Restaurant News Roundup: April 2018

To no one’s surprise, off-premise and delivery topped the list of news articles in April. We see operators expanding their storefronts to include carryout stations, turning to kitchen display systems for data, and investing in online ordering and third-party delivery. Also, MURTEC occurred this month and brought with it a trove of articles and media attention. Technology, human interaction, labor shortages, and one of the most important industry topics – restaurant sales also topped the news list. Check out our latest April news round-up below.

Restaurants update designs for delivery

Let’s cut to the chase, this line in the article says it all: “In a world of to-go, takeout, carryout, and delivery, restaurants are increasingly modifying their designs to accommodate the shift in consumer demand.” It’s clear that more and more we will see restaurants focus on the off-premise and delivery experience for their diners, even as it relates to the design and setup of their storefront and entrances. Many are creating dedicated pickup areas for mobile, online and delivery orders.

Restaurant sales rebound in March

According to this article on Nation’s Restaurant News, “the industry has now experienced positive same-store sales in four of the last six months.” With restaurant sales rebounding, there is optimism for improved results for the industry. Besides being on the uptick, consumer spending perks up, guests are spending more, and upscale dining dominates sales growth.

For Restaurants, a More Human Touch of Tech is Key

While technology is such an essential aspect of the guest experience, so is human touch and interaction.This article suggests that the combination of restaurant technology and human communications is improving the guest experience. Technology is freeing up time for servers and staff to focus on the diner so the guest can control their time at the restaurant. When they are ready to go – they don’t have to wait for the server to bring the check. They can use the tablet to pay and get out the door. It’s clear that “as technology continues to reshape the industry—with transformational tools ranging from employee-scheduling systems to inventory management programs to digital ordering devices—full-service restaurants are increasingly rolling out customer-facing innovations that mirror those sweeping across their limited-service counterparts.”

A Worker Shortage Is Forcing Restaurants to Get Creative

Our industry has always struggled with issues of turnover. In this latest New York Times article, it’s clear that restaurant owners are struggling to find and retain good employees and they have to get creative to do so. “They are offering incentives, like repaying culinary-school tuition for their chefs. They’re hiring former prisoners as kitchen assistants and snatching up employees whom competitors have fired. They’re trying to retain employees with tequila-tasting seminars, flexible schedules and a faster pipeline up the ranks,” per the article.

MURTEC Wraps Up Another Successful Restaurant Technology Conference

Unless you live under a rock, you know MURTEC is one of the largest industry shows of the year. They just wrapped up their 23rd year in Las Vegas with more than 750 restaurant and technology executives. QSR Automations was there, and we enjoyed the annual event! Hospitality Technology wrote a great piece that summed up the conference nicely. Read about the event and sessions that included topics about eCommerce, loyalty, leveraging technology, utilizing and implementing delivery and more here.

Famous Dave’s Invests in Online Ordering, Third-Party Delivery

Many restaurants are turning to online ordering, and third-party delivery as a source of additional revenue, to meet customer demands. Famous Dave’s is no different. In this article, we learn about their “strategic plan to elevate its franchising offering,” which includes investing in new technology as well as unveiling a smaller footprint restaurant design back in January.

POS vs. KDS: Which Tech Should Your Restaurant Turn To

Off-premise remains at the top of most operator’s minds. How to best capitalize on the revenue. How to best implement. In FSR’s latest Expert Insights, our CEO, Lee Leet provides excellent advice to operators on the tools they need to succeed. There’s a misconception that the POS has the data you need to quote accurate delivery and pickup times for off-premise orders but to get real-time data, they need a KDS. Read more about this here. Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

---

About the Author

Amber Mullaney led all things marketing for QSR. A proud Texan native, she graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Public Relations and spent her career in the healthcare industry before making the switch to QSR and beyond, saying she loves a good challenge. Amber has a long list of things she loves, including tacos (especially tacos), sweet tea, Texas, the outdoors, and traveling with her husband and two daughters.