Consumers want to see new technology integrated into their dining experiences, especially if it will speed up the process of getting their meal or paying their bill.
A study carried out by Technomic on consumer-facing technology suggests that just over half of respondents believe it’s important for restaurants to start using these technologies, and that they expect to use technology more often in the coming year to order food.
Restaurants have been a little slow with the uptake of technology, but a few chains are breaking new ground.
1. Fast-food chains are in the forefront of Mobile Ordering. Domino’s Pizza and KFC are implementing mobile ordering apps.
2. Some companies are embracing iPad order kiosks where consumers can place an order then sit down and relax rather than wait in line. This could prevent a number of walk-aways resulting in more orders.
3. Tabletop e-waiter & checkout. Waiters can had a restaurant iPad to diners while they are sat in their seat where they can self-checkout and their card doesn’t leave their sight. Customers are happy with the fast service, and restaurants can serve more diners per night.
4. Restaurants are likely to change their menus over to digital menu (boards). They are so much easier to edit rather than manually changing items and prices.
McDonald’s is projecting gesture-enabled games onto restaurant floors for kids to play while they wait for their meals, in 150 of the chain’s higher-profile locations. Now that’ll keep kids busy — and we all know happy kids mean happy parents who come back to your restaurant.
Tech-savvy diners expect elegant solutions that work. But for restaurants that can get it right, integrating technology that makes customers happy and turns tables faster will be a no-brainer.










