Restaurants need to adopt technology to help survive effects of pandemic

The dust is settling on the monumental impact the pandemic has had on all industries, in particular the restaurant industry. Restaurants on the Treasure Coast are struggling to hire new staff, despite having many open positions.

Some have even had to close their doors early on certain days because of the shortage of workers. The labor shortage coupled with the increased number of those who are vaccinated and ready to enjoy eating out again are creating a perfect storm.

To survive revenue disruption and other financial challenges, restaurants need to find ways to adapt into the technology-driven future of meal ordering and delivery that seems to be here to stay.

The pandemic didn’t create technology innovation — it accelerated existing trends. A 2019 report found nearly 60 percent of restaurant occasions were already off-premises. Consumers said they used drive-through, delivery and take-out more than the prior year.

By the summer of 2020, hundreds of Treasure Coast businesses had closed due to COVID-19, many of them restaurants. Those that survived relied heavily on technology to adapt to the challenges brought on by the pandemic. So it is important that Treasure Coast restaurants must focus on establishing a business strategy that intertwines convenience, health safety and technology.

Here are three steps restaurant operators should consider when future-proofing their businesses.

ADOPT A MOBILE-FIRST APPROACH
Innovations such as ordering meals through a mobile app or social media platform are not new, but adoption before COVID-19 was slow — only 18 percent of restaurants offered mobile ordering via app, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association and Technomic.
The pandemic increased the urgency to upgrade. As customers continue to adopt mobile ordering for safety and convenience, restaurants that have yet to make the transition will have to prioritize investment in mobile ordering and delivery.

Fortunately, launching a proprietary app doesn’t require custom programming or much time or money. Third-party services offer full branding and top features to get operators rolling with mobile, such as Appy Pie and AppInstitute.


The pandemic increased the urgency to upgrade. As customers continue to adopt mobile ordering for safety and convenience, restaurants that have yet to make the transition will have to prioritize investment in mobile ordering and delivery.


EMBRACE CONTACTLESS EVERYTHING
Mobile ordering is part of the overarching trend in contactless customer interactions. This, too, was well on its way in 2019 — when more than 100 million tap-and-go credit cards were issued in the United States, according to Visa — with the pandemic making contactless interactions essential.

Restaurants that have near field communications technology need to promote it, and those yet to upgrade should do so quickly to remain competitive. Companies like Toast and Square can make contactless implementation easy and can integrate with existing systems.

CRACK THE QR CODE
The magic of QR [quick response] codes is in their simplicity. Scanning a code with any Smartphone gives guests access to touch-free menus, specials or virtually anything else the operator chooses to share, including video or other multimedia content.

While codes require websites to host content, businesses don’t need a web developer to get started. Beaconstac, for example, offers dynamic codes with a customizable dashboard that can be modified anytime. Codes can bring up different menus for multiple locations, even bringing up the appropriate menu for that time of day.

There are marketing benefits too, such as integrating guest surveys or offering newsletter signups — all accessible via a device that customers already carry.

These technology trends signal a critical inflection point within the restaurant industry. Innovation will not only help businesses recover but also pave the way forward post-pandemic.

Cristin O’Hara

Cristin O’Hara is managing director and head of Restaurant Group and Doug Sherman is market executive of business banking and president of Bank of America Treasure Coast.

Doug Sherman

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