The restaurant sector has historically been sluggish to adopt new technologies and digital strategies. The COVID-19 epidemic, however, changed that in 2020 and 2021 and compelled food and beverage establishments to explore outside the box. In order to adjust to a new reality, several eateries have recently, if unwillingly, embraced technology. One with more contactless technology, means of separating visitors from other visitors, and numerous other hygienic precautions.
As restaurants change how they run to not only survive but prosper in this new connected and contactless world, technology and innovation have helped, even saved, them. The food and beverage (F&B) sector can no longer afford to ignore the trends that are assisting businesses in reinventing themselves in order to remain relevant and competitive, from online ordering, self-checkouts, touchless payments, through delivery and pick-up.
Top 7 Restaurant technology trends that will help you increase revenue in 2022
1. Cloud Restaurant POS Systems
Restaurant POS systems are now a crucial tool for every restaurant business since they come with a wide range of features to optimize restaurant management completely and also function with several business intelligence capabilities.
Restaurant POS systems provide business information including payroll reports, sales data, labor costs, and busy and slow times for your restaurant. With the help of these business insights, you can oversee the operations of your restaurant and comprehend how it is doing as a business owner.
2. Apps for Delivery and Online Ordering
Online food ordering and contactless home delivery have saved establishments that are nonetheless susceptible to imposed limits, stringent sanitary rules, and even shutdown. As customers get used to receiving the food they want when, where, and how they want it, this service is here to stay. According to data from McKinsey, the worldwide food delivery sector is currently worth more than $150 billion, having more than tripled since 2017. This growth may be partly linked to the epidemic.
For those unable to offer in-house ordering and delivery services, third-party food delivery apps like UberEats, Foodpanda, or DoorDash will continue to be a crucial option. However, given that a lot of customers say they prefer to place their orders directly from restaurants, we may anticipate that smaller fast-food chains will follow their lead and invest in creating their own integrated online platforms and apps. This digital proximity allows the restaurant sector to maintain close contact with its clients despite the perceived “distance.”
3. Contactless Payments
The widespread use of contactless technology includes not only online ordering but also purchasing using a smartphone, smartwatch, or smartcard via an app or touchless device. The global restaurant business has been progressively adopting new payment methods, but the epidemic has hastened this tendency. By 2024, it’s predicted that the global market for contactless payments will triple from $2 trillion to $6 trillion, and 34% of customers say that having these options is very important. Without the need for human touch, it is more hygienic and safe, rapid, instant, and convenient. It’s also more efficient in terms of cash flow. Restaurants who haven’t already invested in and planned for a mobile and digital payment strategy had better do so if they don’t want to fall behind in the upcoming year.
4. A Technique for Booking Restaurants Online
Telephone table reservations are becoming obsolete as online table reservation technology gains popularity. Customers have the option to view available slots and make their own reservations while on the go thanks to providers like Eat App, Tablein, or OpenTable. In turn, restaurants may manage seats, waitlists, customer loyalty, and dining preferences through the use of technology-enabled reservation systems. They can also gather crucial consumer information for contact tracing or market insights.
Even greater development has been made to the idea. Through its initiative Experiences, OpenTable gives establishments the chance to suggest special culinary events and dining experiences outside of the realm of routine reservations. Customers can quickly, directly, and in accordance with their preferences arrange their next special dining experience.
5. Digital Kitchen Boards
No need to run back and forth between the kitchen and front of the house, grab paper and a pen, or worry about smeared printed tickets. Restaurants’ back-of-house operations can be made more efficient with the use of Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), a digital menu board for kitchen employees. The screen, which is directly connected to the restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system, automatically prioritises orders and flags any specific dietary needs. This technological solution eventually provides better communication, accuracy, clearer workflows, and – being 100% digital – offers a more sustainable kitchen operation by tracking meal delivery timings and monitoring inventory to signal when a product is out of stock.
6. Computerized Inventory Control Software
Tracking food and beverage supplies, estimating quantities, and even planning reorders no longer need to be time-consuming, tiresome operations thanks to automated inventory management. Very critically, integrating such technologies into your workflow will also help you cut down on food waste, which is said to cost the hospitality sector $100 billion annually. With sustainability at the top of the international agenda, saving time, money, and the environment seems like a no-brainer.
7. QR codes
Restaurants all across the world are starting to use QR codes, which are already common in societies that prioritise mobile technology like China. In this “no-touch” era, clients may access online menus, order, and pay – without contact – by auto-scanning barcodes with smartphone cameras on posters, tables, coasters, doors, or websites. This keeps customers and staff safe. Without the need to download an app, this technology has also been crucial in assisting restaurants with the contact tracing that is now required in many parts of the world in order for them to reopen during this pandemic. QR code technology was a “must” in 2021 and is still one in 2022 for restaurants since it offers a number of practical advantages at comparatively modest costs.
8. Technology for air purification
Making customers feel safe and comfortable will be crucial as they return to eateries. The restaurant sector is placing a rising emphasis on improving sanitation systems using various air filtration technologies to promote “clean air”. Bipolar ionisation, a technology that removes impurities from surfaces and the air in enclosed places without harming people, is already demonstrating encouraging results and finding a market. Systems that use UV light are also recognised as efficient ways to sanitise surfaces and the air. Even while these ideas and goods may not yet be widely used, they are quickly becoming the most significant restaurant technology available in today’s virus-averse society.
How sapaad can help you stay on top of these trends
Streamline your restaurant operations with Sapaad’s POS. In addition to offering a stunning web and mobile ordering experience, Sapaad’s POS system helps you grow your restaurant business and deliver top-notch customer service to customers. Using one platform, you can easily manage menus, ingredients, and food expenses and be in full control of the operations of your kitchen in an efficient manner, from order placing to fulfillment. With Sapaad’s QR code feature, you can give your consumers the ease to scan, order, and pay with their phones.
No matter how large or small your restaurant, cafe, fast food business is, Sapaad is the right choice for you. Start your free trial and gain immediate access to their platform without paying anything or sharing your credit card details.
Conclusion
Digitalization in the F&B sector is accelerating thanks to recent technological advances. More and more restaurateurs are using automation and optimization to provide high-quality food and service as fast and conveniently as feasible.
So far, it looks that ordering, cooking, and delivery are the three main focuses of restaurant technology in 2022. Expect restaurants to concentrate on giving their customers a flawless ordering experience and delivering their orders as quickly as they can, even though additional innovations are certain to appear.