Article

Innovative tech powers restaurants

Tablet kiosk ordering, mobile payments and digital signage are all key technologies that are driving the restaurant industry, and they show no signs of slowing down.

November 9, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

There has been a massive evolution in the use of technology within the past decade, the past five years — and even within just the last year. There are no signs of that evolution of technology use slowing, including in the fast casual restaurant industry.

Restaurant operators once rang up sales on difficult-to-use cash registers, tracked sales with boggy computer programs that didn't talk to the cash registers and displayed their menus on static boards that didn't talk to either. No more. The equipment is more sophisticated — and vital to success — while the competition is fiercer than ever.

In today's world, the transition has been made to what Jim Melvin, founder and CEO of GuestDNA, calls "personal ordering" — mobile technology in the palm of a customer's hand. Melvin is the creator of a guest-engagement platform that provides insight into consumer behavior to increase revenue and strengthen customer loyalty. Melvin's solutions have been installed in more than 125,000 restaurants worldwide.

"There are five evolving technologies that will affect your brand," Melvin said during a session on Oct. 19 at the Fast Casual Executive Summit in Miami.

Those technologies are mobile payments, digital signage, mobile ordering, guest engagement, and learning and culture. All of these technologies affect the dining experience of the consumer and the restaurant operator.

Diners in many fast casual restaurants have the option to pay at the counter or at their table via a variety of point-of-sale systems inluding tablet kiosks. Factor into that the advent of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) encryption for credit-card security that has begun to spread in the U.S., and restaurant operators have much to consider in deciding what technologies are best used at their dining concept.

According to Melvin, one of the key things for restaurant operators to keep in mind is "guest engagement."

"Guest engagement equals loyalty," he said. "There's also 'contextualization' — understanding where your guests are, and are you over-communicating with them or over-stimulating them."

Restaurant digital signage is an example. Does your fast casual have too much information on display, too many things for customers to read and process, and does your signage meet regulatory mandates?

Another element of this restaurant technological evolution is the training of employees.

"Ninety percent of training is done peer-to-peer, and 10 percent is classroom learning," Melvin said. "How are you training your employees to use this technology? It used to be you had no way of knowing if they read the training manual."

Melvin also stressed the importance of the "consumer decision journey." Using a smartphone, tablet or laptop, diners may place and pay for their order off-premise and then visit the restaurant to pick it up. Will your restaurant do everything correctly to ensure that customer's order is correct and ready when they arrive?

"Are you interrupting the 'consumer decision journey?'" Melvin asked. "Can you fulfill the promise you've made to your guests?"

Melvin also believes more changes are coming.

"There will be a tipping point when it comes to mobile payment," he said.

Some customers will never buy in and prefer to pay with cash. Others are fearful of what data is being collected and how it's being used.

The evolution of restaurant technology will continue and these questions will be answered in the years — if not months — to come.

About Travis Wagoner

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Travis Wagoner spent nearly 18 years in education as an alumni relations and communications director, coordinating numerous annual events and writing, editing and producing a quarterly, 72-plus-page magazine. Travis also was a ghostwriter for an insurance firm, writing about the Affordable Care Act. He holds a BA degree in communications/public relations from Xavier University.