Latest news with #Sentiment
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Red Lobster expands alliance with Olo
US seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster has broadened its collaboration with Olo, a technology solutions provider for eateries. Having left Olo in 2023 to create its own digital ordering platform, Red Lobster is now returning to Olo's framework. The chain acknowledged the difficulties of sustaining cutting-edge digital systems in-house as the reason for this shift. As digital ordering, customer interaction, and data analysis grow increasingly complex, many companies opt to work with expert technology partners. Red Lobster highlighted Olo's improved functionality, cost-efficiency, and capacity to stay aligned with emerging tech trends as reasons for the renewed alliance. This decision mirrors a wider industry trend towards outsourcing advanced digital solutions. The collaboration will be implemented in stages to enhance the chain's operational performance. A primary focus is the rollout of Olo's feedback management tool, Sentiment, currently being deployed across all the chain's outlets. Sentiment collates customer reviews from various platforms and delivers AI-driven insights to improve guest satisfaction. Red Lobster will also launch Catering+, Olo's comprehensive catering solution, marking its debut in direct catering services. Catering+ provides tools for managing capacity and simplifies operations through seamless point-of-sale integration. This introduction represents a significant step forward for the brand's service expansion. By the close of 2025, the chain aims to adopt Olo's complete Order suite, including its Borderless network. The move will further strengthen the chain's digital ordering capabilities and streamline operations. The phased strategy reflects the chain's dedication to smooth technological integration. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Red Lobster focuses on serving freshly prepared seafood that is traceable, sustainable, and responsibly sourced. In September 2024, Red Lobster exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring after completion of its acquisition by RL Investor Holdings. "Red Lobster expands alliance with Olo" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Red Lobster Returns to Olo with Expanded Partnership, Launching First-Party Catering
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Olo Inc. (NYSE: OLO), a leading restaurant technology provider, today announced that Red Lobster has returned to the Olo platform with an expanded partnership that surpasses their original 2017 engagement. After a brief departure to pursue an in-house digital ordering solution, Red Lobster has chosen to rejoin Olo's ecosystem, citing the platform's enhanced capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and ability to keep pace with evolving technology trends. The renewed partnership also marks a significant milestone for Red Lobster as they prepare to launch first-party catering ordering for the first time in the brand's history. Red Lobster's return to Olo will follow phased approach designed to maximize operational efficiency. The seafood leader has prioritized launching Sentiment, Olo's reputation management platform, which aggregates guest feedback across review sites and provides AI-powered insights, which is currently rolling out across all locations. Building on this foundation, Red Lobster will launch Catering+, Olo's integrated catering solution, which includes capacity management tools and streamlines operations through automated POS integration, marking their entry into first-party catering ordering. That launch will be followed by the full Order suite of products by the end of 2025, including Olo's Borderless network. "We're incredibly excited to launch first-party catering for the first time in Red Lobster's history," said Nichole Robillard, Chief Marketing Officer at Red Lobster. "Catering+ will open entirely new revenue opportunities while Sentiment gives us powerful insights to enhance our guest experience across all locations. While we gained valuable learning from our internal development efforts, we're thrilled to be partnering with Olo again and look forward to what's to come." Red Lobster's journey highlights the broader industry trend as restaurant brands increasingly recognize the complexity and ongoing investment required to maintain competitive technology platforms. After departing Olo in 2023 to develop their own online ordering infrastructure, Red Lobster discovered that maintaining competitive digital capabilities requires constant innovation across multiple areas, including security, scalability, reliability, and the integration of emerging technologies. As digital ordering, guest engagement, and data analytics become more sophisticated, many brands are choosing to partner with specialized technology providers rather than develop internal capabilities. "We're honored to welcome Red Lobster back to the Olo platform and excited to support their expansion into first-party catering," said Noah Glass, Founder & CEO at Olo. "Red Lobster's return validates what we've always believed – that restaurants achieve better outcomes when they focus on what they do best: creating exceptional dining experiences. Their decision to come back demonstrates that even the most sophisticated restaurant brands recognize the value of partnering with Olo as their guest-facing tech provider." About Olo | Hospitality at Scale™ Olo (NYSE: OLO) is a leading restaurant technology provider with ordering, payment, and guest engagement solutions that help brands increase orders, streamline operations, and improve the guest experience. Each day, Olo processes millions of orders on its open SaaS platform, gathering the right data from each touchpoint into a single source—so restaurants can better understand and better serve every guest on every channel, every time. Over 750 restaurant brands trust Olo and its network of more than 400 integration partners to innovate on behalf of the restaurant community, accelerating technology's positive impact and creating a world where every restaurant guest feels like a regular. Learn more at Red Lobster is the world's largest and most-loved seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando, Fla. With a proud heritage, Red Lobster is focused on serving the highest quality, freshly prepared seafood that is traceable, sustainable, and responsibly sourced. To learn more about Red Lobster, including locations and menu options, please visit or find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, or TikTok.
Zawya
15-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Gold edges higher as markets grapple with tariff uncertainty
Gold prices edged up on Tuesday amid continued uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans and their impact on the global economy. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was up 0.1% at $3,211.49 an ounce, as of 0000 GMT. Bullion hit a record high of $3,245.42 in the previous session. * U.S. gold futures edged up 0.1% to $3,227.90. * The Trump administration is proceeding with probes into imports of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors as part of a bid to impose tariffs on both sectors on grounds that extensive reliance on foreign production of medicine and chips is a national security threat, Federal Register filings on Monday showed. * Trump said on Sunday he would be announcing the tariff rate on imported semiconductors over the next week, keeping market participants on edge. * Non-yielding gold, a traditional hedge against global uncertainties and inflation, also tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment. * Americans' expectations for near-term inflation hit the highest level since the fall of 2023 in March. * Traders see around 86 basis points worth of interest rate cuts by 2025-end. * Meanwhile, investment flows into Chinese physically backed gold exchange-traded funds so far this month have exceeded those for all of the first quarter and overtaken inflows registered by U.S.-listed funds, World Gold Council data showed. * Spot silver lost 0.3% to $32.26 an ounce, platinum fell 0.3% to $948.60 and palladium eased 0.6% to $950.25. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0600 UK Claimant Count Unem Chng Mar 0600 UK ILO Unemployment Rate Feb 0600 UK HMRC Payrolls Change Mar 0645 France CPI (EU Norm) Final MM, YY Mar 0645 France CPI YY NSA, MM NSA Mar 0900 Germany ZEW Economic Sentiment, ZEW Current Conditions Apr 1100 EU Reserve Assets Total Mar 1230 US Import Prices YY Mar (Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TELUS International (Cda) Inc (TIXT) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Revenue Growth and ...
Q4 2024 Revenue: $691 million, up 5% year-over-year. Full Year 2024 Revenue: $2.7 billion, a decline of 2% year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA Margin Q4 2024: 14.9%, compared to 14.4% in prior quarters. Cost Efficiencies 2024: Achieved $30 million in planned cost efficiencies. Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA Leverage Ratio: 3.2x as per credit agreement. 2025 Revenue Growth Outlook: Approximately 2% organic growth expected. 2025 Adjusted EBITDA Outlook: Approximately $400 million, implying a year-over-year decline of approximately 2% when normalized. 2025 Capital Expenditures: Baseline annual CapEx to remain in the 4% to 5% range of revenue. 2025 Adjusted Diluted EPS: Approximately $0.32 with a weighted average share count of approximately 280 million shares. 2025 Cash Taxes: Expected in the range of $50 million to $60 million. Free Cash Flow Yield 2025: Up to 10% of revenue expected for the full year. Client Expansion 2024: Expanded business with 162 existing clients and added 55 net new clients. Africa Operations Growth: 800% increase in team members, 430% increase in revenue, and 440% growth in profitability. AI Data Solutions Growth: Added 2 new AI research and product companies and 2 new clients in the autonomous transportation sector. Customer Sentiment Index Improvement: Improved by 20% across top 55 accounts in Q4 2024. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with TIXT. Release Date: February 13, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. TELUS International (Cda) Inc (NYSE:TIXT) reported a 5% increase in Q4 2024 revenue compared to the previous year, indicating stabilization in operations. Revenue from TELUS, the parent company, increased by 17% for the year, highlighting strong internal growth. The company expanded its business with 162 existing clients and added 55 net new clients in 2024, demonstrating successful client diversification. AI data solutions showed good momentum, with new projects supporting large language model development and autonomous transportation sectors. The company achieved $30 million in cost efficiencies in 2024 and plans for $50 million in savings in 2025 through operational transformation and cost optimization. Full-year revenue declined by 2% due to lower service volumes from certain clients, particularly in e-commerce and fintech sectors. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14.9% in Q4, reflecting only slight improvement from prior quarters, indicating ongoing margin pressure. The company faces volatility in the CX trust, safety, and security segment, with potential risks impacting growth. Q1 2025 is expected to be the lowest quarter for revenue and EBITDA due to seasonality and upfront investments. The company's net debt to adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio remains high at 3.2x, impacted by lower adjusted EBITDA. Q: Can you elaborate on the 2% revenue growth guidance and the assumptions around pricing and demand? A: Gopi Chande, CFO, explained that the 2% revenue growth guidance is balanced, considering both risks and opportunities. There is higher demand in the digital solutions side, which gives confidence in growth. However, there is volatility in the CX trust safety and security side. Pricing is stabilizing, and the sales funnel shows early demand, making 2% a balanced approach for the year. Q: How are you approaching consolidation events, and what capabilities are needed to win these? A: Jason Macdonnell, Acting CEO, stated that key factors include the relationship with the client, service diversity, customer experience history, and geographic diversity. The goal is to optimize costs, profitability, and asset investments, with customer experience and talent availability being major drivers. Q: Have any clients transitioned to more automation using AI, and what does that imply for revenue or margins? A: Tobias Dengel, President of Digital Solutions, noted that AI is used to improve client experience by handling simpler tasks, allowing human agents to focus on complex issues. This leads to shorter queues and increased customer satisfaction. The impact on revenue depends on contract terms, with some moving towards outcome-based pricing. Q: Can you discuss the $50 million cost savings from restructuring efforts and their timing? A: Gopi Chande, CFO, explained that investments in sales, marketing, and operations transformation will drive efficiencies, with savings expected more in the second half of the year. The focus is on reducing attrition, optimizing supply planning, and rationalizing real estate and discretionary costs. Q: What are the expectations for Q1 2025 revenue and EBITDA compared to Q4 2024? A: Gopi Chande, CFO, confirmed that Q1 2025 revenue is expected to be lower than Q4 2024 due to seasonality and non-recurring items from 2024. However, revenue and EBITDA are expected to grow in subsequent quarters, with stronger performance in the second half of the year. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
