Let’s face it: we don’t dine the same way we did a decade ago. With technology trickling down to every single aspect of our lives, everything from making dinner reservations to paying for the experience has changed drastically. Even takeout food is now just a click away with delivery apps bringing food from your favourite restaurants right to your doorstep.
Gone are the days when you would walk into a restaurant, look up the dishes on the menu and try to understand what you want without any visual references, or sometimes without even knowing what a dish is. The shift from manual to digital menus became a necessity in the post-COVID era, driven by the need to adapt to new safety standards and evolving customer expectations. Digital menus have not only streamlined operations but also enhanced the dining experience by providing customers with instant access to detailed information about each dish, including ingredients, nutritional facts, and potential allergens.
Now, with digital menus available at all restaurants, you can just scan a QR code and a digital menu is at your fingertips, where you can look up ingredients and even see if the dish looks appealing or not. That is not all, for these menus or apps also allow you to place orders at the click of a button and the dish will be served at your table. And guess what? You can also pay your bill via these digital menus, making your dining experience seamless and hassle free.
This transparency has fostered informed choices, improving overall customer satisfaction. Moreover, the transition has proven to be cost-effective, reducing the expenses associated with printing and reprinting physical menus, while also promoting hygiene by minimizing contact points. The environmental benefits are equally significant, as the reliance on digital formats helps reduce paper waste, aligning with the growing emphasis on sustainability in the hospitality industry.
The advent of delivery apps is a real godsend here. Technology has made it possible to have the city’s best restaurants in your pocket. Whether you’re craving a nice wood fired pizza or some delicious biryani, these apps will deliver piping hot food from your favourite places in the cities to your home. Moreover, these apps are also great to satisfy those midnight hunger pangs, bringing the most scrumptious food from your favourite late-night meal places, without having to step a foot outside your house.
While technology has made dining and delivery much smoother for customers, it’s also helped restaurants run more efficiently, deliver better service, and improve their overall operations.
Running a restaurant is a complex task, where one has to manage finances, inventory, overheads, salaries, all while ensuring maximum employee and customer satisfaction. This is where technology has swooped in to make lives easier for chefs and owners, helping them manage their tasks with ease. For instance, imagine fridges alerting you when the stock of vegetables is low or when to throw out soiled ingredients, or smart ovens that adjust the temperatures according to the dish being prepared. From all-in-one cookers, to automated, AI-powered appliances, restaurant kitchens today have become increasingly smart through technology, enabling restaurateurs to provide quick and quality services.
In terms of engaging with customers, tech also helps restaurants in identifying what customers want. It helps them gather data on the busiest times, most ordered dishes, and also make note of loyal customers. In turn, this helps restaurants give a personalised dining experience to their customers, thereby increasing their loyalty.
Like every other organization, restaurants also need to train their employees. Again, technology has also made this process easier, where chefs can use VR and AR tech to teach new talent cooking techniques and give them a lowdown on how their kitchen operates. These technologies can also be leveraged to provide a global dining experience to the customers, where you will feel like you’re dining in Madrid while sitting in Mumbai.
Looking ahead, technology is going to enhance the dining experience even further. 3D printing food is already a reality, which could soon become a common sight in restaurants. Also, with robotics making giant leaps, restaurants could soon look like a scene from the movie iRobot, but hopefully won’t replace humans altogether as we still like the human-touch. Self-order kiosks are also increasingly becoming a common sight at restaurants, especially at QSR chains like McDonalds and Taco Bell, eliminating the need for queuing up. The AI boom is also helping restaurants in adopting sustainable practices, where hydroponic gardens are helping restaurants grow herbs right in their kitchens.
To sum it up, the future of dining is looking pretty scrumptious, and it’s not just because of the food. Technology is cooking up something new every single day to enhance our gastronomical journey. So, the next time you’re at a restaurant, look around and you might notice how things are already changing, giving you a glimpse at the future of dining.
