The restaurantof tomorrow5 technology trends that willreshape the dining experience

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This is what disruption looks like.

With more change ahead, restaurants urgently need the ability and the will to shift goals and transform operations to continue responding to their guests’ needs, whatever it takes.

Several factors can affect a restaurant’s ability to pivot. During the Covid-19 crisis, businesses in residential, non-urban areas were advantaged compared to city center or mall locations catering for office workers, and restaurants with a mix of sit-in and off-premises dining were more successful than those that mostly relied on sit-in. While logistics and external factors matter, overwhelmingly, the ability to implement new technology quickly is the biggest determining factor for success, as it directly impacts a business’s ability to keep up with change. During the Covid-19 crisis, restaurants that used innovative technology were better able to cope with the sudden and continuous shifts in the landscape. They constantly

1. Off-premises: the restaurant moves to the dining room

2. A safe experience

3. Fresh, exciting, shared

4. Fostering loyalty

5. A resilient, cost-effective business

transformed their business model, keeping guests and employees safe, and maintaining their businesses open through constant twists and turns.

With more uncertainty ahead, technology will continue to define the future of dining. We have identified 5 key trends food service operators should watch to get an indication of what the restaurant of tomorrow might

Keeping up with the trends puts us on par – if not at an advantage – with the competition. It helps streamline processes and make [restaurants] efficient. Some of our restaurants have even improved their payroll numbers with the adoption of new technologies.” Bass Zongo, corporate technology manager, Nobu Restaurants“

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1. Off premises: the restaurant moves to the dining roomLong before Covid-19 hit, dining habits were already shifting to off-premises dining. The upsurge of take away and home delivery was a long time coming.

TREND #1

4 1. OFF PREMISES

Online ordering Online food ordering has been popular for a while: back in 2018, about half of all U.S. pizza orders were already taking place through the internet. However, concerns about safety have speeded up its adoption among larger groups of consumers. Today, allowing guests to order food to go online has become a lifeline for many restaurants.

To deliver a high-quality online ordering guest experience, restaurants need to make sure that they:

• Allow guests to order via their favorite device, be it a computer, mobile, or tablet. A platform that does not work correctly on mobile will lose you customers.

• Give customers total flexibility. If they want to remove an ingredient or sub the fries for a baked potato, they should be able to do so without having to call the restaurant.

• Include ingredients and allergens for each dish.

• Give customers clear information on when their order will be ready.

• Personalize interactions. This means storing the customer’s preferences and using the information to send meaningful offers, reward loyalty, and let customers order “the usual” quickly.

Digital sales will make up more than half of limited-service and quick-service business by 2025.Incisiv, Limited Service Restaurant Digital Maturity Benchmark Report

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Food to go With takeaway set to remain strong in the near future, restaurants need to focus on strengthening their capabilities to deliver great experiences outside the restaurant premises. This means investing in the ability to

• Properly track which orders should be plated up in the kitchen to eat in, and which ones should be packaged to go.

• Devise a menu with dishes that will still be in prime condition when they reach the customer’s home.

• Choose packaging that is sustainable, both in terms of costs and environmental impact, and which keeps the food at top quality.

• Offer alternatives to traditional menus. For example, meal kits with ready-to-heat ingredients plus preparation instructions are increasingly popular, as they give the restaurant better quality control over the dishes and more controlled costs.

• Offer options, letting customers decide whether they want home delivery, pick-up at the restaurant or curbside, or even drive-thru (where logistically possible).

• Keep consumers loyal. Now, more than ever, restaurants need to track consumer interactions and bring in personalized offers and communications.

Pick up at the restaurant or curbside Takeout has gained new momentum. Contactless curbside pickup enables customers to stay in their vehicle while a restaurant employee delivers their meal in their hands, or drops it in the car’s trunk. This format of take-away became extremely popular during the pandemic and, according to Technomic research, it’s expected to remain a top choice for consumers in the foreseeable future. Restaurants that can designate parking spots for curbside and which have a strong technology infrastructure for take-away will be best positioned to gain from this trend.

Home delivery “Delivery has become a driving force in the restaurant industry and a key investor debate”, says John Glass, Morgan Stanley’s U.S. restaurant analyst. Online food delivery has surpassed any prediction. “Nearly three years of consumer spend is being pulled forward, led by accelerated growth from delivery platforms,” Glass adds. In Asia, market research firm dataSpring recorded a ten-year jump of home delivery compared to predictions.

Restaurateurs have the choice of offering their own delivery services or partnering up with third-party meal delivery operators like JustEat, UberEats, FoodPanda or Deliveroo. The first option is cheaper, but the second one can give greater brand visibility.

1. OFF PREMISES

Now more than ever, for restaurants, digital readiness is core to success. Robbee Minicola, Senior Director, Global Partner Strategy, WW Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft“

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Virtual, ghost, dark kitchen With consumers shifting to off-premises dining, many restaurants are cutting real estate costs and opening ghost kitchens (also known as “dark kitchens”, “cloud kitchens”, or “virtual restaurants”). These are delivery-only restaurant that only offer online ordering options, as they do not have a storefront. While the format has been around for a few years, it really took off during the pandemic. Their popularity spans the globe, with dark kitchens booming from North America to Australia to South Africa and beyond. According to RedSeer Management Consulting data, in India cloud kitchens are predicted to become a $2 billion industry by 2024, up from $400 million in 2019.

“There’s all this extra kitchen capacity right now. Whether you’re in a shared kitchen space facility […] or whether you’re looking at your own restaurant to say, ‘What can I do to generate some incremental orders?’, this is a moment to evaluate the idea of running 5 to 10 brands out of your kitchen,” said Alex Canter, CEO of online ordering company Ordermark at the latest Food on Demand conference.

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Why have they become so popular?• Reduced costs. There are no property-related

costs like design, furnishing, appliance or property maintenance, and there is no need to employ front-of-house staff.

• Greater agility. Restaurants can use their kitchen facilities to try out new concepts. In the U.S., family dining chain Chuck E. Cheese launched Pasqually, a pizza-centered virtual brand, to try to expand and diversify its customer base.

• Simpler expansion. By focusing only on delivery, restaurant can expand to wider areas at lower cost and limited risk.

What are the risks?• Higher delivery costs. If the restaurant uses

a third-party service for delivery, costs might go up quickly, especially in comparison to pick-up.

• Risk of low brand recognition. By completely removing the physical sit-in experience, it’s much harder to create your own brand of hospitality.

• It’s harder to build trust. Consumers look for transparency, safety, and hygiene. How do you convey these values and build authenticity when the food is made in a production facility?

Some other points to consider before opting for a virtual format:• You need to ensure food reaches customers

in pristine conditions, both in terms of temperature and looks. This means devising the right menu and food packaging.

• How will you distinguish your brand from the competition, attract new customers and foster loyalty? Investigate what branding strategies are effective even without a physical presence.

Food for thought:• Reach and engage customers online. How

strong are your online ordering capabilities? Do you need to partner up with a third-party firm to increase reach? Are you making potential customers aware of your brand on social media?

• Make it convenient. Offer any type of delivery and contactless pick-up you can offer. Drive-thrus require complex logistics, but if you can offer delivery and pick-up inside the restaurant, in the parking lot, through a window, do it.

• Should you open a ghost kitchen, temporarily or long term? Could this be an option to test new format? Seriously weigh the pros and cons.

1. OFF PREMISES

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2. A safe experienceYesterday, you had to deliver convenience and hospitality to guests coming to your restaurants; today, you must also guarantee a safe experience for both your guests and employees.

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Physical distancing While plexiglass dividers are an effective solution to keep diners separate, they don’t exactly create a lovely ambiance. Restaurants have had to resort to diverse solutions to create an atmosphere that’s both safe and cozy.

While some restaurants moved to the sidewalks and waterfront, and others used mannequins and teddy bears to mark seats that should be left empty, the best ideas solve the issue of proximity and add to the guest experience.

In the Netherlands, vegetarian restaurant Mediamatic ETEN set up temporary greenhouses on the waterfront. Each greenhouse can accommodate two diners, who can have an intimate, romantic dinner within a safely distance, social context.

Fast-food chain Burger King decided to bring some humor to the table. In Italy, the chain launched the “social distancing whopper,” a burger with three times the usual amount of raw onion. In Malaysia, Germany and Thailand the chain distributed comically giant versions of its iconic paper crowns. The campaign immediately went viral on social media, as customers rushed to post selfies wearing the giant paper hat.

Contactless ordering Ten years ago, it would have been nearly impossible to pull through contactless ordering in a restaurant environment. Today, several technological solutions enable restaurants to manage food ordering at a safe distance. Some of the tools we expect to grow in popularity include:

QR codes

QR codes enable customers to access menus on their phone – a safe alternative to paper menus, which are notoriously hard to sanitize. Restaurants have the opportunity to enhance their digital menus with high-quality photography and even videos. Last-minute menu changes are also easier and cheaper to pull through.

Ordering kiosks

In 2018, Hospitality Technology declared kiosks the “top emerging technology for improving the customer experience”. A few years later, kiosks have become are a fixture in fast casual and quick service restaurants. Customers like them because the machines are convenient and let them order in their own time, while businesses benefit from increased upsell and quicker service. In terms of safety, most modern kiosk designs are easy to disinfect. Some providers have even started to develop touchless kiosks combining biometrics, computer vision and voice ordering technology for contactless self-ordering.

2. A SAFE EXPERIENCE

43% of consumers want restaurants to provide mobile or kiosk/tabletop payment capabilities.Technomic Ignite consumer brand metrics“

10 2. A SAFE EXPERIENCE

Self-ordering on mobile devices and apps By using the consumer’s own device, or tablets on the tableside, restaurants can offer a personalized experience that is comparable to using kiosks, but comes at a lower entry point.

Letting consumers order on their own on a digital platform opens up various possibilities for restaurants:

• Guests can log into their user profile for fast repeat orders – providing the restaurant with highly valuable information about dining preferences and frequency. These can then be used to improve menus and personalization.

• Menus can be updated centrally, and distributed instantly to all touchpoints – provided the restaurant uses a software solution that encompasses the entire business.

• It’s easier for guests to personalize the order, removing or adding ingredients at will.

• Nutritional and ingredient information, including allergens, is easier to access for customers. This kind of information is vital for many guests: if you don’t include it, or aren’t clear enough, you may lose customers. In the U.S. alone, 85 million people avoid buying food with the top nine allergens, Food Allergy Research & Education reports.

• Several food operators including McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Chili’s have noticed larger checks when customers used self-ordering technology, with a clear uptick in dessert items and upsized dishes.

Contactless payments

Adoption of low-touch and no-touch forms of payments, such as mobile wallets and contactless cards, accelerated swiftly during the pandemic. In China, e-wallet purchases surpassed cash purchases by 23%.

The higher transaction costs associated with contactless payments may hold back some restaurants for a while. However, the benefits – on top of supporting social distancing, contactless payments are faster, and more convenient – far surpass the drawbacks. We expect contactless payments to become commonplace, and in specific we foresee an increase in

• Mobile Point of Sale devices to receive payments at the table, avoiding queues.

• Payment by biometrics, for example through iris scan, fingerprint, voice, face recognition.

• Mobile wallets. These may become the preferred method for restaurant payment in the near future, according to predictions by consulting firm Technomic.

112. A SAFE EXPERIENCE

Safeguarding employees Besides customers, restaurants also face the challenge of protecting their employees, including those – such as cooks and kitchen staff – that work in spaces where it’s quite hard to keep a social distance.

Some restaurants are trying to run the show with smaller teams and staggered shifts, while at the same time strictly monitoring everyone’s health before they enter the kitchen.

Technological solutions can also help minimize contact between kitchen and front-of-house staff, while at the same time supporting clear communication and well-defined workflows. A kitchen display system (KDS) with kitchen screens that are connected directly with the Point of Sale (POS) in the front of house can help maintain a quick and organized production: dishes are automatically sent to the correct screen with a clear timing, so kitchen staff can complete their tasks faster, without getting in each other’s way. At the same time, this kind of system simplifies communication across the floor, reducing the number of times front of house employees need to enter the kitchen.

Tracking and booking guests With limited indoor seating, compulsory table bookings and (in some cases) governmental requirements to track guests’ times of arrival and departure, restaurants increasingly need modern online table booking and management systems. Investing in this kind of solution will pay off in the long term, as booking systems can be invaluable to maximize and optimize seating arrangements. Restaurants should look for a software solution that can

• handle seat reservations

• redesign the floor plan as needed, for exampleseparating tables to maintain a safe distance

• stagger guests’ arrival times

• maintain virtual waiting lists

• monitor capacity to minimize crowding

• collect guest contact data, lockeddown to a specific table and timing.

Let your kitchen staff free to focus on food.Learn how a Kitchen Display System will support your kitchen workflow

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Food for thought:• Add no-touch ordering to your dine-in experience. Can’t afford to set

up ordering kiosks? Consider an online ordering app your customers can download on their devices, or adding tablets on your tables.

• Contactless payments may be expensive, but this is a cost you won’t escape forever. They are here to stay in the long run.

• Even if your kitchen staff can’t work remotely, technology can help decrease their risk. Kitchen Display Systems are an investment that will deliver you benefits way beyond staff safety.

• Look into table booking and management software. Long past the social distancing measures have ceased, it can help you optimize seating space, track the status of each table and easily accommodate last-minute guests, all the while keeping your service flawless.

#2 SAFE, CONTACTLESS2. A SAFE EXPERIENCE

13TREND #3

3. Fresh, exciting, sharedConsumers dine out less often than they used to, so when they do go out they want an experience to remember. They long to be delighted to build memories that will last.

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Shareable experiences Instagram-worthy dishes and ambiances have been an attraction for years, and smart restaurants have long since learned to capitalize on the phenomenon (who can forget the great avocado toast craze?). With social media usage booming during the pandemic, we can expect luxurious, sharing-worthy experience to remain highly popular. Artistically plated-up dishes, luxury food ingredients, colorful cocktails, shiny chandeliers and great panoramas are just some of the details that will fit the bill when it comes to attracting customers who are looking for an experience to share and remember. It might pay off to keep an eye on the latest trends on TikTok, or your local equivalent trend setter.

More than just food Forget the traditional barriers between industries. Today, retailers and manufacturers run cafés, restaurants and even hotels; department stores organize yoga and dance classes in their stores; well-known retail brands run browse-only stores that have no inventory. Consumers, craving novelty and excitement, are rewarding these new concepts. In the food service industry, innovators have been merging eating with retail and entertainment. Food marketplace concepts like Eataly, which unites under one roof eat-in restaurants, cafés, pizzerias, retail stores selling everything from homewares to cookbooks, and even a cooking school, have been growing in popularity for years. In the upcoming months, this kind of differentiated offering could be a great extra source of revenue for restaurants. We expect technology that enables restaurant business to widen their offering, such as software systems that can handle retail sales, hospitality services and events and ticketing seamlessly, to become the gold standard in the future. Only by maintaining all

3. FRESH, EXCITING, SHARED

information about customers and the business in a single database, can companies deliver a consistent brand experience to customers – no matter whether they are ordering a glass of Chablis, buying a jar of chutney or reserving a spot in a cooking class.

For a short time only In the past few years, pop-up events have been one of the fastest-growing trends in the restaurant industry, event platform Eventbrite reports. Customers seem to love the impermanence and surprise of temporary events: 75% of attendees to pop-up events surveyed by Eventbrite say it’s worth paying more money for this kind of unique dining experience. With more real estate available in cities around the globe, and with many people working from home, restaurant with locations in low-traffic downtown areas may wish to consider trialing pop-ups to test new areas and reach consumers where they currently are.

If pop-ups are a no-go for you, you can still offer exclusive experiences without opening a new location. Starbucks has been thriving off offering beverages (the most popular perhaps being its pumpkin spice latte, sold in the fall months) that are only available for a limited period of time, and McDonald’s regular reissue of the limited-time McRib sandwich results in fan excitement and queues at the brand’s locations.

With LS Central, you can run retail sales, food production and events in one platform With LS

Central, you can run retail sales, food production and events in one platform

153. FRESH, EXCITING, SHARED

Food for thought:• Stay on top of current social media trends with regular social listening.

If everyone loves your competitor’s latte art, perhaps it’s time youstart decorating your milkshakes with flowers.

• Adding retail and services to your restaurant can help expand andstabilize revenue. To really get the ROI and see opportunities you’llrequire unified software system with deep hospitality, retail andevent management functionality, to run all parts of your businessas one brand.

• Are you thinking about trying out a pop-up restaurant? Look intocloud-based technology to manage secure orders and payments foras short a time as you need, at limited subscription cost.

“There will only be two types of dining experiences in the future: those in the special-occasion “experiential” bucket and those in the convenience bucket, a category that will be dominated by delivery.Laura Reiley, The Washington Post

16 #3 PHYSICAL RETAIL

4. Fostering loyaltyConsumers want to be treated as individuals, and they expect businesses to be able to address their unique tastes and needs.

17174. FOSTERING LOYALTY

Catering for all needs and styles With food allergies and intolerances on the rise and a general interest in healthy eating, restaurants will be approached by more and more diners who follow special diets and personalized eating habits. To properly serve this large, and growing, chunk of the market you will need:

• Ability to accurately track all ingredients and possibleallergens in each dish, and communicate them on alltouchpoints (website, server POS, self-service kiosks).

• Ability to quickly transmit all recipe changes – for example, ifwhite asparagus was swapped for broccolini – to all touchpoints,immediately.

• Staff training to ensure that possible guest allergies orintolerances are taken seriously, and that preparation followsthe required steps to avoid health risks.

• Support for dish modifications, such as adding, removing, orsubstituting ingredients, both when ordering online and onlocation. Bonus points for systems that support customer loginand remember guest preferences to speed up ordering.

• Clear communication of possible allergies to the kitchen.Some restaurants use Kitchen Display System that are directlyconnected to the point of sale devices, self-service kiosks andthe online ordering system. The system automatically displaysguest comments next to the order on the screen, helping thechef see all crucial information – including notes on allergies –when they are preparing the order.

• Ability to clearly communicate your food allergen managementto guests and build trust.

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Tracking changes in customer behavior When people shifted to remote work, restaurants lost old regulars, gained new ones, and saw current customers approach them at different times and with changed needs. With off-premises dining expected to remain a driving force in the industry, restaurants need to track these changes in behavior, review their metrics, and build new digital customer experience strategies encourage loyalty and drive new business.

New metrics

The world has changed. How you define success needs to change, too. KPIs such as table turns only make sense when you have enough guests to fill the tables. Year over year (and even month over month) comparisons are currently useless.

To thrive in a changed world, restaurants need to

• Critically evaluate the metrics they are currently using

• Understand what has changed and track where revenue ishappening now in the business

• Reprioritize current metrics and articulate new ones

• Communicate the new targets to staff in an empathetic way,keeping in mind many of them are already personally andprofessionally exhausted

• Be ready to tweak these metrics as consumer behavior keepsshifting.

Digital loyalty

With most interactions now happening online, restaurants need to be able to recognize who they are talking to, and personalize interactions and offers to each consumer.

• Loyal customers should be kept informed of what’s new – openinghours, seasonal menus, special deals – and sent offers thatencourage them to return more often.

• Old customers who haven’t visited in a while should be remindedof the business with special deals on their favorite meals.

• New customers should be invited to join the loyalty program.This is especially important now, as many customer interactionswith restaurants take place a third-party delivery service, which isthen privy to all guest information, from personal data to favoritedishes to frequency.

• Potential customers abound in a world of changed habits andlow brand loyalty. This is the moment to invest on campaigns toattract new business. Investigate the options - email, social media,search, local papers, podcasts, roadside ads… – and devise theright mix.

4. FOSTERING LOYALTY

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Bringing it all together All the data you collect on each customer (personal information, favorite dishes with preferred customization, day and time of order…) is no use unless you are able to gather it together and link it to create a unified, 360-degree view of the guest. To achieve this clarity, you need to use a software solution that covers the entire enterprise, distributes information across the various touchpoints, ties the information together and links it back to a specific guest. A unified platform enables you to track how guest preferences are changing and customize each guest’s experience. For example, a loyal customer may get a “Happy birthday, get a free dessert” voucher that can be redeemed online or at any location.

Customer preferences and habits are also invaluable at aggregate level, as they provide insights to optimize menus, pricing, and promotions.

4. FOSTERING LOYALTY

54% of restaurants believe customer data is the highest priority area for insights to drive the IT strategy.Hospitality Technology, 22nd Annual Restaurant Technology Study “

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Anticipating future needs Analyzing your historical data using artificial intelligence (AI) powered software can help you understand what strategies have been effective and which ones should be improved. However, the true value of your intelligence lies in predictive analytics. This kind of software looks at disparate large data to find correlations, helping foresee changes in trends in time to change the course if needed. For example, a restaurant location might see that average miles driven by customers to reach them has started to drop. AI-powered tools can help the restaurant investigate what typically happens when that situation occurs, and prevent losses – perhaps by adjusting purchasing, or changing opening hours.

Artificial Intelligence can also help with predictive ordering. By analyzing trends keeping into consideration external factors like events, holidays, or weather conditions, AI-based tools enable you to predict demand spikes and minimize inventory and waste in the kitchen, while also reducing the need (and cost) of last-minute dashes to the supermarket.

“If you don’t collect your customer information now, you’re going to be too late.”James Park, CEO, Garbanzo restaurant chain

4. FOSTERING LOYALTY

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Food for thought:• Guests need to know what goes into each dish and be able to

substitute ingredients, if they want to. The process needs to be easy and reliable from start to finish, or you risk losing your customers’ trust.

• If you don’t yet have a digital marketing strategy for consumer acquisition and loyalty, now is the time to work on one.

• AI-powered intelligent analytics can help you understand your customers, communicate with them in a personalized way and make the right decisions to serve them in the future.

4. FOSTERING LOYALTY

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5. A resilient,cost-effective businessThe restaurant industry is historically low margin. Technology that helps decrease costs and increase productivity remains a core investment for food service businesses.

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An investment in technology is no different from an investment in the latest air conditioning, or fry system. In both cases, you are investing in a key infrastructure that will enable to do business on an ongoing basis. You can’t wait until the demand is there before you make that investment. You need to be ready ahead of time. Leon DeWet, former CIO at Cracker Barrel and O’Charley’s

“5. A RESILIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

Staying operational with the cloud Cloud technologies have become a crucial piece for operational resiliency and business continuity.

Running the IT in the cloud enables restaurants to:

• Reduce hardware costs. No more in-houseservers or specialized devices required.

• Accomplish more tasks remotely.Management can access business datasecurely from home, analyzing informationand solving issues at distance.

• Speed up decision making. Businessescan use real-time sales and revenueinformation to make quick decisions.

• Get actionable insights. Advancedanalytics tools in the cloud help spottrends and predict future demand. Beforethe cloud, these intelligent technologiesused to be too expensive and complex formost businesses.

• Simplify innovation. Companies candeploy mission-critical applications orinnovative tech with minimal upfront costsand preparation time.

• Adjust to seasonality and to highlyvariable workloads. Businesses can scaleup and down as needed, buying extrafunctionality during busy periods, andlimiting costs during off-peak periods.

• Reduce risk. A serious cloud providertakes care of issues like legal compliancy,redundancy, availability, data protection,and privacy, leaving the restaurant free tofocus on their customers.

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BI and analytics services in the cloud enable businesses of all sizes to gain valuable insights that they wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise.

Intelligent solutions can, for example, help improve efficiency and prevent issues and waste. Take a restaurant chain that’s going through supply chain issues, resulting in a shortage of several ingredients. They could use an intelligent solution to do predictive cost analysis and experiment with a variety of prices, menus, and recipes that use alternative

ingredients. The software solution will help them navigate through the various options and find the sweet spot that delivers optimum benefits. The chain could then also use this knowledge proactively to build resilience into the supply chain, making them prepared for similar future occurrences.

Analytics solutions can also help raise the level of hospitality. When a food service chain knows which chef makes too big portions, which lunch offer works best at each location, what type of promotions hit the mark, or whether it’s

Intelligent insights built on data

more profitable to host a karaoke night or a wine tasting event, they can take operational decisions that better align their offering with their customers’ tastes and demands.

In order to get meaningful data that can be run through BI and analytics services, food service businesses must first implement solutions that unify data from various sources into a single database. Enterprise systems that cover the whole business – sales, accounting, inventory and production, loyalty – are therefore increasingly a must-have.

5. A RESILIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

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• With all business data accessible in oneplace, managers get a 360-degree viewof the organization, and can quickly spotissues and solve them, minimize wasteand costs, and leverage opportunities.

• All customer data is brought together,giving a clear view of each guest and theirpreferences. This information can thenbe used to deliver personalized offers,communications, etc.

• Decision making is faster, as managerscan produce actionable reports, accounts and statistics when they need them.

• System implementation and maintenancecosts are lower, as businesses don’t needto integrate separate systems and thenmaintain these integrations.

• Restaurants can transmit information– a change in today’s menu; some pricesthat need to be adjusted; a recipe thatnow doesn’t contain mustard any longer– from HQ, quickly, to all touchpoints andlocations in the chain.

• Innovation is quicker. You can plug in newtechnology easily as it will only have tobe integrated to one platform, instead ofseveral.

Unified software In a bid to stay competitive in a quickly changing world, restaurants are increasingly replacing their traditional fragmented IT setups with unified software solutions. The benefits of a unified approach are numerous:

There’s a value in being prepared for the future. Even if a technology may not drive clear returns today, if it puts you in a position to be able to respond to changes, then it’s worth it.” Leon DeWet, former CIO at Cracker Barrel and O’Charley’s“

5. A RESILIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

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Food for thought:• IT is moving to the cloud. The days of on-premises ERP and

restaurant management software are numbered: soon, you won’t be able to compete with this technology.

• Use your data. AI-powered tools are now largely affordable,and don’t require you to have a data scientist. Take advantageof their capabilities.

• Stop making your life harder, and your service poorer, withoutdated technology. Disjoined software solutions mean siloedcustomer information, which results in you being unable to offerthe service and options your customers expect.

5. A RESILIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

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A connected, personalized restaurant The restaurant of tomorrow may not be exclusively located within four walls. As the dining out experience expands to the guests’ home, car, and digital devices, at its heart it will still be characterized by convenience from ordering to payment, excitement, and personalization.

To achieve this vision, restaurants will need enterprise-wide systems that enable total visibility across the whole business down to each diner’s current and future habits and preferences. Intelligent solutions will become part of the core IT stack, as they enable restaurants to gain the

insight and foresight needed to strengthen engagement and loyalty, and to predict future trends and demands.

But this is just a starting point. The restaurants that will lead in the future will be those that can respond swiftly to emerging trends while delivering a unique, consistent experience across all touchpoints. The most successful businesses will be those that employ technology that supports their ability to create a human connection and to design the experience around the guest even when the guest is not physically there.

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Tomorrow is almost here. Are you ready?

The world can change in a flash.

To still be here tomorrow, you need technology that enables you to be where your guests are.

And you need it today – before the wave of change sweeps you away.

Talk to our experts

About LS RetailLS Retail is a world-leading provider of business management software solutions for restaurants, retail, hospitality and forecourt businesses of all sizes. Our unified software solutions power tens of thousands of restaurants, cafés, bakeries, pubs, food courts, cafeterias, stores, and more.

For more information, visit www.lsretail.com