Technology

  • person holding phone
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by PAR Technology
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by PAR Technology

    The 3 ingredients of the golden age of loyalty

    Loyalty’s golden age: brands win with personal, playful and community-driven engagement.

    By Joe Yetter, General Manager of PAR Engagement at PAR Technology • Dec. 15, 2025
  • Bicycle gig workers congregate on the street with their packs.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DoorDash, Uber Eats sue NYC over tip prompt rules

    The delivery aggregators allege that New York City’s requirement that they ask consumers to tip drivers before checkout abridges their freedom of speech. 

    By • Dec. 12, 2025
  • A person in a suit stands on stage surrounded by a large crowd in the stands.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Starbucks
    Image attribution tooltip

    Starbucks’ on-premise experience could stave off coffee competitors

    CEO Brian Niccol said the chain’s emphasis on a coffeehouse atmosphere would result in consumers choosing the chain over “soulless” options.

    By • Dec. 10, 2025
  • Two women in colorful winter clothes laugh joyfully outside a café, holding coffee cups. A food hygiene rating sign is visible.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by ZS

    Activating the long tail: A digital-first strategy for SMB customer acquisition

    A smarter way for restaurants to win repeat business from small and midsize companies.

    By By Kunal Shah, Kajal Narasimha and Mrugesh Agarwala • Dec. 8, 2025
  • A spread of White Castle's Love Kit offering for Valentine's Day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of White Castle
    Image attribution tooltip

    White Castle debuts burger kiosk at Boston Logan Airport

    The automated kiosk gives the chain, which has long embraced new technologies, a toehold in New England with which to build brand awareness.

    By • Updated Dec. 3, 2025
  • Person looking at charts and graphs on a tablet
    Image attribution tooltip

    iStock | Igor Suka

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Facteus

    Market research meets reality: How verified spend data is transforming restaurant decision-making

    Your dashboards look steady and surveys show loyalty—yet a competitor just took your share. See what’s really happening, and from whom.

    By Andrew Donsbach • Dec. 1, 2025
  • modern restaurant interior with blue neon lighting, cushioned booth seating, and a wooden tabletop in sharp focus in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Scale Computingᵀᴹ
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Scale Computingᵀᴹ

    Built for the rush: inside the new digital kitchen

    Why edge computing is becoming restaurants’ secret ingredient for uptime and reliability.

    Nov. 24, 2025
  • An image of a hand holding a smartphone and on the right a burger.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Culver's
    Image attribution tooltip

    Culver’s unveils rewards program

    The Delicious Rewards program offers 10 points for every dollar spent, birthday rewards and other future benefits, like offering menu development input.

    By • Nov. 17, 2025
  • Women eating takeout on a rooftop
    Image attribution tooltip

    BONNINSTUDIO/stock.adobe.com

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Rokt

    What really matters in brand building: Why feeling heard builds lasting loyalty

    Restaurant brand loyalty starts with listening and making every customer feel valued.

    By Brendan DiLandro • Nov. 17, 2025
  • An image of a Sweetgreen restaurant with a drive-thru
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
    Image attribution tooltip

    Sweetgreen opens first drive-thru location with automated makeline

    The Costa Mesa, California, store features an automated Infinite Kitchen makeline and a digital pickup Sweetlane, combining two of its major technology pushes.

    By • Nov. 13, 2025
  • Person looking at charts and graphs on a tablet
    Image attribution tooltip

    iStock | Igor Suka

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Facteus

    Market research meets reality: How verified spend data is transforming restaurant decision-making

    Your dashboards look steady and surveys show loyalty—yet a competitor just took your share. See what’s really happening, and from whom.

    By Andrew Donsbach • Nov. 10, 2025
  • An image of sweetgreen's automated kitchen in Naperville, Illinois
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
    Image attribution tooltip

    Sweetgreen sells Spyce to Wonder for $186M

    Sweetgreen will use the proceeds from offloading Spyce, which developed the salad brand’s Infinite Kitchen technology, to reinvest in profitability after three quarters of sales declines.

    By • Nov. 6, 2025
  • A blurred image of a point of sales machine and a green bag that says Uber Eats in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Uber Eats/Toast
    Image attribution tooltip

    Uber, Toast enter multi-year strategic global partnership

    The companies will focus on product innovation and other initiatives that could help restaurants retain and grow their customer bases.

    By • Nov. 3, 2025
  • Person looking at charts and graphs on a tablet
    Image attribution tooltip

    iStock | Igor Suka

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Facteus

    Market research meets reality: How verified spend data is transforming restaurant decision-making

    Your dashboards look steady and surveys show loyalty—yet a competitor just took your share. See what’s really happening, and from whom.

    By Andrew Donsbach • Nov. 3, 2025
  • Mobile screenshots of OpenTable's rewards program
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by OpenTable
    Image attribution tooltip

    OpenTable relaunches loyalty program

    Diners unlock Gold status after completing six reservations during a 12-month period, gaining access to six-months free of Uber One and priority status for last-minute reservations.

    By • Oct. 27, 2025
  • Sidewalk devilry robots in front of a Wonder location.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Grubhub
    Image attribution tooltip

    Grubhub, Wonder test robotic delivery in New Jersey

    The aggregator is looking to grow its autonomous delivery operations outside of college campuses, starting with a pilot program with Avride at a Wonder location in New Jersey.

    By • Oct. 23, 2025
  • An app screen showing reservation information.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Yelp
    Image attribution tooltip

    Yelp adds AI Host and Receptionist to restaurant toolbox

     The customizable solutions can answer diner questions, ask follow-ups and book reservations, reflecting restaurant interest in voice technology.  

    By • Oct. 21, 2025
  • Person using a QBR touchscreen
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Acrelec
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Acrelec

    Global structure, local service: Why QSR brands need both to thrive

    As digital transformation accelerates, QSR brands need global structure and local service to thrive.

    Oct. 20, 2025
  • An orange background with simulated phone screens showing how Philz Coffee's loyalty system works.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Philz Coffee
    Image attribution tooltip

    Philz Coffee launches points-based loyalty program

    Fresh off its acquisition by Freeman Spogli, the coffee brand is adding a new system meant to reward frequency and deepen consumer connections.

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • An exterior view of a whataburger restaurant including its drive-thru
    Image attribution tooltip
    hapabapa via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Whataburger taps tech chief to guide infrastructure rollout

    Rohit Kapoor, formerly EVP and CIO at Claire's, will be tasked with leading an expansion of the company's digital infrastructure in support of its growth plans.

    By Roberto Torres • Oct. 17, 2025
  • A White Castle restaurant at night.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of White Castle
    Image attribution tooltip

    White Castle opens new prototype in Ohio

    The new unit takes a page out of Chick-fil-A’s playbook with a drive-thru hospitality door and features new tech like a robotic fry cook, drive-thru voice AI and self-order kiosks.

    By • Oct. 16, 2025
  • Five delivery vehicles outside of a store.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Save Mart
    Image attribution tooltip

    Starship raises $50M to scale delivery bots

    The robotics maker plans to expand its operations from U.S. college campuses to urban markets, as delivery aggregators begin to scale their partnerships with various robotics firms.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
  • Food worker in a blue shirt hands a takeout bag to a customer.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Smallhands Creative

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Toast

    How 75% off-premise traffic is reshaping restaurant operations

    Here’s what the off-premise evolution means for operators—and how they’re adapting to succeed.

    Oct. 13, 2025
  • AI apps ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude and Perplexity on a smartphone hovering over a computer keyboard .
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Instacart, Uber, DoorDash bringing food delivery to ChatGPT

    The three e-commerce providers are among several apps set to join the AI-powered chatbot.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran , • Oct. 10, 2025
  • An image of a customer entering a Cava restaurant.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cava adds tiers, status matching to rewards program

    Consumers who can prove elite status in some other brands’ loyalty programs will be able to slot into the higher tiers of Cava’s system.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025