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facilities managementNewsProduct Spotlightsoftware/technologyvendors

Prefix Secures $7.5 Million to Scale its FM Solution for Retail and Restaurant Operators

by Katie Lee

New York City — Prefix, a facility management platform for multi-site restaurant and retail operators, has raised a $7.5 million seed round. The funding was co-led by Collide Capital and Slow Ventures, with participation from Connexa Capital, Kyle Archer of Elevated Inc, and existing investors I2BF, and Bienville Capital. Prefix will use the capital to continue development of its AI infrastructure, boost sales and marketing efforts, and drive scalability to service more than 10,000 locations across the United States. Multi-location retail and restaurant brands spend an estimated $500 billion annually …

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NewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantsretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

Casey’s Expands Partnership with SoundHound AI Across More Than 2,600 Stores

by Katie Lee

Santa Clara, Calif. — SoundHound AI, Inc., a global leader in voice and conversational AI, has renewed and expanded its long-standing partnership with Casey’s, the third-largest convenience retailer in the United States. The expanded deal highlights the strength of the collaboration, as SoundHound’s AI-powered ordering agents have already supported Casey’s in handling more than 21 million guest interactions, successfully processing millions of food orders. Casey’s has deployed the technology across more than 2,600 locations, helping ensure guests can place orders quickly and easily. Casey’s is focused on delivering convenient, high-quality …

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facilities managementNewsretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

MINISO USA Partners with NEST to Streamline Facilities Management Across U.S. Stores

by Katie Lee

Philadelphia — NEST, a national provider of integrated facilities management (IFM) solutions, has partnered with MINISO USA to serve as its facilities management partner for more than 300 MINISO stores across the United States. NEST will deliver a full-service IFM solution designed to streamline operations, reduce complexity and support store performance as the MINISO brand continues to expand in the U.S. NEST will manage a broad range of services, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, lighting and general maintenance across MINISO stores. The partnership includes vendor management, service coordination, analytics and operational …

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NewspeopleProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Presto Co-Founder Returns as CEO

by Katie Lee

San Mateo, Calif. — Presto Phoenix, Inc., a leader in enterprise-grade Voice AI for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), has welcomed back Presto’s co-founder, Krishna Gupta, as chief executive officer. Gupta, a co-founder and longtime strategic leader at Presto, stepped back into the CEO role as the company accelerates deployment of its drive-thru Voice AI platform across major national restaurant brands. Presto will be showcasing this expertise at its Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC) panel, “Deploying Voice AI at America’s Iconic Brands,” on April 20 in Phoenix. “Presto is entering its defining chapter, …

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facilities managementNewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Toast Launches Unified Drive-Thru Solution to Modernize Enterprise QSR Operations

by Katie Lee

Boston — Toast, a digital technology platform built for hospitality, has launched Toast Drive-Thru, an enterprise-grade solution designed to help modern quick-service restaurants (QSR) increase throughput and order accuracy at scale while optimizing labor efficiency through a single, unified platform. There are just over 140,000 total drive-thru locations across the entire U.S. restaurant industry, according to 2026 data from Technomic Ignite. These operators must deliver fast, error-free guest service while facing increased pressure on labor efficiency. The growth of AI voice ordering solutions in drive-thru has left many brands struggling …

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ServiceChannel Launches ServiceChannel AI, the AI Operating System for Facilities Management

by Katie Lee

Greenville, S.C. — ServiceChannel, a leading platform for the procurement and delivery of facilities services, has launched ServiceChannel AI, the AI operating system for facilities management that embeds intelligence directly where facilities work gets done. ServiceChannel AI helps facilities teams route work correctly from the start, address blockers before they disrupt experience and resolve escalations with automated follow-up. By embedding AI into the core workflows of the ServiceChannel Platform, ServiceChannel AI helps teams reduce manual effort, resolve issues faster and spend more time on strategic priorities. “Facilities teams are the …

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energy managementHVAC/RIndustry Voicessoftware/technologyvendors

Warming Up Winter

by Katie Lee

— By Jay Fiske — Achieving winter savings through effective energy management. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally published in winter 2025 as part of the December/January magazine issue.] It’s cold outside, and the temperature may drop even further. According to The Weather Channel, “from the Northern Plains to the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, the last 2 weeks of January are typically the coldest times of the year.” This frigid weather puts pressure on multi-unit retail facility managers (FMs), who juggle two conflicting priorities: (1) providing shoppers with an exceptional in-store …

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Industry Voiceskitchen equipmentkitchen exhaust/grease controlrestaurantsvendors

Seasonal Impact

by Katie Lee

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally published in December, in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business.] — Interview with Nathan Willard — HOODZ’s Nathan Willard talks preventative maintenance: steps your facility should take to clean & maintain kitchen exhaust systems this holiday season. R&R: Why is kitchen exhaust cleaning especially important during the busy holiday season? Nathan Willard: During the holidays, families are not only eating together in the comfort of their own homes; they are also sharing meals at local restaurants. While kitchen exhaust cleaning …

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exterior services/landscapingIndustry Voicesparking lotsproperty managementsoftware/technologyvendors

A ‘Lot’ of Variables

by Katie Lee

— By Evan Tilley — Restaurant and retail solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Parking is the first and last interaction a customer has with a restaurant or retail establishment. A stress-free parking experience sets a positive tone before a customer even walks through the door, while a lack of parking spaces or unhelpful parking staff can create frustration, no matter how good the business may be. What works in terms of parking for restaurants and retail establishments can differ from location to location, and businesses often need to consider tailored parking …

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Papa Johns Selects Deliverect to Modernize Delivery Operations Across U.S. Restaurants

by Katie Lee

New York City — Papa Johns has entered into a strategic partnership with Deliverect to deploy its Smart Dispatch & Delivery Management platform across all Papa Johns restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The partnership is part of Papa Johns’ multi-year initiative to modernize its fulfillment technology stack. The platform enables the brand to execute all orders, whether fulfilled by in-house delivery drivers or third-party service partners, through a single, intelligent system that connects every ordering channel, point-of-sale and delivery workflow into a unified operational delivery orchestration …

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