Should we all be on Twitter and Facebook? Should we all be texting promotions to customers? What's the one piece of technology restaurant operators should not live without? And how does a restaurant operator decide what technology is worth investing in?
Five technology and restaurant-company panelists gathered in the NRA Show 2009's Technology Pavilion this morning for a session on "Back to Basics with a Plan for the Future," to talk about these and other questions. Their words of wisdom:
- It's all about the customer. "When considering technology, your first question should always be, 'What does this do for the customer?','" advised Frank Leopoldo, founder, Brains with a Stick. "If the answer is 'nothing,' then it's not right for your company."
- Distinguish between trends and fads. A trend is worth investing in but a fad may not be, noted Rob Grimes, chairman and CEO of Accuvia. Keep an eye on restaurant trends overall, the panelists advised. While guests probably won't be serving themselves wine in every restaurant in five years, wine self-service technologies may be worth investigating as part of a longer-term industry trend toward self-service.
- There are some must-have technologies. The panelists recommended:
- Web ordering
- Web-based reporting
- Displays in restaurant (digital signage)
- Wi-Fi connections
- Seating software
- Any technology that helps recruit, train and motivate employees.
Recommended POS web ordering interfaces?
Posted by: guest | May 16, 2009 at 07:44 PM