Technology has permeated every corner of the restaurant industry, from how we vet prospective hires to how our customers order their meals. The pandemic helped solidify this shift, forcing the last few “analog” diners to adopt digital ordering.

But how will the past few years of takeout and online orders influence restaurants in the future? Here are a few trends you need to know.

Gen Z Prefers Online Orders

If a restaurant owner wants their business to thrive for years, they need to keep an eye on what Gen Z is doing. This demographic makes up over 20% of the U.S. population, ranging in age from 10 to 26. As this group gets older, they’re likely to gain greater consumer influence and purchasing power – which means restaurants should adjust to suit Gen Z’s needs.

According to research from Technomic, Gen Z is the group most likely to order food online. About 9% of Gen Z-ers ordered food for pickup from a restaurant. In contrast, Baby Boomers (long considered the most powerful generation) only ordered online for pickup 4% of the time. As Gen Z and subsequent generations age, online ordering will likely become a significant portion of restaurant sales.

 

App Orders Reign Supreme

Online ordering increased substantially during the pandemic – but where are people placing their orders specifically?

According to research from Restaurant Technology News, nearly 60% of digital orders are placed through a restaurant’s mobile app. This is great news for restaurant owners; if diners order directly through your company’s app, you don’t have to worry about paying commission fees to apps like DoorDash and Grubhub.

Of course, if you don’t have a mobile app for your restaurant, you will miss out on this massive share of the online market! This is a major reason why restaurants should invest in their online presence through websites and apps.

A Breakfast Boom

Finally, restaurants have seen a significant shift in when diners place their orders. While 6 p.m. on Friday is still the most popular time for diners (both in person and online), breakfast orders – between 5 and 10 a.m. – have tripled between 2021 and 2022. This trend can impact a restaurant’s needs in a big way, from the number of employees they schedule during morning shifts to the quantity of breakfast ingredients they order.

If you keep a close eye on trends like these, you can make subtle adjustments that allow your restaurant to flourish in the digital age and beyond.

A mention of the word “technology” is usually associated with entertainment, phones, space travel and the like. It isn’t generally associated with brands like Chick-fil-A or McDonald’s. However, you probably should get used to it. A wave of creative adjustments and tech tweaks are making their way through restaurants to make the dining-out experience smoother, faster, and more fun.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) hasn’t been a stranger to our culture in the past decade, and it’s about to become even more familiar. In an article from cnbc.com published in March of this year, a new staff member named “Chippy” joined the Chipotle team to help season their tortilla chips. The company wanted to make their employees’ work more fun, less monotonous, and streamlined; thus, Chippy, the robotic arm from Miso Robotics, was born. Chippy makes the very popular side item the exact same way every time. Chippy is stationed in their Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, California at the moment, with plans to roll out more Chippy’s throughout the country if all goes well. Chipotle also uses artificial intelligence on their website with Pepper, a concierge chatbot, and may be making progress with an automated delivery car in the future.

 

 

During COVID-19, restaurants suffered a tremendous amount. But for Chick-fil-A, the silver lining was their drive-thrus, accounting for over 8 million dollars in revenue for more than half the stores in the country, according to QSR Magazine. However, their popularity has recently made picking up food a little complicated. QSR Magazine wrote that the restaurant’s drive-thru system caused some problems last year, including zoning violations and major backups while waiting for food. To speed up the process of drive-thrus, Chick-fil-A has made an express drive-thru lane only for customers who have ordered ahead on their app. Their solution seems to be working; during testing, customers found their wait time to be less and enjoyed the experience of a separate lane where their food was already paid for and ready to go.

To further entice the app-using crowd, McDonald’s is introducing its virtual summer camp, Camp McDonald’s, on July 5. Loaded with weekly in-app performances, menu hacks, and merchandise, McDonald’s is only asks for a $1 per day admission fee, according to Restaurant Dive. When customers check the app, they will find a different offer each day, including a free McFlurry, or a free Happy Meal with purchase. They can unlock access to limited edition merchandise that they’ve dubbed a “Merch Drop,” collaborations according to Chewboom.com, like a front row seat to virtual musical performances featuring BIBI, Omar Apollo, and Kid Cudi.

In 2022 it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that the food industry uses technology to attract and maintain customers. It feels like second nature, as we’ve already gotten used to self-checkouts, contactless payments, QR codes, and even augmented reality menus. What makes a great restaurant these days has gone way beyond the food, it seems, to a broader sense of experience. Technology has helped to make a meal at a restaurant not only an experience, but an adventure.

The last two years have taken a toll on the restaurant industry. Operators have been forced to find ways to improve their operations, overcoming obstacles and challenges from the pandemic. We’ve heard the news about labor shortages that have impacted the ability to serve customers. According to recent data from the National Restaurant Association, four in five restaurants are understaffed.

Labor challenges, supply chain disruptions, and the continued growing demand for off-premise dining have brought robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to the forefront of many operators’ minds. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated challenges have accelerated this and forced operators to look at ways to automate and optimize their day-to-day business.

Recently, QSR Magazine shared an article about How Restaurants are Using Robotics and AI to Relieve Operations Headaches, highlighting ways robotics and AI can provide solutions to the problems restaurants face today. They share the example of Picnic, “a modular and configurable pizza assembly system…adopted by many restaurants to save time and money.”  The Picnic system can make up to 100 pizzas per hour with a single, unassisted operator.  Miso Robotics incorporates robots and AI in automating repetitive, back-of-house tasks, such as cleaning silverware and utensils. This technology helps provide impactful kitchen insights, aids in running more efficient kitchens, and frees up staff time.

 

 

But beyond robots, what is artificial intelligence?  Simply, it is intelligence that didn’t happen naturally, but rather by a human to allow a computer to mimic human behavior.  Siri and Alexa are good examples of AI. They can answer questions when asked; however, they don’t get to know their users over time or learn the wants or anticipate the needs of their users. Machine learning takes AI up a notch.  This technology allows computers to take in information and use complex algorithms to learn from it to make predictions about events or human behavior based on historical patterns. Netflix and Spotify use machine learning to identify your likes over time and suggest new content you might enjoy.

So what are some of the benefits of using AI in an independent restaurant? Our friends at Pop Menu highlight several common uses of AI to optimize your restaurant operations.

 

Front-of-House

• AI Phone Answering – technology that can take messages, make reservations, guests to a waitlist, or even answer commonly asked questions, freeing up your staff to provide on-premise service and avoid missed calls.
• Voice Ordering – Guests can use their smart devices to place restaurant orders on the go. This same technology can be implemented at self-service kiosks or drive-thrus, allowing guests to place orders verbally, without touching anything.
• Self-Serve Options – this includes customizing menu items utilizing a kiosk, allowing the splitting of the check, and paying from tableside tablets or even their device.
• Kiosks that Personalize Customer Experiences – KFC is experimenting with kiosks with facial recognition technology that can recognize repeat visitors and tailor their experience based on their past orders and preference. Commonly collected guest data from online orders and digital marketing can be used to provide personalized service, such as dish recommendations.

Back-of-House

• Integrated Inventory and Purchasing with your point of sale (POS) systems. AI-enabled software can track historical inventory and purchasing data and recommend quantities to order based on that data. It ensures you have enough inventory on hand and helps cut down on food waste.
• Smarter Staffing and Scheduling – AI-enabled software tracks staffing and sales data to determine trends or patterns in busy and slow times. This data helps to schedule staff appropriately for the expected traffic and sales during each shift.
• Optimized Delivery Processes – AI can help delivery drivers find the best and fastest routes for multiple deliveries, using map data to avoid traffic and other potential delays. AI can also keep customers aware of their order status by following along on a map or sending text notifications.
• Data-based Insights and Predictions – McDonald’s started using predictive AI technologies in drive-thru orders. By looking at the data of what customers ordered and when they were able to anticipate busy periods and could predict popular item orders.  Stores using this technology reduced their wait times by 30 seconds on average.
• Automated Marketing and Remarketing – many AI tools are available that use automation to send out marketing emails, social media posts, and targeted ads. AI marketing can also retarget recent guests, encouraging them to return for a visit.

 

AI technology in the restaurant industry will arguably be critical in moving the industry forward.  However, customers will expect some human interaction when dining – so it will be essential to find a balance between technology and human connections. While it may seem intimidating, AI technology is here to stay.

Technology is constantly evolving in the restaurant world. Since the onset of COVID-19, restaurant owners are always looking for ways to make their lives easier and their businesses more efficient. Here are a few items to watch at the cutting edge this year.

 

Hot Fridge – This new hot refrigerator from Evereo is designed to eliminate food waste and allow your team to prepare in advance for even the largest orders. Designed to keep food hot at the temperature you intend to serve it for up to 72 hours. Also touted to save energy and labor costs, this can potentially be an excellent investment for your business.

Thermapen ONE – This new thermometer, crafted by Thermoworks, reads the food temperature in one second. Every second counts in a restaurant where many meat orders are placed, and this gadget can work to keep your customers safe and your process as efficient as possible. Over 6,000 reviews and 4.9 stars don’t lie!

 

Vitamix XL – This new supersized product from Vitamix allows you to blend 24 8-oz servings at once. It’s perfect for a restaurant that sells smoothies or frozen alcoholic beverages. This product is a tremendous time-saver, especially if you run a happy hour or special promotion with one of these items.

 

Alto-Shaam Multi-Cook Ovens –  This oven has up to four different chambers that maintain their temperature, so that chefs can prepare four completely different dishes in the same oven. This equipment is a time and space saver, especially for big catering orders. It has been tested and proven to provide zero flavor transfer, so you could cook your pie and fish in the same oven.

 

Air Purifiers – COVID-19 is continually evolving, and one thing is here to stay: a greater emphasis on public health in restaurants. Installing air purifiers has become a trend, not just to combat COVID and give customers peace of mind, but as a proactive step against other germs as well. Club and speakeasy Forty-Deuce in Columbus, Ohio, publicly put its faith in the AiroDoctor system, explaining that it also uses UVA LED light and titanium dioxide to kill airborne disease particles beyond the typical filtration techniques.

 

Scooter/Robot Delivery – Many businesses had to pivot during the pandemic, bringing food to their communities in new ways. Delivery via motorized scooters has become popular, especially in downtown areas. Phat Scooters Phleet Delivery are electric bikes built with food service in mind, with a back compartment specifically designed for food delivery drivers. Similarly, Starship Robots are self-driving takeout containers that deliver food to small cities and college campuses. Customers use an app to unlock the container, grab their takeout, and send the robot on its way.

 

1. AI-Powered Drive-Thrus – McDonald’s was just one fast food restaurant to adopt an AI-Powered drive-thru, complete with vehicle sensors and an Alexa-like assistant taking orders. Some restaurants in the Pasadena area are trying out PopPay, a service where customers can opt to pay using facial recognition technology. The future is now!

 

Do you have specific questions about how you can lean into cutting-edge technology to optimize your restaurant? Reach out to Synergy Restaurant Consultants to learn about how you can increase operational efficiency.

by Shane O’Brien – Culinary Consultant

 

Have you ever looked at your watch and thought, I wish I had more time? Good, we got your attention. As operators, we often believe that “time” is public enemy number one.

• Not enough hours in the day.
• Not enough labor hours.
• Not enough hours for production.

What would it be like if it was easier?

While “mastering time” is something that most people will spend their life pursuing, there are ways to bend space and time using physical tools in the form of kitchen/restaurant equipment.

Allow us to introduce you to the future.

The Hot-Fridge

Unox, an Italian oven manufacturer, has developed technology that does just that. The Evereo, is a “hot-fridge,” or a hot holding platform. In short, it allows operators to go straight from cooking to holding for a long time. A lot longer than your typical hot holding shelf life.

 

We usually cook something, cool it down, and store it. Only to heat up again to use it. The technology that the Evereo uses allows the operator to cook and hold, thus completely bypassing the cooling step.

Currently, you may have to cook rice every day. Imagine if you only had to cook it twice a week?

This technology has food safety built-in and has the best in the business, ensuring that your product maintains integrity beyond your expectations. This technology is currently being utilized widely in Europe and is beginning to break into the American market.

Next time you look at your watch, ask yourself, What would it be like if it were easier?

Synergy has witnessed the viability of this equipment and would be happy to connect you for a demo.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the foodservice industry to adapt in order to survive. In many ways, being forced to move beyond traditional technology and find innovative solutions has been a silver lining.

For example, many restaurants had to figure out how to let guests order food while maintaining social distancing. Many of these new contactless methods, such as self-checkouts, online ordering and payment, tableside payment platforms, curbside pickup, and more, may be here to stay.

Among the many changes restaurant owners have made to adapt include AI—or artificial intelligence. Even the least tech-savvy restauranteurs can use AI to streamline their processes for both staff and guests.

Technology allows restaurants to continue to change, grow, and adapt to everchanging needs.

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence is, well, artificially derived intelligence. It requires human programming to help machines and computers process and compile information and mimic human behavior. The keyword being human programming: AI cannot think or grow beyond its programming.

AI in restaurant technology is meant to automate processes and improve a restaurant’s operations.

Robotic Food Prep

According to Business Insider, DoorDash is incorporating robotic food prep in 2022 for new ghost brands, and they’re not alone in using AI tech. For example, White Castle plans to roll out its cooking robot, Flippy 2, at over 100 locations. This is one of the most significant deployments of robotic food prep in the kitchen as of recently.

Japanese restaurant, Kura Sushi, uses kitchen robots to produce food with mechanical precision: each roll and rice ball is perfectly measured and without the flaws of human error. An AI staff means they need fewer servers and chefs, translating into significant overhead savings.

Many restaurants use AI robots to speed up the process of food preparation and delivery.

Restaurant Scheduling and Food Delivery Software

Ensuring that your employees are scheduled is one of the most critical and challenging aspects of running a food establishment. More and more restaurants are turning to AI-enabled tech to track staffing, determine which times need more staff, and use ongoing data to appropriately staff your restaurant to accommodate traffic and sales.

During the COVID pandemic, food delivery sales exploded and are likely to be an ongoing trend. AI tech can help you optimize your delivery processes, help delivery drivers find better routes for multiple deliveries, update guests about their orders, and send order status texts.

Restaurant Answering Tech and Virtual Assistants

Many restaurants use AI virtual assistants and chatbots to optimize customer service by responding to inquiries and processing food orders. Some AI tools can even help guests choose the best meal option based on what they prefer to eat.

When restaurants miss calls, their business and sales can suffer. Guests are more likely to move on to another restaurant than keep calling the same restaurant. This is why restaurants are starting to adopt AI technology that keeps them from missing valuable calls and orders. AI tech can receive messages, add guests to a waitlist, and answer frequently asked questions.

AI tech can respond to simple queries, which allows your front-of-house staff to focus on in-house guest services.

Kiosks

You may have been to a restaurant that automates the ordering and payment process with tableside payment platforms and QR-coded menus. The benefit to these services is that customers can pay by using their phones, and you can provide assistance with minimal human-to-human contact.

 

Many restaurants are starting to integrate AI Kiosks to reduce guests’ waiting time and improve their ordering experience. Many self-serve kiosks allow guests to customize their dining experience, from splitting checks to multiple payment options.

Some places, like KFC, even have facial recognition software that can recognize repeat customers and tailor their experience based on previous orders.

Your restaurant can use AI software to collect guest data to provide personalized experiences.

AI tech is a growing field that pushes to minimize errors, reduce overhead, and optimize guest service.

Well, another year has come and gone. Like the one before it, this past year has been marked by an unending series of challenges for the restaurant industry: capacity limits due to COVID, a shortage of workers, the rising popularity of take-out and delivery, the list goes on and on.

But as the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The challenges of 2020 and 2021 have led to massive developments and improvements in restaurant technology. This new tech is set to change the way our customers dine — and here are just a few of our favorites.

Vending Variety

For decades, vending machines have been the home for… well, junk food. Those massive machines housed chips, candies, soda, and other snacks with a cheap cost and a long shelf-life. But these days, vending machine tech has evolved in a healthier direction. In fact, some vending machines can offer packaged fresh food and even hot meals!

The fresh food vending revolution can mean big things for folks in the restaurant industry. Now, restaurants can expand their market to college campuses, corporate buildings, and even travel hubs. The new tech can keep your food fresh and maintain quality while still reaching that important on-the-go market.

 

Contactless Options

Contactless payments through QR codes and mobile apps have been a staple in countries like China for years, and some restaurants in the U.S. have adopted this tech in recent years. But now (thanks to a particular health crisis that made sanitation a top priority), contactless technology is expanding far beyond digital payment options.

Restaurants can use QR codes to direct diners to digital menus, limiting germs between parties. Additionally, companies like Coca-Cola are investing in touchless beverage machines, preventing exposure even among employees. As contactless tech becomes more popular, your staff and your customers can expect a safer dining experience.

Delivery Drones

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced diners to stay home, third-party delivery services saw a massive increase in demand. And while companies like UberEats and DoorDash did rise to the challenge, the door is open wide for restaurants to make delivery even better.

How can we do it? With delivery robots! Forbes reports drones and other delivery machines will be in use in dozens of U.S. cities by 2022, making delivery faster, easier, and more cost-efficient.

 

 

Of course, hospitality and service will always be at the heart of the restaurant industry. Even as the dining experience becomes increasingly digital and automated, it’s essential to have a friendly and capable staff trained to do their jobs well.

By David Lessin, Culinary Consultant

 

As technology advances all around us, it raises many questions regarding our future resources in the hospitality industry. So, we look for new and innovative equipment and technology that can help us mitigate using natural resources and give us more precision and consistency in our cooking and service at restaurants.

 

Many equipment manufacturers that we have come to know and rely upon throughout the industry are looking to add innovative new technology to kitchen appliances that operators are familiar with. The commercial induction range has become a rising star in that category. The induction range, which uses precision heat, has become an ideal commodity for many operators looking to scale down their kitchen footprint or prefer not to rely on natural gas. Induction ranges can be much easier to clean as well, which can reduce labor for some.

 

Also, as hiring becomes an increasing struggle for operators, many look to robotics. Companies like Richtech Robotics and Keenon Robotics have created a fleet of runner and busser bots to alleviate the strain restaurant owners are encountering in our country at this time. Do you think your business would benefit from the latest technology? Reach out to Synergy to learn more about options that would fit your business model.

What has worked for restaurants pre-pandemic isn’t cutting it today.  The industry is facing an unprecedented labor crisis.  With the shortage of available workers, job openings are at a record high, and restaurant operators have experienced significant obstacles in their rehiring efforts.

To counter these difficulties, many operators are turning to more creative solutions to address their staffing shortages.  With some immediate benefits for owners, staff, and guests, restaurant automation is gaining momentum.

Looking to Restaurant Automation

Automation is answering many of the fundamental challenges operators are facing today, including:

• Ongoing staffing issues
• Increased labor costs
• Standardizing operations
• Reducing errors
• Better consistency
• Increased efficiency – automated robots can work 24 hours a day without rest if needed

Ten Restaurants Utilizing Robotic Automation:

 

1. Spyce Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant in Boston, serves grain and vegetable-based bowls prepped in-house before being fed into a robot called the Infinite Kitchen, “that is able to properly cook individual foods with its separate griddle, steamer, and dispenser.  The robot can make up to 350 bowls an hour and can complete an order in two to five minutes.”
2. Cali Burger uses a high-tech kitchen assistant, Flippy. Flippy, created by Miso Robotics, assists chefs in the kitchen in preparing burgers.  It helps with cooking and flipping burgers, placing on buns, and adding toppings.  Using Flippy aims to increase the quality and consistency of products and increase food safety.
3. CaféX offers the fastest, most advanced, fully automated café system to operate a Robotic Coffee Bar. They use assembly-line-style robots to serve coffee orders.
4. Haidilao Hotpot – with worldwide locations features robots that take orders, prepare and deliver raw meat and fresh vegetables to customers to put into soups prepared at their tables.
5. McDonald’s – already using digital ordering kiosks worldwide and adding automated drive-through ordering and robot fryers to boost production and efficiency. One location in Phoenix, Arizona, is entirely run by robotics.
6. La Duni in Dallas has rented three robots from Robotech “to serve drinks, seat guests and belt out Happy Birthday if the need arises.”
7. White Castle – Flippy works 23 hours a day (one hour is reserved for cleaning) at the fry-station of Merrillville, Indiana, White Castle location.
8. Sugar Mediterranean Bistro in Stockton, California, was struggling with a worker shortage, so it purchased a food delivery robot to ease the burden on staff.
9. Noodle Topia in the Metro Detroit area uses a robot that looks like a rolling bookshelf, with four trays, a touchscreen, and an upward-facing infrared camera that helps it navigate around the dining room. Staff loads food onto one of the trays, enters a table number, and the robot takes off to deliver the food to the table.
10. Sergio’s Restaurant in South Florida has brought on its robot, “Astro,” short for Automatic Service Tray Removal Organizer. CEO Carlos Gazitua says this robot “came out of the crisis that we have currently in the labor force where we can’t get employees to come in to work.”

 

Improvements in technology allow robots to do many tasks that previously required people – tossing pizza dough, flipping burgers, cleaning floors, and taking or delivering your food order.  In addition to robots, we are seeing software and AI-powered services on the rise. Starbucks has been working on automation to keep track of store inventory. More stores are moving to self-checkout options.

 

Dina Marie Zemke, an associate professor at Ball State University, recently published a study called “How to Build a Better Robot for Quick Service Restaurants” in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. In this study, she found that the “overwhelming majority of respondents believe there is no stopping the robot transformation of the foodservice industry, including quick-service restaurants (QSRs).” In the end, Zemke believes rising labor costs will force restaurants owners to turn to robotics.

 

As the restaurant industry continues to rebound from the pandemic, innovation and automation are of paramount importance and is essential and beneficial for both restaurants and customers alike.  Are you looking for solutions to ease your staff shortages? Need help finding ways to make your operations more profitable and efficient? Reach out to Synergy Consultants today!

Few events have caused as much devastation to the restaurant industry as the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 saw some of the worst industry conditions stemming from unforeseen lockdowns, enforced closures, a crippled economy, and limited capacity.

 

According to the released 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report from the National Restaurant Association, we can measure the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry, which is estimated to have lost about $240 billion in sales from a projected $899 billion. For many restaurant owners, few choices remained but to shutter their doors for good. In fact, Fortune reported that over 110,000 restaurants closed for business.

 

The 2021 State of the Restaurant Report delves into the current condition of foundational elements integral within the food industry, including technology, labor, menu changes, and more based on surveying over 6,000 restaurant owners. As destructive as the coronavirus was for many businesses, you would be hard-pressed to find a single restaurant that wasn’t affected by widespread closures, dining restrictions, and adapting to new safety protocols.

 

State of Restaurant Industry in 2021

As stated in Forbes, the COVID-19 pandemic had a debilitating impact on the supply chain companies that keep restaurants and foodservice enterprises in operation. Accordingly, about 85% of food supply chain companies experienced a 30 percent reduction in revenues in 2020 than in years before.

In the first six months of 2021, fewer customers ate on-premises as COVID-19 surged throughout the nation. However, by mid-year, restaurant sales are expected to grow as more consumers get vaccinated.

In fact, total restaurant sales are projected to be around $789 billion, an almost a 20 percent increase from 2020, which is great and welcomed news!

 

Important things to note from the Report:

• Wholesale food costs have increased at an incredible rate
• Hourly earnings have more than doubled in the private sector
• As of June, 11 states and Puerto Rico still have capacity limits on restaurants
• 64 percent of customers prefer to order directly from the restaurant and not a third party service
• Many restaurants focused on optimizing their off-premises dining services – for example, implementing curbside service
• Many restaurant owners reported retaining and hiring employees was a top challenge throughout 2020 and 2021
• Vaccination numbers and stimulus payments helped increase food and beverage sales in the first half of 2021, often resulting in increased takeout orders
• Menu prices have increased to reflect the higher cost of food and labor
• The restaurant industry has had to adapt quickly to survive, including selling alcohol to-go during the pandemic shutdown
• During the early stages of the pandemic, the only option for many restaurants to continue selling involved off-premises curbside takeout and delivery, which remains a popular option over on-premises dining

 

New COVID-19 regulations and mandates required restaurant owners to quickly adapt, especially contactless pickups and delivery, to keep both staff and guests safe and healthy.

 

By necessity, the pandemic endorsed new technology and contactless dining for many customers. More and more people are adopting takeout and delivery as part of their routine.

 

The road to recovery is long and uncertain, but it’s clear that employment and sales are rising slowly. It may take some time to nullify the damage caused by the pandemic shutdowns, but the restaurant industry has proven to be resilient and adaptable: two necessary qualities for survival.