The virus pandemic did not change the trajectory of where the restaurant industry was headed, but it did force years of change in a short period. Restaurants are embracing artificial intelligence and automation to revolutionize their business models.
A new report via payments company Square titled “Future of Restaurants” discusses an overview of how technology is sweeping through the industry. Square partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 500 restaurant owners and managers across the country.
They found an overwhelming number of owners and managers are pivoting towards automation in the kitchen and embracing the hub-and-spoke model.
About 91% of respondents said they have made or planning to make investments in kitchen automation technology.
So what’s the rush to digitize the backend of a restaurant?
Well, as explained by Bruce Bell, Head of Square for Restaurants, he said:
“We’re seeing more of a hub-and-spoke model with the kitchen at the center of it all. Restaurants embrace new channels for customers to interact with their business, effectively meeting them wherever they are. Each of these channels represents a revenue stream for the restaurant, and they connect to the same kitchen and are all managed by the same centralized POS system.”
Bell is essentially saying restaurants, via investments in kitchen automation technology, will be able or have already been able to pivot to various revenue streams at a moment’s notice, such as making meal kits, dining room, groceries, delivery, among others. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --