We all have huge expectations for 2024, and it’s pretty normal since 2024 turned out like this. Just one year ago, we heard about the new coronavirus for the first time, but no one could ever imagine we would have to fight the pandemic throughout the whole year. We all hope that 2024 will be a miracle, and many of the things that don’t work properly right now will be back after New Year. But, our hopes are here to stay because the whole pandemic problem won’t disappear as the calendar changes. So, what will happen?
We will get in the New Year more smarter and experienced, and we will know how to embrace all the new things and technologies that we learned this year. One of the fields that are evolving every day, is the restaurant business, and the way they are embracing and accepting the new technologies, and apply them to their work process. In order to stay competitive, almost every business should follow what’s happening in their field, and accept and use all those things that will improve their overall job. That means, even restaurants, and popular food chains should use them, if they want to follow the trends, and be popular with the people.
1. Large interactive menus on the screen
We’ve all seen the great displays above the people who work at takeout places. They are very practical right now because we can easily see the offers, without having to touch the physical menus. This is very important since the coronavirus survives on the surfaces, and we all know that no one is cleaning the menus after they are used. According to Mvix Digital Signage, this technology can also work in many other fields, including schools, hospitals, big markets, bus and train stations, and so on. Some of the companies that provide this technology go even further, by making these displays interactive, so the customers can choose by themselves what they want, and order the food.
2. Managing the food waste
Source:openaccessgovernment.org
The whole world has a global problem with food waste, since it’s usually already contaminated and can’t be repurposed for poor people, and those who live in safe houses and shelters. Some guests ask for their leftovers to be packed, so they can bring them home. But, is there any technology that can be used to manage the waste, and producing something useful from that? There are some prototypes of machines that can use this leftover food as a source of energy. Also, a more popular way is producing organic compost from ingredients, with proper processing after the food can’t be used anymore.
3. Fast orders and delivery
Source:capitalcuisinedelivery.com
This year, many of the food chains realized how important is to be a part of the ecosystem that allows ordering services online such as UberEats, Doordash or to provide it by themselves through their website.. People are still learning to order food online, and have it delivered to their homes. This requires a good developer who will use every technology possible to optimize delivery with these apps or through your website, but also secure the personal data of your customers. They can order from the interactive menu, check everything they want with their food, without having to worry that the phone operator didn’t take the order correctly.
4. Social media presence
Source:thrillax.com
People enjoy to spend a lot of time on Facebook and Instagram, and they will probably look for some food place there, to access the menu, or see the address. So, if you own a restaurant, you must understand the importance of social media presence, and create proper pages and profiles, that are synced with your website. Sometimes, you may need to hire a social media specialist to run these profiles, so you can build a reputable brand on the Internet.
5. Creating a unique market
This is not direct use of the technology, but sure it’s worth trying to use different tools and features to increase the presence on the market. When you want to promote something new in your restaurant, you need to attract even those people who don’t visit it regularly. That means you will have to be unique, so they can realize the importance of visiting your place or ordering from you. Pay attention to the menu, and of course, your target audience. Use every tool you have to improve the users’ experience, so they can come back and recommend you to their friends.
Owning a restaurant during these hard times is a real challenge. There are new technologies every day, and no one is expecting that you will be able to embrace them all and use them in your business. Some food places prefer to work the traditional way, which is both good and bad, because people today want easy access to their food, to see the menu on the Internet, or to be able to order it with just a few clicks on their phone.
The technology is changing, and it’s pretty hard to follow what’s new. But, every responsible company, including the food chains, should take care of the food waste, the type of dishes they use, the packages, the inventory, and so on.
During the pandemic, since day one, the food chains, restaurants, and bars were those who suffered a lot, because they were first closed, in order to stop the spreading of the dangerous coronavirus. That had a very negative effect on their work because some of them weren’t ready to close, or leave the staff unemployed, or let them take unpaid leave. They didn’t have anything to offer to stay competitive, to take orders, or deliver the food to the customers.
Source:bbc.com
So, we can consider this situation as a great lesson to every one of us, who owns any type of business, that we should have technology in mind when creating new internal policies of working. As we can see, those who embraced everything that high tech offers, are those who survived during the lockdowns and emergency hours. Let’s make the next year different, and be ready to make the best use of technology..
