Dive Brief:
- Marco's Pizza plans to upgrade priority tech systems in 2025 to improve customer and employee experiences, the company said Tuesday.
- The Ohio-based pizzeria plans to add new capabilities, including enhanced data analytics, to front- and back-office systems, the company said.
- Marco’s rolled out a proprietary cloud-based platform last year with a similar goal. Since its launch, the pizza franchise has added around 770 features and enhancements.
Dive Insight:
Restaurant chains face an uphill battle to attract customers and boost growth without the right technology systems.
From order management solutions to AI capabilities in the drive-thru, restaurant technology touchpoints have proliferated in the past several years. Yum Brands, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut, worked to capitalize on prior IT investments last year as it explored AI while trying to keep tech spend in check.
Papa Johns also made efforts to sharpen its technology strategy with the addition of Chief Digital and Technology Officer Kevin Vasconi last year. Across the industry, executives took a closer look at aligning IT modernization investments with growth goals.
“We've got a lot of other opportunities on the tech side, too, that we've got to address,” CEO Todd Penegor said during Papa Johns’ November earnings call. “We've got to create less friction.”
The focus on technology is unlikely to waver in the year ahead. As the high cost of business pushes more restaurants to adopt automated back-of-house technology, the industry will lean on tools that can help monitor the price of goods and assist with cost management, according to Restaurant Dive.
Enhancements to the customer experience are expected to stay top of mind, too.
