McDonald’s sets sights on $45B in loyalty sales

A larger loyalty member pool will provide more customer data for the fast-food chain to improve personalization.

By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 7, 2024

McDonald’s invests aggressively in technology

The fast food giant’s three-pronged plan aims to digitally transform customer experience, franchise operations and core systems, President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said Monday.

By Matt Ashare • Feb. 6, 2024

Explore the Trendline➔

Back-of-house Technology

From voice AI at the drive-thru to robot-powered makelines, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Starship Technologies raises $90M, reaches $230M in total funding

The autonomous delivery bot company will use the additional funding to expand operations, enter new markets and develop its AI technology.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 6, 2024

KFC US launches points-based digital rewards program

Members earn 10 points for every eligible dollar spent online. Points are redeemable for free food in KFC’s Secret Recipe Vault, which rotates rewards.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 6, 2024

Ascent Hospitality bolsters C-suite with CTO, Perkins president hires

Toni Ronayne will lead Perkins after serving as managing director, Canada at Little Caesars, while Steven Roach becomes chief technology officer after working at Focus Brands.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 5, 2024

Yelp enhances user experience with AI-driven features

Large language models will create business summaries for restaurant, food and nightlife businesses based on content from reviews. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 30, 2024

Jersey Mike’s to use SoundHound’s phone AI in at least 50 restaurants

The AI tech now answers “100% of calls” at participating stores and recognizes natural language, meaning diners can order a #55 or “Big Kahuna” and the system understands these terms describe the same sub.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 25, 2024

How Puttshack and Pinstripes sustain AUVs over $8M

At the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida, company executives discussed how post-pandemic consumer trends are driving traffic in the eatertainment space.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 22, 2024

4 tech upgrades that can drive foodservice sales

AI-powered ordering, back-office training programs and more can help improve operations and boost revenue for c-stores’ growing meals businesses.

By Amanda Baltazar • Jan. 17, 2024

Taco Bell stages Las Vegas fan experience ahead of Super Bowl LVIII

A gathering in the style of tech conferences will preview new products and partnerships coming in 2024, all against a big game backdrop.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 12, 2024

Yum names Pizza Hut exec as chief digital and technology officer

Joe Park, who directed the rollout of Pizza Hut’s managerial tool HutBot and early deployments of Dragontail AI, assumes his role on March 1.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 11, 2024

7 restaurant industry trends to watch in 2024

Development costs will remain high and service fees could frustrate diners, but personalized offers and labor-saving tech may give brands an edge.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Aneurin Canham-Clyne , Julie Littman • Jan. 10, 2024

Opening a restaurant? These are the metrics that actually matter

Here are key findings to help operators understand what strong business metrics look like, and make better business decisions moving forward.

By Ming-Tai Huh, GM of Restaurants at Square • Jan. 8, 2024

Chowly buys digital marketing platform Targetable

The addition of the marketing technology will allow Chowly to help its restaurant clients boost their online ordering traffic.  

By Julie Littman • Jan. 4, 2024

Burger King turns hangovers into discounts with facial recognition

In the tradition of its “Whopper Detour” and “Burn that Ad” campaigns, the chain’s latest stunt uses mobile technology to drive engagement.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 21, 2023

Wingstop names CIO

Chris Fallon joins the wing brand as it prepares to roll out a $50 million in-house technology platform built to allow it to leave Olo’s system.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 15, 2023

Chipotle invests in regenerative farming robots

The restaurant chain is looking to reduce its dependence on conventional fertilizer with a fleet of autonomous, weed-cutting bots.

By Sarah Zimmerman • Dec. 14, 2023

Wendy’s franchisees can pilot drive-thru AI in 2024

Wendy’s FreshAI, a partnership with Google Cloud, used drive-thru chatbots to shave 22 seconds off service times at a Columbus, Ohio, test site compared to the local market average.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 11, 2023

McDonald’s doubles down on geofencing

The chain will expand its Ready on Arrival mobile pickup technology, which can trim wait times by about 60 seconds, in its top six markets by 2025.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Dec. 11, 2023

Uber Eats adds marketing tools to bolster restaurants’ holiday sales

The delivery aggregator added holiday happy hours, multi-location offers and percentage-off offers to help restaurants attract new and existing consumers.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 8, 2023

McDonald’s taps Google Cloud to super-size analytics, AI

The fast food giant said it plans to leverage the hyperscaler’s hardware and software capabilities across thousands of locations worldwide.

By Matt Ashare • Dec. 8, 2023

Dave & Buster’s sees future in revamped restaurants and loyalty growth

The restaurant chain is remodeling its store fleet and enhancing its loyalty program with personalized offerings. 

By Bryan Wassel • Dec. 7, 2023

Miso Robotics to open autonomous restaurant in California

CaliExpress by Flippy was created in partnership with Cali Group and PopID and uses robotic arms to cook burgers and fries, requiring minimal human labor.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 6, 2023

For most restaurants, the AI revolution will start small

Tech leader and operator Ming-Tai Huh on how AI can measurably increase your bottom line through small improvements. 

By Ming-Tai Huh, GM of Restaurants at Square • Dec. 4, 2023

Kitchen United will sell or close all physical units, pivot to software

The ghost kitchen pioneer, which raised $100 million last year to expand its food halls, began to offload its physical locations months ago. It has already shuttered its Kroger outposts, which made up 44% of its footprint.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne , Catherine Douglas Moran • Updated Nov. 29, 2023