As the economy came to a grinding halt, many restaurant businesses were forced to shut down at the peak of the pandemic. The surviving ones desperately looked for new market opportunities. Business continuity plans used by most restaurants relied on technology as a primary component. In the Middle East edition of our PRIME report, we tried to understand the perceptions of the restaurant operators in the region regarding technology adoption. Their responses provide insights into the existing shortcomings in their business and underscore the difference that technology would make.
5 Restaurant Areas You Can Uplift By Adopting Technology Solutions
The following are the major areas where restaurateurs showed interest in introducing technology solutions.
1. Kitchen Management
Efficient kitchen workflow is the key to good customer service. The more streamlined the operations, the lesser is the table turnaround time and the better is the customer experience. Better order management, efficient inventory management, and reducing the order processing time; all of this can be achieved by automating your kitchen. Improving kitchen management operations with technology is thus the number one agenda in restaurateurs’ minds.
2. Customer Experience
In the ‘new normal’, restaurateurs have started making customer experience their number one priority. More than half of the respondents said that they would use technology to enhance their customer experience. Providing feedback options to customers inside delivery apps and other online ordering channels is one way to make them feel valued. You can use the feedback collected to fill out any gaps in your operations to enhance their experience. By employing contactless ordering and payment options, you can further enhance their experience in your restaurant.
3. Supply Chain
COVID-19 severely disrupted the supply chains of restaurants. With such a harsh blow, the operators have also mulled over using technology to rebuild their supply chains. The PRIME report highlights that 44.9% of restaurant operators want to aid their supply chain operations with technology. Technology gives you better control over inventory management and facilitates cost efficiencies. The better the technology restaurant brands use, the easier it is for them to achieve supply chain-related goals.
4. Customer Data Management
Leveraging customer data effectively is critical for growth. There are ample ways you can make use of the customer data that you collect. It can play a crucial role in the way you market your products and your brand. For example, by segmenting your customers based on their preferences, location, and many other factors, you can deliver personalized offers to customers. Of course, if the data is not mapped properly, you might lose out on a good chunk of potential customers.
5. The Bottom Line: Overall Growth
Paying attention to one aspect of the restaurant business does not mean that you ignore the others. One has to manage and maintain the workflow between the back- and front-of-the-house operations. While many restaurateurs were interested in uplifting particular aspects of their business, 63.3% of them were looking forward to improving the bottom line, i.e. overall performance of their restaurant business, as per the PRIME report. Restaurateurs believe that if leveraged astutely, technology can improve all operations ranging from kitchen operations and order management to customer service and delivery services.
Now that you know what all areas restaurant operators look forward to improving, you can gain some insights from them and employ technology strategically to improve your restaurant operations.
Download the PRIME report to know more about the present scenario of the Middle East F&B industry.
