Steering the Restaurant Industry with IoT

Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way businesses operate. It has become a phenomenal part of the era of constant connectivity. From smart cars to smart cities and kitchen appliances, IoT aims to serve customers better and increase the efficiency of business operations. IoT has been considered a cornerstone in the development of modern technology and has the ability to revolutionize the business era. 

Internet of Things is a technology that has come a long way for many sectors such as eCommerce, healthcare, automotive, etc., so how the restaurant industry can be left behind when it comes to the execution of IoT-enabled devices. Basically, IoT is a concept that is associated with any smartphone device, and the restaurant industry is adopting IoT-centric solutions to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

In restaurants, IoT has already made its way, from improving customer experience to assisting employees; many changes are on the horizon. Today, we are leading a life where technology is controlling everything and making things around us easy. The technological world around us keeps changing rapidly, which has left us all awestruck. Gartner predicts that the IoT market will surpass the 1$ trillion mark by 2022. Let’s see how IoT is changing the restaurant industry and making it more productive and connected as it was never before. 

IoT in the Landscape of Restaurant Industry

Imagine this scenario:

You received a notification on your smartphone from your favorite restaurant about a mouth-watering dish available at a discounted price. Now without giving a second thought, you will either order a dish or book a table. Once you reach the restaurant, you will order a dish with the help of a smart menu and make payment. This is the power of IoT; everything can be done on time without delay or waiting. 

Smooth operations play a significant role in the restaurant industry. If you fail to deliver a top-notch customer experience, you might have to bear negative consequences. Delay in serving customer requests or poor guest experience leads to failure, but IoT is a boon for the restaurant industry and is already making its way and making things better. 

No doubt, IoT technology costs more than its traditional counterparts, but it will pay off quickly and add some value to your restaurant. Therefore, whether you are a small restaurant or running a restaurant chain, the implementation of IoT will provide you many benefits and increase business efficiency. 

The restaurant is the best industry that can benefit from IoT as it enhances customer experience and reduces operational cost. Major benefits restaurants can avail from the execution of IoT include:

• Saving on HR and customer service tasks 
• An increase in customer engagement
• Less maintenance
• Enhanced customer experience
• Higher customer satisfaction 

Overall, the implementation of IoT improves the guest experience. Once the operations start to improve, you will directly experience a huge hike in revenue generation. 

How Restaurants Grab The Advantage of IoT Centric Solutions 

Like many other sectors, restaurants face cut-throat competition; they are under constant pressure to deliver a seamless customer experience while spending less. Moreover, today’s modern customers expect a nice ambiance, excellent customer service, quality food, and much more, and restaurant owners are implementing technology to meet these rising demands. 

From smooth kitchen operations to inventory management to staff management, IoT allows restaurants to manage all these things with ease. Here we have addressed some of the best and practical IoT solutions we now see in the restaurant industry. Let’s have a look. 

Table Ordering

Today, in the name of comfort, customers place orders from apps like Uber Eats that allow the consumer to make payment before the meal arrives. Moreover, it also makes the overall ordering process smooth because it doesn't require human interaction.  

Imagine another situation where customers visit the restaurant and are ready to place the order, but the staff is busy with someone else. This can make customers frustrated. In this instance, IoT comes to the rescue and makes things easy. Using smart IoT systems, customers can place orders from their table. It is also beneficial for the restaurant staff as there is no chance of errors and miscommunication. 

Hyper-Personalization

It would not be wrong to admit that modern technologies have transformed the restaurant landscape. Online and connected ordering systems making thighs easy for customers and restaurants. Popular brands such as Pizza Hut and McDonald’s leverage IoT and allow their customers to order, modify and pay for their orders without relying on staff members. 

This creates the perfect space for hyper-personalization ordering systems where mobile apps allow you to create your own meal, modify ingredients, and adjust the quantity. This makes the overall order process fast and allows you to collect your meal in less than five minutes. 

Streamlined Workflow 

Running a restaurant may be a daunting task; from monitoring staff to maintaining food quality to keep eyes on the kitchen appliances, there is much more to do. Equipment like ovens, deep fryers, walk-in-freezers, and other systems require continuous monitoring, and chefs are often asked to check them up twice a day and record data associated with them. 

If you fail to maintain the above equipment, it affects overall productivity in the long run and creates an additional burden on the restaurant. With IoT, you can maintain kitchen appliances, so all the information is uploaded to the cloud, and data is automatically sent to the restaurant manager. 

This will improve workflow and reduce the operational cost, increase the lifetime value of the restaurant, and eliminate the additional expenditure to a certain level. 

Better Food Waste Management 

There are plenty of food items used in restaurants, such as vegetables, dairy products, fruits, meat, etc., all these products are perishable, and you can not use them in the long run. IoT systems help reduce this food destruction means you can check out the inventory available in the store and its expiry dates. Restaurant managers can easily know which item to order on a quick basis and which one will go to waste, and this information reduces the amount of food wastage. 

Delivering IoT

The restaurant industry should focus on one objective, which is improving customer experience. And above all, here you can see restaurants that execute IoT have captured the right market and delivering optimum customer experience. Today, IoT is all set to improve restaurant’s operations and make customers wow. 

Indeed, IoT is the future of tomorrow’s restaurant industry. Whether it’s mobile technology or inventory management, or online delivery, the data generated by IoT will significantly deliver a more tailored experience to the customers.