Research we released this week puts McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell on top for restaurant tech experience. That's one finding from our "2025 Restaurant Tech Report" that we called "Fast-Food Friction." The report is based on surveying several hundred Americans about their experiences with QSR technology. We found that 80% of customers say technology influences where they choose to eat. We also found that: - 80% of customers encounter issues with self-service kiosks - Only 23% say payment systems work consistently - Some good news: AI drive-thrus show promise (2/3 say they had good experiences) ... but so far only about 15% have experienced them. Consistency is a common thread that separates McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell from everyone else. Consistent execution across thousands of locations, which itself reinforces the promise of "fast-food:" you know what to expect, whether it's the speed, the menu, the quality. When technology supports those expectations, brands benefit with higher revenues (and lower service costs too). Behind every smooth QSR experience are dozens of remote devices and connected products that have to work together. Kiosks, digital menu boards, kitchen displays, POS systems, and more. Should one system fail, orders get delayed and customers notice. Staff get frustrated and distracted from their job. The connected restaurant model depends on every component performing reliably and doing so every single time. Canopy is designed to support these connected restaurant systems, making the restaurant work as intended. More findings in the full report @ goCanopy: gocanopy.com/report/2025-res…

This Claude-powered office vending machine experiment done between @AnthropicAI and @WSJ had all sorts of unintended consequences, like ordering PlayStations and the machine turning communist. AI-powered vending may be coming. Fully autonomous agentic vending? Not yet.

Amazon Pharmacy has released their "kiosk vending machines" into the wild. How do these machines work and what does it take to keep them working? Our latest 💊 gocanopy.com/news-insights/a…

A few years ago, it was hip to call yourself a “tech company that happens to sell food”. In reality, it was a clever marketing ploy to juice Wall Street valuations. McD is running infrastructure some startups only dream of. These Google Edge Cloud rack are just one tiny slice of our stack. I’d be shocked if any competitor on Earth runs more tech than @McDonalds.

Have you heard the phrase "slop bowl"? Chipotle, Cava, Naya, Sweetgreen, Just Salad, and many other restaurants serve up bowl-based, made-to-order meals. And because they combine [whatever ingredients the customer wants] into a bowl, the result is a mash-up reminiscent of ... slop. Terminology aside, behind the concept is a restaurant business model popularized by Subway that's now a high-tech op, e.g.: 1/ "Digital makelines" (Chipotle) handle online orders separately from in-person 2/ tech tracks ingredient levels and freshness (Cava) 3/ connected POS systems sync inventory 4/ robots even get involved in some cases (Sweetgreen) A lot goes into making made-to-order meals work, whatever the name. A closer look in the latest from Canopy. 🥗 gocanopy.com/news-insights/s…

Chick-fil-a's only, first of its kind vending machine is in Georgia. Here's where savannahnow.com/story/news/2…

🎯 @QSRmagazine: "80% of customers have encountered issues with self-service kiosks, and 76% have experienced payment system failures [disrupting] service in the moment. In the long-term, they erode trust and damage brands." qsrmagazine.com/story/why-qs…

Wingstop customers were unhappy with long wait times. Wingstop employees were unhappy with managing surges in orders. So Wingstop turned to making their kitchens "smart" with the "Wingstop Smart Kitchen." The results have been ... well ... hot🌶️🦬🪽: gocanopy.com/news-insights/w…

Running a business means getting hit from every angle—food costs, remodels, tech upgrades, and endless mandated fees. I thought digital menu boards would cut costs vs. printed POP. Instead: • POP costs never dropped • $75K to install • $30K to replace after 6 years Today’s hit: one store with 16-month-old boards needs new media players. Why? Stratacache is no longer approved. Price tag: $9K. And my certified internal techs? Not allowed to install. Forced install fee: $3K—for a job we already do in half a day. The hidden costs of doing business are real. What has hit you lately?