Crunchtime appoints Nani McDonnell as Chief Customer Officer to elevate customer experience. Tech industry veteran to lead global customer strategy, deepen client partnerships, and drive operational excellence across the ops lifecycle BOSTON, MA - May 5, 2026 - Crunchtime, the leading provider of technology for the restaurant industry, today announced the appointment of Nani McDonnell as Chief Customer Officer (CCO). McDonnell brings more than two decades of experience leading customer-centric organizations across high-growth SaaS and technology companies. She has built and scaled global customer success functions, with a passion for building deep, one-to-one relationships at scale and making a positive impact for both customers and employees. "At Crunchtime, our customers are at the center of everything we do," said John Raguin, CEO of Crunchtime. "Nani's proven ability to build high-performing teams and deliver measurable customer impact makes her the ideal leader to elevate our customer experience as we continue to scale globally." Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment as restaurant leaders prepare to gather at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. McDonnell will be attending the show and is eager to meet with operators to better understand their evolving challenges and learn more about their top priorities for leveraging technology. "I can't wait to be on the show floor meeting with our customers, many of whom are restaurant brands that I've been a loyal fan of for as long as I can remember. There's no substitute for hearing directly from the people running operations every day, and I'm truly looking forward to those conversations," said McDonnell. McDonnell will lead Crunchtime's global customer organization, aligning strategy and execution across onboarding, support, and long-term success, ensuring restaurant brands maximize value from Crunchtime. "One of our key goals as a customer experience team is to ensure our customers are leveraging AI and automation capabilities to cut manual work, while also enabling more integrations, delivering smart and prescriptive analytics, and providing truly mobile-first tools," added McDonnell. For a more in-depth look at its latest AI offerings, Crunchtime is hosting a Live Launch Event on Wednesday, May 13, at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT, and will also showcase its complete AI-powered operations management suite at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, May 16-19, in Booth #6021. About Crunchtime Crunchtime helps multi-unit restaurants operate every location like their best one. Trusted by 850+ brands across 150,000+ locations worldwide, Crunchtime connects the full operations management lifecycle across inventory management, labor and scheduling, kitchen management, and operations execution, in the industry's only complete, AI-powered suite. Top operators, including Jersey Mike's, Five Guys, Smoothie King, Wingstop, and Chili's, rely on Crunchtime to achieve profitability and deliver great guest experiences every day in every store. To learn more, visit Crunchtime.com. Media Contact: Julie Rudder,

Crunchtime, a restaurant technology provider, has introduced four new AI capabilities to its operations management suite. The additions include AI Analyst for natural language data queries, Voice-Based Inventory for speech-to-text counting that's three to four times faster, Photo Intelligence for automated brand standards verification, and AI Actions for identifying execution issues across store submissions. The Boston-based company previously achieved 99% forecast accuracy with its AI Forecasting tool. The new features aim to reduce manual work and enable data-driven decision-making across inventory management, labour scheduling, kitchen management and operations execution. Crunchtime's software is used in over 150,000 locations across 100-plus countries by brands including Chipotle, Dunkin' and Five Guys. Early access programmes are available to existing customers through their customer success managers.

Star Micronics integrates labeling and printing solutions with Crunchtime Kitchen to improve Order Accuracy and fulfillment. Star Micronics America Mar 06, 2026, 13:36 ET The integration connects kitchen workflows with reliable labeling and printing to support faster, more accurate order fulfillment across modern restaurant environments. SOMERSET, N.J., March 6, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ - Star Micronics, a global leader in POS hardware, labeling, and cloud printing technology, today announced the integration of its printing and labeling solutions with Crunchtime Kitchen, a popular kitchen display system (KDS) by Crunchtime Information Systems. The integration extends digital kitchen workflows beyond the screen, helping restaurants improve order accuracy, accountability, and fulfillment across dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels, with particular impact for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), fast-casual brands, large casual-dining chains, and other hospitality venues. Kitchen display systems play a critical role in organizing and prioritizing orders, but accuracy challenges often arise once orders move from preparation to packaging and handoff. By integrating Star Micronics' labeling and printing solutions with Crunchtime Kitchen, restaurants gain a reliable physical verification layer that supports accurate assembly, clear identification, and confident delivery of every order. Extending Order Accuracy Beyond the Screen Through the integration, orders displayed within Crunchtime Kitchen workflows trigger printed labels and receipts at key points in the kitchen process. Item-level and order-level labels help teams verify contents, eliminate missed items, and minimize confusion during packaging and pickup. Star's mC-Label multifunction printer series supports a wide range of restaurant labeling needs, including item labels, bag seals, and order identification, using linerless, die-cut, or receipt media, all from a single model. Available in 2-inch and 3-inch options, the series also features user-friendly maintenance that reduces downtime and simplifies upkeep for kitchen teams. Star's TSP143IV SK supports sticky linerless labels and receipt printing, giving restaurants flexible options for labeling and order verification. When paired with Crunchtime Kitchen, labeling helps ensure that digital orders are accurately reflected in the final order handed to the customer. Orchestrating Complex, Multi-Channel Kitchen Operations Crunchtime Kitchen is purpose-built to help restaurants manage complex, high-volume kitchen operations where speed, accuracy, and coordination are critical. Rather than simply displaying orders, the system orchestrates how orders move through the kitchen by pacing tickets, routing items to the right stations, and adjusting workflows based on real-time demand. "When kitchens are under pressure, teams need systems they can trust," said Jennifer Karpinsky, Vice President of Business Development at Crunchtime. "Bringing Crunchtime Kitchen together with Star Micronics' labeling and printing solutions gives restaurants greater confidence that orders are executed accurately for the guest." Features such as delayed routing, customizable prep stations, and dynamic capacity management help balance workloads, reduce bottlenecks, and keep multi-item orders finishing together. This approach supports consistent execution across dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels, even during peak periods. Paired with Star Micronics' labeling and printing solutions, these orchestrated workflows extend beyond the screen, giving kitchen teams a clear, physical way to verify, assemble, and fulfill orders accurately. Reliable Printing for Real-World Kitchen Execution The integration also supports Star's mC-Print3 thermal receipt printer, delivering fast, dependable receipt and order printing in high-volume kitchen environments. Built for the demands of busy kitchens, the mC-Print3 provides consistent output at prep, expo, and fulfillment stations during peak service. Together, Star's printing and labeling hardware provides restaurants with flexible options to support prep stations, expo lines, and fulfillment areas, while maintaining clarity and reliability across workflows. Supporting Modern Restaurant Operations As restaurants manage increasing order complexity driven by kiosks, online ordering, and third-party delivery, accuracy at handoff has become a critical factor in customer satisfaction and loyalty. Clear labeling and reliable printing help reduce costly remakes, refunds, and delivery issues, while improving the overall guest experience. The integration between Star Micronics and Crunchtime Kitchen enables restaurant operators to unify digital order management with consistent, real-world execution across every service channel. Designed for multi-channel, enterprise restaurant environments, Crunchtime Kitchen helps operators maintain service consistency and throughput by intelligently managing order flow across stations, channels, and peak demand periods. A Trusted Partner for KDS Labeling Solutions With decades of experience supporting restaurant technology ecosystems, Star Micronics continues to work closely with leading software providers to deliver dependable hardware solutions. The integration with Crunchtime Kitchen reinforces Star's role as a go-to provider of labeling and printing technology for KDS environments. About Star Micronics Star Micronics is a world leader in point-of-sale (POS) hardware, offering a portfolio of printing, secure cash management, self-service, and customer engagement solutions for retail and hospitality environments. Star's technologies support Android, iOS, Windows, and web-based platforms, as well as cloud printing solutions such as CloudPRNT Next and StarIO.Online. About Crunchtime With Crunchtime, the world's top restaurant brands achieve ops excellence in every location. Crunchtime software is used in over 150,000 locations in 100+ countries to manage inventory, staff scheduling, learning and development, food safety, operational tasks, and audits. Through its recent merger with QSR Automations, Crunchtime has expanded its offerings to include kitchen automation and guest management solutions. Crunchtime enables customers, including Chipotle, Culver's, Domino's, Dunkin', Five Guys, and P.F. Chang's to control food and labor costs and deliver great guest experiences by providing the real-time data and tools essential for profitable, scalable growth. Media Contact Christin Trilone, Star Micronics America, 1 848-216-3318, [email protected], https://starmicronics.com SOURCE Star Micronics America