Technology

Fast Casual, Fast Food, News, Outside Insights, Story, Technology

Why Most Restaurant AI Investments Fail to Deliver ROI

AI adoption in foodservice is accelerating. Operators are evaluating AI chatbots, predictive tools, recommendation engines, and automated ordering systems. The problem is not a lack of innovation. It is a lack of operational clarity. Many restaurants invest in AI. Fewer see consistent ROI. The reason is straightforward: AI layered on top of fragmented systems rarely […]

The post Why Most Restaurant AI Investments Fail to Deliver ROI appeared first on QSR Magazine.

News, Technology

Hi Auto Launches AI Tool to Analyze Drive-Thru Pickup Window Interactions

Hi Auto, the AI order-taking platform purpose-built for QSR drive-thrus, today announced Hi Auto Window Intelligence, a new add-on capability that brings AI-powered analysis to the pickup window for the first time. With this launch, Hi Auto becomes the first company to analyze both sides of the drive-thru interaction, from the moment a car pulls […]

The post Hi Auto Launches AI Tool to Analyze Drive-Thru Pickup Window Interactions appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Beverage, News, Story, Technology

Starbucks Tests AI-Powered Drink Discovery Tool in ChatGPT

Starbucks is taking personalization to another level. On Wednesday, the coffee giant revealed a new beta app in ChatGPT that helps customers find the perfect drink “based on their mood or vibe of the day,” according to a blog post by Paul Riedel, SVP, digital & loyalty. Customers can either type descriptions or upload a […]

The post Starbucks Tests AI-Powered Drink Discovery Tool in ChatGPT appeared first on QSR Magazine.

News, Technology

Popmenu and SpotOn Partner to Streamline Restaurant Operations

Restaurants aiming to increase revenue and simplify day-to-day operations can do so with a powerful new direct integration between Popmenu, a leader in restaurant marketing technology, and SpotOn, a San Francisco-based restaurant technology and financial services provider. Working together, Popmenu and SpotOn are giving operators a more connected and cohesive way to run their business.   […]

The post Popmenu and SpotOn Partner to Streamline Restaurant Operations appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Drive Thru, News, Technology

Toast Launches Enterprise-Grade Drive-Thru Solution

Toast announced the launch of Toast Drive-Thru, an enterprise-grade solution designed to help modern quick-service restaurants increase throughput and order accuracy at scale while optimizing labor efficiency through a single, unified platform. There are just over 140,000 total drive-thru locations across the entire U.S. restaurant industry, according to 2026 data from Technomic Ignite. These operators […]

The post Toast Launches Enterprise-Grade Drive-Thru Solution appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Fast Casual, Fast Food, News, Technology

Quantiiv Launches AI Platform Built to Act as Virtual Restaurant Executive

Restaurant operators have spent years making high-stakes decisions with incomplete information, siloed data and analytics tools that describe the past but offer little guidance on what to do next. Quantiiv was built by people who lived that problem firsthand. Today, they are solving it. Quantiiv is introducing the restaurant industry’s first artificial intelligence platform designed to function […]

The post Quantiiv Launches AI Platform Built to Act as Virtual Restaurant Executive appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Fast Food, News, Technology

Whataburger Taps Rachel Lorraine as Vice President, Enterprise Insights & Analytics

Whataburger has named Rachel Lorraine as Vice President, Enterprise Insights & Analytics, adding a seasoned analytics and strategy leader to support the brand’s continued growth. Rachel brings more than 20 years of experience leading analytics, strategy and insights across the restaurant and consumer industries. She joins Whataburger from Yum! Brands, where she was serving as […]

The post Whataburger Taps Rachel Lorraine as Vice President, Enterprise Insights & Analytics appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Employee Management, Fast Casual, Fast Food, Franchising, Growth, News, Technology

GoTo Foods Names Biplav Misra Chief Digital Officer and Taitana Lambert Chief Development Officer

GoTo Foods, the Atlanta-based enterprise behind seven iconic foodservice brands, today announced two strategic executive appointments: Biplav Misra as Chief Digital Officer and Tatiana Lambert as Chief Development Officer. The appointments are designed to accelerate growth by enhancing guest experience, strengthening franchisee returns and improving unit-level economics across its portfolio. Biplav Misra as Chief Digital OfficerGoTo Foods welcomes Misra […]

The post GoTo Foods Names Biplav Misra Chief Digital Officer and Taitana Lambert Chief Development Officer appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Fast Food, News, Story, Technology

Why McDonald’s AI Makeover is the New Operating System for Global Retail

The headlines focus on burger-flipping robots and AI-powered drive-thrus, but McDonald’s isn’t just adding gadgets. It’s rewriting the code for how global retail will operate in the next decade. What McDonald’s is really doing is turning every restaurant into a software-defined, data-driven, self-optimizing system. Once that system is in place, changing hardware, menus, labor models, […]

The post Why McDonald’s AI Makeover is the New Operating System for Global Retail appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Fast Food, News, Technology

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken Expands AI Drive-Thru Ordering with Hi Auto

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, the classic American QSR brand known for its homestyle fried chicken, is equipping its franchise system with Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker as a competitive tool for drive-thru operations. Following strong results across 30 locations and Lee’s system move to a unified POS system and menu database, Lee’s is now making […]

The post Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken Expands AI Drive-Thru Ordering with Hi Auto appeared first on QSR Magazine.

Scroll to Top