Food On Demand

01/10/2026

Restaurant tech platform Olo just wrapped up its acquisition of Spendgo, the loyalty and guest engagement platform.

With Olo Loyalty, restaurant brands can boost guest engagement and profitability while using Olo’s full suite of ordering, payment, guest data, and marketing tools.

According to Olo, about 65 percent of locations using its platform already run loyalty programs, and many have been asking for a fully integrated solution. By combining loyalty with Olo’s Guest Data Platform, restaurants can create richer guest profiles and deliver personalized experiences—from sign-up to reward redemption to targeted messaging—all in one place.

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Olo Acquires Spendgo to Expand Platform with Loyalty by Bernadette Heier | Dec 22, 2025 | News Briefs Restaurant tech platform Olo just wrapped up its acquisition of Spendgo, the loyalty and guest engagement platform. With Olo Loyalty, restaurant brands can boost guest engagement and profitability w...

01/09/2026

Now that robot kitchen arms are capable of producing multi-course meals autonomously and automated food-dispensing machines occupy airport hubs, it may feel like the future of restaurant technology is already upon us. According to recent market forecasts, though, the era of fully automatic restaurants is merely in its infant stages compared to the massive growth predicted over the next eight years.

The fully automatic restaurant market was valued at $1.9 billion in 2024, according to Dec. 8 insights from Data Horizzon Research. The industry is poised to transform over the coming decade, with a compound annual growth rate of 14.8 percent expected to drive the total market to $6.7 billion by 2033.

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Forecasts Anticipate Transformative Decade Ahead for Fully Automated Restaurant Market by Hans Lammeman | Dec 22, 2025 | News Now that robot kitchen arms are capable of producing multi-course meals autonomously and automated food-dispensing machines occupy airport hubs, it may feel like the future o...

01/08/2026

The food delivery event of the year is back...

Food On Demand Conference is coming to Dallas on May 5. Don't miss three days full of speakers representing leading foodservice brands, engaging in interactive workshops and roundtable discussions, and connecting with industry professionals during exclusive networking opportunities. Register now to secure your spot alongside hundreds of like-minded professionals shaping the future of the industry!

Register Today! Link in Bio

01/08/2026

The Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown and accompanying U.S. Customs and Border Protection raids have impacted industries and communities across the nation throughout the past year, with a flood of recent headlines outlining how the federal initiative has impacted restaurant operators’ off-premises efforts.

In New Orleans, eateries with largely Hispanic customers temporarily closed, as cooks and dishwashers stayed home and delivery drivers sat out shifts, in response to fears of showing up to work, according to Dec. 8 reporting from The New York Times.

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Immigration Crackdown Impacts Restaurant Operations, Delivery Services Nationwide by Hans Lammeman | Dec 22, 2025 | News The Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown and accompanying U.S. Customs and Border Protection raids have impacted industries and communities across the nation throughout ...

01/02/2026

CookUnity, the chef-to-you service delivering meals to customers’ doors, has acquired flavrs, a shoppable-video platform built for food discovery. The move brings video storytelling directly into CookUnity’s ordering experience, giving subscribers a new way to engage with chefs and their food before placing an order.

As short-form video becomes a primary way consumers discover recipes and restaurants, how people decide what to eat is shifting. It’s not just about the dish itself, but the story, craft, and creativity behind it.

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CookUnity Offers a New Video-First Food Ordering Experience by Bernadette Heier | Dec 22, 2025 | News Briefs CookUnity, the chef-to-you service delivering meals to customers’ doors, has acquired flavrs, a shoppable-video platform built for food discovery. The move brings video storytelling directl...

01/01/2026

Happy New Year! Looking back on an incredible year, we’re grateful for a successful FODC and excited for what’s ahead as we look toward FODC 2026.

12/30/2025

Olive Garden, an Italian-American dining chain with nearly 900 locations, announced last month that its signature cheese graters and accompanying Romano cheese blocks are permanently available for delivery and to-go.

The move continues a broader trend of restaurants seeking to offer some of the special aspects of in-house dining to customers who want to enjoy their meals off premises.

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Olive Garden’s New Cheese Grater Deliveries Continue Broader Industry Trend by Hans Lammeman | Dec 18, 2025 | News Olive Garden, an Italian-American dining chain with nearly 900 locations, announced last month that its signature cheese graters and accompanying Romano cheese blocks are permanently ...

12/30/2025

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is entering a new phase of off-premises growth.

The Louisiana-born sports bar brand launched its first formal catering and boxed lunch program in its 22-year history.

“We didn’t just roll this out in November,” said John Hagen, director of culinary at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. “There was extensive testing that went on behind the scenes.”

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Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Launches Digital Catering Platform for First-Time by Bernadette Heier | Dec 17, 2025 | News Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is entering a new phase of off-premises growth. The Louisiana-born sports bar brand launched its first formal catering and boxed lunch program in its ...

12/29/2025

Even amid the frantic foot traffic of students during finals week and enough snowfall to make some drivers uneasy, autonomous robots with winter-ready tires navigate the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus on a mission to deliver food.

Similar to the way students and staff adore a flock of turkeys that live near residential buildings, Starship Technologies robots are quickly earning a spot as campus icons.

“They’ve become part of campus culture,” said Chris Elrod, regional marketing director for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services — the company tasked with overseeing foodservice for the Twin Cities university spanning nearly 1,400 acres with more than 56,000 enrolled students.

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Food-Delivery Robots Navigate Finals Week at University of Minnesota by Hans Lammeman | Dec 17, 2025 | News Even amid the frantic foot traffic of students during finals week and enough snowfall to make some drivers uneasy, autonomous robots with winter-ready tires navigate the University of Minnesot...

12/26/2025

KFC’s spinoff brand Saucy is opening three more locations in Central Florida and rolling out a refreshed menu design.

This comes a little over a year after the concept debuted in Orlando as a modernized hub centered on customizable chicken tenders with 11 signature sauces.

The latest menu update adds a chicken teriyaki bowl, chicken caesar salad, brussels bites, and pastry puffs. The brand says the new offerings deliver “next level customization,” allowing guests to start with their base—tenders, sandwich, rice bowl, or salad—and then mix and match with any of its sauces.

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KFC’s Spin-off Saucy Expands as Younger Diners Fuel Growth by Bernadette Heier | Dec 16, 2025 | News KFC’s spinoff brand Saucy is opening three more locations in Central Florida and rolling out a refreshed menu design. This comes a little over a year after the concept debuted in Orlando as a mod...

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from the team at Food On Demand! 🎄

12/24/2025

Restaurant brands may be employing a slew of strategies to boost sales, but Zaxbys Chief Operating Officer Sharlene Smith said the fundamentals can’t be lost in the shuffle.

“What we’ve really focused on is the experience,” Smith said. “Making sure we’re really delivering our great food faster to the guests and more accurately to the guests, and we’ve made double-digit improvements in those areas. Because when the customer finds you worth spending their hard-earned dollars, they’re going to keep coming in.”

Smith shared her comments during a panel at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, which also featured Revenue Management Solutions CEO John Oakes and Lance Trenary, the CEO of buffet brand Golden Corral.

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Brands Mixing Classic Service With Modern Experience to Win Customers by Matthew Liedke | Dec 19, 2025 | News This article was originally published in Franchise Times, sister publication to Food On Demand. Restaurant brands may be employing a slew of strategies to boost sales, but Zaxbys Chief Opera...