How Technology Is Being Incorporated into the Food-Service Industry

From choosing their meals, to ordering their food, to paying their bill, people all over the world have begun using various forms of technology to improve their experiences with different food services. With all different types of technology on the rise, it is no wonder that restaurants are finding it to be a good idea to incorporate various technological ideas into their establishments. 

Several businesses in the food industry have already started making these additions. Here are some of the recent technological innovations that are being used so far:

Ordering from your mobile device. Not only is it possible to order your food from the internet, but it is also now possible for you to order from your cellphone, as there are tons of apps in this area. This is mostly seen with fast-food establishments, such as pizzerias like Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut.

Ordering from iPads at kiosks. This method is not very common yet, but it sure is effective where it does exist. Afterall, would you want to wait in line for somebody to take your order when you could simply order on your own at a kiosk? If expanded upon, this method could speed things up tremendously, helping to increase orders and business.

Ordering from Facebook. Considering how popular Facebook has grown to be, it is not unusual that almost all restaurant owners say that they plan to have their businesses on Facebook within the next year. There are even existing companies that specialize in Facebook-payment integration for restaurants. These companies help various chains to make their ordering available on Facebook, which will then, in turn, increase sales.

Checking out tableside. As restaurants are common grounds for credit-card fraud, it is understandable that many people strongly dislike when a waiter takes their credit-card away from the table to run it at the register. On top of this, some people find themselves waiting much too long to receive their card and receipt back from their waiter. Well, both of these things can be avoided with tableside self-checkout using iPads, or other kinds of tablets.

Digital menu boards. An increasing number of fast-food restaurants are turning to digital menus within their establishments for several reasons. For one, this makes it much easier for them to make changes to their menus and prices. Additionally, digital menus and signage provide more entertainment and advertising to customers while they are waiting in line.

Games while you wait. Some sources have reported that McDonald’s plans on adding iPads bolted onto their tables for people to use while they are waiting. This is rumored to be happening in 150 of McDonald’s highest-profile locations.

Digital coupons. A growing number of restaurants - and businesses in general - are using digital coupons. Whether downloaded and printed from your computer or scanned right off of your smartphone, digital coupons are now being accepted by a great majority of food-service establishments.

All across the board, people are using various forms of technology to improve their experiences with different food services. This includes the business and the customers alike. While technology has been on the rise for quite some time and doesn’t look like it’s ceasing any time soon, integrating technology into food-service businesses is a no-brainer.