NewsMeUp — Past editions

- Craftable, a hospitality back-office platform, launched a suite of fully automated AI agents for restaurants and hotels built on each operator's own proprietary data — including sales forecasting, voice-driven inventory counting, and a conversational analytics interface — and named former Black Box Intelligence chief David Cantu as its new CEO. (PRNewswire)

- Matternet, the only FAA type-certified commercial drone delivery platform and a restaurant delivery partner with Dave's Hot Chicken, raised $33 million and announced it is going public via a reverse merger with shell company Los Altos Venture Corp., with CEO Andreas Raptopoulos calling 2026 "the inflection point" for U.S. drone delivery. (NRN)

- At its first investor day in three years, Hyatt urged analysts to stop counting rooms and instead judge the chain on guest economics, unveiling an AI-driven strategy for personalized booking and service delivery while authorizing a new $1 billion share repurchase. (Skift)

- Hotel tech advisor Adam Harris argued in Skift that most AI systems hospitality CEOs are locking into multi-year contracts in 2026 will be architecturally obsolete by 2029, because today's probabilistic, demo-ready AI is structurally ill-suited to running operations at the certainty that scale demands. (Skift)

- Wingstop launched Club Wingstop, its first-ever loyalty program, built on its MyWingstop digital platform which already drives over 70% of sales and holds a 60-million-user database; the "Members Eat First" program uses a new CRM to unlock first-party data at scale and offers points-sharing, group ordering, and members-only experiences rather than traditional discounting. (NRN)

- Magic Moment Resort & Kids Club in Kissimmee, Florida — a Wyndham Dazzler Select property — became the first U.S. hotel to deploy Worldie AI's digital concierge, integrating the system directly with its Oracle OPERA PMS and allowing guests to access support in 88 languages via in-room QR codes. (Hotel Dive)

- Fortune reported that hotels are building AI-powered guest profiles at time of booking to enable seamless check-ins, personalised room perks, and proactive service — with Mews founder Richard Valtr arguing that whichever hotel chain first delivers what a guest needs before they ask will earn lasting loyalty. (Fortune)

- Modern Restaurant Management examined restaurants' growing "delivery divide," finding that while platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats expand reach, operators who cede first-party data and margins to them entirely are at strategic risk — and the real opportunity lies in mastering both third-party and owned channels simultaneously. (MRM)

- Cinnabon announced a nationwide rollout of Seattle's Best Coffee, using existing in-store drip equipment to avoid capital expenditure while upgrading its beverage platform; parent company GoTo Foods is betting that coffee's high visit frequency will pull customers in multiple times per week, versus the infrequent occasion that drives a cinnamon roll purchase. (QSR Magazine)

- Restaurant Technologies named COO Alissa Partee as its next President and CEO, effective July 1, 2026, following the retirement of longtime chief Jeff Kiesel; Partee, who joined the oil-management company in 2020 as Chief People Officer before moving to COO in 2024, will lead a business that automates cooking-oil handling and converts used oil into renewable fuel for thousands of restaurant locations. (QSR Magazine)

- Both Starbucks and Pizza Hut are reeling from high-profile AI misfires: Starbucks permanently retired the NomadGo computer-vision inventory tool it had deployed across more than 11,000 North American stores after the system repeatedly confused similar products and forced workers to re-verify every scan, while a 111-unit Pizza Hut franchisee filed a $100 million lawsuit alleging the mandatory Dragontail kitchen-AI platform drove average wait times past 45 minutes and gutted enterprise value. (The Street)

- Restaurant technology executives at the 2026 NRA Show warned that over-reliance on AI is the sector's most common misstep, with leaders pointing to targeted deployments — Culver's computer-vision drive-thru metrics, Shake Shack's operational-alert system, and Dairy Queen's expanding Presto voice-ordering pilot — as the kind of narrow, measurable use cases that actually deliver ROI. (Restaurant Dive)

- Starbucks quietly retired NomadGo's LiDAR and computer-vision inventory system from more than 11,000 North American stores just nine months after deployment, as the tool repeatedly misidentified milk types and forced workers to re-verify every scan — eliminating the efficiency gains CEO Brian Niccol had counted on for his turnaround plan. (Restaurant Dive)

- QSR Magazine's NRA Show floor report found tech innovations spanning voice-ordering kiosks, a 3D candy printer in Startup Alley, and a wave of AI-assisted ordering tools, with exhibitors pitching everything from drive-thru bots to back-of-house automation as the industry searches for its next labor-saving category. (QSR Magazine)

- Fast Casual's NRA Show coverage highlighted three standout technologies: Sona's AI-driven employee scheduling platform, Apex Order Pickup Solutions' automated cubbies, and Custom Channels' licensed background-music service — tools focused on reducing friction for operators rather than front-of-house novelty. (Fast Casual)

- NCCO's recap of the 2026 Chicago Restaurant Show found the industry's AI conversation shifting decisively from experimentation to operations, with exhibitors and operators alike focused on connected systems that tie together POS, kitchen, and delivery data — underscored by a figure showing off-premise orders now represent 29% of restaurant revenue. (NCCO)

- Nation's Restaurant News found voice AI the headline technology at the 2026 NRA Show, with vendors placing retro landlines in their booths to normalize the concept, but the hotter purchasing conversation centered on "data-assistant" AI tools that surface operational alerts atop existing POS systems — a category every major POS provider now offers and that operators are evaluating with tighter ROI scrutiny than in prior years. (NRN)

- Operators at the 2026 NRA Show encountered AI everywhere — voice-ordering systems, drive-thru bots, cashier AI, marketing bots, and even an AI hood-degreasing service that a Restaurant Business reporter called a sign the term "has jumped the shark" — yet many remained unmoved, with some saying they'd rather build their own tools and one restaurateur arguing that "the AI we're seeing is not necessarily solving the immediate problem." (Restaurant Business)

- The National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Industry data found 26% of operators now use AI — predominantly for marketing (19% of full-service restaurants) — while just 6% use it for customer-facing orders, underscoring how far AI deployment still is from reaching the front-of-house applications dominating the NRA Show floor. (Restaurant Dive)

- Restaurant Dive analysis found that agentic AI is beginning to close the data-access gap between chains and independent operators, with tools like demand forecasting, personalized loyalty programs, and automated menu optimization — previously the domain of corporate data teams — now accessible to single-location restaurants at a fraction of historical cost. (Restaurant Dive)

- Hospitality Technology's post-show coverage identified a shift in operator buying behavior at the 2026 NRA Show: procurement conversations moved away from standalone kiosk pilots toward unified commerce ecosystems where next-gen POS, voice-ordering, and kitchen-display platforms share a common data layer — signaling that restaurant tech buyers are prioritizing integration over novelty. (Hospitality Technology)

- A major Pizza Hut franchisee operating 111 locations across the Northeast filed a $100 million lawsuit against Yum! Brands, alleging that the mandatory rollout of Dragontail — an AI delivery-management system — handed DoorDash drivers real-time kitchen visibility that incentivized order batching, pushing average delivery times from under 30 minutes to over 45 and flipping the franchisee's same-store sales growth from +10% to -10% in New York City. (Fortune)

- Wendy's Board appointed Robert D. "Bob" Wright — former Potbelly CEO and ex-Wendy's COO — as the chain's new President and CEO effective May 21, with his mandate centering on the "Project Fresh" operational turnaround and expanding what the company described as one of the QSR industry's fastest-growing digital platforms during his Potbelly tenure. (NRN)

- Cava posted Q1 2026 revenue of $438 million, up 32% year-over-year, with guest traffic climbing 6.8% and digital orders reaching 39.9% of revenue mix; the Mediterranean fast-casual chain also raised its full-year guidance for same-restaurant sales growth (to 4.5–6.5%) and adjusted EBITDA (to $181–191 million), citing its tech-enabled operational model as a key driver. (Restaurant Dive)

- Post-show coverage of the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show highlighted robot baristas and AI-powered sushi-making machines as the crowd draws on the expo floor, alongside practical operator interest in voice-ordering kiosks, predictive scheduling systems, and AI concierge tools — underscoring that automation has moved from curiosity to active procurement consideration for many chains. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

- Red Robin reported its strongest first-quarter guest traffic since 2023 alongside its lowest Q1 labor-cost percentage in three years (35.7% of sales), attributing improvements to operational tech investments and its value-tier "Big Yummm" platform, which now accounts for over 13% of sales across price points from $9.99 to $16.99. (Restaurant Business Online)

- The 2026 National Restaurant Association Show's close marked what Restaurant Technology News called a "reality check" for the industry: operators arrived as far more disciplined buyers than in past years, demanding integration timelines and verifiable ROI from vendors rather than accepting demo-stage promises, with simplification and interoperability overtaking novelty as the top buying criteria across the four-day Chicago event. (Restaurant Technology News)

- CRB's 2026 Horizons: Food Safety report, released May 19, found food and beverage manufacturers racing to replace aging, paper-based compliance systems with real-time digital traceability amid a convergence of aging facilities, labor shortages, and tightening regulatory pressure — with downstream cost effects likely to reach restaurant operators through ingredient and supply chain pricing. (GlobeNewswire)

- National Restaurant Association data released at the show's close found nearly two-thirds of restaurant operators believe technology improves hospitality while only 41% of consumers agree — a gap suggesting the industry's tech investments are skewing toward operational efficiency over visible guest-experience gains, with 94% of operators adding that automation has not eliminated hospitality positions. (NRN)

- On the NRA Show's final day, Nation's Restaurant News spotlighted operators using AI outside the vendor booth ecosystem: one restaurateur trained a model to autonomously manage the brand's social media and customer communications, while others are applying AI to menu layout optimization and demand-based pricing — practical deployments often outperforming costlier platform solutions. (NRN)

- Restaurant Business Online's post-show roundup identified predictive scheduling and inventory management, integrated kitchen-display and POS systems sharing a common data layer, and AI-driven kiosk personalization that adjusts upsell prompts by time, weather, and customer history as the three technology categories that drew the most serious procurement conversations at the 2026 NRA Show. (Restaurant Business Online)

- Blink, a mobile-first employee experience platform used by Shake Shack, McDonald's, and Domino's, raised $17 million from Enlightened Hospitality Investments—Danny Meyer's USHG-affiliated growth equity fund—and announced a new global partnership with Shake Shack; the company's AI workforce insights tool Blink IQ grew adoption 300% year-over-year in 2025. (BusinessWire)

- Voice AI dominated the tech conversation on the NRA Show floor in Chicago, with vendors placing retro landline phones in booths to make the technology feel more approachable—a signal that AI ordering and service tools are moving from demo to deployment across the industry. (Restaurant Business)

- AI assistants that sit atop restaurant data have become the "new hot application" at the 2026 NRA Show, with major POS companies all offering versions that deliver real-time operational alerts—from unusual location traffic to inventory shortfalls—without manual reporting. (NRN)

- Miso Robotics CEO Rich Hull made the economic case for kitchen robots at the NRA Show: Flippy's third-generation model costs $75,000 (financeable monthly) plus $3,000/month for service, can prep 40-plus menu items, and cuts staff interactions with the machine by 90%. (Restaurant Business)

- Drone delivery demonstrations on the NRA Show floor drew interest from operators as exhibitors pointed to a more permissive FAA regulatory environment as the catalyst that could finally move airborne last-mile delivery from novelty to mainstream restaurant channel. (Restaurant Business)

- New QSR research covering 4.5 billion transactions across 30,000+ restaurants finds delivery volumes up 383% since 2020 — while a separate consumer survey reveals 56% of diners would not tip an AI system and 33% say they have actively avoided restaurants they felt were over-automated. (MRM)

- Culinary students from Northern Arizona University attending the NRA Show in Chicago said they already lean on AI for recipe scaling and shift planning, but warned that AI-generated menus risk homogenizing creativity across the industry. (Restaurant Business Online)

- A Pizza Hut franchisee is converting 80 locations to a "Classic" format — salad bars, Tiffany lamps, and red plastic cups — arguing that operators chasing the next tech trend are underestimating how powerfully nostalgic hospitality drives return visits. (MRM)

- Sauce launched an AI-powered cashback loyalty engine that uses automated retention intelligence to help restaurants increase reorders by up to 30%, with real-time customer segmentation and personalized re-engagement triggered without manual effort from operators. ([Restaurant Technology News](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2026/05/sauce-launches-ai-powered-cashback-loyalty-engine-to-help-restaurants-increase-reorders-by-up-to-30/))

- Custom Channels partnered with Thanx to connect in-store audio messaging with loyalty data, enabling restaurants to deliver real-time personalized promotions through their overhead speakers based on guest engagement patterns. ([Restaurant Technology News](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2026/05/custom-channels-partners-with-thanx-to-connect-restaurant-audio-messaging-with-loyalty-data-and-real-time-guest-engagement/))

- At NRA Show Day 1, a session on decision-making in uncertainty highlighted how restaurant operators are using data frameworks and scenario planning tools to navigate rising costs and shifting consumer behavior. ([NRN](https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-insights/how-to-make-decisions-in-the-face-of-uncertainty))

- The 2026 National Restaurant Association Show kicked off today at McCormick Place in Chicago, drawing over 53,000 foodservice professionals and 2,200+ exhibitors across 700,000 sq ft, with AI, automation, and unified commerce dominating the tech pavilion. ([NRA Show](https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/))

- NRN's opening-day coverage from the show floor spotlighted first-time exhibitors bringing innovations ranging from AI marketing platforms for independent restaurants to automated beverage systems and food waste trackers. ([NRN](https://www.nrn.com/food-trends/four-delicious-things-from-first-time-exhibitors-at-the-national-restaurant-show))

- Next Robot Inc. debuted Al Dente, a production-ready AI-powered cooking robot and 2026 Kitchen Innovations Award winner now open for orders, while Rota Robotics showcased people-first automation solutions for restaurant operators. ([NRA Show Exhibitor Releases](https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/exhibitor-press-releases/))

- MetaFoodx launched live demos of its AI kitchen intelligence platform at Booth 5930, targeting food waste reduction, demand forecasting, and real-time operational optimization for restaurant operators. ([NRA Show Exhibitor Releases](https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/exhibitor-press-releases/))

- Wink announced it will demo biometric identity experiences on Elo/Zebra devices at the show, enabling face-based loyalty recognition, payments, and personalized checkout at self-service kiosks and POS terminals. ([PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/newswire-announcements/wink-to-showcase-biometric-identity-experiences-on-elo-devices-at-nra-show-2026/))

- OpenTable released its annual Top 100 Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Canada, ranking locations across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta based on over one million diner reviews — with 74% of Canadians planning to dine outdoors at least monthly this season. (GlobeNewswire)

- Wingstop is bringing its "House of Flavor" immersive fan experience to North America for the first time, with pop-up events in Toronto (June 11–14) and Dallas (June 24–July 3) featuring wings, DJs, live watch parties, and on-site tattoos. (PRNewswire)

- A new SNS Insider report projects the global hotel and hospitality management software market will nearly double from $4.19 billion in 2025 to $8.55 billion by 2035, fueled by accelerating adoption of cloud-based and AI-driven platforms. (GlobeNewswire)

- Jack in the Box posted a 3.8% same-store sales decline in Q2 2026 and immediately replaced CEO Lance Tucker—and departing Chief Customer & Digital Officer Ryan Ostrom—with former Taco Bell chief Mark King as interim CEO and Executive Chairman effective May 13. (Restaurant Dive)

- The Kiosk Manufacturer Association and The Industry Group will anchor a unified technology hub at the 2026 NRA Show (May 16–19, Chicago, Booth #5829), bringing together AI ordering, voice-commerce, accessibility compliance, and payments vendors including URway Holdings and Pyramid Computer under one roof. (PR Newswire)

- PAX Technology unveiled its SK900 self-ordering kiosk—running Android 16 with up to a 21.5-inch display—and PCI PTS 7-certified PIN pad payment devices purpose-built for restaurant environments, both debuting at the 2026 NRA Show. (PRWeb)

- Cornell Hotel Administration professor Bruce Tracey introduced Hospitality Fluency™, a new framework giving organizations measurable tools to assess and strengthen human interaction quality as AI and automation spread through the guest experience. (GlobeNewsWire)

- Hotel Equities CEO Ben Rafter told Skift that record RevPAR has failed to restore owner margins, and that the firm's new HE Labs innovation division is stress-testing AI-powered labor scheduling and back-office automation as the industry's most viable route to profitability. (Skift)

- Papa Johns is partnering with Alphabet's Wing to launch drone delivery of sandwiches in parts of Charlotte, North Carolina, marking the first collaboration between Wing and a national QSR brand. ([Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/wing-papa-johns-pizza-delivery-drones-north-carolina/819915/))

- McLane, one of the largest restaurant supply distributors, is expanding autonomous truck runs between Dallas and Houston using Aurora Innovation's driverless technology, with additional restaurant-focused routes planned for later this year. ([NRN](https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-delivery/papa-johns-is-the-latest-chain-to-test-drone-delivery))

- Marc Lore's Wonder unveiled "Wonder Create," a platform that uses AI to let anyone design and launch a restaurant brand in under a minute, handling naming, branding, pricing, recipes, and health information automatically. ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/05/marc-lore-says-that-ai-will-soon-enable-anyone-open-a-restaurant/))

- Dishio raised a $2.5 million seed round at a $20 million valuation to expand its AI-powered guest data platform that unifies customer information across POS, loyalty, reservations, and ordering systems to help restaurants drive repeat visits. ([Restaurant Technology News](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2026/05/dishio-raises-2-5-million-to-help-restaurants-turn-guest-data-into-repeat-revenue/))

- Papa Johns' CMO discussed the chain's work with Google Cloud on AI, recent marketing co-op restructuring, and a new Toy Story promotional tie-up aimed at driving cultural relevance. ([Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/papa-johns-cmo-on-driving-cultural-relevance-with-a-toy-story-tie-up/819568/))

- Lavu published its 2026 Restaurant POS AI Capabilities Report, finding that most major POS platforms lack cross-system intelligence and only operate on single-source data, leaving multi-unit operators with blind spots in labor and profitability. ([Restaurant Technology News](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2026/05/lavu-publishes-restaurant-pos-ai-capabilities-report-finding-most-platforms-lack-cross-system-intelligence/))

- Wonder CEO Marc Lore announced plans to launch an AI tool by year-end that lets anyone — from influencers to nonprofits — design and launch a restaurant brand in under a minute, operating through Wonder's 120 programmable cooking platforms. ([PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/restaurant-technology/2026/wonder-develops-ai-and-infrastructure-to-automate-restaurant-launches/))

- Branch launched TipCalc, an automated tip pooling and cashless payout solution that integrates with POS systems to eliminate manual spreadsheets at close, with nightly distributions pushed automatically — even on weekends and holidays. ([Restaurant Technology News](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2026/05/branch-launches-tipcalc-to-automate-tip-pooling-and-cashless-payouts-for-restaurants-and-reduce-errors-at-close/))

- Toast reported $1.63 billion in Q1 2026 revenue, up 22% year-over-year, reaching 171,000 restaurant locations and raising its full-year profit outlook, while unveiling Toast IQ Grow — an AI marketing agent that automates personalized guest re-engagement campaigns as part of 20-plus new product releases. (NRN)

- Dunkin', Arby's, and Sonic parent Inspire Brands confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO, with backer Roark Capital reportedly seeking a roughly $20 billion valuation on the 33,300-location, six-brand operator generating $33.4 billion in annual system sales. (NRN)

- Wendy's beat Q1 2026 analyst estimates, crediting FreshAI automated drive-thru ordering now live at 160-plus locations, with digital sales reaching 11% of revenue and its loyalty program growing 25% year-over-year to 46 million members. (NRN)

- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched what it calls hospitality's first native ChatGPT integration, letting travelers search and book across 8,400-plus properties through conversational AI inside OpenAI's platform — adding to its existing Anthropic and Google AI partnerships. (Hotel News Resource)

- Richtech Robotics and SoundHound AI signed a letter of intent to integrate conversational voice AI into Richtech's service robots, with a live voice-enabled robotic beverage demo set to debut at the NRA Show in Chicago, May 16–19. (Restaurant Technology News)

- Wendy's beat Q1 2026 estimates with adjusted EPS of $0.12, crediting FreshAI automated drive-thru ordering now live at 160-plus locations; digital sales reached 11% of revenue and the loyalty program grew 25% year-over-year to 46 million members, as the chain unveiled its "Project Fresh" turnaround plan centered on a new restaurant design built around digital ordering and delivery. (NRN)

- Dunkin', Arby's, and Sonic parent Inspire Brands confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO seeking roughly a $20 billion valuation, looking to raise nearly $2 billion for its 33,300-restaurant, six-brand portfolio with $33.4 billion in annual system sales. (NRN)

- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched the hospitality industry's first native ChatGPT app, letting travelers search and book across 8,400-plus properties using conversational AI and map-based navigation directly inside OpenAI's platform—following its 2025 Anthropic Claude integration and ahead of a planned Google AI Mode rollout. (Hotel News Resource)

- Applebee's and IHOP parent Dine Brands opened 24 new units in Q1 2026—more than double last year's pace—and is using its growing fleet of dual-brand locations as live test beds for new POS technology, guest service programming, and menu innovation before broader systemwide rollout. (Restaurant Dive)

- A new Uberall benchmark report finds 83% of QSR locations are effectively absent from AI-generated restaurant recommendations, warning that as consumers shift discovery from traditional search to AI assistants, the window to close that gap is narrowing fast. (BusinessWire)

- McDonald's reported Q1 2026 results beating expectations, with same-store sales up 3.8% and loyalty-program spending topping $9 billion for the quarter, driven by digital ordering, value-focused menus, and the viral Big Arch burger. (NRN)

- IHG Hotels & Resorts announced it is adding a natural-language search tool to its website and app—developed with Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic—while posting Q1 global RevPAR growth of 4.4% and arguing structured content readiness will be its edge over competitors in AI-driven hospitality search. (Skift)

- SoundHound AI reported record Q1 revenue of $44.2 million, up 52% year-over-year, with restaurants among the fastest-growing segments as drive-thru locations using its voice AI are generating measurably higher revenue than non-AI counterparts. (GlobeNewswire)

- A May 7 analysis examines how modern POS systems are redefining restaurant leadership, giving general managers real-time visibility into table status, service bottlenecks, and menu performance from a single screen rather than relying on end-of-shift reports. (NewsAnyway)

- Restaurant Brands International beat Q1 2026 estimates with system-wide sales up 6.2% year-over-year; Burger King US drove 5.8% same-store sales growth via its Reclaim the Flame digital and kitchen-tech investments, while Tim Hortons extended its streak to 20 consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales. (NRN)

- Wonder CEO Marc Lore unveiled Wonder Create at the WSJ Future of Everything conference — an AI tool that generates a full restaurant brand (name, menu, pricing, recipes) from a text prompt in under a minute and instantly deploys it across Wonder's 120 automated kitchen locations. (PYMNTS)

- OpenTable launched its inaugural Restaurant Awards in Melbourne, Australia, celebrating the city's dining scene across three tech-enabled categories — critic-curated Icons, peer-voted Industry Choice, and diner-voted People's Choice — with winners surfaced directly on the booking platform. (Hospitality Technology)

- Guestologie, a new restaurant technology company, publicly launched its AI-powered guest intelligence platform after operating in stealth with enterprise partners including Earls Kitchen + Bar, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Red Robin, and Hawksmoor across nearly 100 locations in North America and the UK. The platform uses machine learning to identify high-value guests the moment they arrive and delivers real-time, personalized briefings to floor staff without requiring a new app or loyalty overhaul. (GlobeNewswire)

- GMEX Robotics received its first deployment order for its Bon Vivant 3.0 automated cooking systems, valued at approximately AU$504,000, from a leading Australian hospitality group under a broader AU$4.2 million contract for at least 50 intelligent kitchen robotics units across the group's venues. The AI-driven platform integrates sensors and programmable cooking workflows to reduce labor intensity and scale food preparation, with delivery expected before June 30, 2026. (GlobeNewswire)

- Wonder founder Marc Lore unveiled Wonder Create, an AI tool that lets anyone — from food entrepreneurs to social media influencers — design and launch a restaurant brand in under a minute from a single text prompt, with the AI generating the name, branding, recipes, and pricing automatically. The virtual brands go live across Wonder's 120 tech-enabled kitchen locations, which Lore plans to expand to 400 sites. (TechCrunch)

- First Watch reported Q1 2026 revenue up 17% to $331 million, driven in part by a digital marketing push that expanded to roughly 75% of its 648 restaurants — up from one-third of locations in 2025 — with the chain citing positive ROI in both newly enrolled and established markets. Same-restaurant sales grew 2.8% and the company reiterated full-year sales growth guidance of 12–14%. (NRN)

- Portillo's reported a Q1 2026 net loss as higher commodity, labor, and operating costs offset 3.5% revenue growth, with comparable sales slipping 0.1% and operating income falling 57% to $4.5 million. The chain also announced the departure of CFO Michelle Hook, effective immediately, with the board beginning a search for a successor. (Restaurant Dive)

- Wonder, the multibrand "mealtime platform" behind Grubhub, Blue Apron, and 100+ delivery-focused food halls, hired Antonio Silveira as chief technology officer, tapping the former CTO of Attentive and Nextdoor to help scale its tech stack toward a planned 2027 IPO. Silveira joins May 18 as the company's third CTO and brings direct experience guiding Nextdoor and GoDaddy through their public offerings. (NRN)

- Toast joined the Alliance Partner Program of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, becoming the recommended POS provider—hardware, software, and payments—for the independent hotel brand's 625+ member properties in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Canada. The deal extends Toast's hospitality footprint and reflects accelerating demand for restaurant-grade POS in hotel food-and-beverage operations. (Digital Transactions)

- Dairy Queen is expanding its Presto-powered voice AI ordering system to franchisees across 25+ U.S. states and Canadian provinces after a corporate pilot that achieved 90% order accuracy, with the chain aiming to eventually cover all ~3,000 North American drive-thrus. Human monitors remain on every AI-generated order as Dairy Queen targets 99%+ accuracy before broader rollout. (Restaurant Dive)

- Yum Brands reported Q1 2026 earnings showing its proprietary Byte by Yum AI platform helped drive digital sales to $11 billion and a record 63% digital mix, with Taco Bell UK becoming the first international market to roll out Byte's full digital ordering and Smart Ops bundles. (PYMNTS)

- White Castle announced a partnership with Automated Retail Technologies to deploy 1,000 Crave & Go automated kiosks in airports, hospitals, and corporate campuses nationwide, with early installations already generating strong consumer engagement and positive feedback. (Restaurant Dive)

- Nation's Restaurant News released its 2026 Power List spotlighting 34 restaurant founders — including leaders from Raising Cane's, Jersey Mike's, Panda Express, and Zaxby's — who are driving innovation across marketing, operations, and unit growth while still playing prominent roles in their companies. (NRN)

- New PYMNTS research found that loyalty programs now drive nearly two-thirds of restaurant delivery decisions, intensifying a battle between restaurants and third-party platforms over customer data ownership and direct relationship-building. (PYMNTS)

- The Industry Group and Kiosk Association announced a comprehensive technology showcase for the NRA Show 2026 (May 16-19, Chicago), featuring next-gen self-order kiosks from Pyramid Computer, ADA-compliant screen-reading tech from Vispero, and natural-language voice-ordering systems from URway. (PRNewswire)

- McDonald's US CIO Valerie Ashbaugh has departed the company after five years, with Mustafa Husain — former VP of restaurant technology engineering who led innovation on the global restaurant platform — stepping into the role effective May 1. (Restaurant Dive)

- Marc Lore's food technology and delivery startup Wonder is preparing for a 2027 IPO, with the company on track to operate 200 restaurants by the end of 2026 while expanding its AI-powered personalization, drone delivery, and kitchen automation capabilities. (Retail Technology Innovation Hub)

- McDonald's is bringing beverage specialists into its restaurants ahead of the May 6 national rollout of its first-ever lineup of refreshers and crafted sodas under the McCafe brand, a move that signals growing operational complexity in tech-enabled beverage programs. (Restaurant Dive)

- Lavu CEO Saleem Khatri warned the restaurant industry about rampant "AI-washing," noting that vendors are rebranding existing tools as AI-powered without meaningful changes and that most early restaurant AI pilots have failed to deliver measurable ROI. (Restaurant Technology News)

- Shake Shack unveiled Project Catalyst, a multi-year technology initiative partnering with Qu for cloud-native POS and kitchen systems, launching the chain's first-ever loyalty program, and expanding AI capabilities as it targets growth to 1,500 company-operated locations. (Restaurant Technology News)

- Wyndham is pitching AI as the antidote to hotel margin squeeze, with CEO Geoff Ballotti highlighting AI-powered voice agents and tools that boost ancillary revenue and cut costs, offsetting rising labor and distribution expenses across its franchise network. (Skift)

- Chipotle reported Q1 revenue growth of 7.4% to $3.1 billion, with digital sales reaching $1.2 billion (38.6% of total), as the chain rolls out AI-powered digital makeline displays and high-efficiency equipment to nearly 2,000 locations by year-end. (Fast Casual)

- OpenTable launched a U.S. Restaurant Ambassador Council of 20 chefs, operators, and hospitality leaders across 17 cities to provide insider insights and shape the platform's direction. (NRN)

- Domino's CEO Russell Weiner said the chain expects to gain market share as competitors including Papa Johns and Pizza Hut close more stores, following a Q1 that saw U.S. same-store sales grow just 0.9% amid macro headwinds. (Restaurant Dive)

- NRN reported that America is losing independent restaurants at an accelerating pace, with the segment facing mounting pressure from rising costs, labor shortages, and intensifying competition from well-capitalized chains. (NRN)

- The AI Hospitality Alliance (AIHA), a new independent platform founded by Ira Vouk, launched to unify the hospitality industry's fragmented approach to AI by connecting hoteliers, tech vendors, researchers, and investors in a single ecosystem for education, research, and collaboration. (Hotel News Resource)

- Hilton is revamping its technology strategy with a ChatGPT-powered app and platform overhaul, strengthening its approach to pricing, distribution, and guest engagement as part of a broader push to consolidate its tech stack. (Skift)

- Social media and AI referrals are reshaping how travelers across Asia discover and book travel, with TikTok dominating discovery for younger travelers and even a $1 price difference proving enough to push loyal customers to rival booking channels. (Skift)

- Wingstop reported Q1 results showing domestic same-store sales fell 8.7%, but highlighted its Smart Kitchen technology driving 10% more orders meeting ticket time targets and plans to nationally roll out its Club Wingstop loyalty program and Order Ready Tracker by end of Q2. (NRN)

- Legacy IT infrastructure is emerging as a critical reputational risk for hotels, with outdated systems increasingly unable to support modern guest expectations around digital check-in, personalized service, and real-time communication. (Hotel Technology News)

- Papa Johns launched "Lou AI," an AI-powered pizza assistant built on Google Cloud's Food Ordering agent, designed to streamline group ordering by anticipating preferences and guiding users to decisions without endless menu scrolling. (NRN)

- Square unveiled "Managerbot," a free AI agent in open beta that automates daily operational tasks like sales summaries, inventory alerts, and staffing insights for food-and-beverage, retail, and beauty sellers. (PYMNTS)

- A new analysis from Access Hospitality warns that outdated, fragmented IT systems are a growing reputational risk for hotels, with staff losing an estimated 286 hours per year switching between incompatible platforms. (Hotel Technology News)

- DerbySoft published a cost model showing AI-driven voice automation can significantly cut hotel outreach costs by replacing labor-based calling workflows with outcome-based pricing. (Hotel News Resource)

- A deep dive into direct booking strategy argues that hotels using a unified PMS are better positioned to reclaim revenue from OTAs, with direct reservations now generating over 60% more revenue per booking than third-party channels. (Hotel News Resource)

- Domino's reported Q1 2026 earnings that missed forecasts, with U.S. same-store sales growth of just 0.9%, and lowered its full-year outlook citing consumer uncertainty and inflation — but highlighted its relaunched app and Pizza Tracker with AI-driven ready-time predictions as a bright spot for driving repeat orders. (NRN)

- Yum Brands showcased how its internal tech platform Collider enables cross-brand collaboration on value strategy, with Habit Burger & Grill tapping Taco Bell's data-driven playbook to build its own value offer at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. (NRN)

- Hotels are increasingly embedding AI and IoT across operations — from automated check-in and predictive maintenance to dynamic pricing — while keeping the technology invisible to guests, according to Hotel News Resource's industry roundup. (Hotel News Resource)

- NRN's 2026 Top 500 data revealed that 46 restaurant chains now operate 1,000-plus domestic locations, with Zaxby's, Culver's, and Dutch Bros joining the club, as chains lean on tech-enabled scale advantages while independent restaurant counts shrink by 2.3%. (NRN)

- The Drinks Business reported that AI tools are gaining traction in hospitality wine sales — helping staff with pairing recommendations and inventory optimization — but industry leaders stressed that human sommeliers remain essential for the guest experience. (The Drinks Business)

- Flytrex and Little Caesars launched drone delivery capable of carrying two large pizzas and drinks in a single trip, with the new Sky2 drone supporting up to 8.8 pounds and a four-mile range, averaging 4.5 minutes from takeoff to delivery. (DroneDJ)

- A federal appeals court limited the NLRB's power to impose bargaining orders on hospitality employers, ruling that the agency cannot force union recognition without a formal election, a decision with significant implications for restaurant and hotel operators. (Total Food Service)

- As restaurants rethink kitchen workflow and food safety, walk-in coolers and freezers are taking on a more strategic role in kitchen design, influencing everything from layout to how food moves through production and service. (Total Food Service)

- McDonald's SVP and U.S. CIO Valerie Ashbaugh is departing the company, with Mustafa Husain, former VP of restaurant technology engineering, stepping into the role starting May 1 as the chain continues its IT modernization push. (CIO Dive)

- Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Jack in the Box and other major chains have been closing stores at an accelerating pace, with analysts calling the wave an inevitable market correction driven by years of dwindling traffic and mounting cost pressures in an overcrowded restaurant landscape. (Restaurant Dive)

- Hotel operators are widening both demand sources and revenue channels, with sports-related travel gaining importance across U.S. markets and continued adoption of largely unseen AI and IoT tools to support operations and service delivery. (Hotel News Resource)

- Block and Uber expanded their global partnership, bringing Square's Uber Eats integration to six new markets including Canada, Australia, and the UK, while launching Cash App Pay on Uber Eats and Uber in the US — giving restaurant operators a more unified commerce and payment stack. (PYMNTS)

- White Castle partnered with Automated Retail Technologies to deploy 1,000 Crave & Go hot-food kiosks in non-traditional venues including hospitals, campuses, and workplaces, marking the chain's largest push into automated off-premises retail. (Restaurant Dive)

- Technomic experts on the closing day of the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix warned that GLP-1 drug adoption, Middle East-driven gas prices topping $4 a gallon, and the new USDA food pyramid are reshaping consumer demand and should inform restaurant menu and messaging strategy for H2 2026. (NRN)

- Food & Hospitality Asia 2026 launched its inaugural FutureFWD technology showcase at Singapore EXPO, featuring AI-assisted service, robotic kitchen automation, biometric payments, and smart POS demonstrations from over 2,750 global exhibitors. (PR Newswire)

- Mews launched Business Intelligence, a native AI-powered analytics product giving hoteliers live dashboards for revenue, occupancy, and bookings across their portfolio. (PR Newswire)

- The Industry Group and Kiosk Association previewed their NRA Show 2026 exhibit, spotlighting AI ordering, MyCheckr age verification, and Intel-powered edge infrastructure for unified restaurant operating systems. (PR Newswire)

- SiteMinder rolled out new capabilities enabling AI-driven direct bookings and OTA pathways across its 53,000 hotels in 150 countries. (Hotel News Resource)

- Modern Restaurant Management warned that the emerging "$28 burger" signals unsustainable menu economics and pricing fatigue across casual dining. (MRM)

- An Amadeus study found 2026 travelers want personalization, mental-wellness features, and sustainability, while balancing AI-driven service efficiency with human interaction. (Hotel News Resource)

- Denny's named Christopher Bode president and CEO and unveiled "Project Grand Slam," a 24-month turnaround plan focused on culinary innovation, digital transformation, and operational excellence. (NRN)

- Quantiiv launched ROGER, an AI agent platform that acts as a virtual restaurant executive — pulling data from POS, finance, and ops systems to deliver plain-language recommendations across 650+ locations including Duck Donuts. (Restaurant Magazine)

- Leeds-based One Touch struck a partnership to deploy its Millie voice-AI ordering and booking system across Foodhub for Business's network of 30,000 restaurant venues in the UK and US. (TheBusinessDesk)

- Hospitality tech startups pulled in over $1B across 40 companies in the past year, with property management systems and AI-led guest platforms capturing the biggest share, per Abode Worldwide's 2026 index. (Hotel News Resource)

- PAR Technology and Square have launched AI agent systems that autonomously handle restaurant tasks like marketing campaigns and employee scheduling, marking a shift beyond traditional chatbots. (NRN)

- Restaurant chains including Panera Bread and Shipley Donuts are rolling out tax-season promotions, with deals running April 10-15 to drive traffic ahead of Tax Day. (NRN)

- Value menus have emerged as the top driver of visit frequency for quick-service diners, with promotional pricing serving as the primary motivator for repeat visits. (NRN)

- Dave's Hot Chicken and Chipotle are testing drone delivery that completes orders in minutes versus 15+ by car, though regulatory and cost hurdles remain before widespread adoption. (Restaurant Business)

- Deliverect launched a digital workforce of autonomous AI agents across 95,000+ restaurant locations that rewrite menus in real time, resolve tech issues, and boosted KFC sales 118% in a pilot. (Deliverect)

- Square and MarketMan unveiled Square Restaurant Inventory AI solution with ingredient-level forecasting capabilities. (PYMNTS, published April 2, 2026)

- BPA POS published guide on restaurant point-of-sale systems with online ordering integration for delivery platforms. (BPA POS Blog, published April 7, 2026)

- Modern Restaurant Management covered competitive advantages in QSR using better data signal and analytics. (Modern Restaurant Management, published April 12, 2026)

- Yum\! Brands' Byte Platform expanding globally with AI-driven unified ordering, POS, kitchen operations, inventory and labor management. (QSR Magazine, published March-April 2026)

- AI agent and predictive technology emerging as central nervous system for restaurant operations in 2026. (Multiple sources, April 2026)

- Shake Shack unveils Project Catalyst, a comprehensive tech strategy featuring new point-of-sale and kitchen display systems with integrated AI capabilities designed to streamline daily operations. (Nation's Restaurant News)

- Yum! Brands' Byte Platform, an AI-driven ecosystem unifying digital ordering, point-of-sale, kitchen operations, and inventory management, expands globally with major deployments planned for the UK and Australia in 2026. (QSR Magazine)

- Eight in 10 restaurant operators say technology provides a competitive advantage, with 60% planning technology investments specifically to enhance customer experience in 2026. (QSR Magazine)

- Olo Inc. partners with Zipline to integrate drone delivery capabilities into its platform, launching early 2026 to expand restaurant delivery options. (QSR Magazine)

- San Francisco leads U.S. hotel markets in performance gains for February 2026, buoyed by major events, while new hospitality venues like Olde Naples Hotel bring rooftop amenities and expanded dining options. (Skift)

- The FAA is recruiting video gamers to address a critical shortage of air traffic controllers. Avid players have emerged as a target demographic for federal agencies, including the military and DHS, who value the fast reflexes, spatial awareness, and ability to manage multiple streams of information that gamers develop. The approach reflects a broader shift in government hiring strategies as agencies compete with the private sector for tech-savvy talent. (New York Times)

- Deliverect launches an autonomous AI workforce that rewrites digital menus, detects revenue-threatening issues, and automates tasks for 95,000+ restaurant locations including KFC and Burger King. (QSR Web)

- Chili's surpasses Olive Garden to become the second-largest US casual dining chain with $5.5B in sales, a 20.6% jump achieved without opening a single new restaurant. (NRN)

- ezCater unveils a full rebrand, signaling its shift from a catering marketplace to an enterprise workplace food platform serving hospitals, universities, and distribution centers. (Foodservice Director)

- Real-time AI dashboards are replacing weekly reports at restaurant chains, letting managers instantly optimize staffing, inventory, and menu decisions from consolidated data. (Modern Restaurant Management)

- Marco's Pizza signs a 12-unit franchise deal in Southern California as the chain accelerates its West Coast expansion strategy. (NRN)

- Toast acquires a new POS startup for $50M, expanding its platform into the catering and events space. (TechCrunch)

- Uber Eats launches AI-powered menu optimization tools for independent restaurant owners. (Nation's Restaurant News)

- OpenTable integrates with Google Wallet, enabling tap-to-reserve directly at the table. (The Verge)

- Square reports 30% year-over-year growth in restaurant sector amid digital ordering surge. (Reuters)

- DoorDash begins testing drone delivery in three US cities with plans to expand nationwide in Q3. (Bloomberg)