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The Latest Restaurant Tech Trends and What’s Coming Soon

Jul 27, 2021

Over the past year, restaurant owners have seen the industry go through massive ups and downs. We furloughed employees. We embraced UberEATS. A horrifying 17% of us closed our doors for good. And now, we’re facing yet another unique challenge: the future.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that many of the changes ushered in by the pandemic will stick around long after everyone removes their masks and resumes dining in our restaurants. This is particularly true of the latest restaurant tech — but what exactly is coming our way? Here are a few tech trends we think will be part of the “new normal,” as well as a few that might be on the horizon.

Online Orders

When the pandemic first hit and lockdowns began, any restaurant that didn’t have a robust online presence was at a distinct disadvantage. In fact, restaurants without an online presence were at a disadvantage even before COVID-19; online food orders have grown 300% faster than dine-in traffic for the past seven years!

 

If you want your business to succeed in 2021 and beyond, you MUST have an online ordering/delivery system that’s user-friendly and accessible. If you don’t, you’re missing out on a huge slice of the market!

Paperless Menus and Contactless Payment

If you go into a restaurant today, you’ll often find a QR code on the table so customers can access the menu or even pay their bill. This technology quickly became popular during the pandemic, but it appears that it has really resonated with diners. According to research from the National Restaurant Association, 21% of customers look for paperless and contactless options when choosing where to dine.

menu trends
A paperless menu

AI-Based Supply Chains

This may sound like something from a science fiction novel, but it’s true: restaurants are starting to use artificial intelligence to determine their supply chain. Every order your restaurant takes is the data point for these AI bots, and they use that data to predict how many 8-oz sodas you’ll need, how many chicken thighs, and countless other details they can then report to your supplier. According to early adopters, this AI-based system has a 92% accuracy rate — and that means it just might be the way of the future.

 

“Cloud Kitchens”

As food delivery becomes the norm throughout the restaurant industry, some restaurateurs are looking for a way to cut costs, even if that means getting rid of their restaurant space. Rather than rent or own a specific location, some restaurants are going rogue, becoming “ghost kitchens” or “cloud kitchens” that operate off-site solely for delivery. This trend is attractive for current restaurant owners and aspiring restaurateurs alike, as it is significantly cheaper to operate a cloud kitchen than a traditional restaurant. It may be that we start seeing cloud kitchens pop up all over the country as the pandemic recovery continues.

 

Of course, no matter what kind of kitchen you’re running, you will need to offer quality customer service to keep your guests coming back. And if you’re going to provide exceptional customer service, you need to manage your training and your staff effectively.

 

Synergy Sync restaurant training app
Synergy Sync restaurant training app

With the Synergy Sync training app, you can easily provide consistent training to your employees — even across multiple locations! This will help guarantee that your restaurant staff is always properly trained and giving your customers the best.