How Technology is Changing the Restaurant Business - An analysis by Yusuf Dhanani

By Yusuf Razak Dhanani : Before technology became a part of restaurants, guests would come to a restaurant, sit wherever there was a free table, order food, the waiter would take down the order on a notepad, serve food, guest would eat, pay and leave. 

But now, with technology, the guest's experience is as completely changed as that of chefs, servers and owners, due to a change in technology in the kitchen. Now, with modern kitchen display screens and staffing technology, you can get data-centric insights into what's working well for your restaurant and what's not. This is where technology is making its big impact in the restaurant industry--how guests dine and what pleases them and what doesn't. 

With technology, a lot has changed. Restaurant loyalty programs, digital receipts, email marketing, digital invitations to restaurant festivals are all ways of greater interaction with a restaurant and more opportunities for restaurants to build up a strong database of loyal guests.

Now that technology has invaded restaurants, let's see how they've impacted the working of eateries and how this is helping them. 

Digital Receipts: In pre-technology days, receipts were brought to the table, but now restaurants send them to the inboxes of guests or to their phones. What's really nice is that guests are opting for this kind of communication, chiefly for its convenience and informality, and for restaurants it means taking that one step closer to their new customer, thereby increasing their guest base.

With technology, restaurants are investing in apps so that bills are no longer brought to the table but payment is made through this software. This answers guests' complaint that they are made to wait very long for the bill to arrive, so this cuts out the waiting. This could also have an impact on how guests are charged and how tips are distributed. 

Kitchen Display Screens: These display screens make life easy for both guests and kitchen staff. Guests can place their menu orders smoothly and quickly to the kitchen, and kitchen staff work on them faster, thereby saving time for guests. Using a Point of Sales tablet, cloud systems can instantly send items to the kitchen, so you can imagine the speed at which restaurant staff work.

For chefs, kitchen display screens help learn about the time it takes to complete an order, based on items and menu group. With a kitchen display screen, kitchen manager can rethink of how to make their kitchens work efficiently. 

Social networking platforms: These platforms play a great role in influencing people's opinions on dining places. Whereas some restaurants can leave their positive or negative comments of a restaurant the moment they enter it, there are others that encourage you to do so when you're in its vicinity. If one has just emerged from a restaurant and has an experience to share, it's best to do it on Facebook or Twitter because that's where everyone hangs out and reads the latest updates. Of course, this can work for or against a restaurant. But let's be positive. 

The future of restaurants will be technology-driven, and will depend on the right people developing and using technology that will benefit restaurants. Even now, restaurant owners, staff and guests are reaping the rewards of restaurant technology, but more is yet to come. 

Get in touch with Yusuf Razak Dhanani here.