Consumer Marketing News, Views, and Reviews: September 2022

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup for franchise consumer marketers. Whether Covid is finally behind us or another surge awaits, the changes it brought are here to stay and businesses will be adjusting for years to come. If you have news items, trends, reports, or studies you think will be useful to CMOs and our other franchise consumer marketing readers looking to navigate the new future, please forward them our way! And now, the news…

…ON THE TECH SIDE

Panera Tests AI in the Drive-Thru in Partnership with OpenCity

Robot Cooks Are Rapidly Making Their Way into Restaurant Kitchens

How Robots Are Advancing the Pizza Industry 

International Domino's Franchisee Explores Pizza Automation 

Bellabot Robot Cat Server Now Helping Customers at Restaurants in NYC

Digital Sales Drive Performance at Burger King and Tim Hortons

Everything You Need To Know About A/B Testing (Adobe)

Salted, a Digital Native Restaurant Company, Blends Ghost Kitchen and Brick-&-Mortar

…IN THE MARKETPLACE

Jack In The Box Hikes Menu Prices 9.7% To Counter Slowdown, Inflation

Restaurant Reputations Held for Ransom by Fake One-Star Reviewers

Restaurants Are in a Perfect Storm, But Solutions Abound

Germany’s Plant-Based Fast Food Is Years Ahead of the U.S.

Restaurant Meals Become a Relative Bargain as Grocery Prices Soar

New “Dunkin’ Rewards” Program Coming to California Before National Launch

McDonald’s Asked Food Bloggers To Decide on the Taste of a Special Regional Burger

Isle of Wight Restaurant Ditches Plant-Based Dishes Citing “Holier Than Thou” Vegans

McDonald’s Considers Chicken Big Mac for U.S Following U.K. & Miami Intro

Can We Finally Kill Off Cheap, Disposable Conference Swag?