BC company, Trendi, is using robotics and innovation to help drive a global food rescue movement By Jessica Brill Can you imagine a world where food is not wasted, where it’s sustainably produced and accessible to everyone? Craig McIntosh and Carissa Campeotto sure can. They’re walking the walk, tapping into their over 45 years of […]
By Kris Edwards Restaurants and bars across Canada are prepping for a busy season in the face of many challenges, from labour shortages to the rising cost of ingredients like lettuce. In June 2022, there were 171,715 job vacancies in the foodservice industry, triple the amount of pre-pandemic levels. As a result, restaurant operators are […]
Ask many experts and they will say that foodservice — despite the pain of the pandemic, inflation, staffing crises, and other problems — is in the middle of a great leap forward in technological advancement right now. Automation in the kitchen, the dining room, and beyond is propelling an evolution of the way restaurants do […]
If you own or manage a restaurant, you’ve probably developed a marketing strategy around limited-time offers (LTOs), but are you using social media as part of that strategy? Social media can help you reach a large audience quickly and cheaply, using your LTOs to help drive traffic, create a sense of urgency, and up your […]
By Dustin Hassett Now more than ever, restaurateurs are operating in an experience economy. Customers are interacting with competitor brands over multiple channels every hour of every day, and they expect every digital experience to measure up to the Amazons and Ubers of this world. Just like the behemoth tech brands, foodservice businesses need to […]
Foodservice’s embrace of technological solutions was hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, safety, and staffing challenges it brought on. But it isn’t just new innovations we’ve seen rise to prominence in the last few years. QR codes, a tool once sidelined, have rebounded in a big way. These days, in the second half […]
Uber has announced it is partnering with foodservice equipment distributor Parts Town to provide equipment delivery to operators and service technicians in the Chicago market. A press release calls the partnerships “the restaurant industry’s first” between a parts distributor and ride-sharing provider to offer replacement parts for delivery. If the program goes well, Uber says […]
By Mo Chaar Customer loyalty is key for Canadian consumers, who are among the world’s most frequent users of a loyalty program. Over half of Canadians make reward-earning purchases several times a week, and a recent Givex survey found that 56 per cent of Canadians say loyalty programs make them more likely to dine out […]
Robotics have a prominent place in the present and the future of foodservice, whether it is automated data collection or a burger-flipping robot. Now, Compass Group Canada and SJW Robotics are introducing a 24-hour automated kitchen, which the latter company calls “the world’s first fully autonomous robotic restaurant that cooks made-to-order meals”. The two companies […]
The rapid evolution of technology has long been redefining restaurant consumers’ concept of “normal”. Think of the move from laminated print menus as a standard to QR codes or ordering kiosks. Now, the next step may well be the metaverse. A new Paytronix and PYMNTS Report, The Digital Divide: Technology, The Metaverse, and the Future […]
