QSR Automations 2019: Our Year in Review

That’s a wrap with 2019! How did this year come and go so fast? It brought us many industry changes, exciting technology product launches and partnerships, fun marketing campaigns. It’s also brought us an influx of diners and operators embracing the off-premise dining craze!     Here are some high-level insights into the trends we’re seeing from operational data pulled from ConnectSmart® Kitchen and ConnectSmart® Host (Formerly DineTime) users: 

• In 2019, we saw a 25% increase in reservations from 2018.
• ConnectSmart® Host seated over 800 million guests in 2019.
• The busiest restaurant holiday in 2019 was Mother’s Day.
• Most Valentine’s Day diners went out on the Saturday after Valentine’s Day this year.

As we reflect on the year, we encounter many reminders that it was a productive one. At QSR, we strive to create the best in all we do. That means the best products, the best restaurants, the best teams, and the best marketing. We look for that in partners as well!  

QSR Automations 2019 Awards and Updates

Here’s a quick review of the past year for us, in case you missed some of the news and updates: 

• ConnectSmart® Kitchen was named Best Overall KDS for small businesses by FitSmallBusiness. When compared to 5 other kitchen display systems, they found that CSK was the most flexible given its 65+ point-of-sale integrations. We’re a bit biased, but we agree with FitSmallBusiness. Integrations are crucial!    
• We expanded our partnership with Google to integrate our Front-of-House solution ConnectSmart® Host, with Waitlist through Reserve with Google. This added functionality lets consumers get on a ConnectSmart® Host-enabled restaurant’s waitlist! This was our second integration with Google. In 2018 we integrated with Reserve with Google.   
• We opened our Innovation Room in London, England U.K. in an effort to continue our global expansion and provide a centrally located showroom for restaurant operators in the London area to enjoy a hands-on experience with our platforms.   

QSR Automations 2019 Trade Shows in Review

• In 2019 we attended 17 trade shows! SEVENTEEN. We launched our brand new 10×20 booth at MURTEC in Vegas, caught up with many customers and partners at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix and of course – we celebrated 100 years of WOW! at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. While at NRA, our friends over at Telliant named us one of 11 Impressive Exhibitors Not to Miss, which we’re so grateful for! 
• While at MURTEC, we were excited to be a part of the launch of the Restaurant Technology Network. Six individuals from our team became members, as we see the value in working together to improve the restaurant technology ecosystem. The collaboration in the workgroups and connections made through RTN have been priceless, both for us and the hospitality industry! 
• We teamed up with Kitchen Armor to offer stainless steel, Android All-in-Ones. 
• ConnectSmart® Kitchen was named one of 8 Game-Changing Tech Platforms for Savvy Restaurants by FSR Magazine. 

QSR Automations 2019 Marketing Efforts  

Besides these accomplishments, this year’s recognition of our marketing efforts has truly humbled us.  Check out this recap of our incredible accolades. In 2019 we earned:   

• American Business Awards, specifically the Gold Stevie Award in Web Achievement – Specialty Web Content & Writing for our website and blog. See the video of our team accepting the award in New York City here.   
• Communicator Awards, The Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts – Achievement of Excellence for our website. We also received an Achievement of Excellence for our blog. 
• Ragan and PR Daily’s ACE Awards named us as a Finalist for Small Communications Teams. 
• dotCOMM Awards The Association of Marketing & Communication Pros awarded us a Gold Award for our Blog design 
• dotCOMM Awards. We also earned a Platinum award in the category of Blog Content writing.
• dotCOMM Awards. Lastly, they gave our Twitter account an Honorable Mention for our social media efforts   
• The WebAwards, put on by the Web Marketing Association, identified both our blog and website as Technology Standard of Excellence winners.   
• The Landmarks of Excellence Awards put on by the Public Relations Society of America Bluegrass Chapter, gave our 2019 tradeshow booth build and experience an Award of Merit.   
• The Global Trend Marketing Awards put on by the International Awards Associate, Inc., named us a Quest Winner for our social media efforts.    
• MarCom Awards put on by the Association of Marketing & Communications Pros awarded our ConnectSmart® Kitchen brochure a Platinum Award, and our Twitter account a Gold Award.   
• The W3 Awards put on by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, who honor websites and digital excellence, named our website and blog a Silver Winner.  
• And lastly, the Davey Awards put on by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts awarded our ConnectSmart® Kitchen brochure a Gold Award for content! 

Looking Ahead

As we look to the next year, we’ll continue focusing on helping operators improve their restaurant operations, deliver amazing guest experiences, and streamline their technology ecosystems with valuable integrations. We have an abundance of innovative, industry-changing product launches, partnerships and events coming in 2020. Join us along the journey, and let’s continue taking the dining experience to the next level!    Cheers to a successful 2020!  Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

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About the Author

Amber Mullaney led all things marketing for QSR. A proud Texan native, she graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Public Relations and spent her career in the healthcare industry before making the switch to QSR and beyond, saying she loves a good challenge. Amber has a long list of things she loves, including tacos (especially tacos), sweet tea, Texas, the outdoors, and traveling with her husband and two daughters.