Dave - one thing I know I personally struggle with when implementing new technologies for the restaurant industry is POS integration. More specifically getting the big companies like Aloha to allow me to integrate. What are your thoughts on this as well creating a more 'open' platform POS?
One other thing I thought you missed in your article was the trend towards quicker service, specifically for lunch. I have seen a substantial investment from restaurants to build more drive-throughs, increase delivery, etc. What are your thoughts on this trend and using tech to enhance?
I read through Dave's blog and through all of the comments here and I find this very funny. Dave is right, Food is huge and is only getting bigger. I have worked with restaurants for 5+ years now, specifically in technology, and both restaurants and consumers want to see this industry evolve and there is not going to be just one solution that solves all of its problems. To people who are saying they do not want screens on their tables, then do not use them, but I will argue you are in the minority. The high-end restaurants that would go on for an anniversary dinner or take a big client out will probably not have that because you pay for attentive service. However, for the fast-casual restaurant space, which is the fast growing, people don't expect that level attention from servers and why it makes sense to integrate virtual order, user history, reviews, etc. This stuff is coming and it will be better for everyone, including restaurants, because they will receive more information about their customers and can start making better business decisions like what menu items to keep or get rid of.
The restaurant industry is just very slow to adapt, generally speaking, because the people that run them have not grown up in the age of technology and are focused on the operations. As more new restaurant owners come, this will change and the opportunities in food tech will grow larger.
One other thing I thought you missed in your article was the trend towards quicker service, specifically for lunch. I have seen a substantial investment from restaurants to build more drive-throughs, increase delivery, etc. What are your thoughts on this trend and using tech to enhance?