Continue to Site >>>

Tech Check

Joe Guszkowski

Senior Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski looks at the week’s technology trends and news, examining the continued influx of new technologies into restaurants, including mobile ordering, delivery, artificial intelligence, virtual brands, ghost kitchens and robotics.

Technology

Which restaurant brand is the GOAT at social media?

 By Joe Guszkowski on Jun. 01, 2026

Tech Check: A look at restaurant activity on X.com yields some surprising results, including an argument for posting less.

Technology

At Starbucks, pen and paper beats AI

 By Joe Guszkowski on May 26, 2026

Tech Check: Despite promising early results, the coffee chain is ditching its AI inventory system. It’s the latest example of how AI is falling short for restaurants.

Technology

Restaurants aren't buying the AI hype

By Joe Guszkowski on May 20, 2026

Tech Check: Operators saw plenty of AI at the National Restaurant Association Show this week, not all of it useful. Some said they’d rather build their own tools than buy from a vendor.

Technology

Texas Roadhouse, tech giant?

By Joe Guszkowski on May 11, 2026

Tech Check: The casual-dining chain known for hot rolls and line dancing has been quietly weaving more tech into its operations. It’s a study in how to modernize gracefully.

Technology

Why restaurant loyalty is stuck

By Joe Guszkowski on May 05, 2026

Tech Check: A loyalty strategy is now viewed as a must for restaurant brands. But many operators feel their programs are falling short, a new report finds.

Technology

6 restaurant tech takeaways from RLC

By Joe Guszkowski on Apr. 27, 2026

Tech Check: Fail faster, know thy customer, give your voice bot space, and other lessons from the annual leadership event.

AI Menus Partnered Content Series

ChatGPT will (almost) feed you now

By Joe Guszkowski on Apr. 21, 2026

Tech Check: Starbucks and Little Caesars are betting customers will use the chatbot to help them order. They may be solutions in search of a problem.

Technology

Ex-Starbucks staffers launch an AI analyst you can email

By Joe Guszkowski on Apr. 13, 2026

Tech Check: Quantiiv’s first product is ROGER, a bot designed to help restaurants make data-driven decisions. For one customer, “he’s literally replaced having a data analyst.”

Technology

Food delivery turns the K-shaped economy on its head

By Joe Guszkowski on Apr. 06, 2026

Tech Check: Data shows that lower-income consumers are ordering the most delivery, even as they pull back from restaurants overall. Here’s why that might be, and what it means for operators.

Technology

The making of a drive-thru record

By Joe Guszkowski on Mar. 31, 2026

Tech Check: Almost 25 years ago, a McDonald’s in Cheyenne, Wyoming, served more than 400 cars in a single hour, thanks to a singular obsession and some innovative technology.

  • Page 2