Flytrex, a drone-delivery provider that has two test markets in the U.S., just doubled its delivery radius. Under a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, the company can now deliver up to two nautical miles from its base stations. The approval doubles the radius at all its stations in Granbury, Texas, (near Dallas) and three sites in North Carolina: Fayetteville, Raeford and Holly Springs. That also more than doubles the number of customers the drone delivery company can reach, according to Yariv Bash, cofounder and CEO of Flytrex. “Drone delivery […]
A pair of new meal kits have launched to tap niche lifestyles with mail-order food. Even in the wake of the horrific Daily Harvest foodborne illness outbreak, there continues to be a steady stream of brands looking to push into their customers’ homebound habits with some manner of meal kit. Nurra, a new offering from Minnesota-based Life Time, looks to cozy up with healthy meal preppers. It offers a range of 25 meals all prepared and ready for the microwave. The plan runs from four substantial- and healthy-looking meals a […]
One Teriyaki Madness operator is pushing her off-premises proclivity outside the restaurant in a food truck test. The test is part marketing, part operations and potentially a new revenue driver—but that depends on the event. For Teriyaki Madness CMO Jodi Boyce, it’s a great way to get out into the community and reach new people. To her, the truck is a way to help people who might not be near a restaurant or who don’t know the brand to try it for the first time. “We know from our research […]
Ghost Financial’s CEO predicts it will soon be more economical for the majority of Americans to order delivery for every meal of the day.
Grocery stores can now offer online catering ordering and delivery through Instacart using FoodStorm’s OMS.
C3 is doubling down on its partnership to place its virtual brands inside select TGI Fridays kitchens.
Your next boba tea could come from an adorable pink robot. San Francisco-based Boba Guys inked a deal with specialty robotics developer Bobacino. Under the partnership, three-unit Boba Guys will act as strategic advisors to Bobacino as it continues to develop its robotic boba “pod.” The company unveiled the bot earlier this year at the World Tea Expo to big crowds lining up to watch the robotic arm make boba. Boba Guys co-founder Bin Chen said he’s eager to explore the model further. “Boba Guys believes that progress and innovation […]
White Castle recently announced it would install robotics in at least 100 locations. The move comes at the brand’s ripe old age of 101, and demonstrates as many years of embracing innovation where it makes sense. Jamie Richardson, VP of marketing and public relations, has been there for 22 of those years and has been involved with much of that new technology. It’s been a constant drumbeat of updates, moving out of the tiny castles where the brand started as it has brought in an increasing amount of technology. The […]
Yum, the parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger, announced its second-quarter results. Overall, sales and unit growth were both up, but there were some challenges, especially when it came to delivery. According to Yum CEO David Gibbs, Pizza Hut, “declined 3 percent, driven by flat unit growth and a 4 percent decline in same-store sales, driven in large part by continued operational challenges in our delivery business.” The big issue: staffing. He said the company is reworking how it hires drivers, speeding up that process […]
Robotic delivery bot maker Ottonomy secured $3.3 million in a second investment round and previewed its next delivery robot. CEO Ritukar Vijay said there is a major need for robotics on campuses, in parking lots and in places like airports—maybe more so than door-to-door delivery. “If you think about door-to-door delivery retail, that’s a minimal use case,” said co-founder and CEO Ritukar Vijay. “That doesn’t resonate or connect with the large corporate population where these [robots] can get inside the facility. They need to be inside the facility or store […]
