Restaurant News Roundup: September 2017

September was filled with plenty of newsworthy restaurant industry topics. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few but we think you’ll enjoy our choices. Below is a recap of restaurant news that hit the wire in September.

Olo Partners with Amazon Restaurants to Simplify Delivery

Olo will integrate with Amazon Restaurants’ delivery platform to help simplify the delivery-order process for restaurants. Current Olo restaurant users will be added into the Amazon Restaurant system – enabling orders through the delivery provider to go right to the point-of-sale system without having an additional tablet. Restaurants that work with multiple delivery companies typically have different tablets that take order directly from the provider, then the restaurant has to manually input those orders in the POS. This partnership aims to eliminate those extra steps. Read the full story here.

Chili’s to Slash 40% of Menu

Chili’s will introduce a new menu on Sept. 18, that will feature almost 40 percent of its previous menu missing. “The Dallas-based division of Brinker International Inc., said in August that the ‘less is more’ menu would debut this month. The move will cut the menu to 75 items, from the 125 it offered in January.” Chili’s aims to bring back and focus on popular items that they are known for like burgers, ribs and fajitas. Reducing their menu will help improve speed of service and increase sales. Read the full story here.

TGI Fridays to Test Alcohol Delivery in November

TGI Fridays will begin delivering alcohol along with food in Texas, becoming the first restaurant chain to ever send alcohol to a customer’s door. A customer will use TGI Fridays’ app to order food and beer, wine and other liquor from the menu. Once an order is placed, delivery partner Lash, will drive to a local liquor store, pick up the alcohol requested, then head to TGI Fridays to grab the food before heading to the guest’s location. TGI Fridays has seen a 30 percent growth in takeout sales since launching online ordering last summer. Read the full story here.

Is Your Operation Ready to Offer Digital Ordering?

Some independent restaurants have been sitting back waiting to embrace online and mobile ordering, wondering if they need to get into this space and how to get started. Doug Radkey, Industry Expert, says “the answer to that question should be: as soon as possible, but only when your operations are ready for it.” Online and mobile ordering technology will improve guest experiences and streamline operations. “The entire premise of digital ordering is to simplify the ordering sequences, for both the restaurant and the customer.” Read the full story here, to see if your restaurant should embrace digital ordering.

Cracker Barrel to Grow Off-Premise Offerings

Cracker Barrel introduces a platform to support off-premise demands from customers. Consumers continue to rank convenience as a leading factor for choosing where they dine out and what foods they purchase. Diners are looking for meal solutions that offer flexibility and convenience. Cracker Barrel is meeting these needs by rolling out a new off-premise platform that offers meals for small groups of six to 10, or large groups of 18 to 24, that can be ordered online and picked up at the restaurant. Read the full story here. Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

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About the Author

Chrisea Chosta is QSR’s Product Marketing Manager. Chrisea graduated from Western Kentucky University and works to launch new product initiatives and develops product resources. In her spare time, you can find her spending time with family, her chocolate and black labs, and aimlessly walking down every aisle of Target.