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A Third Of Restaurant Operators Say They Lag In The Use Of Technology

According to new research from the National Restaurant Association, technology is still not the norm in many restaurants

By Nick Powills1851 Franchise Publisher
SPONSOREDUpdated 9:09AM • 05/26/16
While most restaurant operators would agree that technology can enhance the customer experience while increasing sales and operational efficiency, the soon to be released Restaurant Technology Survey from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) shows that there are barriers to implementation and only about one in 10 believe their restaurant is on the leading edge.

“The restaurant industry is very labor intensive. Average sales per employee are about a quarter of what they are at grocery stores, for example,” said Hudson Riehle, the NRA’s senior vice president of research at the Mapping the 2016 Restaurant Technology Landscape session during the recent NRA Show 2016. “Technology can help boost productivity and efficiency in restaurant operations, but it’s important to choose the right processes and systems to make sure it doesn’t make the customer experience more complicated.”

While the data shows some significant gaps, there are areas in restaurants where the adoption of technology is very high. For example, integrated POS systems, having an online presence and providing guest access to Wi-Fi are becoming more increasingly common throughout the industry. However, tabletop ordering, tablets, kiosks, mobile ordering and smartphone apps still lag behind.

In a recent story on the NRA’s website, Annika Stensson, the NRA’s director of research communications had positive things to say about technology adoption on the franchise side of restaurant business. “Franchisees and chain-operated restaurants have a higher rate of technology adoption, likely because of the resource network they can tap into through their brand. Independent restaurants have to basically start from scratch on things like smartphone apps and POS systems,” said Stensson. “Similarly, limited-service restaurants are more tapped into technology, likely because of their emphasis on speed and off-premises business. Online ordering, smartphone apps and mobile payment are much more common in quickservice eateries than tableservice restaurants.”

The full report featuring the new research is due out this summer. To read the original NRA story, click here.

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