
Krispy Kreme’s Doughnut-Decorating Robots Were a ‘Supermessy’ Disaster. Now It’s Hiring Humans.
The doughnut chain brought in humans to decorate limited-edition Harry Potter and He-Man designs for the social media crowd.
Technology across franchise brands: the deals, operators and trade-press stories Burnaze summarizes, each linked to the original.
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The doughnut chain brought in humans to decorate limited-edition Harry Potter and He-Man designs for the social media crowd.

Dairy Queen has appointed Phil Crawford as Executive Vice President and CTO to oversee global IT operations for the brand's 7,800-plus restaurant locations.
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Taco Bell is scaling its voice AI to nearly 900 locations as parent company Yum Brands continues its aggressive push into proprietary restaurant technology platforms.

“Technology plays an increasingly critical role in empowering our business for our employees, franchisees and fans,” said Troy Bader, president and CEO at International Dairy Queen.

Emerging franchisors face pressure to scale quickly while delivering the same level of support, personalization, and operational consistency as much larger brands.

The new pricing model removes hardware barriers for drive-thru automation, allowing franchise operators to deploy voice AI with no capital budget approval or procurement friction.

New research indicates restaurant managers spend up to 10 hours weekly on manual scheduling, driving a shift toward AI adoption to reclaim operational time.

Fast-casual chicken brand Birdcall is leveraging its proprietary tech platform and flexible real estate strategy to fuel a major expansion across six Midwestern states.

Private equity firm Achieve Partners is utilizing apprenticeship programs to bridge the AI talent gap for middle-market companies while driving EBITDA growth for its portfolio brands.

The 600-unit franchisor is leveraging artificial intelligence to automate caregiver scheduling and monitor patient behavior for earlier detection of health changes.

The rapidly expanding gym chain completed a comprehensive digital overhaul to improve member retention and engagement through new content and technology features.

New research suggests that the rise of AI-driven search is penalizing multi-location brands for operational inconsistencies, making location-level discipline a critical factor in local marketing performance.

Melting Pot franchise leads in experiential dining with 5 decades of success

Prince Castle has introduced the Toast EZ, a commercial toaster designed to eliminate kitchen bottlenecks and handle menu complexity for high-volume quick service restaurant operators.

Cornelius has introduced an automated beverage dispensing system designed to improve speed of service and accuracy for quick-service restaurant drive-thru operations.

The pizza brand is leveraging advanced POS systems and real-time data reporting to help franchisees optimize labor costs and inventory management.

The Chinese coffee chain is deploying self-ordering kiosks at its growing number of Manhattan locations to complement its mobile-only ordering model.

The coffee giant is piloting a new TikTok Content Suite to incentivize baristas to create promotional content, signaling a shift toward employee-driven digital marketing.
Fitness On Demand is expanding its digital workout library through a partnership with JETSWEAT, adding content from boutique brands like Pilates ProWorks and JoyRide to its platform.

New dynamic creative optimization tools allow multi-unit brands to tailor 3D digital-out-of-home advertising based on real-time local environmental conditions.

As franchise systems grow, the conversation around AI is shifting.

A study found that over 90% of customer reviews mentioning AI services expressed negative experiences.

Major fuel retailers including 7-Eleven and Circle K face a class action lawsuit alleging the use of algorithmic software to artificially inflate California gas prices.