By Indiana Lee, Contributor
Technology seems to have its hand in every industry, elevating and modernizing businesses left and right. But let’s talk specifically about the food industry. Tech optimization in the food industry is ever-evolving, mainly because of the constant changes in the hospitality and restaurant sector.
For example, there’s a spotlight on automation integration. There’s a higher demand for computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and cloud-based data management systems. Virtual tours and experiences are becoming more popular too.
The food industry is doing its best to capitalize on the transition to a more digitally-focused world. Let’s look at four restaurant tech trends taking restaurants and the food industry to the next level.
Electric Vehicle Fleets
Many restaurants have a fleet of vehicles for deliveries, marketing purposes, and other restaurant-related business. As helpful as these vehicles are, they can be costly, especially gas-powered ones.
Aside from high gas prices, gas-powered vehicles pollute the Earth with dangerous greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. More restaurant owners are becoming conscious of the latter, and some are considering electric vehicle fleets.
Electric vehicles are more expensive up front, with an average cost of just under $65,000. So, you may not be able to purchase an entire fleet at once or even brand new.
However, you can save $800 to $1,000 a year on fuel costs and around $4,600 on maintenance and repair costs over the lifetime of an electric vehicle. Their carbon footprint is significantly less than gas-powered vehicles. Self-driving options are available. And you may be eligible for a tax credit when you purchase an electric vehicle.
A fleet of electric vehicles is most suitable for more extensive restaurant operations, whether fast food, fine dining, or catering businesses.
Modern Marketing Tools
“In 2021, it was estimated that there were 32,027 full-service restaurant franchise establishments in the United States,” according to Statista. This number doesn’t account for quick-service establishments. But you can bet on both numbers growing in the coming years.
How do restaurants compete with thousands of others? Marketing. A detailed, well-thought-out marketing strategy can take any restaurant to the top. However, you need modern marketing tools and must experiment with trends that make sense for your business.
For example, social media marketing is critical for restaurants. It helps build awareness for your restaurant brand and makes your establishment more accessible. To create an effective social media marketing strategy, you must:
Set goals and attach metrics to them
Conduct competitor research
Choose the right channels
Create unique, engaging content
Design a social media content calendar
Track your strategy’s performance
The time, resources, and effort it takes to do all of the above well make social media marketing a challenge for many small restaurant operations. But the right tools can help.
Data analytics tools can automate the tracking of your strategy’s performance
Market research software can make target audience research seamless
Social listening tools can help you study your competitors and conversations around your brand
Artificial intelligence (AI) powered content creation tools can assist with churning out new content regularly
All restaurants can and should build an online presence using social media and other digital marketing channels. Identify your resources, stay within your budget, view it as a long-term project, and you should be fine.
Self-Serve Kiosks and Ziosks
If you’ve gone to a top fast-food chain like McDonald's or Taco Bell lately, you’ve probably seen their self-serve kiosks. Instead of waiting for someone to take your order, you can walk up to a self-serve kiosk, order, and pay for your meal. As a result, lines are shorter, and orders are more accurate.
In addition to self-serve kiosks at fast-food restaurants, many casual and fine-dining restaurants provide ziosks or tablets at each table. Dine-in customers can browse the menu, order, and pay for their meals at the table. Trivia and other games are often available too.
Self-serve kiosks and tabletop tablets can enhance the customer experience. But they will cost you, especially if you have a big establishment and need more than a few. However, you may not need to hire a huge wait staff and can offset the costs that way. And with the profits you make from more satisfied customers.
Cloud-Based POS Software
Cloud Kitchens gives an excellent overview of cloud-based POS software, stating, “With a cloud-based POS system, staff can use tablets, computers, and phones to receive real-time data on wait times, facilitate contactless payments, track inventory, manage reservations, and input orders.”
Simply put, a cloud-based POS system doesn’t keep your employees hovering over the only three functional POS systems in your establishment. Instead, they can use various mobile devices to move freely throughout your restaurant, better serving customers and tending to their other work duties.
A huge challenge with a cloud-based POS system is ensuring everyone is trained appropriately and comfortable using it. Unfortunately, only some people are tech-savvy, so training and full integration could take longer than expected.
Another disadvantage could be cost. Along with the costs for each device and an upfront installation fee, you may have to pay monthly for the software.
Bars, fine-dining restaurants, casual restaurants, bistros, buffets, cafes, and diners can benefit from cloud-based POS software. The more traffic and employees a restaurant sees, the more advantageous these systems are.
Conclusion
79% of consumers say technology can improve their experience at restaurants. So, it is important to consider incorporating the above tech trends for your customer’s experience and essential for your restaurant’s overall efficiency and profitability.
Research the above tech trends further. And if any call out to you, take them to your team and see if they are financially feasible and how you can integrate them into your restaurant operation.
