It’s impossible to deny that technology is changing the restaurant business as we know it. Gone are the days of relying entirely on intuition or experience. Instead, data-driven solutions are king. Humans doing simplistic, repetitive, potentially dangerous jobs could soon be a practice of the past, with robots and other AI devices subbing in. Even now, technology is allowing consumers to do a lot of the guest-facing tasks themselves, a la mobile ordering and payment apps, kiosks and more.
As operators add more technology into their restaurants, the go-to caveat is that, “We’re doing this to allow our staff to have more time to provide top-notch hospitality,” or something along those lines. But are consumers buying it? Not sure. “There is a barbell strategy of high-tech speed and efficiency, and high-touch,” said Sara Monnette, VP of innovation for Technomic, at the recent FSTEC conference. “The middle ground is not cutting it for restaurants anymore.”
That means maybe re-evaluating the whole restaurant experience. And even potentially redefining hospitality, which is a scary thing for an entire industry built on the principle.
Take Amazon Go, for example. The “just walk out” technology allows diners to enter and leave the convenience store-grocery-QSR hybrid without taking out their wallets or talking to anyone, thanks to a virtual cart and smartphone-reading sensors in the ceiling that detect when a customer takes products off the shelf. It sounds pretty crazy, a little futuristic and even a bit creepy to be that frictionless—yet it’s a different kind of hospitality.
Targeting busy urban locations, it’s one of the few downtown Chicago breakfast and lunch spots where hurried consumers don’t have to wait, either in line or for their food. There are greeters to explain how the concept works as well as staffers constantly restocking shelves, so there is a human element. And, by design, Amazon Go anticipates its guests’ needs, placing a microwave and silverware station right by the exit. Diners can choose how they want to experience the store, in terms of the level of interaction, speed, size of purchase and more—the hospitable element is that the concept sets them up for their own definition of success.
Sherif Mityas, chief experience officer for TGI Fridays, revealed how the chain is using high-tech data mining to provide the ultimate customized experience. Using data from its loyalty program, Fridays built a system that can create very detailed profiles of its typical frequent guests, then use that information to predict the customer’s perfect order and suggest it.
“I’ll call her Mary,” Mityas said from the stage at the FSTEC conference. “I know that Mary usually orders around 7 o’clock on a Tuesday. I can tell from Mary’s order that she’s probably married, to someone who likes ribs. I know that Mary probably has three children, based on her order. And I know Mary likes salads, without chicken.
“I fill her basket with what should be a perfect meal for her and her family,” he said. “When I presented that to families [as an option], 72% clicked ‘yes.’”
It begs the question—something Mityas acknowledged: Is it creepy to know somuch about guests, or is it the ultimate level of personalized service?
The numbers don’t lie. Nearly three-fourths of those in the test made the purchase. And, judging from personal experience, Amazon Go is a hit with nearby consumers. So maybe instead of thinking of operations as either high-touch or high-tech, it’s time to evaluate how to consciously blend the two.
The model for that balance, suggested Josh Patchus at FSTEC, might just be Major League Baseball. Technology can differentiate a ball from a strike, yet MLB still schedules (and pays) four umpires for each game. “People want to have a human managing the game,” said the chief data scientist for fast casual Cava, comparing America’s pastime to what consumers may come to expect from restaurants as more functions are automated. “The MLB is pushing the forefront of technology. But it’s doing it in a subtle way,” he said. That combination—and embrace—of high-touch and high-tech, he contended, creates a better experience.
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