News Briefs

P.F. Chang’s announced Brad Hill as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Hill, who previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer during his eight-year tenure with the company, succeeds Eduardo Luz. Luz will transition into an advisory role through the end of April.

“I am very proud to have worked for P.F. Chang's and its ownership group, Paulson & Company, and TriArtisan Capital Advisors, to position the company for success and having groomed a strong successor in Brad Hill,” said Luz. “I look forward to seeing him excel in this role and wish him the best of luck.”

Hill brings deep operational expertise and a strong understanding of P.F. Chang’s unique culture and commitment to guest experience. During his time at the company, he has played a critical role in strengthening the brand’s position in the evolving dining landscape, working closely with Luz to reposition the business for long-term growth.

In connection with this transition, Corey Robertson—an 18-year veteran of the brand and current Regional Vice President for the Eastern U.S.—has been named Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to Hill.

Hi Auto, a startup pioneering AI-powered voice technology for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, has raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Delek Motors, the Zisapel Family, Vasuki Tech Fund, and a publicly traded strategic investor from the restaurant sector. The new funding, which brings Hi Auto's total capital raised to $23 million, also included participation from Allied Group, Goldbell Investments, and the Meir Barel Group. In addition to the funding, Hi Auto has secured a $4 million credit line to support its growth and expansion efforts.

Hi Auto's software-as-a-service platform automates drive-thru order-taking, delivering over 96% order accuracy and over 90% order completion rate. As labor costs surge—especially following California's $20/hour minimum wage for fast-food workers—QSR operators are struggling to maintain speed, accuracy, and profitability at the drive-thru. Hi Auto tackles this challenge by offloading the entire ordering process to AI, freeing employees to focus on higher-value tasks like food prep and guest engagement.

"Rising labor costs and labor turnover continue to strain restaurant operations," said Roy Baharav, CEO and co-founder of Hi Auto. "Our AI-powered ordering system acts like an always-available drive-thru specialist—one that never calls in sick, delivers near-perfect accuracy, and can upsell consistently. This funding will help us expand our footprint and refine our product as we become a trusted partner with leading QSR brands."

Hi Auto's customer roster includes iconic names such as Bojangles, Checkers & Rally's, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, Burger King New Zealand, and Popeyes UK. In addition to these marquee customers, the company is running multiple paid pilots with top-tier QSR chains in the U.S. and abroad. Hi Auto's leverages advanced noise-cancellation, and a specialized language model tuned to chaotic drive-thru environments, reducing order errors even amid indecisive customers, background chatter, car engines, or thunderstorms.

Dynamic Upselling for Bigger Ticket Sizes

One standout feature of Hi Auto's technology is dynamic upselling. Its AI algorithmically recommends add-ons or premium items in real-time based on factors like store inventory, daypart, and weather. According to the company, these context-aware nudges have helped boost average ticket sizes, making the AI more than just a cost-cutting measure—it's also a revenue driver.

"Whether it's lunchtime at a busy urban drive-thru or late-night in a suburban setting, we can determine which products to promote and when," said Baharav. "We've seen increased check sizes directly impacting the bottom line."

Founding Team & Technology

Hi Auto was launched in 2019 by Baharav, Eyal Shapira (CTO), and the late Zohar Zisapel, a notable figure in Israel's tech ecosystem. Baharav, who previously led product and business roles at Google, including the launch of Google's Smart Shopping Campaigns, has a background in building and deploying large-scale retail-focused AI solutions. Before joining Hi Auto, Shapira spent over 20 years in software R&D, including founding AI-driven startups. Today, the company employs 100 people worldwide.

Photo credit: Hi Auto

As the Trump administration imposes new reciprocal tariffs with U.S. trading parters, the hospitality industry will feel the impact -- including on imported food and beverages.  

National Restaurant Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo released this statement about the new tariffs, which vary from 10 to 54%.  

“Applying new tariffs at this scale will create change and disruption that restaurant operators will have to navigate to keep their restaurants open. The biggest concerns for restaurant operators—from community restaurants to national brands—are that tariffs will hike food and packaging costs and add uncertainty to managing availability, while pushing prices up for consumers. 

"Restaurant operators know consumers are very sensitive to costs and have kept menu price increases to 30%, while their food costs have gone up 40% in the last five years. 

“Restaurant operators rely on a stable supply of fresh ingredients year-round to provide the menu items their customers want and expect. Many restaurant operators source as many domestic ingredients as they can, but it’s simply not possible for U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce the volumes needed to support consumer demand. 

"During this time of change, we’ll provide our members of all sizes with economic research to support their decision making and convene supply chain experts across the industry to share efforts for the best outcomes for restaurant consumers and the business viability of restaurants.

"The National Restaurant Association will also continue to share with the White House the real-life challenges these changes present for restaurant operators and ask to have food and beverages exempted from these tariffs.”
 

CRISP & GREEN  formally announced the move to transition away from the original franchise model through strategic acquisitions of existing franchise groups and locations. This move also marks the return of founder Steele Smiley back into the role of Chief Executive Officer. After formally rejoining in Q3 2024, Smiley partnered with the company leadership team to lead a strategic shift away from a predominantly franchised model, guiding the company to become a majority corporate-owned brand.

The move to become a mostly corporate system was prompted by a desire to regain brand consistency and operational control across a national footprint of locations of almost 50 locations. In late 2024, the company started the process of becoming a mostly corporate-owned system by acquiring several existing franchise groups and locations throughout the country. Today, almost 50 percent of CRISP & GREEN locations are corporately owned, with additional acquisitions and new locations underway.

Still Franchising

While Smiley's vision is to operate a majority of CRISP & GREEN locations, there still remains an opportunity for enterprise-level operators to become franchise partners. Late last year, two new groups with significant multi-unit and multi-brand experience joined the brand and have already started on their development schedule. The OM group, led by Kalpesh Patel and based outside of Chicago, operates several brands including over 50 Dunkin locations and 15 Wing Stop locations. M3 Holdings, led by Alex Mortenson, has experience in both the restaurant space and wellness space, specifically in the Planet Fitness brand. Collectively, the two groups have committed to opening 37 locations over the next couple of years, helping the business progress towards its next milestone of 100 restaurants.

"As we transition to a new model, we are redefining and repledging our commitment to the core values that have guided us since our founding," said Smiley, founder and CEO of CRISP & GREEN. "Our focus is on delivering outstanding food, providing elevated hospitality experiences, and supporting the wellness of our communities. I'm excited to lead us into this new chapter of growth and continue our journey to transform the way people think about and access healthy living."

Founded in 2016, Minnesota-based CRISP & GREEN is rooted in the belief that wellness improves every aspect of life, from ourselves to the community around us. Originally hailing from the fitness industry, Smiley had the simple idea that people shouldn't have to choose between a quick meal and a healthy one. He created CRISP & GREEN to provide scratch-made food in a fast-casual setting that's both healthy and delicious. In addition, CRISP & GREEN is dedicated to supporting guests' wellness journeys outside the kitchen by offering complimentary fitness classes to each community it's located in. Today, CRISP & GREEN continues to thrive as a privately held company with the founding team still firmly at the helm, driving the brand's vision and success based on its founding principles.

ParTech, Inc. (PAR) announces the recipients of the  PAR Punchh  Customer Awards. This year’s awards highlight the remarkable achievements of brands that have set new standards in delivering 1:1 personalization and engagement that boosted customer lifetime value.

"We are incredibly proud and excited to celebrate the customers who have truly excelled at capturing the hearts and minds of their loyal fans,” said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. “Their dedication and innovative ideas have pushed the boundaries of what loyalty programs can achieve to deliver truly exceptional experiences for their customers. We couldn't be more honored to recognize these outstanding brands."

Recognized as this year’s Rookie of the Year, Church's Texas Chicken  launched its Church’s Real Rewards  loyalty program in July 2024 and surpassed its targeted goal with nearly 620,000 sign-ups, receiving high praise and adoption from loyalty members. The brand's proactive approach included leveraging detailed consumer insights, custom-tailored digital experiences, strong franchisee buy-in, and robust preparation for operational readiness, paving the way for a seamless rollout.

The Digital Innovator Award was secured by Wendy’s this year, largely due to the success of its SpongeBob SquarePants Word Scramble Campaign. This campaign, which was a digital component of the larger Krabby Patty Kollab campaign partnership with Nickelodeon, redefined digital engagement by cleverly integrating gamification with their loyalty program, allowing fans to engage in a fun and interactive way by unscrambling words to guess the Krabby Patty's secret formula. This innovative approach drove over 8.5 million sessions and showcased Wendy's ability to seamlessly execute a complex digital campaign across multiple platforms, including in-app messages, push notifications, email, and web.

Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill has redefined loyalty program excellence earning them the 2024 Loyalty Royalty Leader crown. Among its standout efforts including their loyalty program restructuring and their Holiday Countdown campaign in December, Salsarita’s leveraged the PAR Punchh platform’s advanced analytics to gain granular insights into customer behavior, enabling data-driven campaign refinements.

Condado Tacos takes this year’s All Star title. As the team celebrated its 10th anniversary, the brand took its Benefits loyalty program to the next level, infusing more passion and adventure into the experience, while maintaining its core values of fun, inclusivity, humility, commitment, and accountability. This milestone became an opportunity to deepen connections with its most loyal customers, including its introducing customized rewards for their highest-tier loyalty members, the "Best Buds”.

Earning the Campaign Hotshot Award, Bar Louie has continuously evolved its approach to customer engagement through its loyalty program. In 2024, creative initiatives such as the Burger Challenge and Black Friday Points Promotion increased visits and reward redemptions, respectively, while the App-vent Calendar offered escalating daily rewards, maintaining high engagement throughout the holiday season.

As this year’s Retention Rockstar, Farmer Boys has leveraged its partnership with Punchh to nurture a thriving loyalty program, the Very Important Farmer (VIF), which has outperformed top QSR benchmarks in retention rates for the past two years. This success perfectly shows the brand's commitment to building lasting relationships by treating members like family, a core tenet of the Farmer Boys brand.

Recognized as the International Achiever, Paris Baguette has earned top international honors. Its reimagined loyalty program launched with the U.S. mobile app as well as a new, dedicated Canadian app to significantly enhance guest engagement and grow their loyal fan base. Their commitment to improving the guest experience led to strong system-wide loyalty sales growth and increased overall satisfaction.

As Marketer of the Year, Alexis Puebla of Pancheros Mexican Grill drove significant growth in its loyalty program under her leadership. As the Director of Digital Marketing, Alexis has enhanced the Pancheros’ app and loyalty initiatives with innovative campaigns and has captivated guests with primary campaigns and secondary background offers that have not only expanded Pancheros’ loyalty database and set a benchmark for integrating social media engagement with loyalty incentives.

Named Customer Advocate of the Year, Graeter's Ice Cream has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to customer advocacy, consistently going above and beyond as an active participant in the Voice of the Customer (VoC) program and playing a pivotal role in shaping the development and refinement of products and services.

Recognized among PAR Punchh’s global customer base of over 275 brands, these winners demonstrated excellence and innovation in customized loyalty program management, omnichannel engagement, digital campaigns, 1:1 personalized offers, and leveraging the PAR Punchh platform. In addition to delivering outstanding outcomes for the year, these award winners built a culture and community of engaged customers, taking creativity in new directions and driving their businesses forward through innovation.

Over 275 leading restaurant brands rely on PAR Punchh to increase customer lifetime value by fostering strong guest relationships. For more information on the PAR Punchh awards, please visit: PAR Punchh awards.

Sweetgreen launched SG Rewards, a free loyalty program designed to give guests more of what they love. Built with flexibility and guest feedback in mind, SG Rewards allows members to earn 10 points for every eligible dollar spent, unlocking more perks and access to members-only deals.  

Flexible Rewards

“We’re constantly inspired by our community, and SG Rewards reflects what our fans love most about Sweetgreen,” said Jonathan Neman, CEO and Co-Founder of Sweetgreen. “Rooted in what our guests love, SG Rewards offers more value, more flexibility and more ways to enjoy Sweetgreen—from everyday surprise & delight moments to members-only deals and special perks.”

SG Rewards makes earning and redeeming points simple. With every eligible dollar getting members closer to rewards, Sweetgreen fans can enjoy a seamless experience whether they’re on-the-go or dining in. Members can skip the line by ordering ahead through the Sweetgreen app or scan in-store for a quick and effortless checkout. The launch reflects Sweetgreen’s commitment to enhancing the guest experience through digital innovation, making it more convenient than ever to order, earn, and enjoy rewards.

Ripple Fries on SG Rewards

The nationwide rollout of SG Rewards comes on the heels of Sweetgreen’s iconic launch of Ripple Fries—the first air-fried, seed oil-free fries offered by a national restaurant brand. Made from freshly cut russet potatoes, these fries are seasoned with a blend of salt and herbs and air-fried in avocado oil for a healthier twist on the classic. Paired with Sweetgreen’s housemade Garlic Aioli and Pickle Ketchup, Ripple Fries quickly became a fan favorite, with guests enjoying them all day long, especially in the afternoons and on weekends.

Now, through SG Rewards, guests can redeem points for free Ripple Fries as part of their loyalty perks*. New members who join SG Rewards will receive 1,000 bonus points on their first eligible purchase throughout April, and existing members who make an eligible purchase now through April 11 will also earn 1,000 bonus points—equivalent to a free order of Ripple Fries! To receive these bonus points, create an account on the Sweetgreen app or online or open your existing account, place an order for a salad, bowl, or protein plate, and receive 1,000 bonus points in your account within 24 hours. Guests have the option to redeem their bonus points for free Ripple Fries with their next purchase.