KFC parodies influencers with CGI hipster Colonel Sanders

The chain handed its Instagram account over to the "Virtual Influencer Colonel" and partnered with Dr. Pepper, TurboTax and Old Spice for the campaign.

By Robert Williams • April 11, 2019

Caffè Nero cracks open Easter egg hunt for app users

The campaign returns for a second year after spurring 100,000 app downloads and 300,000 "egg-agements" in 2018.

By Robert Williams • April 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

Restaurant website developer BentoBox gains over $16M in funding

The tech company has now garnered over $23 million in funding and plans to develop online ordering, POS and reservation features — reflecting restaurant demand for enhanced consumer-facing technology.

By Alicia Kelso • April 11, 2019

It's not just McDonald's — restaurant CIOs are hungry for tech

"It's hard to look cool if you've got a pager that was from the 1980s still in use," said the founder of Aaron Allen & Associates. 

By Samantha Schwartz • April 11, 2019

Uber Eats boosts delivery tracker transparency with colorful animations

The redesigned platform includes a five-step tracking bar and a "latest arrival time by" update in addition to the typical order ETA.

By Kevin Whiteley • April 11, 2019

Why McDonald's is supersizing its tech spending

The QSR giant bought a technology company and invested in a mobile app developer in just a week, signaling an aggressive focus on its drive-thru sales and digital offerings.

By Julie Littman • April 5, 2019

Uber Eats lands first airport partnership

If the pilot, which brings travelers food from airport restaurants to their gate, is successful, it could bring the delivery firm a new path to growth. 

By Kevin Whiteley • April 5, 2019

Deliveroo to offer London riders electric scooter rentals

The third-party delivery company partnered with electric scooter rental platform Elmovo to launch the program, which comes just days before the city rolls out new Ultra-Low Emission Zone regulations.

By Kevin Whiteley • April 4, 2019

Chipotle spurs 5x surge in loyalty app downloads, analyst says

Within a week of the nationwide rollout​, Chipotle Rewards registered its one-millionth member, according to an industry analyst at Barclays Capital.

By Robert Williams • April 3, 2019

Toast scores $250M in new funding round

The cash infusion led by Tiger Global Management and TCV comes on the heels of a $115 million round less than a year ago, bringing the restaurant software firm's total valuation to $2.7 billion.

By Alicia Kelso • April 2, 2019

EzCater secures $150M in funding, surpasses $1.2B valuation

The catering platform plans to expand into new regions, acquire companies and add features to help support the growing off-premise industry. 

By Julie Littman • April 2, 2019

McDonald's invests $3.7M in app developer

The fast food chain's latest move will give it a competitive edge with access to new technology that will enhance the customer experience and drive sales. 

By Julie Littman • April 2, 2019

McDonald's buys Dynamic Yield for $300M to improve drive-thru experience

The new technology will be used to roll out digital menu boards that can change depending on the weather, time of day and existing restaurant traffic, providing more personalization at the drive-thru. 

By Julie Littman • March 26, 2019

Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings parent company names new CIO

CKE Restaurants and Inspire Brands are the latest restaurant parent companies to undergo technology leadership changes.

By Samantha Schwartz • March 26, 2019

Domino's adds in-car ordering to its tech lineup

The national pizza chain's latest innovation builds on its litany of ordering options, giving it a leg up on competitors Pizza Hut and Papa John's, which have been playing catch-up. 

By Julie Littman • March 25, 2019

Blockchain card offers low cost payment technology for restaurants

Yosemite Card offers zero to extremely low transaction fees by removing intermediaries during the payment process, giving restaurants a new way to reduce overall operating costs.

By Julie Littman • March 22, 2019

Starbucks invests $100M in food, retail incubator

The coffee giant's backing of Valor Siren Ventures, a fund that will support food and technology startups, could drive innovation that would give it an edge over competitors. 

By Julie Littman • March 21, 2019

Sandwich chain Blimpie lifts customer spending 11% with personalized offers

At 70 locations, the Mobivity-powered test issued personalized offers to customers' phones and paper receipts based on their order history.

By Robert Williams • March 20, 2019

OpenTable blocks data sharing with competitors

A new client agreement from the reservation platform sparked a debate over who actually owns and can have access to restaurant consumer data. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 18, 2019

Paris Baguette launches mobile app with loyalty program

The chain is offering a free coffee or tea to customers who place their first order though the app.

By Robert Williams • March 18, 2019

Activist investor says Cracker Barrel's fast casual concept is 'destined to fail'

Sardar Biglari, the chain's largest shareholder, urged CEO Sandra Cochran to sell Holler and Dash in a letter on Wednesday and cited concerns over the holding company's fast pace of expansion. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 14, 2019

Deliveroo diversifies with 2 new partnerships

The company is implementing eatsa's new tech products developed for virtual restaurants at its delivery-only site in Singapore and plans to use Yumpingo's services to win favor with smaller eateries.

By Alicia Kelso • March 13, 2019

Papa John's takes DoorDash partnership nationwide

The move follows Pizza Hut's pilot with Grubhub, and could signal a sea change in the pizza delivery space as brands try to wrestle share from growing third-party aggregators and the QSR heavyweights leveraging their technology. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • March 13, 2019

Chipotle touts loyalty program with $250K in Venmo payouts

The Mexican food chain is expanding its Chipotle Rewards program nationwide, and the deal could help capture more of its target diners. 

By Robert Williams • March 12, 2019

Philadelphia becomes the 1st US city to ban cashless concepts

Laws against card-only payments are meant to protect low-income consumers, but could impact tech innovation at restaurants, especially as more chains like Sweetgreen make the switch to improve transaction speed.

By Alicia Kelso • March 8, 2019