During the warmer months, many restaurants and food venues begin to see an uptick of patrons looking for sunshine and great food—leaving business owners to seek software to manage the shift in operations.
The increase in consumer traffic may lead businesses to implement changes to their staff scheduling system or their distribution management platform. How do restaurants and food halls set themselves up for success to prepare for the busy season?
This article sheds light on how businesses have prepared for the summer 2023 tourist season through restaurant software.
According to G2 data, to prepare for the boom of tourism, buyers have been focused on restaurant management software.
Over the past six months, buyer traffic has held steady for Foodservice Distribution Software and Restaurant Business Intelligence & Analytics Software categories accounting for just under 10% of unique pageviews. This may be due to restaurant owners and managers focusing more on marketing to bring in customers. Or there may also be concerns related to the affordability of different software.
However, after speaking with restaurant owners and distributors at Spain’s Great Match 2023 Trade and Media event hosted by Food & Wine of Spain; the disconnect with buyers may simply be a result of knowledge. Many of my conversations highlighted the benefits of B2B programs in the food industry, focusing on how they make management more efficient and emphasize the convenience of storing and accessing information.
Yet, when asked about distribution software or analytical reporting tools, the conversation came to a halt. Although this was a small consumer pool, I think there is something to be said about the lack of knowledge regarding the different tools available to the food service and restaurant industry.
The marketing for these solutions is evident, but it may be time for developers to enact advanced functionality that will make their tools stand out to buyers.
Over the past year, generative AI software has been all the rave. However, there has yet to be a revolutionary ChatGPT or Jasper for the food service industry. This does not mean the AI train will skip over the restaurant and food service market.
The risks for catering, food service, and restaurants are higher with their alignment in hospitality, as consumers are looking for quality in their products and services. Therefore, I think the “AI soup” is still cooking for this industry, meaning food service-focused AI is still in the ideation phase.
For instance, SoundHound launched their AI voice-enabled food ordering platform in May 2022. However, the tool is just now getting the spotlight with its National Restaurant Association showcase at NRA 2023. This delayed spotlight may be due to scheduling conflicts or supporting my theory that there is hesitancy when it comes to showcasing new systems and tools for the food industry.
Within the next year, I foresee the growing integration of AI tools with restaurant software. These advances would assist in making the platform more attractive and manageable and, above all else, beneficial to the user.
Edited by Sinchana Mistry
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