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3 weeks ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier
ClearCOGS, a provider of AI-powered predictive analytics for restaurants, announced its raised $3.8 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round. The investment was led by Closed Loop Partners’ Venture Group, with additional participation from Myriad Venture Partners and Level Up Ventures. The company provides restaurants with accurate daily forecasts to optimize food preparation, ordering, and staffing decisions.
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3 weeks ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier
Golden Corral is adapting to the times. The chain has opened a new fast-causal concept dubbed “Golden Corral Favorites” in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The 4,200 square foot restaurant will serve a pared-down version of the brand’s familiar menu, in a format designed for quicker service and convenience.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier |Outstanding Operators
Cava is a Food On Demand Outstanding Operator. The Mediterranean brand known for its customizable bowls, salads, pitas and grains has been on a growth streak in recent years, now with 360 locations across 26 states. It recently made its Midwest debut in Chicago and has plans to hit 1,000 locations by 2032.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier
DoorDash has partnered with Coco Robotics to launch an autonomous delivery service in Chicago and Los AngelesThis builds on an existing pilot program with Wolt—DoorDash’s international arm, where Coco bots have been making deliveries in Helsinki, Finland, since earlier this year. Customers can check the availability of Coco’s delivery bots and may have one assigned to their order from one of the 600 merchants via the DoorDash app.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier
Chipotle founder Steve Ells is no stranger to shaking things up. His latest venture, Kernel Foods, has just undergone a major makeover. Now rebranded as Counter Service, the New York-based startup has shifted gears to an artisanal, “mostly sandwich” concept. The original Kernel setup offered a plant-based menu and leaned heavily on automation. A custom robotic arm dropped plant-based patties into high-speed ovens, while a centralized kitchen prepped ingredient offsite. But it didn’t quite click.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier |Outstanding Operators
Playa Bowls is a Food On Demand Outstanding Operator. Founded by avid surfers Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor, the brand was inspired by their surf trips to places like Panama, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. There, they discovered unique versions of acai and pitaya bowls. Wanting to bring a taste of these vibrant bowls to the Jersey Shore, the two launched a humble pop-up stand. As word spread, their business began to rapidly grow.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier
Domino’s has entered into a partnership with DoorDash. The pizza giant will leverage DoorDash’s marketplace for ordering while continuing its delivery service through its own drivers. The pilot program is already underway in select locations, with a nationwide rollout set for May, followed by a launch across Canada later in 2025.
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1 month ago | 
franchisetimes.com | Bernadette Heier
The leading conference in the delivery and off-premises landscape is right around the corner. The eighth annual Food On Demand Conference is May 5-7 at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, produced by Franchise Times’ sibling publication, Food On Demand. This year’s FODC kicks off with the annual Outstanding Operators Program, which recognizes 20 brands that are taking creative paths to success in their off-premises efforts.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier |Outstanding Operators
Jason’s Deli is a Food On Demand Outstanding Operator. With 40 years of catering experience and a reputation for high-quality food, Jason’s Deli has developed the right strategies to balance dine-in and off-premises operations. The fast-casual brand has 239 locations across 27 states, offering a variety of sandwiches, salads, soups, and pasta dishes. About 63 percent of the brand’s sales go out the door.
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1 month ago | 
foodondemand.com | Bernadette Heier |Outstanding Operators
Chef on Call, a Canada-based quick-service delivery restaurant, that specializes in home-style comfort food, is a Food On Demand Outstanding Operator. Prashant Patel, a partner at Chef on Call’s corporate team, vividly remembers when he first discovered the brand as a customer. Back in 2009, during his college days, he was working at a hotel in Montreal and looking for something to eat late at night. The receptionist suggested Chef on Call. “I thought she was kidding,” said Patel.
