Introduction of IT in restaurants

  

The implementation of new technologies and the rapid development of IT lead to lot of changes in some industries particularly in the service industries. For example, we can quote the high development of online banks or online travel agencies.

The main issue of service providers is to deliver an equivalent or highest quality of service while implementing technologies.

The use of social media and smartphones push companies to adapt their IT tools in order to stay up-to-date but also to increase visibility and sales.

As a service provider, a restaurant seems to be very complex to change into an online service. Indeed, it involves direct food service as the centre point of the experience. When customers are going to the restaurant they expect human experiences, they want to be looked after.

The human force is irreplaceable in the hospitality industry. Though, restaurants are more and more implementing IT into their production and service process.

The emergence of new technologies and tools in restaurants has been very brief these last years and it exists a large amount of possibilities. The choice to implement new tools depends on the restaurant strategy but mainly depends on the financial possibilities. It is evident that developing technology lead to investment.

We couldn’t develop all the new technologies used in restaurants, so we will focus on some of them.

Some interesting technologies used in restaurants are: 

·     Menu boards, smartphones app: Because menus always change, and customers get accustomed to TV screens and smartphones use. The digital support for menu through TV boards, website and app allow to save paper (in fast-foods). Those tools are useful in the decision making process, because the customers will consult the menu before going to the restaurant.

·     Online coupons, special offers: As in the travel industry, the customers who are used to surf online and looking for good deals, will be able to buy or even win online coupons to go to the restaurant. Those tools will encourage customers to subscribe to mailings, social media pages and force them to actively look for online special offers.

      Ordering systems: 

-        At a kiosk: In order to escape from queuing, the kiosks allow the customers to order and pay quickly. From the restaurant point of view, it permits to decrease the walk-aways and maximize the number of orders.

-        Through mobile devices: Implemented by the fast foods, this ordering system has the same advantages than the kiosk because customers save time and the restaurant maximize the number of orders. As additional advantage, the mobile devices allow to take orders anywhere, at anytime and for any people. For instance the customer can order 5 hours in advance, from home and for a group of people. 

-        Through the Facebook page: The social media trend extends to the ordering system. In more their presence on Facebook, within the restaurant page, it could be possible to order food directly through the restaurant Facebook page. That ordering system needs to be managed by specialized companies in ordering and payment integration as ChowNow or NetWaiter. This ordering system could be a good communication tool, which encourages customers to go to the restaurant’s Facebook page.

·     Payment of bill through tablet: Customers often wait to pay the bill at the restaurant and the waiting time is more felt when the customers are in a hurry. In the US, and especially in the diners, they implemented the payment of the bill through a tablet. The customer will pay by card by himself and that allow the waiter to be discharge of a task and the customer won’t wait too long. This self-payment allows an optimisation of the customers’ turnover.

All those implementations of technologies show that several options exist to optimize the restaurant turnover but also to add entertainment in the service experience.

However, to nuance the effects, it would be interesting to answer the questions:

-        Do the new technologies in a restaurant lead to a lack of human experience?

-        Is the service really improved thanks to new technologies?

-        Do those new tools only concern the new generations?

Sources:

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/09/22/how-technology-changing-restaurant-industry/#!tg4PS

http://www.forbes.com/sites/caroltice/2012/12/07/how-restaurants-are-using-technology-to-deliver-better-customer-service/

http://www.netwaiter.com/online-ordering 

http://www.chownow.com

Amandine Peton & Mélanie Lesieur