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Is Tech Elevating the Full-Service Dining Experience?
The National Restaurant Association’s Technology Landscape report found that technology is increasingly being desired as part of the full-service dining experience, although boomers aren’t happy about it.
For instance, the report’s accompanying survey found that 65% of full-service diners said they’d likely use a tablet to pay the check, and 60% would use it to place an order. However, while a solid majority of Gen Zers (18-27), millennials (28-43), and Gen Xers (44-59) say they’d use these options, fewer than half of boomers (60-78) said they would.
Other tech options at full-service restaurants were likewise welcomed by more younger consumers, particularly millennials, compared to boomers. Among the findings as far as openness to using different tech in full-service dining occasions:
- Access the menu on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (59%), millennials (78%), boomers (30%).
- Place an order on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (48%), millennials (69%), boomers (21%).
- Pay the check on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (46%), millennials (65%), boomers (16%).
- Pay the check using contactless or mobile payment options: Overall (62%), millennials (82%), boomers (37%).
- Pay the check by digital wallet (e.g., Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Venmo): Overall (57%), millennials (80%), boomers (25%).
Beyond ordering and paying faster and easier, interest was found in using technology while dining to provide more detailed information about food — such as nutrition, calories, allergens, and sourcing — and indicate when the food will be delivered to the table.
The study said that while engagement with servers remains “an integral part of the experience of going out to eat at a full-service restaurant,” diners are increasingly looking for old-fashioned service aided by technology, particularly paying the check faster. The study stated, “It’s not essential that full-service restaurants have these options, but many consumers think they would be nice to have.”
Hudson Riehle, SVP of the research and knowledge group for the National Restaurant Association, told Nation’s Restaurant News that the pandemic accelerated tech adaptation in restaurants. He said, “The fact is it was going on beforehand but the report shows that across the board for different aspects of restaurant tech, more operators expect to invest more this year than last year.”
Like tech advances such as self-checkout at grocers, the primary motivation for seeking technology while dining out seems to be saving time. A survey last year from hospitality tech company Union found that, on average, consumers at bars and restaurants wait 10 minutes for the bill. Of the respondents, 42% indicated that they wait, on average, the same 10 minutes to get their drinks at bars and restaurants.
Discussion Questions
Does being able to pull up menus, order, and pay via tablets or smartphones boost or take away from the full-service dining experience?
Where do you see such technology adding the most benefit to diners?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Brian Cluster
Director of Industry Strategy - CPG & Retail, Stibo Systems
Susan O'Neal
General Manager, Promo Intel & Insights, Numerator
Ordering via a tablet is fine in McDonalds. In a chain restaurant it is also fine to have the option. In a high-end restaurant I think it is simply indecorous and in incredibly bad taste. I am not of the boomer generation, but it’s nice to have some standards! I have a different view on paying: an option to pay via a QR code on the check seems sensible to me. This is a functional and transactional of the meal that doesn’t really need ceremony.
I was with people at a restaurant where they had to scan a QR code to see the menu or wine list. This did not go over well. The pay option definitely would work.
The results here aren’t a surprise – people like technology, but don’t want it forced on them; the younger more than the older… – except when they are: (almost) half of people want to order on their phone in a full service restauarant ? Sorry, I don’t buy this (I also wonder if the results were weighted by who actually eats there, which might change the results…quite dramatically, perhaps).
Curiously this topic – specifcally forcing people to pay on a tablet, with no itemization of the bill provided – was raised recently in Miss Manners; unsurprisingly, it was deemed to be impolite.
Being able to use tablets or smartphones for menus, ordering, and payment can boost the full-service dining experience by saving time and providing convenience. However, some diners, especially older generations, may prefer more traditional service. Technology like tablets and smartphones can add the most benefit to diners by streamlining the dining process, making it quicker, cost effective and more convenient. This includes tasks like browsing menus, placing orders, and paying the itemized bill, enhancing overall dining efficiency and satisfaction. High-end fine dinning are better in hybrid mode i.e mix of traditional and technology experience.
Sometimes all that tech comes in handy, and sometimes it’s just a distraction. It makes me sad to think that younger generations are missing out on the Intricacies of a full service dining experience.
There is a point where a high profile role for tech turns a meal at a nice restaurant into a semi-service experience, an experience no longer eligible to be known as “full service”. I’ve scanned a bar code to order and I’ve paid by tablet. I was at the food court in a mall. I was at the food court in a mall, and had no real expectation of a gourmet dining experience or anything resembling service. Minimum standards…hot food and a cold drink. The next time I go to a “full service” restaurant, can I please leave my phone in my pocket?
Ordering via tablet or QR code may depend on the level of service in a so-called “full service” restaurant. My wife and I ate last night at a neighborhood place specializing in burgers, Mexican food, beer and Margaritas — we would have been fine with ordering via tablet but not so much in a higher-end establishment. “High touch” should be part of the equation in a more expensive restaurant.
On the other hand, I am grateful to pay via QR code using my phone — again, that was our experience last night. The ritual delays involved in getting the check and waiting for the credit card to be processed and returned to the table are a source of frustration no matter the restaurant, at least to this impatient Boomer. I’ve noted that the handheld card readers commonplace in other countries have not caught on in the U.S., and I’m still not sure why.
Paying with a QR code makes complete sense to eliminate the wait. For some of the other uses, I think it depends on the environment. In a high-touch/high-service environment, I want service. In a fast casual or fast food scenario, I want speed.
Where do we draw the line on what constitutes a full-service restaurant? Is the waiter intimately involved in the dining experience? May I cut back on the tip as I use more tech?
How often have you sat at a table with friends and discussed the menu items? How often have you asked the waiter how something is prepared or if it would be possible to substitute something on the plate?
When I go to a full-service restaurant, I expect service. Otherwise, why go?
Ordering Via a tablet is acceptable when it is a simple menu. However I have found that there is no consistency in how to edit orders or find items in the menu. Paying in a restaurant is the easiest and most practical as most people are at a point when they are “ready to go” . Also as a personal point of frustration QSRs that have a mobile app that do match the format of the instore kiosk is very frustrating. My recent experience trying to order a simple cup of Decaf at a QSR had me go through four tiers of the app….not a good UI.
Also in the Casual dinning vertical the use of Tablets and table top devices are game changers in the area of labor. in some cases the use of these devices can cut the server per table ratio in half.
Agree with others that the higher end the “full service” restaurant is in terms of price point and service expectations, the less likely many of these tech experiences make sense. One that I haven’t seen brought up that does make sense is a digital wine list. For restaurants with a deep wine inventory, a digital display can provide a lot of education and value to the diner by being able to sort by pairings, vintages, styles, etc.
There’s a fine line between technology that makes a customer feel like they are doing someone’s job for them, and technology that facilitates an improved customer experience. An example of the latter, when you arrive at a nice hotel often the doorman unobtrusively catches your name and relays it to the desk staff and you’re greeted by name as you approach with your checkin already started. There is a real opportunity for restaurants to consider the opportunity to improve a dining experience rather than just save costs.
Dining post pandemic has decidedly gone much more tech. However, not all types of establishments should be the same. Unlike fast food, the full-service experience should allow the patrons to engage with the waitstaff and discuss and learn about the menu and their recommendations and so forth.
Moving everything to QR codes and tech interaction seemed novel for a time, but we can’t remove too much interaction as it will likely minimize the human experience. Two things that tech may improve in full-service dining is pre-reserving a specific table and to facilitate faster payment at the end.
This all checks out- younger generations are inherently used to incorporating tech in most facets of life. Good, human service still matters and is a part of the experience, but there is a lot of room for improvement in most dining scenarios that tech can help with.
My wife and I like to socialize with friends and family at full-service fine dining locations. The purpose is to enjoy the company of those around us, human to human interaction, and IMHO technology erodes the experiential aspect of the moment. Moreover, I love interacting with great servers because they have detailed knowledge that usually makes my choices better than if I’m looking at a boring menu on my mobile phone. Now for payment, I’m cool with a tech transaction via mobile phone.
Well, when it’s McDonalds, you kinda already know what you’re getting, how it’s cooked, and if there’s gluten in the buns. Finer dining – would rather ask knowledgeable staff questions about the menu, ingredients, accompaniments etc.
It’s great to be able to pay at the table without surrendering a credit card, because it’s quick and secure. More please!
Having guests use tablets or smartphones in full-service dining should be dependent on they type of full-service restaurant. Guests at family dining restaurants, may be interested in viewing menus, ordering and paying on their mobile phone or a tablet, as it may make the dining process more efficient and they may not miss the interaction with a server. On the flip-side, guests at fine dining restaurants may appreciate a digital menu and wine list at the table for more detailed descriptions and photos, but having a server provide personal touches and their opinions and recommendations. And at the end of the meal, paying on a mobile device is acceptable.
We experienced a resurgence of QR code utilization during the pandemic, and the momentum has continued across many industries in our increasingly mobile-first world. One of the most significant challenges for QSR and convenience stores has revolved around how to mitigate the costs to serve. Mobile ordering powered by QR codes has driven efficiencies and has been proven to be quite scalable.
However, one of the main goals of going to the restaurant is the experience and engaging with knowledgeable waiters and sommeliers who can guide you along the journey. The QR code ordering process detracts from the experience and makes dining out a very transactional event. It’s the interaction and engagement with waiters that remains a key part of dining out.
One area where QR codes could be leveraged is providing consumers with an option to pay their checks via Apple or Google Pay instead of traditional credit cards.
Once you put tablets or QR codes on the tables for menu choices you have downgraded the dining experience, pushing it down into the realm of fast food. Which in many establishments is what you are getting. Paying the check is useful-who has not been frustrated trying to flag down wait staff to pay the bill? Menus available via QR codes? I am not a fan–who wants to navigate the menu on a small screen, especially for people with failing vision.
These technologies are useful, they simply need to be matched to the dining environment you want to have. Unless of course increasing wages continue to make automation attractive.
Revolutionize? Seems for anything tech to be important it has to claim to be revolutionary. These things aren’t revolutionary, though. They simply have the potential to be smart applications of technology in restaurants.
That said, the survey lacks the specifics to be trusted. For example, whose tablet? I am unlikely to pay via my iPhone but enjoy restaurants which let me pay via their electronic tablet/device.
In all technology, the devil is in the details — the execution. If the technology works smoothly and enhances experience, then people will use it. When it doesn’t, they’ll hate it and that will hurt the restaurant.
I’m happy to speed up payment at the table, but not so much to view a digital wine list … unless there’s capabilities that will give me interesting options based on my tastes, what the table is ordering, budget, etc.
This Gen Xer is fine scanning a QR menu code during covid or at fast casual. And paying by card tableside via scanner or tablet is fine. But if we’re out for a decent to better full-course meal, give me a paper menu, and let me have the nuance of engaging with the server, especially someone who shares their love of food.
I’m paying for an experience, not to be processed.
The U.S. is so far behind when it comes to contactless payments in restaurants at the table. Throughout Europe and many places in Australasia they bring a device to the table and you tap to pay. Convenient, and a much safer experience for those who are concerned about credit card security.
When it comes to online ordering, you need to provide options. Personally I like getting recommendations from a waiter. If you don’t provide wifi, some customers may struggle to bring up the menu. But having the option to order online and view detailed ingredient information would be great.
QR codes for digital menu only is a nuisance. However, offering the complete solution from item selection, customization and ordering to payment for one diner on one app is convenient in the right venue. Yet this is highly under-marketed where offered.
The Toast system in particular does a terrific job. A large group can each order on their own, customize, or buy something for others in the on their tab. At the end, each individual or group settles up on their own tab in their own time. Servers just… serve.
This reduces a lot of friction for getting a large group together. Especially when the group mixes ones and twos and threes, etc. No end of meal payment issue.
I don’t see any restaurants proclaiming how much better their larger group experience is with Toast or similar app. It’s a sleeper win to generate large group business.
Servers just… serve. Does this mean no tips?