The Latest News
Outstanding Operator: Wow Bao
The Chicago-based Asian brand is no stranger to innovation, consistently pushing the envelope with omnichannel creativity and expansion in non-traditional formats.
Outstanding Operator: Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria
Since its inception, the pizza chain has continued modernizing operations, staying up-to-date with trends in consumer behavior and off-premises ordering.
Inspire Brands Buys Delivery Tech Platform Vromo
The move is part of Inspire Brands’ strategic plan to make delivery channels more profitable. Vromo serves as a management software, helping brands operate delivery at scale while providing the end customer with branded delivery tracking.
Starship Technologies Raises $90 Million Funding Round
The recent round of investments will be used to further develop AI as well as tech and wireless charging infrastructure.
Restaurant Tech Investors Open Their Playbooks at FODC
For the first time, this year’s Food On Demand Conference included a panel of high-profile restaurant tech investors who opened their playbooks.
New Verticals Topic Du Jour for Big Third-Party Platforms
The third-party networks continue to evolve, expanding into new verticals as growth continues. Two third-party leaders talked with Editor Tom Kaiser during the 2022 Food On Demand Conference, touching on some of the big trends in a panel discussion titled Diversifying...
New Cardfree Tool Digitizes the Hotel Concierge
Cardfree, the digital services and digital ordering provider, announced a new tool to digitize multiple parts of the hotel experience. Dubbed Cardfree Concierge, the "all-in-one platform" brings all manner of ordering, payments and loyalty functionality to hotels. It...
Why Virtual Restaurants Can’t Be an Afterthought
A mode of menu and brand innovation that gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic has since become big business for restaurants and companies that create and license concepts that don’t have brick-and-mortar counterparts.
Actionable, Real-time Data Is Key to Driving Restaurant Sales
With so much information at their fingertips, CTOs at Blaze Pizza, Jack in the Box and Freebirds World Burritos agreed they need to first understand what data matters to operators.
Robomart, Unilever Reinventing Mobile Ice Cream Trucks
The concept of an ice cream shop on wheels dates back to the Great Depression, but Robomart is bringing it into the modern era through a partnership with Unilever.
RMDA Launches App Connecting Consumers with Local Restaurants, Delivery Service Providers
The Restaurant Marketing and Delivery Association launched LocalDelivery, a marketplace app connecting consumers with local restaurants delivered exclusively by local delivery providers.
How Jamba, Applebee’s and More Big Brands Tackle Technology
Executives at Red Robin, Dine Brands, Focus Brands and Olo answered questions about digital strategy posed by Franchise Times' Laura Michaels, left. How do Focus Brands, Dine Brands and Red Robin determine which delivery and off-premises initiatives they'll pursue?...
Outstanding Operators
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.
Food On Demand Topics
Finance
Blue Apron Seeking ‘Strategic Alternatives’
The once-disruptive meal kit leader, Blue Apron, announced that it was looking at a “range of strategic alternatives” as it reported its final quarterly earnings for 2019. In all, the fourth-quarter results were not great. The company missed earnings per share...
Research
AtYourGate Upgrades Airport Delivery Scene
Providing on-demand, human-powered meal delivery at major airports is a niche category of food on demand that’s heating up, with New York-based AtYourGate joining Grab in bringing meals directly to both weary travelers and airport employees. The goal, says CEO and...
The Deliverers
Smashburger Focuses on Digital Orders with Launch of Virtual Drive-Thru
Amid an increase in mobile ordering, Smashburger’s virtual drive-thru enables customers to order ahead digitally before pulling into the designated lane for pickup.
Best Practices
What are your peers doing in delivery? Get some of the best practices out there.
Biscuit Bar Shares Tips on Nailing High-Volume Delivery
Biscuit Bar co-CEO Janie Burkett shared what it took to wrangle her high-volume delivery business and land on numerous best-of lists. First, have really, absurdly good food. “The HOSS, it’s the biscuit that started the whole thing. It’s a biscuit topped with...