6 Restaurant Technology Trends for 2024 and Beyond
Highlighting the restaurant tech you need to know about — and how to implement it with fewer headaches.
What restaurant technology trends will define the industry landscape in 2024 and beyond?
If you’re a restaurant operator and entrepreneur, chances are you’ve thought about this question quite a bit. Each of your locations is probably relying on a half dozen (or baker’s dozen) technology solutions, from POS systems to backup internet and beyond.
Tech adoption has accelerated across the QSR and fast-casual restaurant scene: 75% of operators said they’re planning to adopt new technology, according to a survey from SpotOn.
It’s important for owner/operators — aka operateurs — to keep an eye on the emerging restaurant technology trends. Delivering a great customer experience means ensuring your systems are operating as smoothly together as possible, which often requires staying ahead of the latest innovations.
New technology platforms often bring opportunities to make your operations more efficient, and thus generate more revenue. However, implementing these systems isn’t always easy on your staff. Each new system means your shift managers and other employees have to onboard, train, and master a new system. Plus, since you’re footing the bill for a new subscription or hardware, you have to make sure your new tech is actually generating ROI.
Our team of restaurant technologists at Science On Call is here to help you stay ahead of the curve. We work with hundreds of QSR and fast-casual chains, and we’ve seen first-hand the impact of new tech. Let’s dive deep into the trends you should know, and discuss some platforms that are worth keeping an eye on:
6 restaurant technology trends for 2024
We’ll start by looking at six cutting-edge technologies. Unsurprisingly, we’re going to talk a lot about artificial intelligence and how it’s changing the game for restaurant operators and entrepreneurs:
Guest feedback platforms
AI-driven demand planning
Dynamic pricing
Contactless payments
Digital loyalty programs
Food prep robots
1. Guest feedback platforms
There’s an old cliché that customers only write reviews if they’re really happy or really upset. It can be difficult for operators to sort the signal from the noise to truly understand how their guests feel.
New innovations are helping restaurants get a better grip on customer feedback. We’d recommend checking out Ovation, which helps you send 2-question, SMS-based surveys that get you the info you need to drive retention, 5-star reviews, and revenue — and then uses AI to analyze that feedback and give you areas to improve on.
2. AI-driven demand planning
Do you or your staff find yourself guessing how many bagels, briskets, or burritos you need to prep for the day? Artificial intelligence can help you with that.
Certain digital platforms can enable you to analyze data from your POS and menu to help you better plan for your customers’ demands so you can order supplies smarter and reduce food waste. Our friends at ClearCogs are helping restaurant teams replace spreadsheets and guesswork with AI-automated prep sheets, built specifically for the needs of your locations.
3. Dynamic pricing
We’re pretty sure you’re familiar with the concept of “surge” pricing for an Uber or Lyft. Restaurant owners can use AI software to dynamically change pricing based on demand. Customers ordering during a lunch rush might face higher prices while happy hour customers will benefit from visiting during off-times.
Operators with a surplus of an item can provide incentives like a free dessert/app with a purchase of X product or Y number of dollars. This could help prevent food waste (yay for the environment!) while bringing in some extra revenue (yay for your bank account!).
Platforms such as JUICER and Sauce are worth exploring.
4. Contactless payments
Many restaurants have already gone contactless, with 63% of operators reporting that they plan to invest in new tech for menus, ordering, and payments.
Proponents of contactless payments preach greater security, higher order accuracy, and a more convenient experience for their guests.
Big-name POS players such as Toast, NCR Aloha, and Square should be able to help you get set up with contactless options.
5. Digital loyalty programs
We’re all about efficiency this year! Retaining your loyal customers is significantly cheaper than acquiring new ones. That’s why digital loyalty programs are so important.
This goes beyond taking a loyalty punch card and putting it in on an app – although that’s a great start. Many brick-and-mortar operators are integrating their digital loyalty programs with their POS to make it easier than ever to track, personalize, and redeem rewards.
Incentivio and Lunchbox are two platforms that could be worth checking out.
6. Food prep robots
We get that investing in robots can seem a little crazy, especially if you’re not a massive international corporation.
But hear us out! Some experts (such as restaurant consultancy Aaron Allen & Associates) believe that robots could eventually fill up to 82% of all food service positions. Imagine how that would overhaul your customer service model! Your staff could spend more time on high-impact jobs that require a human touch — such as greeting customers, planning menus, and so on.
If you’re looking for a real-life example, we’d recommend following the journey of Andrew Simmons, a Science On Call customer who has documented on LinkedIn how he transformed Mamma Ramona’s Pizzeria into a digital automated kitchen.
How to navigate restaurant technology trends in 2024 and beyond
All of these restaurant technology trends are showing promise for greater efficiency and revenues for restaurants. But we wouldn’t blame you if you’re a little queasy about the idea of implementing all of these systems!
At Science On Call, we’re here to help. We’re a lightning-fast, AI-powered help desk for restaurants. Built with restaurants in mind, Science On Call offers 24/7/365 tech support services to anticipate and solve everyday restaurant tech issues from point of sale, internet, Wi-Fi, online ordering, email, and phone systems.
Customers can text, call, or email our dedicated team of restaurant technologists. And best of all, we’re using our own tech to help tame your technology troubles! We leverage a proprietary database of technology resolutions from hundreds of restaurants to solve the most common tech problems in a matter of minutes — and we’re using AI to help predict those problems before they happen.
Sound like a good solution for your QSR or fast-casual restaurant? Schedule a quick chat with one of our restaurant technologists to learn more. And stay tuned for more restaurant technology trends in the future!