Technology In The Restaurant Industry: Why It Is Important And Types To Use
Did you notice that the restaurant industry has changed over the past decades? It provides users with new solutions, and advanced technologies are predominantly used for the attraction of guests.
Moreover, users became more tempted due to the many available services related to food delivery and restaurants. Applied technology in restaurants is an option to get ahead of the competition.
Today it is highly crucial for restaurant owners to adopt new technologies and integrate them into business processes if they want to remain competitive and follow recent trends. Why are technologies advantageous for restaurants? What are technologies more popular? How to choose them? We will provide all the answers right below.
Advantages Of Technology In Restaurants
For a start, we need to determine the benefits of technologies you will use for your business and the general importance of technology in restaurants. Let’s take a look at the primary benefits.
Efficiency. First, technologies help calculate the amount of cooked food, and it will reduce possible waste. Managers will be able to order the correct number of ingredients, so spoilt or unnecessary products won’t be wasted, and it will help your business save more. Moreover, kitchen automation software may help monitor how much time guests are waiting for their order and cook dishes within the shortest time possible.
Improved customer service. This benefit is tightly related to the previous one. If you plan to use an inventory management system to let your staff monitor the number of products, users will always be able to taste the dish they like since you won’t run out of products suddenly. Customers will be satisfied with a new level of service your restaurant provides them with.
Increased revenue. Innovative restaurant technology contributes to automation. Automation means optimization. Optimization leads to reduced expenses and higher incomes. Your staff will use inventory more efficiently, customers will become more loyal, they visit your restaurant more frequently, and your profit grows. Bingo!
Employee retention. Then, technologies allow you to manage the workforce better and provide your employees with the right workload and tasks. When employees like their job and don’t feel stressed, they will more likely keep working in your restaurant. Besides, CRM systems (customer relationship management) will simplify employees’ work and let them build better relationships with clients.
Stability. Finally, technologies like smart fridges, smart heating, and ventilation systems will help you save energy, save your costs, you will help the environment, and turn your restaurant into a competitive player. So the use of technology in the restaurant industry is evident.
Types Of Technology Used In A Restaurant Industry
In this section, we would like to cover types of existing technologies that will fit your restaurant business better. Of course, we won’t list all technologies, but we want to focus on the most enticing ones.
Mobile Apps and Websites
Food delivery apps and restaurant websites became popular long ago, but recent changes made all people use mobile apps more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people started using online services actively.
And mobile apps allow users to do it on the go and quickly. So if you want to follow up-to-date trends, you need to build an app. A restaurant app should include basic features like the following:
- Product page. The page where users can find the description of the dish, its ingredients, weight, etc.
- Menu. Provide an online menu that includes all dishes your restaurant offers.
- Table reservation. Clients can reserve a table for a time convenient for them.
- Filters. Clients can filter the search by price, ingredients, etc.
- Order placement. If your restaurant is specialized in food delivery as well, let users place an order.
- Payment. An integrated payment gateway will let users make cashless payments for their orders.
- Customer support. You need to hire support managers who will help clients if they have any problems or questions.
- Status. Clients can monitor the status of the order.
- Push notifications. Any notifications about the latest changes in the app will pop up on the user’s mobile device display. So users will keep updated.
- Reviews. Users must be able to leave reviews and comments about your restaurant.
Cadabra Studio creates user-friendly apps for delivery services. You may check our works for restaurants and delivery services on Dribbble.
Touchscreen PoS Technologies
PoS (point of sale) technology implies installing touchscreen terminals and tablets to improve and speed up your employees’ work. It will be an excellent option to increase the efficiency and loyalty of employees. But mind that the PoS terminal must have a user-friendly and intuitive design so that they could interact with it adequately. However, as a rule, PoS terminals are provided with installed easy-to-use software, and you don’t need to develop additional software for it.
Contactless Payment
As we noted above about quarantine restrictions, direct contact between two persons has become unwanted and even dangerous. Contactless payment using smartphones and smartwatches allows users to pay without direct contact with cash or devices in your restaurant. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other contactless payment systems make this process possible.
Self-Order Kiosks
Today many restaurants use self-order kiosks to let users control their ordering process better with the help of a digital menu and a straightforward interface. Again, such restaurant technology services make it possible to avoid direct communication between two persons, and it will also reduce the workload of your staff.
Online Ordering System
Third-party services like Glovo are famous for their courier services when users can order anything (and food delivery as well), and the courier will deliver it within the shortest time possible. However, it is much more advantageous for a restaurant to have its own online ordering system integrated into a website.
Thus, clients will order the food directly from your restaurant. However, you can provide a mobile restaurant app as well (see above). But mobile apps and websites will increase your competitiveness, so think about investing money in the website and mobile app development with Cadabra Studio.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Technology For A Restaurant
How can you choose the right technology for your business? You need to take into account a few crucial factors that will help you make the right choice and take appropriate steps.
Determine your goals. First, you need to determine what technologies your restaurant needs. What goals do you want to achieve? Cut costs, or enhance the customer experience? Or both? It is essential to single out these goals to choose the best-fitting technology in restaurant operations.
Evaluate your capabilities. Then, you need to identify the budget and allocate the time to integrate new technologies and train your staff. Remember that it will take time for employees to get acquainted with innovations in your restaurant.
Evaluate the accessibility of the tech. If the technology isn’t simple and easy to use, forget about it. That is why it is crucial to figure out how the selected technology works and how it can be helpful for your specific needs. Even though some multipurpose solutions are suitable for all restaurants, it will be preferable to discover more about the technology to make sure it is the right one you need.
Remember about security. If you create a mobile app or website for your restaurant, think about proper protection since users will add their payment cards to pay for delivery. So your software must be protected from online attacks of hackers. If users have any doubts about their data security, you will lose clients forever.
Now you see how technology is changing the restaurant industry. Wrapping up, we want to add that choosing the right technology is not everything you need. Mobile and web app development must be entrusted to reliable software developers.
Cadabra Studio is a development and design team that provides businesses with software development and UI/UX design of any complexity. Subscribe to our channel and contact us directly if you have any questions.
