Editor’s Note

The global restaurant industry has been changing for the past decade and a half. With multiple cafés, dine-outs, restaurants, and chains of hotels capturing the market space, there was a need to boost their sales by helping them move to more digital options. However, traditionally, the restaurant industry has been slow to adapt to technological changes and innovative digital solutions.

However, come COVID-19, every industry, including the restaurants, was forced to look beyond the traditional. Several restaurants turned to tech over the past two years and adapted digital solutions, albeit reluctantly. With the need to bring social distancing into purview and contactless technology, there are countless measures that restaurants started adapting. Restaurant Management System has allowed restaurants to track as many components as possible.

Today, digitization in the restaurant industry has accelerated and given the scope of development for different solutions to cater to every audience. From regular POS (point-of-sale) to self-ordering kiosks, handheld Point of Sale Systems to real-time reporting and analytics and online ordering, food delivery management system, supply chain management, to menu modifications, and contactless payment, the goal of restaurant technology is to cut processing lead time and produce high-quality output to benefit the customers. 

Most restaurants have embraced technological advancements to enhance their efficiency and meet consumers’ growing demands daily. However, as per studies, QR code payments are set to grow by nearly 240% by 2025 based on cashless payment preferences that emerged during the pandemic, pushing different restaurants to take equitable action to ensure the smooth transition from regular payments to cashless ones.

Every crisis has a silver lining, and the unprecedented disruption of ‘business as usual’ has moved to ‘business must continue’ with the right technological partners. To keep up the pace and ensure customer satisfaction and safety, every restaurant gravitates towards unique innovations to fast-track change and delight customers with delicious food, memorable dining experiences, off-premise or in-house, a definite win-win situation. 

From in-house applications to third-party integrations, how technology shapes the restaurant industry is what we will talk about in this edition of CIOInsights. Our thought-leaders share their crucial insights, learnings, and adaptations and how they will impact us in the long run. 

We hope you have an enjoyable time reading it!