The usual trajectory for a company is to start small before going big. Chef Robotics is doing the opposite. Starting in 2022, it placed its AI-powered robots in high-volume, high-mix environments: large industrial kitchens that handle hundreds of SKUs in producing...
At Food On Demand, we’ve been covering the rise of autonomous delivery robots for quite some time. So, when we heard that these robots had officially launched in Minneapolis—right in our backyard—we were eager to check them out. The University of Minnesota (U of M)...
Cloud kitchens were all the rage after the pandemic. Then momentum slowed. Jason Calacanis never lost faith. Calacanis is the founder of LAUNCH, an early-stage investment firm. Through the LAUNCH Accelerator, LAUNCH Fund Syndicate, and LAUNCH CloudKitchens Incubator,...
Lyft has been poking around the lucrative food-delivery business for a while now. In 2020, it rolled out a program with Grubhub for Lyft Pink members. In 2021, it partnered with digital-ordering platform Olo to serve as a last-mile delivery provider for restaurant...
C-stores continue to make plays in the fast-casual space. 7-Eleven, the largest C-store chain in the U.S., plans to open 600 large-format, food-focused convenience stores in North America, by the end of 2027. Highlighted by CEO Joe DePinto in a recent investor...
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a robot met a ghost? No, this isn’t a description of the latest Marvel movie. It’s the latest announcement from Richtech Robotics, which has agreed to become a franchisee of Ghost Kitchens America, which operates in-store...
Food On Demand Outstanding Operators features restaurant brands with innovative operations that are taking creative paths to success with delivery and all things off-premises.