In 2016, McDonald’s attempted to speed up customer wait times by using touchscreen kiosks to take orders, but guests paying with cash still had to go to the register at the counter. After eight years of waiting, though, the fast food chain is finally testing kiosks that can also accept cash and make change. The cash kiosks are optional for McDonald’s franchisees, who own and manage 95 percent of the company’s more than 14,000 U.S. locations. So far, only 2 Continue reading
When it comes to global commodities like coffee beans, even the slightest change in the environment or the economy can drastically change prices and supplies. That’s what happened in 2021 when a sudden and severe frost in Brazil destroyed 500,000 acres of coffee plantations, sending prices for unroasted coffee beans soaring. The extensive damage reduced the country’s coffee production by more than 10 million bags annually for three consecutive years. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of Arabica beans, the Continue reading
Although summertime is drawing to a close and jack-o-lanterns are already starting to appear, meteorologists say that most of the country can still expect plenty of hot days to come. And when the temperature is high, there’s nothing quite like ice cream to stay cool. That’s why for nearly a century, ice cream trucks have roamed neighborhoods across the country serving customers of all ages looking to beat the heat.
In 1926 Good Humour became the first brand to Continue reading
For decades, many big businesses have tried to go green by reducing their carbon emissions. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Nike have made “net-zero” pledges over the years that promise to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they put into it. While some firms try to go carbon-neutral by reducing their emissions directly, others pay for carbon removal projects — such as planting trees or building solar panels — to offset emissions.
But carbon dioxide isn’t the Continue reading
Last month, we wrote about the global technology meltdown that impacted more than 8.5 million computers and caused at least $10 billion in financial damage. Triggered by the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, a faulty software update crashed Microsoft products around the world and in the process revealed how fragile our global technology infrastructure can be. Air transportation was one of the sectors affected most by the outage as airlines were unable to scan boarding passes or track crew members. Carriers canceled Continue reading
For more than 50 years, Southwest Airlines has stood out in the competitive world of air travel for a unique and equalizing perk: open seating. While other airlines required passengers to pick a seat in advance and pay more to upgrade, Southwest chose to do things differently. Instead of a seat assignment, passengers received a boarding position, lined up in order at the gate, and chose any available seat once on the plane. “It’s been a very egalitarian view of Continue reading
Over the weekend, businesses around the world scrambled to recover after a faulty software update caused one of the biggest IT outages in history. The Texas-based cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike released a security update last Thursday that was supposed to protect computers from malware and cyber attacks. Instead, the flawed update caused Microsoft Windows to crash and impacted more than 8.5 million computers. The global tech meltdown disrupted nearly every aspect of society, especially healthcare and transportation. Hospitals canceled procedures, and Continue reading