Restaurant News Roundup: March 2018

Industry news didn’t disappoint in the month of March. We read and learned about more consumer trends, more off-premise expansion for big name brands, bestselling product launches and as usual, technology was a key topic in most articles.

Applebee’s Improves To-Go Experience Nationwide

Casual dining leader, Applebee’s announced that it launched an improved to-go experience AND for a limited time, guests can get a nice coupon on their online or mobile orders. This new and improved to-go experience is aimed at helping position Applebee’s to be more competitive in off-premised dining and help them to expand their base business. To no surprise, they’ve had to invest in technology platforms to create these off-premise revenue channels. Per the article, currently to-go sales count for 9 percent of their business and they are hoping that will rise by 18 percent by 2022. Read more about Applebee’s improved to-go experience here.

Aggregating the Aggregators: How Ordermark Makes Digital Ordering Work For Restaurants

Personally, my favorite line from this article: “Online ordering: the asset that’s a burden, the blessing that’s a curse, the “Can’t live with it, can’t live without it” of restaurant life.” What other statement could be truer for restaurant operators today? Ordermark is making online ordering work for restaurants by using aggregators. They pull orders from all mobile platforms, of which according to this article, there are over a hundred. By doing this, they are freeing up the burden of online ordering for operators and allowing them to do what they do best – make great food.

Nacho Fries become bestselling Taco Bell product launch in chain history

Fries from Taco Bell? Who knew! The long-time taco selling brand recently launched their new Nacho Fries and little did they know it would be the best-selling product launch in their history. In just 5 weeks, they sold 53 million orders. Yes, you read that right. 53 million orders! Read more about this successful product launch here.

Guests Can Now Order Denny’s with Amazon Alexa

In order to further expand on their current digital ordering opportunities, Denny’s Corporation launched an Amazon Alexa Skill that will allow consumers to order through voice commands. The skill also allows guests to re-order recent items and provides estimated pick up times. According to the article, in December of 2016, off-premise sales represented 6.6 percent of total sales, but grew to 8.7 percent of total sales in December 2017. Learn more about Denny’s launch of their Alexa Skill here.

UberEats major expansion plans will see app service launch in 100 new cities

Delivery company UberEats is growing and expanding like crazy! They recently announced expansion in 100 new cities around the world adding to their current 200 cities. According to this recent article, it’s estimated that the delivery app market is worth $28b in the new markets Uber is targeting. Read more about their expansion. Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

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About the Author

Amber Mullaney led all things marketing for QSR. A proud Texan native, she graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Public Relations and spent her career in the healthcare industry before making the switch to QSR and beyond, saying she loves a good challenge. Amber has a long list of things she loves, including tacos (especially tacos), sweet tea, Texas, the outdoors, and traveling with her husband and two daughters.