The Genius of the Restaurant Business is Hospitality, Not Technology

To be competitive, you need to adopt technology to increase productivity and streamline transactions. In the past two decades, we have seen quite a few applications emerge as standby technology, including online ordering and reservation, table-side point-of-sale, and kitchen management systems. The trade press brings news about how concepts have adopted robotics and AI (artificial intelligence) in their operations.

Shawn Walchef, owner of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ media in Southern California, coined the phrase “digital hospitality”. He asks the question, “How does all of this improve the guest experience?”

Here are some best practices in restaurant operations to consider as you continue to “digitize” your concept.

Remember, you are not a manufacturer. You are serving people. With the increasing cost of labor, every operator seeks to streamline staffing. That said, keep in mind that you're in the restaurant hospitality business. Instead of looking at technology to replace staff, consider how it might help you redeploy staff to improve the guest experience. Consider supermarket self-checkout technology. It liberates staff to greet guests, answer questions, and even help them navigate the self-service process.

The human spirit must prevail over technology.
- Albert Einstein

Take stock of the hospitality experience you wish to offer in your restaurant. Hand-held tableside point-of-sale terminals might be appreciated in restaurants where diners want to finish their meals and move on to the next phase of their day. Think of a business lunch crowd. On the other hand, if they have paid $50 or more per guest for a leisurely upscale experience, shoving a device in their face might feel like a bum’s rush.

Involve your team in the restaurant technology selection process. You have operational experts on your payroll. Your front-line staff know where bottlenecks and impediments to quality food and service are lurking. Onboarding and training should be mainstays in assuring that your staff are skilled and comfortable enough with these restaurant hospitality platforms and know what to do if they encounter glitches.

Take Home Points

Any computer scientist will tell you that AI, the “internet of things,” and predictive analytics have been applied to other industries for years. They are cropping up in the restaurant hospitality business now, and we can only imagine how they will change the industry in the next 20 years. That said, gathering over meals is an activity as old as humankind. Do not let the technology eclipse the human experience.

Are you interested in the future of restaurant hospitality and technology's place in it? Explore The Gift of Hospitality online course to gain essential hospitality skills and insights. And while you're here, watch our Attention Managers: Do Not Undermine Hospitality training video for even more hospitality tips.

Have a profitable week!

The RestaurantOwner.com Team