The pandemic’s onset in March gave sudden urgency to the importance of having digital sales channels, and restaurants that could not quickly pivot to provide these capabilities missed out on crucial sales opportunities. Mobile ordering and payment in particular, as well as the surprise sales...
Fast-tracking digital investments has not only become a priority for QSRs during the pandemic, but a necessity, says Steph So, head of digital experience for Shake Shack. She details how the burger chain is eyeing artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize its payments experience...
The typical Hollywood portrayal of the fast-food drive-thru experience includes an unintelligible conversation with a clerk, made worse by a lousy speaker system and an outdated menu that’s missing letters or lights. But nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the...
The pandemic has upended how we order meals at restaurants, how we pay and, ultimately, how we eat. These transformational shifts are, in turn, affecting how quick-service restaurants (QSRs) engage customers as the health crisis limits their in-person dining offerings and forces them to fast-track...
In the face of the global pandemic, restaurant chains have had to alter their service operations to accommodate social distancing requirements and the new normal as we know it. Today, customers of restaurant chains place food orders through quick-service restaurant (QSR) websites, mobile apps or...
Shake Shack is among the first restaurants to implement restaurant designs inspired by the things people did during the pandemic lockdowns this year, CNBC reports. The “Shack Track” rolled out in May made curbside pickup a full-time permanent feature, letting users utilize drive- and walk-up...
Winter’s here and the time is right … for staying home and ordering veggie tacos. “One trend that is unlikely to fade this winter is the surge in online and mobile ordering as customers seek to dine in the comfort of their homes. Investing in...
Consumers were unwilling to give up their favorite restaurants during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this trend has continued eight months into the health crisis. Recent PYMNTS research found that 31.6 million U.S. consumers shifted from dining in to ordering out...
No two customers are alike, and the restaurant loyalty programs and digital ordering options they receive shouldn’t be either, Nicole West, vice president of digital strategy and product management for Chipotle, tells PYMNTS. She explains how personalizing rewards initiatives and ordering experiences can help quick-service...
