International Dairy Queen, the fast food and frozen treat chain that operates 7,800 restaurants worldwide, has hired Phil Crawford as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Crawford will oversee IT and retail technology for both the corporate operation and its global franchise network.
Crawford spent the past several years as global head of food, beverage and hospitality at Adyen, the Dutch payments platform, where he worked with restaurant and retail clients on payment infrastructure and data-driven decision systems. Before that, he held technology leadership roles at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's parent company CKE Restaurants, where he managed global technology strategy for both QSR brands, and at Shake Shack, Yard House and retailer Godiva Chocolatier.
"I am excited to lead the next chapter of the company's technology strategy that builds a truly unified, scalable commerce ecosystem," Crawford said. "Our goal will be to deepen consumer engagement and deliver exceptional experiences — whether our fans are ordering at drive thru, via delivery, in restaurant or through our digital platforms."
Crawford steps into the role as Dairy Queen is already mid-test on a drive-thru voice AI deployment. The chain began offering the Presto automation system to select franchisees earlier this year after positive results at company-owned units, making the CTO transition particularly significant for an initiative that will fall directly under his oversight.
The technology agenda runs alongside a franchise development push. Dairy Queen began offering a $150,000 lump-sum incentive in May for new Grill and Chill locations, its food-focused full-menu format, with an additional $200,000 per store available to franchisees who open within 18 months of a first Grill and Chill location.
