Deal of the Year: McDonald's acquires Dynamic Yield

The world's largest fast food chain's $300 million purchase of an artificial intelligence company signaled the start of a technology-first age for restaurants.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 9, 2019

Dave & Buster's cashes in on contactless commerce app

The restaurant chain's app uses NFC technology to let customers play games with a phone tap and manage rewards points.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 5, 2019

Kroger launches ghost kitchen to deliver meals on demand

Restaurants will have more competition in delivery with the first major grocer partnering with ClusterTruck to serve fresh-made meals to customers in four cities during a 12-week pilot.

By Jessica Dumont • Dec. 3, 2019

Restaurant industry will be shaped by AI, autonomous vehicles in 2030

In 10 years, restaurants can expect these technologies to transform day-to-day operations, from dynamic pricing to drive-thrus, according to a National Restaurant Association report.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Dec. 3, 2019

Papa John's RCS promo for vegan pizza outdoes SMS 23%

The pizza chain used the media-rich messaging format for a World Vegan Day campaign.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 2, 2019

American Express unveils in-app restaurant booking service

The service lets Platinum Card and Centurion members make reservations at more than 10,000 eateries worldwide.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 27, 2019

Blaze Pizza uses digital, drive-thrus to slice up market competition, says CEO Mandy Shaw

The brand's new leader believes its franchise model and focus on multiple off-premise touch points threaten fast casuals and legacy pizza chains slow to engage with third-party delivery.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 25, 2019

Nekter and Portillo's test in-car ordering with BMW

Drivers can place and save favorite orders, as well as find nearby store locations through their vehicle's touchscreen dashboard.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 25, 2019

Wingstop lets Twitch users order food while watching livestreams

Viewers interact directly with a streamer who provides menu suggestions and then can place an order for DoorDash delivery.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 22, 2019

Moe's plans to open all-digital, kiosk-only locations

The company will open these formats near the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia in Q1 2020. 

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 21, 2019

Chipotle rolls out Alexa voice ordering

The feature is part of the chain's larger digital sales platform, which is nearing $1 billion, and will allow customers to reorder their favorite meals within seconds. 

By Julie Littman • Nov. 21, 2019

KFC's CTO started as an intern. Now he leads its tech strategy

Chris Caldwell has had a front-row seat to Yum Brands' modernization, from rolling out Microsoft Exchange Servers to AI-enabled drive-thrus.  

By Samantha Schwartz • Nov. 19, 2019

Chipotle's digital business is closing in on $1B sales. Here's how it got there

The chain is eyeing artificial intelligence and new ordering techniques like text messaging as part of its growing digital strategy, which includes pickup shelves and a digital makeline.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 18, 2019

KFC pilots drive-thru-only concept in Australia

The location features five drive-thru lanes that accept orders and payments through the chain's mobile app as well as lanes to accept on-the-spot orders.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 14, 2019

McDonald's kiosks don't accept cash, may need replacement

The new kiosks, which are part of the chain's Experience of the Future remodels, exclude 40% to 60% of the chain's diners. And if the tech is modified or replaced, the costs could fall to franchise operators.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 13, 2019

Uber Eats is building out an ad business

The company posted a job listing for an ad sales product manager and confirmed its plans to begin targeting restaurants.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 7, 2019

Panera cooks up mobile-only AR ads that let viewers play with their food

The unit intends to bring more transparency to menu offerings by breaking down nutritional facts and ingredients.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 5, 2019

Chipotle, Panera, Starbucks have fastest in-store pickup times, survey finds

Dedicated pickup systems and an emphasis on mobile ordering capability helped the three QSRs outpace the seven other fast food chains analyzed by Rakuten Ready.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 5, 2019

Fast food chains are losing $178M at the drive-thru annually

Complicated menu boards that impact the back-of-house can cause slower service times and inaccurate orders.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 4, 2019

Starbucks' AI project is turning past investments into data insights

"Deep Brew," an AI project launched in 2017, is a machine learning capability Starbucks is leveraging for personalization.

By Samantha Schwartz • Nov. 1, 2019

KFC will focus on digital drive-thru optimization in 2020

As drive-thru times continue to lag, KFC hopes to speed up the process and improve customer experience with AI-backed technologies. 

By Lauren Manning • Oct. 29, 2019

How TGI Fridays uses machine learning to scale personalization

"We're not Google," said the chain's Chief Experience Officer Sherif Mityas, but leveraging the tech has been key to tripling the restaurant's off-premise revenue.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 29, 2019

Chipotle's 'Boorito' returns in TikTok challenge for Halloween

The Mexican food chain is offering free burritos for a year to five TikTok users who post the most popular "before and after" views of getting into costume.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 25, 2019

McDonald's improves drive-thru times by 20 seconds

Faster food prep, menu simplification and tech implementation helped the largest fast food chain boost speed of service and improve customer satisfaction. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 22, 2019

Chili's new CMO dishes on brand DNA and marketing's role within the organization

Ellie Doty details how Chili's integrates tech into marketing and shares lessons she learned after more than a decade at Yum Brands.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 21, 2019