Chipotle’s automation, Olive Garden delivers, and insights from a food tech conference

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Chipotle’s investment in automated kitchen equipment, including the Autocado and Augmented Makeline. How does this equipment improve the Chipotle operation and help it achieve its goal of 7,000 restaurants? Plus, they discuss Olive Garden’s decision to finally use third-party delivery and the results of Intouch Insight’s Third-Party Delivery Study. Then senior editor Joanna Fantozzi joins for this week’s extra serving to discuss her insights from the FSTEC conference in Dallas. Finally, senior editor Bret Thorn interviews Carissa Newton, vice president of marketing at Cunningham Restaurant Group, one of the 125 groups recently featured on NRN’s Top Restaurant Groups report.