Foodservice Equip & Supplies News
A Warmer World
Carbon accountants help firms keep their climate pledges The other day when Cooper Elsworth stepped into a Sweetgreen restaurant in Boston, he already knew what he was going to order. “I’m vegetarian, so I’ll probably go for the hummus crunch salad,” Elsworth said. “That’s the lowest-emissions salad at Sweetgreen.” He knows this arcane fact because…
Read MoreRestaurant brands are starting to pilot artificial intelligence to streamline food service
How Restaurants Such as Panera and Chipotle are Dipping into A.I. to Streamline Food Prep and Ordering From drive-thru to back-of-house operations to predictive ordering for consumers, restaurant brands are starting to pilot artificial intelligence to streamline food service. The technology has yet to reach critical mass at major chains but has the potential to…
Read MoreVirtual Concepts have turned into Culinary Goldmines
Like many others, the fast-casual giant is learning how to unlock the true benefits of a virtual brand . . . . The Making of Chipotle’s Fresh-Forward Ghost Kitchen In the wake of COVID, virtual concepts have turned into culinary goldmines. The industry could potentially reach $1 trillion by 2030, according to research firm…
Read MoreWhile Construction Bids are Stabilizing, Permits and Equipment Timelines aren’t
Darden Softens Unit Growth Targets as COVID Impact Persists Two years ago during a call with investors, former Darden CEO Gene Lee lamented how COVID delays were harming unit growth. He hoped the company would soon reach the higher end of its 2-3 percent expansion target. While Rick Cardenas is now chief executive, the central…
Read MoreIs a recession looming? Customer loyalty is key to Making it Through
Restaurant Meals are Frequently Among the First Things Consumers Cut Recessions can make any business — large or small — uneasy about potential drops in sales from the decline in economic activity. With inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, experts predict a 70% likelihood of a U.S. recession in 2023, with at least 41% of…
Read More$1 Trillion Infrastructure Law Ends Employee Retention Tax Credit
President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law Monday that ends the employee retention tax credit retroactive to after September 30. The ERTC provides a tax credit equal to 50 percent of qualified wages paid, up to $10,000 per employee, after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The National Restaurant…
Read MoreWill the Pandemic Kill Dine-in As we Know it? The Answer Isn’t so Simple
In the current day and age, how do we define what is or isn’t a restaurant? It is a straightforward question, yet difficult to answer. Industry professionals and consumers alike could debate this for days and never arrive at a consensus; a point proven by looking at definitions from several dictionaries. When I turn to…
Read MoreRecord Growth as the Foodservice Industry Recovers
KCL, the industry leader in foodservice design technologies, announces 22 new manufacturing partners who now host their equipment content– PDFs, CAD blocks, Revit families, and supporting images, and documents– on KCL software. Designers, consultants, and dealers around the world appreciate the convenience of KCL’s best-in-class design tools. KCL software is used in 174 countries and…
Read MoreMcDonald’s Partners with IBM to Expand Voice-Ordering Technology
The technology has been tested at multiple restaurants with positive results. McDonald’s revealed Wednesday that it’s turning to IBM to accelerate the growth of its automated voice-ordering technology. As part of the agreement, IBM will acquire McD Tech Labs, which was formed following the burger chain’s 2019 acquisition of Apprente, a leader in voice-based, conversational…
Read MoreCisco Getting into the Hologram Business
Cisco will announce on Tuesday that it’s getting into the hologram business. At its WebexOne customer conference, it’ll describe a new service called Webex Hologram, which enables virtual meetings in augmented reality—with the participants represented as photorealistic holograms instead of cartoon-like avatars. I got an early look at the new service and spoke to two…
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