Perspectives

The idea that foodservice lags behind other industries when it comes to adopting new technologies is nothing new. But the fact remains that automation and robotics will continue to become a bigger part of providing effective and efficient foodservice operations. That point was never clearer to me than after having spent a few days walking the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 show in Chicago.

Over the years, drive-thru as a sales channel has been the cornerstone of many successful quick-service restaurants. During the pandemic, though, the importance of drive-thru sales became even more important when this form of service became one of the only ways customers could get food from restaurants. While all of this may seem alluring to some, never lose sight of the simple fact that a poorly designed and poorly run drive-thru will impact a r...

Is the restaurant industry labor crunch starting to wane? The Small Business Administration is asked to forgive loans made during the pandemic. Hardee’s gets a brand refresh, while Portillo’s tests a cashless drive-thru. Plus, Chicago approves testing of food delivery robots. These stories and more This Week in Foodservice.

The government numbers for prices in July are interesting and lead to speculation on where inflation is headed and if a recession is in the future. QDOBA gets new owners. While Wendy’s will cut back on its ghost kitchen plans, other operators are not spooked by the segment.

Scott Hall, Innovative Foodservice Group

Jake Landers, TriMark South

Here is some simple advice for complicated times.

The idea of automating foodservice operations by using robots is nothing new. Most everyone in the foodservice industry likes to reminisce about seeing burger or pancake flipping robots at various times at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Yet outside of a salad-making robot that came of age at the NRA Show a few years ago, the fact remains widespread automation has been slow to catch on in the foodservice industry.