Inside Papa Johns’ POS Pivot
From selecting and installing a new POS to piloting an AI-powered Google Cloud Food Ordering Agent, Papa Johns is embracing technology transformation in 2026. HT caught up with Chief Digital and Technology Officer Kevin Vasconi to discuss the strategy behind the brand’s Q1 headlines. Build vs. Buy For more than two decades, Papa Johns relied […]
The hot new restaurant tech trend: AI agents
PAR and Square this week unveiled AI tools that can do things on operators’ behalf, like run marketing campaigns and draft employee schedules. They’re part of a new wave of AI aimed at supercharging productivity. Here come the AI restaurant agents. This week, two large restaurant tech suppliers, PAR Technology and Square, unveiled AI products […]
PAR Technology launches PAR Intelligence AI Platform for multi-unit operators
PAR Technology Corp. has launched PAR Intelligence, an artificial intelligence layer designed to automate operational tasks for multi-unit restaurant and retail operators, according to a press release. The system functions as an integrated layer across the company’s existing product ecosystem rather than a standalone tool. According to the company, the platform utilizes two decades of […]
Why Restaurants Want Their Customers Back From Delivery Platforms
The delivery app pitch for small and midsize restaurants was simple: more orders, less friction. And delivery platforms first positioned themselves as restaurant partners. They came in with high-tech platforms that individual operators wouldn’t have been able to stand up on their own. These platforms aggregated demand, standardized ordering interfaces, and solved the notoriously complex […]
Papa Johns Thinks the Next Great Pizza Topping Is Software
Quick-service restaurants operate in a tough environment. Margins are tight, labor is scarce, and customer expectations continue to rise. For large brands, technology and digital capabilities increasingly shape how they can compete and grow. “I think data is probably our greatest resource next to our people,” Kevin Vasconi, chief digital and technology officer at Papa […]
PAR Technology Launches AI-Powered Product Suite
The unified AI intelligence layer was designed to eliminate complexity while accelerating personalization, efficiency and revenue growth. PAR Technology has announced the launch of PAR Retail Drive AI, an AI-powered product suite designed to equip c-store retailers with real-time insights, agentic automation and strategic decision-making. The full product suite is powered by PAR AI, PAR’s […]
Next-gen restaurant tech: practical, profitable, and back-of-house focused
Over the past several years, restaurant technology strategy has been largely dominated by omnichannel flexibility and customer-facing tools like loyalty programs and voice AI. Now the focus is shifting as operators build second- and third-generation tech stacks with an emphasis on efficiency, growth, and return on investment. This shift is highlighted in the 2026 Restaurant […]
Smart loyalty: How AI and Personalization are changing the game
Adding some magic to restaurant programs Restaurant loyalty used to mean punch cards and loyalty accounts tied to mystery digits you couldn’t remember. Then came the apps, the logins, and the codes to scan. Now, the real opportunity is integrating loyalty into every guest touchpoint and using AI-powered personalization to make it feel effortless. Whether […]
