The Latest News
From Food Trucks to Airports, Restaurants Expand Beyond Four Walls
Restaurant operators are exploring new revenue streams beyond traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, from food trucks and brewery partnerships to airport licensing deals and automated kiosks.
Industry-Shaping Trends from the 2026 NRA Show
Beverages driving revenue, the rising importance of the post-ability of menu items and consumers’ shifting approach to value meals — these were a few of the trends shaping discussion at the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago last weekend.
Restaurants Use Menu Intelligence to Shape Loyalty, Discovery and Personalization
From allergen filters to AI-powered recommendations, restaurants are using menu intelligence to better understand and serve guests.
Rising Gas Prices Drain Delivery Driver Take-Home Pay
The 2026 Gas Report, from Gridwise Analytics, finds gas prices have outpaced 3PD fuel relief incentives, resulting in lower net earnings.
Autonomous Delivery Reaches Age of Expansion
Zach Rash of Coco Robotics and Keller Rinaudo Cliffton of Zipline share plans for expansion and visions for the future of autonomous delivery at Food On Demand Conference 2026.
Zipline Grows Texas Footprint as Drone Delivery Scales
The rollout in the Rowlett area adds partners including Walmart, Crumbl Cookies and Little Caesars as drone delivery expands across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Deliverect CEO Predicts AI Agents Will Transform Restaurant Industry
Deliverect launched AI agents and smart assistants in early April, capable of dynamic menu alterations responding to live data. CEO Zhong Xu predicts AI agents will change the restaurant industry.
Starbucks, Little Caesars Launch ChatGPT Ordering as AI Reshapes Discovery
Ordering is shifting from app-based browsing to AI-driven discovery, as Starbucks and Little Caesars test ChatGPT as a new entry point for finding and ordering meals.
Bites CEO Calls 3PD ‘Broken,’ Says AI Will Fix It
Bite launched its ordering experience on ChatGPT in mid-April, betting on agentic commerce as the future of online restaurant ordering. CEO says chatbots have the potential to correct many of 3PD’s pitfalls.
Anime Promos Connect Fast Food with Fandoms
As anime experiences a surge of popularity, restaurants are connecting with the previously niche genre’s fan bases through promotional campaigns featuring popular characters and themes.
Michelin Guide’s Great Lakes Expansion Offers Acclaim to Midwest Restaurant Scenes
The Michelin Guide announced an expansion into the Great Lakes region, bringing culinary prestige to six Midwest cities. Michelin-recognized restaurants report benefits ranging from revenue boosts to eased labor challenges.
Shake Shack CTO Weighs in on Loyalty Launch, AI-Powered Operations
Shake Shack’s Project Catalyst is a tech overhaul spanning loyalty, POS, kitchen systems and AI to support faster growth, smoother operations and stronger guest engagement.
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
Danny Meyer, Amir Hudda on Qu’s EHI Investment
For Qu CEO Amir Hudda, the recent funding from Danny Meyer’s EHI fund is transformative.
Research
Global Surveys Show Importance of Loyalty and Time of Day
New surveys from Europe and Canada provide insights that American operators can learn from.
The Deliverers
Seamless Used To Rule the Delivery Game in NYC. Now It’s Back.
Grubhub is relaunching Seamless after putting it on the back burner.
Best Practices
What are your peers doing in delivery? Get some of the best practices out there.
BurgerBots Uses Droids To Assemble Burgers In 27 Seconds
BurgerBots is now open in its first location in Los Gatos and kids are already flocking to see robots make their burgers.