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Top story · In the Pro Kitchen

Robotic hot-meal kiosk sells 10 times what a campus vending machine did

Molloy University on Long Island replaced a vending machine with a Primepick kiosk that heats frozen restaurant meals in three microwaves using two robot arms, ready in 5–7 minutes. It averages about $1,000 a month in sales versus roughly $100 for the old machine, and the school paid nothing for the unit or upkeep. Primepick says sites in Huntsville, Chicago and Dallas are being prepared, with more states by early 2027.

Read at Fast Casual →

The Weekly · November 6

Prime meets Uber Eats, drive-thru voice AI scales up, and Ninja builds a microwave

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From The Old Kitchen · Thanksgiving

The Ultimate Thanksgiving: our menu, shopping list and the gear to make it

See the plan

Trending this week

pizza slices wooden board
Photo: falovelykids / Pixabay

In the Pro Kitchen

Press release

Serve Robotics lets any developer dispatch its sidewalk delivery robots

Serve launched an AV Delivery Developer Portal on Nov 11 with a public API and a sandbox of simulated robots; sending real robots needs Serve's approval. Until now its 2,000-plus robots, which deliver for more than 4,000 restaurants in 20 US cities, were only reachable through delivery-app partners. Jobs are limited to its service areas, hours and items that fit the cargo bin; no pricing was given.

Serve Robotics via GlobeNewswire → · Nov 11

glass of water sink
Photo: Arcaion / Pixabay

At Home

Philips boiling-and-chilled filtered water tap gets two new finishes in Australia

The Philips Instant Pure Water Tap (AUT9028), which dispenses boiling and chilled reverse-osmosis water hands-free, now comes in brushed nickel and polished chrome as well as dark grey, at Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and Bing Lee from this month for an RRP of AU$2,799. Distributor AquaShield also published SGS lab tests it commissioned: the membrane alone cut 199 of 268 tested substances by 99% or more, though real-world results may vary.

Appliance Retailer → · Nov 11

restaurant table plates dinner
Photo: neshom / Pixabay

In the Pro Kitchen

Press release

ChowNow adds SMS marketing, catering ordering and QR dine-in tools for independents

Online ordering company ChowNow has updated its ordering, marketing and operations tools for independent restaurants. Its marketing suite now sends text messages alongside email, restaurants get branded catering ordering with their own menus and scheduling, and QR-code dine-in ordering is offered; the company says that last one lifted average checks 9%. ChowNow, which says it serves more than 15,000 restaurants, plans AI-powered tools for the fourth quarter of 2026.

PR Newswire → · Nov 10

toast breakfast table
Photo: congerdesign / Pixabay

At Home

Press release

Cuisinart brings 11 countertop appliances out in six new colors

Cuisinart has started rolling out a Color Collection of 11 countertop appliances in shades such as Tahini, Sage, Bayside and Blush. The line covers a 4-quart glass air fryer, a 6-quart basket air fryer, a compact toaster oven air fryer, two ice cream makers, a 5-cup food processor, retro toasters and a kettle. They're sold at Cuisinart.com and other retailers including Amazon and Target, with more products and colors arriving through early 2027; no prices were given.

PR Newswire → · Nov 10

Weekend Recipe · Sous vide circulator

Sous Vide Pork Chop with Pan-Fried Fingerlings

A thick bone-in rib chop cooks in a 140°F water bath for 45 minutes, then gets a fast butter sear in cast iron. Fingerling potatoes crisp up in the same pan, so dinner for two comes together with one skillet.

See the recipe
pork chop cast iron
Photo: vika-imperia550 / Pixabay

At Home

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Press release

Beko's FlexiStart will run your dishwasher when power is cheapest, from January

A new FlexiStart feature in Beko's HomeWhiz app times connected dishwashers, washers and dryers to lower-priced electricity hours, either from a partner energy company's tariff or hours you enter yourself. It starts in January 2027 with energy-provider links in Germany and Türkiye after a Dutch pilot; fridges and air conditioners are due later in 2027.

Beko via PR Newswire → · Nov 6

red wine glass table
Photo: AS_Photography / Pixabay

Gaggenau's new wine cabinets read each bottle's temperature with infrared

Gaggenau launched its 10-model Vario Cooling Expressive range of built-in fridges, freezers and wine cabinets in Australia this week. The wine units use an infrared sensor to bring a bottle to serving temperature automatically and run up to three climate zones; the fridges manage temperature, humidity and ethylene. All have a 6.8-inch display and Home Connect app control. No prices were given.

Appliance Retailer → · Nov 6

In the Pro Kitchen

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french fries close up
Photo: matthiasboeckel / Pixabay

McDonald's links its rewards program to Uber, making Uber Eats its preferred app partner

McDonald's and Uber have tied the MyMcDonald's Rewards program into Uber, and Uber Eats is now the preferred integrated delivery partner inside the McDonald's app. Starting this month, members in some markets can spend points on Uber rides in a seasonal promotion, and earning points on Uber Eats orders is planned. For operators it shows big chains pulling delivery and loyalty into one system rather than treating them separately.

Restaurant Dive → · Nov 10

burger on wooden board
Photo: niekverlaan / Pixabay

Murphy USA's automated White Castle restaurants pass 100 locations

Murphy USA told investors on its third-quarter call that its automated restaurant program with White Castle, called Murphy Automated Restaurant Solutions (MARS), now runs at more than 100 units. CEO Mindy West called it a test-to-scale effort that is judging customer demand, store fit and unit economics, and said early results are encouraging but too early to call. No sales or profit figures for the units were shared.

QSR Web → · Nov 10

pizza slices wooden board
Photo: marker_photography / Pixabay

LG and SoundHound will let diners order restaurant food from their smart TVs

LG Electronics and SoundHound AI plan to launch restaurant ordering on US LG Smart TVs in December, reaching about 20 million sets. Viewers can order by talking to a voice AI agent or by browsing on screen and scanning a QR code to pay on their phone. Restaurants pay a standard pickup or delivery commission, with no subscription or new in-store hardware; the first participating brands are due to be named toward year end.

Fast Casual → · Nov 9

french fries basket close up
Photo: Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay

McDonald's plans drive-thru voice AI for most US restaurants by end of 2027

On its earnings call, McDonald's said it is widening tests of Archy, its AI drive-thru ordering system, to more US restaurants and to Australia, aiming to reach most US locations by the end of 2027. The company expects it to free up at least 50 labor hours a week and says it handles English and Spanish at over 90% accuracy. Some franchisees remain wary of the added technology costs.

Restaurant Dive → · Nov 9

restaurant kitchen tablet
Photo: kaboompics / Pixabay
Press release

National Restaurant Association survey: 39% of operators now use AI tools

The Association's new Future of Restaurant Technology report, based on a summer survey of 212 operators, says 82% feel technology has helped their business and 38.6% use AI tools, though only 3.2% are rolling AI out companywide. Cost (48.8%) and doubts about fit and value (43.8%) are the biggest barriers. Nearly half expect technology to raise labor productivity.

National Restaurant Association via PR Newswire → · Nov 6

pizza slices wooden board
Photo: petrovhey / Pixabay
Press release

Delivery-robot maker Serve Robotics now sells its fleet technology to others

Serve, whose robots deliver for more than 4,000 restaurants, launched Physical AI Services on Nov 5: tools that keep robots connected to off-board AI models, pick out useful field data for training, and a data catalog from its sidewalk runs. Construction-automation firm Bedrock Robotics is the first customer. Serve says it has deployed over 2,000 robots in 40+ cities; no pricing was given.

Serve Robotics via GlobeNewswire → · Nov 6