From robots to scheduling software program, eating places are implementing all kinds of new know-how into their operations of late.
With so many new developments this 12 months, The Meals Institute determined to take a better have a look at how tech can really improve the eating expertise.
WHAT SHOULD RESTAURANTS INVEST IN?
Drive-thru is likely one of the key areas that fast service eating places are innovating, with trade giants like McDonald’s and Starbucks investing closely in buyer personalization and choice know-how.
“The drive-thru expertise has by no means been about creating private connection—it’s at all times been about comfort,” Thibaud Denolle, director of innovation and advertising at Acrelec, instructed The Meals Institute. “However immediately’s drive-thru expertise goals to alter that. You want to reply the query, `How can we construct a 1-to-1 relationship within the drive-thru with out compromising the velocity of service?’”
Apart from drive-thru tech, different focus areas embrace options that create operational efficiencies and better labor productiveness, improve buyer expertise, enhance stock administration, and scale back waste, in response to Greg Grambling, managing director at Solomon Companions and a specialist in meals retail and eating places.
“Clients are in search of frictionless experiences in limited-service eating places, which incorporates ordering, fee and pick-up/supply,” he mentioned.
SOME TECH CAN HURT MORE THAN HELP
Although it’s necessary for eating places to undertake new know-how, they need to even be very cautious, as a result of some tech merchandise can damage greater than they assist, mentioned Stefan Kouumdjiev, co-founder at Breeze Applied sciences.
“That is particularly frequent with merchandise designed for patrons,” he instructed The Meals Institute, “as a result of there are many merchandise which are great for restaurant clients however is likely to be very disruptive to a restaurant’s operations.”
Kouumdjiev used the instance of tableside fee platforms. “The units let clients pay sooner by utilizing their telephones as a substitute of handing over their card, [which] may be great for company, but when the servers and managers can’t simply observe which clients have paid from their telephones, operations can grow to be extraordinarily chaotic,” he mentioned.
Denolle additionally emphasised that if a buyer just isn’t proud of their expertise, they received’t hesitate to go elsewhere. “That’s why it’s essential for brand spanking new know-how within the eating house to be applied seamlessly, with no affect on the stream of service. Typically the most important buyer ache level may be the know-how itself.”
NEW TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Listed below are a number of latest developments in restaurant tech:
- DoorDash trademark filings reveal it’s doubling down on robotic meals prep with two new ghost manufacturers, reported Enterprise Insider.
- Deliverect, a worldwide scale-up that simplifies on-line ordering for institutions together with eating places, comfort shops and grocery shops, secured greater than $150 million in Sequence D funding.
- 7Shifts, a supplier of restaurant scheduling software program, raised $80 million in a Sequence C funding spherical, reported Restaurant Enterprise.
- Agot AI, which develops know-how to assist quick-service eating places keep away from errors with meals supply, raised $12 million.
