FOOD INDUSTRY Tech Integration is Transforming the Restaurant Experience By Hernando Ramírez-Santos echnology use in restaurants • Sixteen percent of is accelerating, creating new touchpoints operators plan to invest in Arti昀椀cial Intelligence between restaurants and the consumers they serve, (AI) integration (including voice recognition) in 2024. according to the National Restaurant Association’s • Eighty-two percent of Gen Z adults are comfortable Restaurant Technology Landscape Report 2024. ordering at a limited-service restaurant with a T smartphone app. 吀栀e new report identi昀椀es consumers’ varying expectations • Sixty-昀椀ve percent of all adult consumers would be regarding technology, depending on whether they are dining comfortable paying their check at a full-service at a full-service restaurant or ordering delivery to their homes, restaurant with a computer tablet at the table. as well as generational di昀昀erences in preferences. Restaurant operators are getting creative in expanding technology offerings, paying close attention to consumer Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National preferences, but generational di昀昀erences persist. Restaurant Association, explained that operators have a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit and are constantly When asked how likely they’d interact with a tablet at the table, innovating. most Gen Z adults, millennials, and Gen Xers say they’d use these options, but fewer than half of baby boomers said they would. “More than three in four operators say technology gives them a competitive edge, and this research will also help Compared with full-service and limited-service options, the operators 昀椀nd the right technology 昀椀t for their restaurant and use of technology in the delivery segment is already baked into their customers. In addition to valuable research on restaurant consumers’ expectations. 吀栀ey expect to be able to access, order, operator outlook, our research on the technology landscape in customize, and pay for delivery orders through their computers or restaurants provides insights on consumer expectations that smartphones, and if they can’t, they’ll order from somewhere else. operators need to evaluate their tech investments con昀椀dently,” said Korsmo. “吀栀e data clearly show that restaurant operators and owners are rapidly embracing technology and integrating it into their KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE daily operations,” said Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President of RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY Research and Knowledge for the NRA. “Understanding which LANDSCAPE REPORT 2024 technologies customers in each segment would like to have, really want, and consider essential provides operators with substantial • Expect to see more technology in the coming year – opportunities to enhance the customer experience, amplify 55 percent of operators are planning investments to marketing, and operate more e昀케ciently.” improve their service areas, while 60 percent are looking for technology to enhance the customer experience. 3838 MMAAYY//JJUUNNE 2E 200224 4 AABBAASSTOTO..CCOOMM