Tech is now paramount for restaurants looking to remain at the top of their industry, according to an expert.
Restaurant Tech Live is a London-based exhibition that takes place at the end of September. Laura San Segundo is the marketing manager for the show, and wants to educate the restaurateurs of Europe.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not up-to-date you鈥檒l become old in the industry,鈥� she tells 老九品茶Cloud.
鈥淣o one wants to be old 鈥� you want to be up-to-date and at the top of the pyramid.
鈥淲e know this industry is growing a lot and tech is becoming part of our lives in everything we do.
鈥淎t this event we want everything restaurants can think of, and some things they haven鈥檛 yet thought of, under the same roof.鈥�
Having an awareness of tech is important for any restaurant, says San Segundo, and there will be some key things that any business can use 鈥� if they make the most of it.
鈥淣ot everyone will use the same tech but to help people to talk about you, for example, you need social media.
鈥淵ou can do it yourself by being on the computer or you can buy a program that will do it for you for a bit of money, but you will then have a lot of people talking about you and coming through your doors.鈥�
The show was originally part of the Takeaway and Restaurant Innovation expo, which is in its fourth year.
San Segundo says that tech in restaurants now deserves its own exhibition, but the problem is getting the rest of the industry to realise that.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e worried it鈥檚 expensive so they鈥檙e slow to adopt tech,鈥� she explains. She suggests making small changes within your budget such as a new payment system, or looking to start-ups to find new, inexpensive ideas to innovate with.
鈥淔or example, contactless payment is something simple which started not very long ago, but already it鈥檚 almost everywhere and lots of customers get angry if you don鈥檛 have it.
鈥淎t the end of the day everything will be tech-based so if you鈥檙e scared make small changes to see how it changes your life and the life of your customers and go from there.
鈥淥ne of the most important things about tech is the return on investment that you鈥檝e got to have. You鈥檒l spend something but you鈥檒l save a lot of time.鈥�
Across the pond in Washington DC, National Restaurant Association director of research communications Annika Stensson tells us what we already know: tech is on the rise.
In the last five years the number of restaurants using point-of-sale systems in the US has risen from 47 per cent in 2011 to 81 per cent today. In 2011 only 23 per cent of their restaurants offered online ordering, compared to 37 per cent today.
Although the association has seen restaurants using technology in a variety of ways, a one-size-fits-all approach won鈥檛 work, says Stensson.
鈥淭here are a variety of different areas in which technology helps operators,鈥� she says.
鈥淔rom back-of-the-house, like POS systems and staff scheduling, to front-of-the-house consumer-facing, like online ordering, smartphone apps, touch-screen ordering stations and mobile payment.
鈥淎 majority of restaurateurs agree technology can help increase sales, make them more productive and enhance customer service, but it鈥檚 important to pick the right solutions.鈥�
Stensson agrees that it鈥檚 important to incorporate technology without interfering with the hallmark of the hospitality industry 鈥� customer service.
鈥淭his is the great thing about technology: it can help restaurant staff focus more on delivering a great experience for guests rather than order fulfillment process, for example.
“The human element of customer service is extremely important to consumers, even if they appreciate the convenience of technology.鈥�
Technology in restaurants is here to stay, predicts Stensson, and by the sounds of it there鈥檚 something for everyone.
鈥淲ith more and more products and services entering the market and consumers showing strong interest, we鈥檙e not likely to see the tech trend wane anytime soon 鈥� if ever,鈥� says Stensson.
鈥淭here are some really innovative companies out there exploring everything from ordering chatbots to drone delivery, so there鈥檚 no shortage of ideas out there.鈥�