— By Rob Tedesco — The next digital frontier for restaurants. Brands have spent the past few years adapting to a digital-first mindset. They’ve reoriented their businesses toward programs like online ordering, invested in their tech stacks and started gathering first-party customer data But as the paradigm now truly shifts, and “outside the four walls” matters more, what’s missing from brands’ digital roadmaps? What will be the next major leaps in restaurant technology and digital guest experiences? Here, we discuss four ways in which digital tools help restaurants …
Punchh
Bettendorf, Iowa — After closing out one of its strongest development years to date in 2021, Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream is getting ready to make its 50th anniversary year its most successful year in brand history. The 46-unit pizza chain kicked off 2021 with 30-year industry veteran Tom Sacco as its new CEO, president and chief happiness officer. Under his direction, Happy Joe’s has driven aggressive expansion efforts across the globe. Throughout the year, Happy Joe’s signed 28 new franchise deals — resulting in an over 60% increase …