Givex Chief Commercial Officer Mo Chaar Dishes on the Technology That’s Changing Restaurants in 2020

Technology talk dominated the restaurant industry in 2019, and restaurant brands who weren’t listening are going to have to play catch up in 2020. As consumers continue to gravitate toward online ordering, delivery and takeout options, even restaurants with the most steadfast customer bases are going to need to step up their digital game, and do it soon.  

Enter Givex. The global cloud-based operations-management solutions company provides brands with innovative ways to offer gift cards, loyalty programs and more. 

In an interview with 1851 Franchise, Givex Chief Commercial Officer Mo Chaar shared his insights on the technology that’s changing the restaurant industry in 2020 and the role Givex plays in that change. 

1851 Franchise: What role does Givex play in the restaurant tech industry? 

Mo Chaar: Our solutions include point-of-sale systems, kitchen display systems (KDS), kiosks, tableside ordering, analytics and more, on top of our gift card and loyalty offerings. We are a leading tech provider for many well-known restaurant brands. Within the restaurant tech industry, we partner with our clients to ensure their transition is frictionless. We are always willing to look into developing features and integrating with new systems to accommodate our clients.

1851: What is Givex’s geographical reach? 

Chaar: Our flexibility and adaptability have put us in high standing among restaurant businesses worldwide. With offices in 10 different countries, Givex serves over 70,000 clients internationally.

1851: What are some examples of major tech initiatives that are changing restaurants in 2020? 

Chaar: Tableside ordering, mobile ordering, delivery apps and kiosks are still on the rise in terms of big tech investments that restaurants should look into. Tech is definitely influencing the way customers order from restaurants, including for the dine-in experience. Customers are continuously looking for more convenient and tailored experiences to augment their restaurant experiences. As a result, these initiatives have received growing interest from restaurants worldwide. Integration is another major factor. Restaurant operators are realizing that they need to look for technological solutions that can be tightly integrated together. Buying tech from different vendors without integration in mind only results in wasted hours trying to get these systems to work together and failing to get clean, consistent data on business performance.  

1851: How are changes in digital technology going to impact restaurant brands in 2020 and beyond? 

Chaar: Technology begets convenience and customization, which results in happier customers and offers new ways for businesses to cater to their customers. Restaurants can now generate data to serve up custom ads to guests, analyze popular specials and attract customer attention. The more seamless the experience, the more customers will continue to choose your business. Consumers lack patience, so having a seamless experience through technology is essential. Business requires technology that adapts to consumer behavior to provide the best quality of service. 

1851: What role will Givex play in these changes?

Chaar: Fully integrated, end-to-end solutions are the future of tech. We will continue advocating for this approach and will continue to improve upon our products and services with this in mind. We will refine our mobile capabilities and add new features to allow customers to continue experiencing seamless service for online and at-table ordering, gift card management and more. We are also developing more features for our POS, including a robust pizza customization system that will allow for easy and flexible ordering processes. This feature can also be repurposed for complex sandwiches, wings and other multivariate food orders, and sync with our KDS to reduce errors and make it easier for staff to serve customers. We’re really excited to demo this feature at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas at the end of March.