Dive Brief:
- Pilot is upgrading the food ordering at many of its QSRs to align with the technology used by its restaurant partners, the travel center chain announced last week.
- The upgrade includes the addition of 156 self-order kiosks at 78 of Pilot’s Wendy’s locations, according to the announcement. Pilot said the kiosks offer flexible ordering options while enabling faster service and improved efficiency.
- With tech upgrades at the company’s Subway and Arby’s locations also included, Pilot said it aims to create a more connected experience spanning in-store ordering, mobile apps, loyalty programs and third-party delivery services.
Dive Insight:
Pilot’s technology upgrades are complete at Wendy’s and Arby’s locations and underway at Subway sites, according to the announcement. The company did not disclose how many locations in total are receiving new technologies. Some locations are also receiving new mobile ordering capabilities, loyalty program participation and access to brand promotions and offers, the company said.
The upgrades give customers more ways to order meals, including traditional counter service, kiosks, restaurant mobile apps and third-party delivery platforms. The technologies are designed to reduce wait times while giving customers at Pilot-operated locations access to the rewards, digital deals and ordering experiences offered by the restaurant brands, the company said.
Pilot said guests should expect to see more personalization and ordering options emerge across its fast-food network as it aims to connect customers with the brands they already enjoy.
“By bringing our quick-service restaurant partners' preferred digital ordering platforms into our travel centers, we're enhancing convenience, improving speed of service and creating a more consistent guest experience,” Gemma Patterson, senior director of restaurant relations and e-commerce at Pilot, said in the announcement.
The news of its restaurant technology upgrades comes about six months after Pilot debuted 24/7 restaurant hours and finished the rollout of mobile ordering at its QSRs. Pilot is also investing in its proprietary food offerings, having recently launched the new Pilot eats foodservice program that will be used in all of its locations.
