Canopy

Research we released this week puts McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell on top for restaurant tech experience. That's one finding from our "2025 Restaurant Tech Report" that we called "Fast-Food Friction." The report is based on surveying several hundred Americans about their experiences with QSR technology. We found that 80% of customers say technology influences where they choose to eat. We also found that: - 80% of customers encounter issues with self-service kiosks - Only 23% say payment systems work consistently - Some good news: AI drive-thrus show promise (2/3 say they had good experiences) ... but so far only about 15% have experienced them. Consistency is a common thread that separates McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell from everyone else. Consistent execution across thousands of locations, which itself reinforces the promise of "fast-food:" you know what to expect, whether it's the speed, the menu, the quality. When technology supports those expectations, brands benefit with higher revenues (and lower service costs too). Behind every smooth QSR experience are dozens of remote devices and connected products that have to work together. Kiosks, digital menu boards, kitchen displays, POS systems, and more. Should one system fail, orders get delayed and customers notice. Staff get frustrated and distracted from their job. The connected restaurant model depends on every component performing reliably and doing so every single time. Canopy is designed to support these connected restaurant systems, making the restaurant work as intended. More findings in the full report @ goCanopy: gocanopy.com/report/2025-re…

This Claude-powered office vending machine experiment done between @AnthropicAI and @WSJ had all sorts of unintended consequences, like ordering PlayStations and the machine turning communist. AI-powered vending may be coming. Fully autonomous agentic vending? Not yet.

Amazon Pharmacy has released their "kiosk vending machines" into the wild. How do these machines work and what does it take to keep them working? Our latest 💊 gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

@McFranchisee @rocky_talley What does "RFM" mean?

@rocky_talley that’s an internal store setting the operator needs to adjust. You should tell the GM to fix their mobile schedule in RFM. I bet they have no clue.

A few years ago, it was hip to call yourself a “tech company that happens to sell food”. In reality, it was a clever marketing ploy to juice Wall Street valuations. McD is running infrastructure some startups only dream of. These Google Edge Cloud rack are just one tiny slice of our stack. I’d be shocked if any competitor on Earth runs more tech than @McDonalds.

Have you heard the phrase "slop bowl"? Chipotle, Cava, Naya, Sweetgreen, Just Salad, and many other restaurants serve up bowl-based, made-to-order meals. And because they combine [whatever ingredients the customer wants] into a bowl, the result is a mash-up reminiscent of ... slop. Terminology aside, behind the concept is a restaurant business model popularized by Subway that's now a high-tech op, e.g.: 1/ "Digital makelines" (Chipotle) handle online orders separately from in-person 2/ tech tracks ingredient levels and freshness (Cava) 3/ connected POS systems sync inventory 4/ robots even get involved in some cases (Sweetgreen) A lot goes into making made-to-order meals work, whatever the name. A closer look in the latest from Canopy. 🥗 gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

Chick-fil-a's only, first of its kind vending machine is in Georgia. Here's where savannahnow.com/story/news/202…

🎯 @QSRmagazine: "80% of customers have encountered issues with self-service kiosks, and 76% have experienced payment system failures [disrupting] service in the moment. In the long-term, they erode trust and damage brands." qsrmagazine.com/story/why-qsr-…

Wingstop customers were unhappy with long wait times. Wingstop employees were unhappy with managing surges in orders. So Wingstop turned to making their kitchens "smart" with the "Wingstop Smart Kitchen." The results have been ... well ... hot🌶️🦬🪽: gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

Many more findings, including which brands are leading (like Chick-fil-A) when it comes to tech reliability. Get the full repot here: gocanopy.com/report/2025-re…

4 in 5 now say restaurant tech influences where they eat, according to the new restaurant tech report for 2025. Also: 60% use self-service kiosks (80% have problems) Of AI drive-thru users so far, ⅔ left satisfied ~¾ have payment issues ... ~¼ saying the tech always works

More from ButterflyMX and Canopy: x.com/goCanopy/statu…

ButterflyMX hit 20,000+ sites and had a decision to make: build internal tools or adopt a platform. They chose Canopy for speed, focus, and a better ROI. Here's their SVP on the decision:

Here's the full story on how they did it (plus a ready-to-watch video webinar): gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

ButterflyMX grew device deployments by nearly 200% without growing their support team. How? Smart automations and remote monitoring and management for connected products. Here's how they put it:

Some point to notices in updated Pokemon machines that say, "Loitering is not permitted." How well will these updates work? How might The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) stay ahead through even smarter machines (and smarter monitoring/management software)? More here: gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

Must man vs. machine look like the Terminator? Smart vending machines (in this case Pokémon machines) are racing to implement software updates ... the kind that throttle scalpers' ability to front-run card restocks. How long must Snorlax slumber before getting the update?

Running a business means getting hit from every angle—food costs, remodels, tech upgrades, and endless mandated fees. I thought digital menu boards would cut costs vs. printed POP. Instead: • POP costs never dropped • $75K to install • $30K to replace after 6 years Today’s hit: one store with 16-month-old boards needs new media players. Why? Stratacache is no longer approved. Price tag: $9K. And my certified internal techs? Not allowed to install. Forced install fee: $3K—for a job we already do in half a day. The hidden costs of doing business are real. What has hit you lately?

Curious what led you to need internal techs to do the work? OT1H it seems like HQ is trying to standardize across restaurants. OTOH it sounds like you have a good bit of autonomy ... meanwhile it seems like there's just a ton of tech to manage and keep up with. What would make the quality of life better for franchisors here?

See, for example, how Sonitrol and Matrix do more with cameras and access control data — and then go on to imagine what might be possible with integrations using RMM tools (like Canopy). For discussion here: gocanopy.com/news-insights/…

Businesses are often sitting on data they need to make smarter decisions — it's just stuck in their security systems. Cameras, sensors, access logs produce data beyond their overt purpose ... if you connect the dots.