2024 Restaurant & Takeaway Expo Insights: Making the Right Technology Choices

Joe Taylor, our Principal Consultant and Retail & Hospitality Transformation expert, attended the Restaurant & Takeaway Innovation Expo 2024. In this series, he’s sharing his top insights and hot takes on the industry. In Part Three, we’re exploring the importance of making the right technology choices for the restaurant and takeaway sectors.

When investing in technology, businesses must evaluate whether the solutions they are considering are the right fit for their specific needs. There are countless systems available, many of which are flashy and promise to revolutionize operations. But the key question is: Is this the right change for your business?

For example, Stephen Clark (COO of Tortilla) described the measured approach that was taken regarding their investment in kiosks, which streamlined the ordering process, increased ATV and resulted in positive customer sentiment. However, they were also mindful of maintaining their brand image of fresh, handmade food which could present a conflicting narrative with the introduction of kiosks. This shows that while technology is vital, it must align with the company’s values, brand, and customer expectations.

Similarly, another point to consider is whether to go with an established system that offers out-of-the-box solutions or a more flexible upstart that can be customized to your needs. Both approaches have merits, but they must be evaluated based on how well they will work with your organisation and people.

Integrations and Data Flow

To fully harness the power of technology in Retail and Hospitality, systems need to work together. Whether a business adopts an all-in-one system or a best-of-breed tech stack approach, integration is vital. When systems communicate, they provide more holistic insights, freeing up staff to focus on delivering better customer experiences. Unfortunately, this is often an overlooked aspect when reviewing technology options (focusing too much on viewing the tool or system in isolation) however we should prioritise connectivity to ensure we can get the most out of investments in tech.

Partnerships Are Key

Technology is fundamental to business success today, but choosing the right technology is not easy. Start by identifying the problems you want to solve, the pain points your staff and customers experience, and the outcomes you want to achieve. If the tech you’re considering doesn’t address these issues, it’s not worth the investment.

More importantly, finding the right partner is crucial. Whether you're an established brand embarking on a digital transformation, a growing company scaling its operations, or a small business experimenting with new tech, the partner you choose will play a pivotal role in your success.

It can be easy to get caught up with features lists, gap analysis and SLAs and overlook whether this partner is one you can see yourself working with longer-term. There will, inevitably, be challenges during implementation and beyond, so you need to make sure that you have selected a real partner who you can work with during both the good and bad times.

P.s. special mention… AI: The Hype and the Reality

AI is everywhere, from digital menu boards that personalise customer experiences to predictive ordering systems and facial recognition technology for clocking in. But a critical point to remember is that AI doesn’t solve business problems—people do. AI is a tool that enhances human capabilities. Whether it’s helping to onboard staff more effectively or providing more accurate demand forecasting, AI is only as good as the people using it. Businesses should start by identifying the problems they want to solve and then see how AI can support those efforts, not the other way around.

Hungry for more insights? Get in touch with Joe Taylor today.