2023 Restaurant Tech Trends You Need to Know
2022 saw QSRs’ continued embrace of digitalization. Part of this was due to lingering pandemic issues, such as the labor shortage; part was due to the realization that tech- and data-centric paradigms are here to stay. As we get ready for the second quarter of 2023, what tech trends should QSR leaders keep on the radar?
We sat down with Chris Elder, Tillster’s Senior Director of Inside Sales, to answer this question. A summary of the key points is available below; you can watch the entire conversation here.
5 QSR Tech and Data Trends for 2023
Data-driven customer understanding and personalization
To win at personalization, you have to understand your customers. Specifically, you need to understand what makes each customer (or customer segment) different from the others. This involves more than what they order and when; preferred channels, age range, geographic region, and other “secondary” bits of information can make a crucial difference to how you approach customers.
As we all know, data is the key to personalization. And many QSR systems collect this data. The problem is that the data can be siloed in its system of origin; bringing all that data together for analysis is difficult and time consuming. Thus, many QSR operators invest in a Customer Data Platform (CDP) to facilitate the management and analysis of data.
Dealing with the labor shortage
The restaurant industry is still in recovery mode; this is very clear when we look at the current worker shortage. According to the Washington Post, nearly 2 million hospitality and leisure jobs are still unfilled. For QSR operators, that means finding creative ways to cope. Self-ordering kiosks have become one of the main ways restaurants cope with fewer available staff. By allowing customers to place orders – and then messaging customers about their order status or wait times – kiosks allow guests to feel that their needs are being met without immediately interacting with a server.
Diversifying and increasing revenue streams
Aside from raising prices, QSRs need to find ways to increase their revenue streams. One way (again relying on data) is to perform RFM value analyses. This not only allows restaurant managers to identify high-value customers, it also allows them to understand the impact of various promotions on their customers.
Another potential method to increase revenue is to widen market reach. QSR operators need to find ways to roll out new concepts and reach more people. And upselling is always an area where data-driven growth is possible.
As with any endeavor, understanding who your customers are and how they relate to your brand is essential.
Managing order flows
One downside to getting orders from third-party platforms (think Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.) is that they can make a rush period that much more rushed. For example, dealing with a slew of incoming DoorDash orders between 12 and 2 means adding those to an already-busy lunch period; this can make managing orders in the kitchen very difficult.
To compensate for this, ordering systems like Tillster let managers use order throttling, essentially creating the ability to pause orders from third-party apps. When an Uber Eats customer goes to place an order on that platform, they receive a message encouraging them to place an order on the restaurant’s website or app. This can help regulate orders during rush times.
Converting third-party customers to direct customers
QSRs also want to encourage third-party platform customers to become direct customers by using the brand’s app or website (or coming into a store) rather than always placing orders through a third party. Order throttling can also be used to facilitate this conversion, as can encouraging customers to come in for limited-time offers or special items.
Data is key to personalization, customization, and growth
The emerging QSR tech trends make it clear that data is the key to growth in 2023. By leveraging data, brands can connect with their customers, create more meaningful experiences and offers, and improve their operational efficiency.
But this wasn’t all that we covered in our talk with Chris – check out the full video to learn more about some interesting developments in drive-through technology, revenue maximization, and more.
