Food 4 Less, Smart Foodservice join the food delivery fight

Smart Foodservice's partnership with Shipt will deliver ingredients to restaurants and benefit operators, but other grocery delivery partnerships could threaten off-premise restaurant growth.

By Lauren Manning • July 15, 2019

Domino's pilots cashless payments in Australia

The test comes after a number of restaurants embraced the model only to reverse, like Sweetgreen, after the public complained the system discriminates against specific customers.

By Lauren Manning • July 11, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Back-of-house Technology

From AI-enhanced POS systems and analytics to robot-powered kitchen equipment, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Grubhub 'cybersquatting' outcry signals changing delivery landscape

Accusations of hidden fees and buying domains without permission highlight a need for clearer communication between third-party providers and restaurants.

By Julie Littman • July 11, 2019

Fast casuals rev up drive-thru, mobile pickup plans

Chains like Chipotle, Cava and Blaze Pizza are testing drive-up windows but may soon find it more difficult to find ideal locations.

By Julie Littman • July 10, 2019

23% of US smartphone users will use a food delivery app by 2023

Consumers will increasingly turn to third-party apps to place food orders as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats vie for the top spot, according to an eMarketer report. 

By Lauren Manning • July 9, 2019

Welcome to the drive-thru, AI will take your order

McDonald's and Sonic Drive-In are among the fast food chains testing out voice-automation and AI as part of an industrywide push to modernize.

By Julie Littman • July 8, 2019

Uber Eats adds dine-in option

This new service, in addition to its rollout of click-and-collect, allows the company to cover all areas of the restaurant experience, giving it an edge over its competitors. 

By Alicia Kelso • July 3, 2019

MOD Pizza's early cloud start supports rapid expansion

Having the foundation of the cloud, years before the cloud boom, gave MOD a head start when it came time to scale.

By Samantha Schwartz • July 1, 2019

79% of diners interested in personalized menu recommendations, report finds

According to PSFK research, trends driving the dining experience include improved dine-in environments and dynamic menus that analyze guest preferences, weather and other factors. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 26, 2019

KFC's new flagship to serve as technology learning lab

The store includes self-serve digital kiosks, an area dedicated to mobile order and delivery pickup, and digital menu boards in-store and at the drive-thru. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 21, 2019

McDonald's pilots robot fryer in kitchen

The fast food chain is also testing voice-activated drive-thrus and automated beverage systems to decrease wait times and improve customer service and employee satisfaction. 

By Julie Littman • June 21, 2019

EatStreet suffers data breach

A hacker accessed restaurant and customer information on the third-party aggregator's database in early May, underscoring a growing vulnerability with online ordering and delivery.

By Alicia Kelso • June 20, 2019

Digital restaurant orders growing at a double-digit clip

An NPD Group report showed that orders made by app, text or online increased 23% over the past four years and now represent 3.1 billion visits and $26.8 billion in sales. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 13, 2019

Uber Eats drone delivery nears liftoff in San Diego

Restaurants participating in the pilot expected to begin this summer will place an order on a drone, which will then fly the food to a courier who will complete the last leg to a customer's door.

By Emma Liem Beckett • June 12, 2019

Blockchain, 5G could transform restaurants. Are they ready?

These solutions will dramatically impact the industry’s ability to trace and monitor products and automate processes, but many operators are behind in current tech adoption.

By Julie Littman • June 6, 2019

OpenTable partners with Upserve to enhance service

The partnership will enable servers to have diner information and preferences in real-time to help staff personalize service during meal time. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 6, 2019

Why restaurants should implement the Internet of Things

Connected sensors can monitor, detect and alert restaurant operators to potential kitchen disasters, says Dan Jamieson, the general manager of Particle.

By Dan Jamieson • June 5, 2019

Food or technology? Restaurants struggle with 'split brain'

Start-ups eatsa and Yumpingo shifted their food-first missions as restaurants wrangle with how to evolve with new technologies.

By Thai Phi Le • June 4, 2019

OpenTable showcases LGBTQ+ restaurants for Pride Month

The reservation platform joins a growing mix of restaurant brands including Starbucks, sweetgreen and fresh&co that are showing support for the LGBTQ+ community.

By Alicia Kelso • June 4, 2019

Google Maps' latest update highlights popular menu items

The navigation app is becoming a one-stop-shop for users with restaurant reviews, menus and delivery now integrated into search functionality. 

By Alicia Kelso • May 31, 2019

6 questions you need to ask about AI for restaurants

Restaurants need to know how they can gather data, if its clean and if an AI platform is the right model for their brand to reap significant rewards, says Sastry Penumarthy, co-founder of Punchh.

By Sastry Penumarthy • May 30, 2019

Domino's tests AI quality control technology

An AI-equipped robot will determine whether each pizza meets the company's quality metrics, analyzing pie type, toppings and topping distribution. 

By Lauren Manning • May 30, 2019

5 high-tech innovations at the NRA Show

The future is here. From robotic food runners to kiosks that let you pay with your face, the annual event was a parade of gadgets, gizmos and tech-heavy products that could streamline operations. 

By Emma Liem Beckett , Thai Phi Le , Julie Littman • May 29, 2019

Data is important, but insights drive restaurant growth

To remain competitive in a digital market, operators must walk the tightrope of processing as much diner data as possible without ceding control to third parties or alienating customers. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 29, 2019

Chick-fil-A taps AI to identify food safety issues

The chicken chain is using a customized artificial intelligence system to analyze social media posts for potential health risks across its system.

By Alicia Kelso • May 28, 2019