Controls Engineering & IoT

Restaurant operators rarely have two days that look alike. New challenges emerge constantly, and keeping up means making dozens of decisions with limited time and incomplete information: Why did food costs spike at one location? Which limited-time offer actually drove profits? Why is one store consistently outperforming another? Finding those answers often means digging through…

Seven affordable AI-powered technologies can help independent quick-service restaurants improve efficiency, control costs, and compete with larger chains. The quick-service restaurant industry is not the same as it once was, and businesses need to keep up if they want to remain competitive. Customer expectations are forever changing as people seek convenience at a reasonable price.…

AI offers the opportunity to close the loop between what corporate plans and what guests actually encounter. The most difficult stretches of each year for QSRs are peak traffic seasons—summer break, back-to-school, the holidays at the end of the year. Guests show up en masse while corporate pushes new, limited-time offers. The stress put on…

The food and beverage industry is undergoing significant transformation. Consumer expectations are changing rapidly, retailers are carrying more product variations than ever before and distribution networks are being challenged to move products faster, more accurately and with greater flexibility. As SKU counts rise and retailers require more frequent deliveries, manufacturers and distributors face increasing pressure…

Boxed Water Is Better recently opened its Holland, Michigan, facility to a room of food, beverage and CPG manufacturers for a panel on automated palletizing. Attendees came from across West Michigan and the Midwest, representing companies ranging from fruit storage and canning operations to chemical manufacturers and co-packers. They came with the same questions most…

The service will not need special packaging and can be adopted by restaurants without “costly infrastructure” changes. onder has joined forces with autonomous delivery company Zipline to roll out on-demand drone food deliveries in Texas, the US. The service is scheduled to begin in January 2027. The move comes ahead of Wonder’s planned Texas expansion…

Something is shifting beneath the surface of the restaurant industry, and the numbers are starting to show it. Nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. diners switched their favorite restaurant last year, up sharply from 33 percent the year prior. That data point should be setting off alarms for restaurant operators. Instead, most are doubling down…

Through a partnership with Omilia, which has brought voice AI to nearly 900 U.S. restaurants, the Mexican chain will continue to add the tech across its domestic system. Dive Brief: Taco Bell has expanded its partnership with artificial intelligence company Omilia to continue scaling its drive-thru voice AI across Taco Bell’s U.S. system, according to…

For decades, beverage service in restaurants and foodservice environments has followed a familiar model. Operators purchase bottled water, canned beverages and packaged drinks, store inventory, replenish coolers, manage deliveries and absorb the costs associated with transportation, storage and waste. While that approach has remained deeply embedded in foodservice operations, changing consumer preferences, sustainability initiatives and…

Key Takeaways Data-driven cleaning uses real-time data to improve efficiency and results. Workloading software helps managers optimize staffing and control labor costs. Smart sensors and cleaning robots improve service, tracking, and consistency. By Keith Schneringer If you are a facility cleaning manager, there are probably some common questions you ask yourself each day regarding building…