Technology leads in restaurant trends

Whether it’s to take a break from cooking, to socialize or to try new foods, going out to eat at restaurants is a large part of American culture. But higher food and labor costs continue to impact the restaurant scene, according to a recent report from US Foods. Thirty-eight percent of restaurant owners say their business was not profitable last year, leading many to adapt to the changing industry through increasing the integration of technology.

In Springfield, restaurants have turned to using new machinery to help create food, while others have used technology offerings to draw in customers. The use of technology in restaurants is far from new, but it has remained one of the most prominent trends in the restaurant scene. Through robots, free amenities and adoption of artificial intelligence-powered tools, restaurants are bringing in customers, aiming to make their services more efficient, convenient and necessary.  

Efficiency and consistency
In 2024, U.S. restaurant sales are forecasted to break $1 trillion for the first time, according to the National Restaurant Association. This isn’t surprising, though, considering 9 out of 10 adults say they love going to restaurants, according to the association, and the industry is expected to grow by 200,000 jobs for a total industry employment of 15.7 million. Food costs are also hitting record highs – and rising.

But when it comes to dining out, one large concern for customers is wait times. Without a reservation, 42% of people are only willing to wait 20 minutes for a table, according to the US Foods report. For fast food, customers are only willing to wait five minutes.

This is a problem Lucy Xu, daughter of Rice & Dumpling’s owner Daling Xu, wants to fix. Xu said the restaurant’s machines help cook and assemble dishes in just minutes, reducing the time a customer must wait for their food.

“My dad wanted to set up a system, like using AI in the kitchen,” she said. “You come in, and every time, you’ll get the same thing.”

Xu emphasized that the uniformity of the machines allows for consistent results, eliminating human error and reducing kitchen staff With multiple $80,000 machines arriving from China before the restaurants February opening, most notably a dumpling-making robot that can create 20,000 dumplings in an hour, the restaurant can produce dishes in two to four minutes.

But saving time isn’t the only benefit of having innovative machines. Xu said the robots have quickly become popular with customers. People are interested in the machines, and other restaurants ask where they got them.

“People are coming just to see it and understand it,” she said. “People ask to see the machines all the time. Someone from 29 miles away came in just to see it.”

Entertainment and convenience
Rice & Dumpling isn’t the only restaurant using robots. In 2022, Starship Technologies launched a robot food delivery service at Missouri State University. Using an app, students can order food from several campus dining services, such as Einstein Bros. Bagels, Panda Express, Subway and Starbucks and have it delivered by robots. It’s a convenient option for students who may be far away from dining services. The robots also provide a bit of entertainment.

“Overall, we have received positive responses to the Starship robots on campus,” MaryJo Miller, marketing director at Missouri State University, said. “Starship Technologies does a wonderful job at allowing users to customize their experience. Users can choose a character for their delivery robot to portray, they can choose a song to play after their delivery or they can choose a silent delivery if that is their preference.”

Miller said the delivery robots were able to expand their reach in 2023 to provide delivery services to students living at Bear Village Apartments near the Missouri State campus, and the service is planned to expand to Kentwood Hall this fall. Miller said the robots originally started to fill a need in the campus community that focused on student convenience. According to US Foods, when getting food, the average person orders delivery more than they go out. One of the biggest reasons why is the convenience factor.

“When partnering with Starship Technologies to bring the delivery robots to campus, we saw a need for students to be able to get their food delivered to where they are,” Miller said. “Maybe they found their perfect study spot and don’t want to pack up and move everything to head across campus and get lunch, when they could order on the app and have the food come to them.”

Miller also highlighted the entertainment aspect of robots, especially since the innovative delivery method is not used much off campus. “For new students and families that come to campus, there is a level of excitement. Food delivery robots are not something many have seen before, and it is exciting to see the reaction folks have when the robots roll past them down the sidewalk.”

Necessity and quality
Technological amenities play a role in a customer’s decision to go to some restaurants. This can be seen in coffee shops and other work and study places, where Wi-Fi can be considered a necessity. According to a 2023 survey conducted by HighSpeedInternet.com, 60% of people said coffee shops must provide fast, free Wi-Fi, with a majority wanting Wi-Fi in restaurants and bars.

To meet this expectation, Travellers House Coffee and Tea owner Greg Venturella has made sure customers can work and study at his two locations in Springfield since opening in 2016.

“Howard Schultz said Starbucks was going to be the third place: home, work and coffee shop,” he said. “I think we excel at that. We are the third place people choose to go to be together.”

Located across the street from Missouri State University, Travellers’ location on National Avenue provides a close opportunity for college students to work and study together. The location also has a meeting room with a TV screen that can be used for celebrations and business meetings.

With technology becoming a larger part of the food and restaurant scene, Venturella highlighted the problems that can come from restaurants being too dependent on technology, such as the loss of quality.

“The assumption that new innovations or higher technology means automation – it doesn’t. Not in the specialty coffee industry,” he said. “The automation technology creates the ability to serve quicker. We aren’t interested in that. We specialize in the craft.”

With the rise of technology in the restaurant scene, human interaction and customer service can be lost, Venturella said. Nationally, some technological aspects have been rejected by the restaurant-goers. Among them are barcode menus, which require customers to scan a barcode on their phones to access the menu. Only 31% of consumers felt positively about barcode menus, with older customers feeling alienated, according to a report by PYMNTS Intelligence and Paytronix.

Venturella also said that quality isn’t always about the food, but the customer service and human interaction. Socialization is a large factor as to why people choose to dine out, according to US Foods. “It may not be quality lost in some areas, but in the areas of quality of people interaction, it’s lost,” he said.

Venturella said the importance of using technology in the restaurant industry comes from using it to help provide services, but not replace people. He highlighted the ways to use technology that greatly benefit a business’s ability to function.

“The additive of online ordering or app ordering is an augmentation to further provide best guest experience,” he said. “It’s just about augmentation, not replacement.”