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Why Virtual Restaurants Can’t Be an Afterthought

By Laura Michaels | May 12, 2022

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.

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Actionable, Real-time Data Is Key to Driving Restaurant Sales

By Laura Michaels | May 12, 2022

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.

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Robomart, Unilever Reinventing Mobile Ice Cream Trucks

By Tom Kaiser | May 12, 2022

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.

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RMDA Launches App Connecting Consumers with Local Restaurants, Delivery Service Providers

By Tom Kaiser | May 12, 2022

The Restaurant Marketing and Delivery Association launched LocalDelivery, a marketplace app connecting consumers with local restaurants delivered exclusively by local delivery providers.

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How Jamba, Applebee’s and More Big Brands Tackle Technology

By Beth Ewen | May 6, 2022

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? That was the question posed by Franchise Times Editor-in-Chief Laura Michaels to kick off an operations and strategy panel featuring big brands at the Food On Demand Conference yesterday. “It’s a tough question. Everything starts with a pain point, and we have a lot of pain points at the moment with […]

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How Uber Eats Aims to Be ‘Super App’ for Both People and Things

By Beth Ewen | May 5, 2022

Kelly Seeman, right, discussed Uber Eats’ dual strategy to deliver people and things on Day Two of the Food On Demand Conference. Editor Tom Kaiser asked the questions. At his feet is a margarita cocktail kit Seeman had delivered on stage to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. An enthusiastic Uber Eats team was on hand first thing this morning to “whoo-hoo” their boss, Kelly Seeman, director of enterprise partnerships and keynote speaker at the Food On Demand Conference. Topic one was the “Uber Don’t Eats” funny and popular ad campaign unveiled […]

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Four Big Datapoints from YipitData and Sense360

By Nicholas Upton | May 5, 2022

During day one of the 2022 Food On Demand Conference, YipitData and Sense360 went deep—very deep—on industry data. Four big numbers emerged as an interesting snapshot of where the off-premises world stands today. Moderated by Carl Orsbourn, co-author of “Delivering the Digital Restaurant,” it was a sprawling look at massive datasets. Below are four big numbers from the voluminous data presentation from the two data presenters. 73% That’s the DoorDash market share of third-party delivery sales in smaller markets. YipitData Senior Data Analyst Ariane Turley explained that is a big […]

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How Can Restaurants Win Repeat Customers? Create an Emotional Tie, Loyalty Experts Say

By Laura Michaels | May 4, 2022

During a panel May 4 at the Food On Demand Conference in Las Vegas, loyalty and customer engagement platform providers discuss the importance of creating offers that show restaurants know their guests. From left, Aaron Newton, chief product officer, Thanx; Charles Gray, chief revenue officer, Paytronix; Lori Stout, VP of marketing, Punchh/PAR Technology; and Nabeel Alamgir, founder and CEO, Lunchbox. Along a restaurant’s relationship continuum with a customer, the discount is “like a one-night stand, it’s a transaction,” and on the other end is loyalty, which requires “emotional affinity.” So […]

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Olo CEO Kicks Off Food On Demand Conference: ‘From Toy to Mission-Critical’

By Beth Ewen | May 4, 2022

Tom Kaiser, right, and Nicholas Upton kicked off the fifth annual Food On Demand Conference today in Las Vegas with a run-through of the industry’s biggest news. “I want what I want when I want it.” That’s the mantra of today’s food consumer, and helping operators fulfill that demand is the rallying cry of the fifth annual Food On Demand Conference opening today at the Mirage in Las Vegas. “This year we’re going deeper into the weeds,” said Food On Demand Editor Tom Kaiser to kick off the conference. Kaiser […]

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DoorDash Kitchens Expands to Downtown Brooklyn

By Tom Kaiser | May 2, 2022

DoorDash opened its latest DoorDash Kitchens facility in downtown Brooklyn with a mix of local, regional and national restaurants.

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