, Next-Gen Restaurant Experiences: The Rise of Innovative Locations, is focused on how technology is impacting the customer experience for multi-location QSR brands.

"We have been closely monitoring the latest trends in the technology and new prototypes launched by Quick Service Restaurants since the pandemic," says Laura Livers, Chief Revenue Officer at Intouch Insight. "This year, through our Emerging Experiences study, we wanted to dig deeper into the current performance of these prototypes and technology as compared to traditional experiences."

Driving Speed Improvements

The rapidly evolving quick service sector has seen many brands invest heavily in technology-enabled prototypes to enhance both in-person and digital experiences. This year's study highlights innovative brands that have incorporated features like mobile kiosks, improved drive-thru, AI-powered technology, innovative kitchens, and more to elevate the customer experience.
 

Taco Bell, Checkers & Rallys, bartaco Share the Stories Behind Their Award-Winning Technology Transformations

The results show that innovation experience overall scores outperformed legacy experiences in 7 out of 10 brands’. Some of the key findings of the study include:

• 3 out of 4 Innovation Experiences received higher overall satisfaction scores compared to their legacy counterparts.
• Technology innovations drove speed improvements for digital orders placed for pickup.
• 3 out of 4 innovation experiences' overall order accuracy scores outperformed the legacy experiences. 

“The data suggests that customers have a preference for innovative experiences,” says Livers. “As growth in these digital channels continues to surge, creating consistency across the varied customer engagement points will be critical for success. The brands who measure, learn, and pivot quickly, will be the brands who ultimately come out on top.”

Download the full study here: https://hubs.ly/Q02tjNSr0

Subway completed its previously announced sale to affiliates of Roark.

The acquisition comes on the heels of Subway's three exceptional years of sales growth and positive global net restaurant growth for the first time since 2016. The brand has continued to innovate in 2024, with the introduction of Subway Sidekicks, a hot new menu category, and a fresh lineup of signature wraps, served on a new lavash-style flatbread.

"The entire Subway system is excited that our sale to Roark is complete," said John Chidsey, CEO of Subway. "As we look to our future, our growth journey is far from over. With a continued strategic focus on delivering better food and a better guest experience, our next chapter will be the most exciting yet."

Staying the Course

Looking ahead, the company will continue its work to Build a Better Subway for its franchisees, employees and guests with a focus on ongoing culinary and digital innovation, modernization of restaurants, and strategic international expansion. There are no anticipated changes to the company's leadership team, strategic focus or operating plans.

As one of the world's largest quick service restaurant brands, Subway serves freshly made-to-order sandwiches, wraps, salads and bowls to millions of guests, across more than 100 countries and territories in nearly 37,000 restaurants every day. Subway restaurants are owned and operated by Subway franchisees—a network that includes thousands of dedicated entrepreneurs and small business owners—who are committed to delivering the best guest experience possible in their local communities.

Toast, the all-in-one technology platform built for restaurants, today announced details for its Digital Storefront and Marketing Suites. Toast’s Digital Storefront Suite offers robust website and online ordering capabilities. Toast’s Marketing Suite marries marketing tools with automation technology. Together, the suites create a seamless digital hospitality experience for restaurants, integrate across the Toast platform, and allow restaurants to gather guest data from online and point-of-sale (POS) transactions. This data powers automated, targeted campaigns and custom-tailored guest experiences, fostering an engaging online environment that attracts guests and encourages return restaurant visits and repeat orders.

“Through innovations including our Toast Go^® 2 handheld devices and Toast Mobile Order & Pay^®, Toast technology has streamlined and transformed the on-site guest experience for restaurants of all sizes and types,” said Steve Fredette, President and Co-Founder of Toast. “Our Digital Storefront and Marketing Suites extend that enhanced guest experience online using tools like Toast’s new AI-powered writing assistant, search engine-optimized websites and online menus, promotional offers, loyalty programs, and automated marketing campaigns that work together to draw guests in and keep them coming back.”

Marketing automations in Toast’s Marketing Suite help save time and remove guesswork

Whether increasing online orders or driving in-store visits, Toast’s Marketing Suite can help restaurant owners and operators reach their goals. In fact, Toast restaurants that used gift cards, loyalty, and email marketing offered as part of the Marketing Suite saw 63 percent more sales than Toast restaurants that did not use any of those features¹. A collection of powerful marketing automations and enhancements are designed to make it easier for restaurant owners and operators to generate marketing campaigns targeted to the guests they want to reach when it matters most. Key suite enhancements include the ability to:

• Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create engaging email marketing campaigns aligned with a restaurant’s brand and marketing goals. According to a recent Toast survey, 72 percent of guests surveyed were interested in hearing from their favorite restaurants via email. Guests also identified promotions and loyalty programs as some of the top content that they want to see². Toast customers can provide simple inputs like campaign goals and desired tone, and the AI-powered writing assistant will generate suggested layout and text for promotional emails. Users can regenerate results as often as they like, review and make edits, and easily send them to their desired audience.
• Create one-click, automated marketing campaigns powered by guest data. From thanking repeat guests to welcoming new ones, restaurants can easily turn on data-driven campaigns that run in the background — so they can save time and focus on running their business.
• Use a powerful recommendation engine that serves timely insights to operators, such as reminders about upcoming holidays and suggestions to use pre-designed campaigns to save time. The Marketing Suite provides real-time performance metrics so owners and operators can track sales driven by each campaign.
• Create targeted promotional offers tailored to users’ business needs, like promoting seasonal specials or discounting excess inventory. Owners and operators can seamlessly promote these offers on their Toast Digital Storefront channels and through email marketing campaigns to their guests. Coming soon, users can also create and promote upsell deals directly through their Toast Guest-Facing Display.

Toast Digital Storefront Suite enables customers to elevate their online presence with new Toast Websites

Part of Toast’s Digital Storefront Suite, Toast’s website builder joins a lineup of powerful digital ordering tools designed to help a restaurant stand out online. A restaurant’s website is one of the top three ways that consumers discover a restaurant, according to responses from restaurant guests to a recent Toast survey³. Toast Websites empowers owners and operators to build and customize a professional website effortlessly, and make updates in seconds. With drag-and-drop functionality and Toast products embedded on-site, restaurants can enhance their online presence and drive traffic via SEO. Key Digital Storefront features include:

• Search Engine Optimization for digital view-only menus, online ordering, and websites, designed to make it easy for restaurants — and the best menu items — to get discovered faster.
• Automatic POS integration that enables seamless updates to digital and online ordering menus when menu item availability or descriptions are updated on the POS. Real-time menu updates enable consistency between online and in-person dining experiences and enhance SEO.
• Customization allows any restaurant to take its in-person dining experience to the web with a customizable online presence with fonts, colors, and imagery.
• Templates and drag-and-drop tools to simplify creating and updating a website. The website is buildable in minutes and allows for easy creation and updates without the need for technical expertise.
• Integrated and embedded Toast products including Online Ordering, Toast Tables, Loyalty, and more in websites built with Toast Websites. Custom branding helps deliver a seamless guest experience whether dining in or ordering takeout.

“It would take many steps to create, change, and update my website and online ordering. With Toast, it’s easy to set it and forget it — I make an update in one place and see changes across my whole tech stack,” said John Mason IV, Owner of IV Hospitality which operates FRESKO Greek Kitchen, a two-location quick-service restaurant group in North Carolina.

The Digital Storefront and Marketing Suites also include additional features including customizable online ordering with advanced data collection and capabilities that can help boost sales, customizable promotional offers to incentivize guests, and new loyalty accrual and redemption capabilities, as well as gift cards.

Customer testimonials are self-reported and are not a guarantee that any other customer will see similar results. Toast does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in customer testimonials. Individual results will vary.

This information is intended for informational purposes only and is not a binding commitment. The development, release and timing of any products, features or functionality remain at the sole discretion of Toast, and are subject to change.

¹ Based on Toast internal data from 7/1/23 to 12/31/23 comparing Gross Merchandise Value for roughly 18,000 restaurants on the Toast platform using Toast’s 2023 offerings for gift cards, loyalty, and email marketing, with roughly 13, 000 restaurants on the Toast platform that did not use any of those features. Confounding factors such as restaurant size or location number not accounted for. Individual results will vary.
² To help better understand the restaurant industry, Toast conducted a blind survey of 1,571 restaurant guests aged 18+ in the US who dined at a restaurant, ordered delivery or ordered takeout at least once in the prior 3 month period. The survey was in field from February 14, 2024 - February 21, 2024. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Third party vendor executing the survey granted incentives to restaurant respondents for participation. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error on average is +/- 2%. Respondents were asked “Take a moment to think about your favorite restaurant. How interested are you, if at all, in hearing from your favorite restaurant via the following channels?"” 22% of respondents selected email and “very interested” and 50% selected email and “somewhat interested.”
³ To help better understand the restaurant industry, Toast conducted a blind survey of 1,571 restaurant guests aged 18+ in the US who dined at a restaurant, ordered delivery or ordered takeout at least once in the prior 3 month period. The survey was in field from February 14, 2024 - February 21, 2024. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Third party vendor executing the survey granted incentives to restaurant respondents for participation. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error on average is +/- 2%. Respondents who indicated that they had ordered from a new restaurant during the prior 6 month period were asked “How did you find out about this restaurant? Please rank up to 5 of the options below in order where 1 = the first place you saw the restaurant, 2 = the second place you saw the restaurant, etc.”

World of Hyatt, Hyatt’s award-winning loyalty program, is teaming up with Peloton (NASDAQ: PTON) to become the first global hospitality loyalty program with plans to reward its loyalty members for doing more of what they love – earning World of Hyatt points when they use Peloton equipment at Hyatt properties in countries where Peloton currently operates. In the future, that will mean more opportunities to earn World of Hyatt points to apply towards future bookings, upgrades and experiences just by investing in their own wellbeing when they travel. The collaboration is set to outfit 800+ Hyatt properties with Peloton equipment and provide access to Peloton classes on guestroom TVs at nearly 400 properties for guest and member enjoyment this year. World of Hyatt will provide more information to members on how they can earn under this collaboration.

Hyatt booking data shows travelers are placing a higher emphasis on health and wellbeing amenities when planning their vacations, a trend Hyatt is well-positioned to accommodate by teaming up with Peloton. The new collaboration focuses on encouraging Hyatt guests and Peloton Members to be at their best when traveling – whether through a ride to their favorite music tracks in the hotel’s fitness center or a wind-down stretch from the comfort of their guest room at participating hotels.

“Hyatt takes pride in setting a new standard of wellbeing for travel with new collaborations, products and experiences across our global portfolio that invite guests to lean into the transformative power of travel,” said TJ Abrams, Vice President of Wellbeing, Hyatt. “Dedicated to caring for our guests and members so they can be their best, Hyatt is coming together with Peloton as the first hospitality brand with plans to reward its members for workouts at participating hotels everywhere Peloton operates.”

Peloton Bikes will be deployed at each Hyatt hotel in markets where Peloton already operates – including the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Austria and Australia. Select Hyatt luxury and lifestyle hotels in U.S. markets will also offer the Peloton Row. In the future, the collaboration may bring the Peloton experience to Hyatt hotels in other markets.

“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Hyatt to give new and existing World of Hyatt members and guests the ability to prioritize their wellbeing during their travels,” said Greg Hybl, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Peloton for Business. “With Hyatt, we are enabling new audiences to experience Peloton’s cutting-edge technology and world-class content for themselves, and giving existing Peloton Members more of what they love while on the go. Being able to maintain a wellness routine while traveling is difficult for everyone. Our goal is to continue to find innovative ways to instill a little motivation so everyone can take some time for themselves, even if they are far from home."

Beyond access to equipment in-hotel or resort gyms, the Hyatt and Peloton collaboration will offer game-changing wellbeing benefits to guests, Peloton Members, World of Hyatt members, customers and colleagues.

• Rewards for Your Wellbeing: Stay tuned for when Hyatt and Peloton will kick off the integration to give World of Hyatt members the ability to earn points for qualifying Peloton Bike or Peloton Row workouts completed at a participating Hyatt hotel. World of Hyatt members can also receive an extended 60-day free App trial (new Peloton Members only), and special offers on Peloton equipment and private World of Hyatt member events.
• Without Leaving the Guest Room: Under the planned integration, guests at nearly 400 participating hotels will be able to enjoy a curated set of non-equipment-based Peloton classes, from stretch routines to bodyweight workouts, on in-room TVs.
• More Work, More Play: Participating Hyatt hotels will have access to a unique set of non-equipment-based Peloton classes that will be available to corporate meeting and conference attendees, enabling them to re-energize while they work.
• Care for Colleagues: As Hyatt continues to evolve and grow its holistic wellbeing offerings, the benefits will extend to many Hyatt colleagues in qualifying countries who will receive Peloton App One offers and Peloton hardware discounts.

To further expand access to Peloton's award-winning classes for mind and body, Peloton for Business provides customizable wellbeing offers for commercial needs. For Hyatt, the full-service Peloton B2B fitness and wellness offering includes a range of equipment and content-based solutions, delivering on Peloton's commitment to continue to empower anyone, anywhere.

Hyatt continues to be a leader in innovative wellbeing offerings crafted with meaning, intent and expertise to meet guests, members, customers and colleagues wherever they are in their wellbeing journey. The Peloton collaboration joins Hyatt’s expansive roster of global wellbeing programming that helps guests “Be More Here” or be more present while on the road, including Hyatt’s Wellbeing Collective, a collection of properties across Hyatt’s portfolio of brands that provide industry-leading wellbeing offerings and immersive experiences to fit the unique needs of guests and customers for meetings and events.

Sabre Hospitality, a division of Sabre Corporation, a technology provider that powers the global travel industry, announced a multi-year renewal with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, following the hotel franchisor’s highly successful adoption of SynXis Property Hub, Sabre Hospitality’s property management system (PMS). With seamless integration to SynXis Central Reservation System as a single source of truth, SynXis Property Hub increases operational efficiency by reducing the time to execute routine tasks and allows hoteliers to access their property from anywhere through cloud-native technology.

In a landmark achievement that showcases the decade-long partnership between the two companies, Sabre and Wyndham teams successfully migrated more than 5,000 Wyndham hotels to SynXis Property Hub, including the transition of 550 in a single record-breaking month, nearly one year ahead of schedule.

This early completion is complemented by the migration’s efficiency, which reduced the expected transition downtime for the Wyndham properties by 34%, ensuring successful management of day-to-day operations. This milestone not only highlights an innovative leap, but also sets a new industry standard for large-scale technology migrations.

"Completing this migration nearly a year ahead of schedule is a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration," said Scott Strickland, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "Through our work with Sabre, thousands of Wyndham hotels now benefit from groundbreaking efficiencies, further enhancing their ability to serve guests and deliver great experiences day-in and day-out.”

Strickland highlighted some of the immediate benefits of this migration for Wyndham properties and their daily operations. "For instance, service desk interactions have decreased by 50% compared to the legacy system after just 30 days of adoption. Additionally, by equipping our housekeeping with mobile solutions, we've increased clean room availability for guests by up to 15%. We've also streamlined the reservation delivery and modification process by integrating a single source of inventory that combines Channel Reservations and Property Management Systems. This not only improves guest experiences but also reduces IT support burdens," he explained.

The extraordinary success of the project was made possible by several strategic initiatives and the deep collaboration between Sabre and Wyndham. Key initiatives included a major upgrade in system infrastructure that expanded daily migration capacity from 15 to 35 properties. Additionally, the introduction of a new process for discrepancy reporting eliminated the need for preliminary dry runs, thereby speeding up the process and reducing potential downtimes.

"This project was about much more than just technical migration; it was about transforming the operational backbone of thousands of hotel properties to better meet the needs of today’s hospitality market,” said Gene Guhne, SVP & Global Managing Director, Enterprise Sales at Sabre Hospitality. “The scale of what we've achieved—in terms of both numbers and the speed of implementation—sets a new benchmark for the industry.”