Hello!

Welcome to Peak Hot Dog Season. The majority of hot dog sales in the U.S. occur over the next three months, to the tune of 7 billion dogs consumed from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That comes out to 818 hot dogs every second.

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3 Numbers

‘Hundreds’

Of McDonald’s locations that will begin serving beverages inspired by the company’s test concept CosMc’s, which is shuttering completely just 18 months after first opening its doors. McDonald’s says that CosMc’s operated like a ‘learning lab’ for new beverage flavors and technologies, and with that job more or less completed, the five remaining locations will close in late June.

10

Casino locations that Shake Shack plans to open with PENN Entertainment. Shake Shack already operates in three casinos. The burger chain is doubling down on flexible formats as it continues to grow its licensed business: it recently also signed a deal with Delta to serve Shack Burgers on select domestic flights.

8%

Year-over-year increase in restaurant breakfasts that are now consumed in the car. Among other reasons, social media restaurant reviews—often filmed from car dashboards—have normalized the behavioral shift, according to Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at Technomic. (Which means: eating Hotcakes in my high school parking lot actually made me ‘ahead of my time.’)

What’s Happening

The restaurant tech and POS company PAR recently surveyed 1,000 people to get their thoughts on restaurant automation, and people are conflicted, to say the least.

Here’s the headline: a majority of respondents are concerned that AI and robotics will worsen the restaurant experience and lead to job loss:

• 64% are concerned about AI in restaurants leading to job loss for human workers.

• 62% believe AI will lead to a lack of human connection or atmosphere.

• 54% worry AI will lead to reduced quality of customer service.

It shouldn’t be too surprising that a majority of people — even among the Millennial and Gen Z cohorts — don’t want AI to replace humans in restaurants. The technology is advancing rapidly, which always makes people uneasy. And restaurants are one of society’s last bastions of human connectivity. Learning your favorite waitress was just fired and replaced by one of these guys would be disconcerting to all but the most starry-eyed accelerationist.

But dig into the results a bit and things get interesting. Because while respondents said they’re theoretically opposed to AI, they also love its benefits.

A sampling of results:

• Only 22% of participants said that AI would be of no benefit when ordering takeout or delivery. A similarly small 25% said there’d be no benefit for dine-in orders; 26% for drive-thru.

• Respondents said that AI could significantly speed up the ordering process across the three different scenarios.

• Reduced wait times were also highlighted by a plurality of respondents as a key benefit.

• And more people said they’d be likely to visit a restaurant that uses AI to speed up ordering and billing — but still has human staff for questions and serving — compared to a restaurant that does not use AI at all.

So it seems like people are looking for a balance — a combination of the human touch with that cold, sweet robotic efficiency.

And if you ever needed proof that some people will say anything if you give them the option in a survey, 9% said they’d tip a robot the exact same amount they’d tip a human server.

The Headlines

• Perhaps the surest sign yet that EVs are firmly in the mainstream: Waffle House and BP are partnering on a network of charging stations.

• Straight from the Big Apple Peach: Shake Shack is opening its second-ever support center in the Battery in Atlanta.

• And Taco Bell is partnering with gas station chain Applegreen to bring the brand to Ireland.

• Less than two years after its start, DoorDash is scrapping its AI voice ordering business. The company says all is not lost: in the process, it developed proprietary technology that’ll be deployed elsewhere in its business.

• Former RBI CEO Jose Cil has been tapped to chair the board of Panera Brands — a newly formed entity that will unite private equity firm JAB’s restaurant brand holdings (including Panera, Pret a Manger, and Caribou Coffee).

• Finally, in culinary news:

  • Taco Bell launched Loaded Steak and Jalapeño Fries.

  • Zaxby’s is bringing back milkshakes after a 7-year hiatus.

  • And Applebees’ all-you-can-eat meal deal has returned (now at an inflation-adjusted $15.99).

Name That Chain!

You’ve got three guesses to name this week’s mystery chain:

• This Mexican-influenced chain — known for customizable burritos and bowls — was founded in Denver in 1995.

• Before settling on its current name, it went by Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill and Z-Teca Mexican Grill.

• It is the largest franchisor of Mexican fast-casual restaurants in the country.

Find the answer at the bottom of the email…

#Content Recs

• The reasons why the National Restaurant Association supports the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill.’

• And another good piece via Restaurant Business: the tough and rewarding 30-year rise of Snarf’s Sandwiches.

Let’s Check in Overseas

I think I’ve found the limited time offer that’s least likely to ever make the jump to the U.S.

From Brand Eating:

As Brand Eating points out, cucumber sandwiches aren’t exactly new: they’re a staple of any proper afternoon tea. (I’m told.)

But this sandwich goes far beyond a few cucumber nibbles. I did the math here: a footlong version of the Subway Cucumber sandwich contains over 1/3 pound of cucumber slices. This is madness! Big Cucumber has gone too far!

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back next week with more Industry Bites.

Andy

NAME THAT CHAIN ANSWER: Qdoba