January’s Most-Read Stories: A Successful Tech Pivot, Robotic Kitchen’s Variety And Making The Case For Loyalty

January’s most-read stories on HT center around operators’ investments in new technology, plans to update the POS, and one operator’s watchful eye on delivery drones. Here we count down the five most read stories of January:

5)  Tech Helps Teriyaki Madness Thrive
Tech has been the not-so-secret sauce for many restaurants’ pivots in 2020. In this HT exclusive, T-Mad’s VP of Marketing details how the brand has evolved in the past year as it keeps a watchful eye on the future of delivery drones. Read the full story here.

4)  Nala to Debut Robotic Restaurant in Illinois
If variety is the spice of life, then this new Chicago-area robotic restaurant is the spiciest! At Nala, guests have the ability to order from 10 menus from one location. Thanks to the AI-controlled robotic chef, each dish can be cooked to order to perfection. Read more about Nala Robotics here.

3)  Burger King Debuts Complete Rebrand
Last fall Burger King generated a lot of buzz with its plan to modernize the drive-thru experience with new store designs including a floating kitchen. The brand kicked off the year with a big reveal of its digital-first rebranding. The announcement, the QSR says, signals a commitment to digital-first expression and recent improvements to taste and food quality, as well as a pledge to environmental sustainability. See the new look here.

2)  Report: Restaurant Managers Must Combine Digital Ordering and Loyalty
Digital ordering has long been table stakes. Restaurant brands that combine innovative digital ordering options with loyalty and rewards programs are most likely to see their average unit volume increase, according to Paytronix research. Digital ordering, along with off-prem, has surged in the past year and it makes sense that whatever a brand can do to integrate ordering and loyalty will pay off not only for the guest but also the operator. Restaurant managers underestimate their customers’ interest in loyalty programs and overestimate their customers’ interest in self-service kiosks, according to this report. The full story is available here. 

1)  2021 POS Software Trends Report: Accelerating Innovation
Hands down this annual HT report was the most-read story of January: Our 2021 POS Software Trends Report: Accelerating Innovation.

This report features new exclusive research. Adding new functionality/features/modules to current POS software is a priority for 65% of operators who responded. Half of respondents planning to develop and/or deploy POS for use on a mobile device. Also included, the innovations vendors introduced in 2020 and plan to roll out this year. Read the full report here.