White Castle hiring robot, Flippy, to cook fried foods

California shuts down indoor dining and bars after surge in coronavirus cases

ROBYN BECK / Contributor / AFP

California joins a spate of shutdowns across the country as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations worsen across the United States.

Charlie Guzzetta promoted to president of fast-casual burger chain BurgerFi

Former brand development officer to oversee the burger chain’s plans to go public.

Menu Tracker: New items from Baskin-Robbins, KFC and Taco Bell

Plus options from Big Boy, Boston’s Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Noodles & Company, Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings, Sajj Mediterranean, Slim Chickens, Snarf’s Sandwiches, Torchy’s Tacos , Velvet Taco, Voodoo Doughnut, Whataburger and Yogurtland.

Tech Tracker: Wendy’s and Five Guys first to adopt Coca-Cola Freestyle contactless pouring

Foodservice is turning to QR codes during the coronavirus pandemic for digital menus and contactless payment; Coke and iPourIt provide new solutions for self-pouring soda and beer systems.

11 executives on the move at restaurant chains in June 2020

Men and women were appointed to C-suite positions across the fast-casual, quick-service and casual-dining segments amid turmoil in the industry.

Taco Bell’s revamped loyalty program features ‘Fire’ level for superfans

New rewards program allows fans to earn free food after reaching 250 points; top Taco Bell spenders earn more points per purchase, and get expanded perks.

McDonald’s unveils energy efficient global flagship restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando

McDonald’s

The eco-friendly building can generate enough renewable energy on-site to cover the restaurant’s energy needs for a year; customers can generate energy for the store using stationary bikes in the dining room.

KFC closing dining rooms in 40 corporate restaurants in Florida due to coronavirus surge

Nancy Luna

The quick-service chain is advising franchisees to consider reclosing dining rooms in states with hot spots such as California, Florida, Texas, Arizona.

White Castle hires robot, Flippy, to cook fried foods

Miso Robotics' Flippy nabs first gig with a national restaurant chain; the autonomous kitchen assistant, now on rails, will be frying everything from french fries to onion rings at a test location in the Midwest.

National Restaurant Association sends ‘Blueprint for Restaurant Revival’ to Congress

Barry Winiker / The Image Bank

Plan urges targeted relief fund, liability protections, payroll tax relief for workers and other measures.