Technology

Chef Robert Irvine is better known for his performances before a stove or TV camera than for what he does at a computer keyboard. But the celebrity chef will reveal his ease at the digital screen when he delivers a keynote address at the upcoming FSTEC NexGen conference on paperless restaurant and bar management.

The 100 or so chain executives attending Chicago researcher Technomic’s 2015 Consumer Insights and Planning Program this January learned how the perplexing consumer is evolving under such influences as a tepid economy and rapid-fire technical advances. Some revelations had pens scratching across notepads in a frenzy, including these.

Attendees of FSTEC 2015 were able to answer some of the questions that have kept operators wringing their hands instead of plotting a tech strategy.