Restaurants Bet Big on Delivery Technology

6/9/2017
Roughly 1 out of 3 (36%) restaurants plan to focus on integrating delivery services in 2017, according to Hospitality Technology’s 2017 Restaurant Technology Study, and with fresh competition for stomachshare with the likes of delivery apps, UberEATS and Amazon, restaurants are ready to make investments.

McDonald’s expanded its McDelivery with UberEATS making it available in more than 1,000 restaurants. Steve Easterbrook, president & CEO, said in a release that the company’s aim is to transform the McDonald’s experience and bring a “new level of convenience to more of our customers.”

Meanwhile, Panera Bread has been betting on digital ordering and delivery to drive business and address the new competitive landscape.

"Our omni-channel approach leads the industry, with delivery now available in 24% of the system and catering sales growing 11%,” chairman and CEO Ron Shaich says.

Panera expects to add 10,000+ new in-cafe and delivery driver jobs system-wide by the end of 2017 as it expands delivery service to 35-40% of its cafes by year-end. By linking delivery orders with MyPanera, the restaurant industry’s largest program with more than 25 million members, guests are able to save their favorites, earn and track rewards, and receive one-of-a-kind special offers.

In addition, Panera is currently rolling out a new order tracking system, powered by Bringg, which lets the guest track their delivery order all the way to their home or office. The guest can see expected arrival time, follow the delivery’s progress on a map, see a picture of and be introduced to their driver, and receive a notification when their driver is arriving.
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