How can your restaurant make the most out of today’s restaurant technologies? It starts with a decision: to embrace the inclusion of digital solutions in almost all everyday processes indoors. Here’s what to know.
If you have any questions about the latest restaurant tech news, contact us to learn more about the best restaurant technologies.
Restaurant Technologies are Growing
A quick breakdown of today’s latest restaurant technologies could hardly appear at a more appropriate time. In the transition to a more digitised economy, restaurants need to keep an eager eye on present-day restaurant solutions and their status of growth.
This will, of course, encourage sustainable development, making sure restaurants stay relevant for the future.
10 Key Statistics About Restaurant Technologies
Our review of current industry projections and predictions uses information from Statista, a database company that provides (among other things) key data on the global restaurant economy.
Assessing projections for the future, it is important to consider the reliability of source material. In this case, Statista is a reputable service, predominantly used in higher education libraries such as the European University Institute. With this in mind, let’s dive in!
1. Online Ordering
Since the hospitality industry first rode the wave of COVID-19 restrictions, the number of customers using online ordering has grown dramatically. Between 2019—20, for instance, digital restaurant delivery grew by almost 70 per cent. In the US alone a greater push toward contactless services saw online ordering increase by 123 per cent.
These statistics not only indicate that online ordering — from snacks to fast food — became popular from necessity. Rather, online ordering also grew in popularity because customers prefer it, including mobile ordering to promote drinks sales.
2. Digital Menus
Ever noticed quick response (QR) codes on tables when eating out? Today we find QR codes everywhere we look — on city streets, posters, adverts. We also find them on our restaurant tables for one very good reason: efficiency.
The instant availability of QR codes for online menus has taken Europe by storm. In France alone, 59 per cent of restaurant customers now prefer QR code menus to their physical counterparts — a number that grows everyday. Customers now want online menus to be a permanent feature of their dining out experience.
3. Contactless Payments
When it comes to the bill, customers have made a great leap forward in card payments. Contactless is the new format. Unless your venue is doing it already, it is time to get started with a point of sales system. After all, in the UK for instance contactless payments have increased massively, with over 1.3 billion contactless transactions in recent years.
4. Self Checkout
Who wants queues anymore? Realistically, the tireless wait for tables can exhaust customers, reducing their sense of excitement for good food.
Across food markets and other related businesses, customers can now scan goods themselves and pay instantly. Nowadays this amounts to about 2.8 million US dollars globally.
Good news: restaurants can now implement something highly similar with a queue management system.
5. Chatbots
A chatbot is an automated Q&A service with various functions to help curious customers, particularly helpful for international customers, who require language assistance. These website integrations usually take no time to install.
As a matter of fact, chatbots are helping restaurants to increase their business acumen. In 2018, 78 per cent of organisations worldwide were using chatbots in their self-service mechanisms, especially helpful when the venue landline is busy.
6. Inventory Management
The benefits of restaurant inventory management are three-fold:
- Increasing staff efficiency
- Reducing time spent on ordering stock
- Ordering exactly what is needed, therefore reducing food waste
Valued at 1.37 billion US dollars, inventory management systems are a lifesaver for many different industries.
Restaurant inventory management apps are ideal for busy restaurants. Industry watchdogs have emphasized the need to incorporate such software options to save time. When the weeks roll on, staff will be busy spending time on other duties — greeting customers, processing payments, assisting demands.
7. Touchscreen Technology
For quick-service restaurants, the past decade has witnessed the steady growth of a very familiar medium: touchscreen technology.
To keep the guestlist moving steadily, touchscreens in food businesses are usually kiosks set on a table, similar to a phone booth, permitting customers to choose what they like, pay for it, then tip — all in one swift movement.
This sort of self-service technology is now an industry favourite. Since 2012, the number of quick-service touchscreens has grown to almost 200,000 in the US. Clearly, they are making a considerable impact.
8. Staff Scheduling Software
An alternative to paper-based scheduling, using paper templates and pen-and-paper spreadsheets, staff scheduling software helps food businesses do all the hard work. Forget the nitty-gritty of long hours spent on deciding who goes where: the main aim of this software is to automate all the processes for managers and their teams.
With an eye cast toward the future, these software options are well-needed in the industry. Key features such as digital syncing of staff calendars speed up allocation tasks. An Adobe report found that the majority of staff now prefer more flexible shifts (i.e., in Germany, 58 per cent were in favour). In other words, staff scheduling can help restaurants meet new demands.
Need assistance to get the ball rolling? For the latest restaurant tech news, read our ultimate guide to starting up a restaurant for loads of information, including advice on restaurant equipment, technology, and last but not least, license information.
9. Food Delivery Apps and Ghost Kitchens
To stay both competitive and relevant, restaurant owners need to acknowledge the growth of food kitchens in mass urban centres worldwide. These are essentially what you imagine: kitchens only, without sit-in services, purely catered toward a delivery market. Analysts expect ghost kitchens to hold 50 per cent of the total share of global drive-through and takeaway services in 2030.
10. Guest Management Apps
Last but certainly not least, guest management apps are trending. Providing customers with the ideal means to book tables online, these apps reduce no-shows, promote growth, and improve customer satisfaction — that’s why in recent years telephone reservations have dropped in the United Kingdom from 58 to 20 per cent.
Learn more about restaurants using our free online booking services to maximise guest satisfaction today: “Italian Beach Club and Restaurant Celebrates Carbonara App”.
For more on how it works and the latest information on today’s restaurant technologies, head over to one of our ultimate guides on online restaurant reservations.
