Restaurant technology has played a large role in the industry’s adaptation to its changing environment. Aiding owners to grow rapidly and increase profits.
The dining experience is changing with the fast paced culture and demand for convenience.
In turn, technology has played a large role in the restaurants industry’s adaptation to its changing environment. The National Restaurants Association 2017 study notes that 4 out of 5 restaurant owners found that technology increases sales, makes their restaurant more productive, and provides their restaurant a competitive advantage.
Ultimately, the integration of technology in the restaurant industry has benefited both the guests and restaurant operations. Greater efficiency is achieved, and positive workflow is easier to manage. Here are 5 technology trends changing the restaurant industry:
They’re popping up left, right and center. The National Restaurant Association's Mapping the Technology Landscape report found that predictive ordering is the leading edge tech. There’s a demand for convenience, and the ease of ordering allows users to effortlessly customize their orders to their liking!
Apps like Foodora, UberEats, JustEat, and SkipTheDishes allow guests to easily order and recieve a meal from the comfort of their own home. However, this allows guests to rate restaurants solely based on take out – which can be hugely problematic, if something goes wrong. We recommend doing the research and finding out what restaurant delivery might work best for your business.
Quick, fast, and easy are staples in running a restaurant. Restaurants, especially fast casual and fast food, are adapting to new technology and integrating tablets into their workflow. Bypassing a hardware terminal medium, servers are able to send orders straight to the kitchen.
In addition, tablets can also be used for food delivery services or used for time tracking via time attendance software. With the camera function, tablets are a great tool for combating time theft and buddy punching.
Technology is inching its way towards guest and staff interaction, but it’s also disrupting the field of restaurant management – in a positive way.
Integration of technology in the restaurant industry eliminates the rigidness of restaurant management by automating mundane administrative tasks. And this is on top of having the ability to manage your business and your employees, anytime and from anywhere.
Restaurant management software can be found as solutions for multiple key parts like restaurant scheduling, restaurant payroll, and employee time tracking.
You can automate everything. Whether it's compiling labor reports or tracking employee performances, restaurant HR software organizes employee management onto one platform.
Technology in the restaurant scene is the perfect solution for business owners to create better workflow, guest experiences, and environments for their staff.
Hospitality is more than just a service; rather it’s about guest experiences, and meeting or exceeding expectations. Quick and good customer service is what guests are looking for and the bottom line is to always improve your guest experiences. But ensuring a restaurant runs smoothly, is the delicate balance of good front-of-house and back-of-house management.
And as there are virtually apps for everything nowadays, we found two apps that restaurant owners may find worthwhile investing in:
DINR
an app for extremely busy restaurants. Last minute cancellations happen, and DINR allows guests to make same day reservations. You'll be able to fill seats when available, and diners will be able to try your restaurant! It's a win-win situation.
an app that connects restaurant owners to local BC fishermen and eliminates the middleman. Data on who, when, where and how seafood is caught is retained and traced by Coastline so that restaurant owners are guaranteed with certified local ingredients.
Some customers could care less of a negative review, but word of mouth never goes out of style. Rather than the literal action of word of mouth, online communities are fostered to share favorite restaurants, and dishes. Social influencers are on the rise, and they’re the ultimate vehicle in spreading the word.
This doesn't mean you should make their experience any different than a regular diner. More often than now, influencers are already a fan of your brand. The key here, is to use their platform to showcase your business!
Explore social media, and other forms of restaurant marketing to use technology to bring more people into your business!
“In the labor numbers, we were reporting about a $300 to $400 difference than what we were getting through Push!”
-Tara Hardie, ZZA Hospitality Group, 16 locations
