We recently posted the story about Franklin Junction, which is bringing virtual brands into Ruby Tuesday kitchens that have excess capacity to power off-premises orders. As NRD Capital spins up the “host kitchen” concept, it has partnered with Qu to aggregate digital orders from third-party delivery companies. Franklin Junction and Qu are leveraging their respective restaurant and technology expertise in launching what it calls a first-of-its-kind marketplace “driven by fast, efficient ordering and omni-channel commerce capabilities.” The new partnership gives restaurants the ability to quickly and easily manage orders through […]
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Getting your boardgame or iPhone case via Amazon drone is one step closer to reality. The FAA announced that Amazon was awarded the highest tier of certification for aerial drone operations, known as Part 135. The certification means Amazon now has no limits on the size or scope of operations. That’s a big deal, and Amazon follows only UPS (the first recipient) and Google’s Wing as certified companies under the ridged certification that examines safety and drone operations. “This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates […]
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Taco Bell unveiled its new Go Mobile store prototype, which is a lean off-premises machine designed to be heavy on drive-thru and digital orders. The new model contains a secondary drive-thru lane for digital-order pickup and dedicated spots for curbside pickup or carryout orders. Mike Grams, global COO at Taco Bell, said a lot of this has been in the works for years, but COVID-19 prompted a shotgun marriage of all the technologies and low-friction ideas. “The roadmap was established as customers converted to digital,” said Grams. “As digital opened […]
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Just Salad, the green-minded greens concept based in New York, is embracing residential delivery with a new model that makes self-delivery more efficient for staff and exceptionally convenient for customers. The company is partnering with residential building managers to install building-specific, digital-delivery-only outlets dubbed “The Hub.” Founder and CEO Nick Kenner said things are getting notably better in New York, where COVID-19 rates have remained low and people are happy to make salad runs. The key business centers that had lines out the door, however, remain pretty quiet. “We’re all […]
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It doesn’t take many contactless meal deliveries to realize that a paper bag left on your driveway, front stoop or your building’s front desk isn’t exactly the pinnacle of technology or food safety. Looking to provide a safer, more secure experience and better food quality with its insulated meal pods, Minnow has plans to install better infrastructure for off-premises meals—at restaurants, as well as the final destination whether that’s a house, high-rise residential building or office. Founded in Seattle three years before the pandemic upended the restaurant industry and rocketed […]
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Because everything in the restaurant universe seems like a roll of the dice these days, SeeLevel HX’s title for its FODC presentation on its latest survey, “Are you gambling on your customers?”, seems apropos. Vice President of Operations and Partner Donna Goodwin gave an overview of the survey results along with moderator Nicholas Upton, news editor of Food On Demand, and Kal Kuchimanchi, head of operations for U.S. and Canada Uber Eats, one of the delivery services surveyed, put the information in perspective. Atlanta-based SeeLevel provides companies with custom marketing […]
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Chipotle “just blew by a billion in digital sales,” noted Food On Demand News Editor Nick Upton. And so began his conversation with Nicole West, Chipotle’s VP of digital strategy and product management, who’s been with the brand for 14 years and helped form its ecommerce business unit in 2015. West was among the speakers August 11 during the third-annual Food On Demand Conference, presented for the first time this year in an all-virtual format. Upton was referring to the 90 percent increase in digital sales from fiscal 2018 to […]
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In a conversation on day two of the Food On Demand Conference, executives from Panera Bread, Aramark, Foodservice Results and IFBTA discussed properly utilizing customer data, marketing and how to prepare for the future of the foodservice industry. For Chris Incorvati, director of operations and support at Panera, making the experience for customers accessible and not confusing was the No. 1 priority during the pandemic. When first introducing its curbside pickup option, Panera heard some constructive criticism from consumers. “We did do some things that were pretty confusing within the […]
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Swipeby, a platform turning restaurants into virtual drive-thrus with curbside pickup, has launched a crowd investing campaign with Republic that has raised more than $150,000 from hundreds of investors in less than six days. The open-source round will be open through October. “We’re thrilled that so many people—many of whom are our users and partners—support our mission of helping local restaurants offer a great curbside experience without onerous fees,” said Carl Turner, founder of Swipeby. “Our mission has always been to make off-premise accessible and fun for everyone, regardless of […]
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Shortly after announcing its move into the convenience-store space, DoorDash, the largest third-party delivery service in the U.S., announced its first move into grocery through partnerships with grocers across the country. Customers in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and the Central Coast can order from Smart & Final. Customers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Detroit and Indianapolis can order through Meijer and Fresh Thyme. In the coming weeks, DoorDash will be adding selection across the country with additional grocery brands including Hy-Vee, Gristedes/D’agostino—giving more than 75 […]
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