The covid-19 pandemic has battered every economic activity in the US, and the restaurant business has not been unaffected. Covid-19 forced the industry to quickly adopt innovative digital solutions over the last couple of years. So, which emerging restaurant technology trends should you consider in 2022 to survive in the near future and stay ahead of the competition? Let’s find out:
Innovative Technologies in Restaurant Industry
1. Online Ordering System and Food Delivery Apps
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about several behavioral and operational changes among restaurant owners, as well as their customers. For restaurant owners, there has been business uncertainty, restrictions on seating capacity, and strict regulations about hygiene. Similarly, some restaurant customers are still apprehensive about mingling with crowds.
Thankfully, online ordering and food delivery apps have come to the rescue of everyone. For owners, such practice allows running restaurants with less staff, smaller spaces and lower operating costs. On the other hand, this restaurant technology allows their customers to get the food when, where, and how they want it. It is, therefore, no surprise that a recent Mckinsey report estimates the global food delivery business to be over 150 billion dollars.
2. USB Wireless Charging Laminate Restaurant Table Tops
Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine our daily activities without a Smartphone. USB or wireless charging on restaurant tables can be an attractive yet practical feature that might come in handy for your guests. While selecting the material for your restaurant table top, go for laminate. Why laminate, you ask? Well, laminate is a sturdy material without being as heavy as other materials and is strong enough to withstand the fast-paced environment in restaurants. On top of that, it is affordable yet durable, looks premium, and is available in various colors, patterns, shapes, etc. In a nutshell, USB or wireless charging technology in restaurant industry is a perfect combination of functionality and stunning looks.
3. Online Table Reservation System
Gone are the days when diners used to call the restaurants to book a table. In an app-driven world, restaurant-goers prefer ordering through online table reservation systems. This new technology in restaurants facilitates an immersive experience for the diners by allowing them to see the available tables/slots and book at their convenience.
Similarly, for restaurant owners too, an online table reservation system makes it easy to manage seating, waitlists, staff, and other services. More importantly, you can access the data pertaining to customers dining and ordering preferences for improving your services.
4. Digital Menus
If you thrive on being a class apart from your competitors, the last thing you would want is to take orders on a smudged, wrinkled paper and run back and forth between the table and kitchen area. Instead, go for a digital menu technology used in restaurants to streamline your back-end operations.
You can integrate digital menu boards and kitchen display systems into your restaurant’s POS system for smoothly managing your staff, time, and resources. Digital menus can also be accessed by customers’ phones or other electronic devices, making it more sanitary than printed menus. You can also track inventory, prioritize orders, and customize dietary requirements, which results in efficient workflow and clear communication. Moreover, a digital menu presents unlimited design options for a unique brand image and dining experience.
5. Inventory Management System
Restaurant businesses tackle stringent supply chain requirements. Manually managing the inventory of raw materials can be a time consuming, tedious affair. An automated inventory management system can be a handy technology in restaurant industry for such tasks. It not only allows you to track the stocks of food and beverages, but you can even schedule orders effortlessly. Moreover, by managing inventory efficiently, you can reduce wastage of food which is estimated to be around 100 billion dollars every year globally.
6. QR codes
QR codes are another great, contactless technology used in restaurants to keep your staff and customers safe. The low-cost QR technology contains auto-scanning barcodes at convenient locations like tables, coasters, glasses, posters, etc., to access the digital menu, order food, pay bills, give feedback, etc. Using QR codes helps your staff to concentrate on serving customers rather than taking order and collecting cheques. Do you know what the best part about QR technology is? Your customers don’t have to download and install any app to access them.
7. High-tech Feedback Systems
Food delivery and online ordering not only allow you to streamline your bookings, but you can also use them to manage feedback from your customers. While instant communication over texts has been the industry standard in tech companies for a while now, it has somehow eluded the restaurant business.
Nowadays, customers give ratings and reviews on multiple platforms like public reviews, social media posts, food ordering apps, restaurant websites, etc. Therefore, it’s crucial to find a way to integrate, analyze, and respond to feedback across multiple channels. An efficient feedback system makes it convenient for your guests to give feedback and effortless for your staff to address or respond to it.
8. Contactless Payments Systems
Contactless payment options have emerged as the biggest and game-changing technology in restaurant industry over the last few years, and Covid-19 has accelerated their growth further. They are faster, safer, and less cumbersome than other in-person payment methods. According to the MasterCard Global Consumer Survey in 2020, nearly 80% of the respondents said they use contactless payments. Additionally, you can consider partnering with other tech giants like VISA, Amazon, Google, etc., for an effortless payment medium and checkout experience.
9. Air Purification Technology
With an emphasis on well-ventilated places having clean and germ-free air, investing in an air purification technology used in restaurant industry is the smart way to win back the trust of your customers. There are several novel techniques that provide a safe and comfortable dining environment for your guests. For example, UV light sanitization works effectively on air and surface. Similarly, bipolar ionization is another harmless and promising technology that cleans air or surfaces by neutralizing pollutants and contaminants.
10. Self-Order Kiosk
Self-ordering kiosk is another innovative restaurant technology which is becoming increasingly popular in fast-casual restaurants and commercial spaces like food courts, airports, shopping malls, etc. Investing in a kiosk is a smart way to increase efficiency and indulge customers through a simple interface for ordering food.
Additionally, a self-order kiosk allows you to run your restaurant with fewer staff and reduced labor costs. Also, you can use the large screen of the kiosk as an advertising medium to promote your menu items. All in all, self-order kiosks help in up selling, you get shorter lines at your counters, and your customers get more accuracy with their orders.
11. Prep Lines Automation
Do you know you can automate most mundane and repetitive back-end tasks? The latest, innovative restaurant technology in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technology can help in optimizing your staff, increasing capacity, and maximizing efficiency.
For example, automating your food preparation tasks can spare your cooks from performing predictable monotonous activities. As a result, your kitchen performs efficiently with fewer staff. More importantly, by using automation for preparing pre-mixed ingredients, your kitchen can produce meals faster, safer, cleaner, and consistent in flavor or quality.
12. Food Delivery Robots and Drones
If you have been following the news recently, many global companies, from Amazon to Domino’s, Google to Uber, are investing in drones and self-driving cars for food delivery. This technology in restaurant industry is faster, safer, economical, and aims at solving problems for restaurant owners as well as customers.
However, despite appearing extremely promising, this revolutionary technology still has a long way to go. For example, there are regulatory concerns, logistical issues, and weather-related difficulties. Still, delivery robots and drones are primed to be the most hopeful technology in the years to come.
13. AR-VR Technology
Most diners complain their dishes seldom look like what they envisaged while ordering. How can restaurant technology help address this issue? The answer is the use of Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) in your restaurant.
With AR-powered apps, your guests get to visualize the dishes and preparation beforehand. So, even before they order, they understand how the dish will be prepared, what ingredients will the dish use, and how the dish will look once it’s ready. In short, AR-VR technology reduces the chances of error between your guests and staff due to any misunderstanding or miscommunication.
14. Chatbots with NLP for Restaurants
A chatbot is another new technology in restaurants that saves time for your employees and improves the customer experience on your website. Chatbots come with natural language processing (NLP) technology and are basically automated programs for communicating with your guests. These chatbots are available 24×7 to assist your guests in several tasks like announcing promotional events, reserving tables, recommending dishes, placing orders, processing payments, collecting feedback, and many more.
What Is the Importance of Restaurant Technology?
Restaurant technology offers unique and out-of-box solutions to common problems faced by owners and diners. Technology in the restaurant industry improves operating efficiency, reduces food wastage, optimizes the workforce, and enhances the dining experience. More importantly, it saves you time and energy from doing monotonous, routine activities so that you can concentrate on your passion for food and entertaining your guests. Also, restaurant technology helps you create a brand image and rise above your competitors.
Summing it up
While Covid-19 has disrupted the entire food and beverage industry, it has emphasized the need for restaurant technologies. As a result, professionals across the globe are working to make the most of the opportunity to redefine the restaurant business. This article lists some latest restaurant technology trends that result in safer, faster, interactive and more immersive dining experiences for your guests. Hopefully, these trends will help you reimagine your restaurant’s future with an unforgettable dining experience and profitable business.
