Presto Phoenix Inc., which provides a voice AI solution for QSR drive-thrus, has raised $10 million from Remus Capital-affiliated investors and other existing investors. The capital will be used to expand deployments, technology, and customer impact. The round follows Presto's recent integration with Toast and other AI partners including ElevenLabs and Bluejay, and continued expansion of deployments with existing and new QSR customers.
KFC opened a next-generation store format called 'Open House' in McKinney, Texas, on September 27. The 3,400-square-foot restaurant features self-order kiosks, digital menu boards, a dual-lane drive-thru with a dedicated mobile pickup lane, and table service. Operating hours run from 6:00 a.m. to midnight to test breakfast, late-night items, and specialty beverages. Parent KFC Corporation operates more than 30,000 locations globally.
Hospitality Technology's QSR section rounds up restaurant technology developments: Presto raised $10 million to accelerate voice AI; global QSR kiosk deployments head toward 750,000; Presto Voice AI integrates with Toast POS; Omilia's founder discussed scaling voice AI from single-store pilots to 890+ drive-thrus; and Pilot is updating digital ordering and adding kiosks across 900 North American travel centers.
Canopy's 2026 Restaurant Tech Report, based on a national survey of 1,007 U.S. adults, finds 94% of consumers now factor technology into where they dine, up sharply from 80% in 2025. More than a third (37%) abandoned an order entirely due to malfunctioning technology, and 29% changed their ordering method, switched to a competitor, or walked out when confronted with an unexpected digital tip prompt. McDonald's was named the top QSR tech experience provider for a second consecutive year (34%), with Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell rounding out the top three. Only 20% of kiosk users said self-service kiosks work seamlessly every time, unchanged from 2025; consumer exposure to AI drive-thru voice ord…
Hospitality Technology reports that global QSR self-ordering kiosk deployments are forecast to top 750,000 by 2030, up from 450,000 today, with the Americas holding the largest share and the U.S. hosting nearly one-third of all units worldwide. Brands including Portillo's, Qdoba, Bobby's Burgers, WOWorks and Mokas Coffee & Eatery shared practices showing the primary ROI is not labor reduction but higher ticket averages and peak-hour throughput. About 35% of Portillo's dine-in orders come through kiosks, and the chain has made three to five 24-inch kiosks standard in new builds; a Starbucks UK pilot showed 12% higher average transaction value than traditional POS. Operators also stress place…
Simpli.fi released "Whose Cheeseburger Is It?", the debut report in its Loyalty in the Real World series, analyzing billions of anonymized mobile movement and digital intent signals across the top 20 U.S. burger QSR chains over eight weeks to separate "loyalists" (single-chain visitors) from "samplers" (two or more chains). Shake Shack posted a 99% loyalty rate, with Wendy's, Smashburger, Sonic and Steak 'n Shake rounding out the top five. While 61% of burger QSR visitors stick to one brand, 39% are samplers; McDonald's recorded 60% loyalty but the largest customer overlap across every chain, making it the primary target for switcher campaigns.
Pilot Company is installing 156 self-order kiosks across 78 Wendy's locations in its North American travel centers as part of broader digital initiatives. Pilot is a franchisee of several quick-service brands including Arby's and Subway. Gemma Patterson, senior director of restaurant relations and e-commerce at Pilot, said bringing digital platforms into travel centers aims to enhance convenience, improve speed of service and create a more consistent guest experience. HT's 2026 Restaurant Technology Study found the share of operators with "no plans to add kiosks" rose from 52.8% to 68%, though this may reflect a natural shift in the adoption cycle. HT's forthcoming 2026 Guest Engagement Stu…
Post-pandemic, restaurant design is diverging: some brands focus on hyper-efficiency, while others create experience-driven spaces. ChangeUp's survey shows only a few restaurant brands rank in the top 50 for experience, including In-N-Out Burger and Cheba Hut. Cheba Hut maintains large dining rooms emphasizing human interaction, with 60% of sales from in-store. The industry trend suggests restaurants must choose a clear identity to avoid friction from mixing models.
The article discusses how QSR brands balance AI with the human touch in personalization. AI excels at transactional tasks like storing dietary restrictions and predicting reorders, but cannot interpret cultural timing or subtle cues. Over-personalization can feel like surveillance. Citing MoEngage research, journey-based emails have an unsubscribe rate of 0.06% vs 1.49% for broadcasts; behavior-based push notifications have a delivery rate of 93% vs 81% for broadcasts. It suggests brands exercise restraint, using AI for context and humans for personalized moments.