Today in restaurant and grocery tech news: Shake Shack and Applebee’s benefit from enhanced in-restaurant technologies, while conversely, The Cheesecake Factory is building out its off-premise business. Plus, Noodles & Company CMO Stacey Pool tells PYMNTS how the brand is using data analytics to turn digital newcomers into loyal customers.
Restaurants’ Financial Results Reveal In-Store Technologies Separate Top Performers From the Rest
With consumers having returned to restaurants for in-store ordering and/or on-premises dining, brands seeing the greatest success are those that have invested in on-site restaurant technologies, bringing the digital shift into their stores. Consumers, having grown accustomed to eCommerce speed and convenience, are increasingly coming to expect these digital integrations.
Restaurant Roundup: The Cheesecake Factory Goes Omnichannel; Wingstop Shifts Away From On-Premise
The Cheesecake Factory discusses the importance of its off-premise business, Wingstop shifts the focus away from its dining rooms, Dickey’s partners with Ghost Kitchen Brands, and Cava launches an omnichannel catering business.
Kroger Leverages Automated Warehouses to Expand Its US Reach as Grocers Eye Robotic Distribution
Grocery’s robotic transformation is speeding along rapidly. Kroger, the largest pure-play grocer in the United States, is leveraging automated technologies to expand to new markets and to bolster its presence in existing ones. Through its partnership with United Kingdom grocery technology company Ocado, Kroger plans to leverage automated warehouses to build an eCommerce business that will serve “tens of thousands” of new customers in Florida, CNBC reported Thursday (Nov. 4), and to establish a presence in the Northeast’s tri-state area.
Tech, Food Innovation Drives Sainsbury’s Digital Groceries Sales to Twice Pre-Pandemic Levels in H1
Like many businesses, U.K. grocery chain Sainsbury’s is riding the digital transformation wave that was triggered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first quarter of its financial year – 28 weeks, ending Sept. 18, 2021 – the British grocer reported £15.7 billion ($21.2 billion) in sales, a 5.3% increase compared to the same period last year, and up 4.2% from two years ago.
Farmstead to Partner With Companies for End-to-End Grocer eCommerce
Farmstead, an online grocer and tech firm, is partnering with several real estate and last-mile delivery companies to build an end-to-end, same-day, eCommerce operations solution for grocers, Supermarket News reported. The solution will come with “everything a grocer or retailer needs” to start a dark-store delivery operation in just a few weeks, according to the report.
Getting consumers to engage with restaurants’ digital channels is only the first step. Noodles & Company CMO Stacey Pool discusses with PYMNTS how the chain is using its new digital-only menu item to gain digital customers and using increasingly personalized loyalty program messaging to keep them coming back.
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