The Digitization of Dining: Celebrity Chefs Share Best Tech Practices for Hospitality

The restaurant and hospitality industry has evolved after undergoing the technological revolution hyper-charged by the pandemic – and now, industry professionals are sharing their new expertise with the world.

During a recent virtual forum hosted by the San Francisco Business Times and North Bay Business Journal, panel guests – including celebrity chef Robert Irvine, host of Restaurant Impossible; Jonny Barr, General Manager of SingleThread Farms; and Hanson Li, CEO of Lazy Susan Restaurant and managing partner at Salt Partners Group – discussed how technology usage in hospitality environments has evolved as a result of the pandemic and how businesses in the industry can prepare for the tech-enabled experiences of the future.

Here are three key takeaways from the discussion

1. Implement technologies to keep customers healthy and happy

When the pandemic hit, there was little knowledge on how to prevent the spread. The hospitality industry completely shut down, causing businesses to rethink their operational strategies and technology usage.

“COVID created a whole new spectrum for our restaurant and hospitality group. We shut down. We went into ghost kitchens. We went into technologies that we’ve never used before,” shared Irvine.

In today’s working environments, technology is increasingly leveraged in both chain and independent restaurants for staffing, booking, and sanitization management. This helps minimize some of the operational work left to beleaguered staff, allowing them to re-focus their energies on other tasks that elevate the customer experience.

“One of my restaurants was the first to prototype and use a UVC disinfection robot in our restaurant, where I was able to sanitize a 1000-square-foot dining room in just eight minutes with UVC light,” explained Li.

Barr added that his restaurant uses a booking platform called Tock to manage guest reservations with limited capacity. During the pandemic, Tock was used to help the restaurant pivot to daily to-go menus and to initiate a gifted giving program that helped provide meals for up to 300 people displaced by the pandemic.

2. Technology can be used to engage customers

The pandemic changed consumer expectations and continues to influence expectations despite relaxed restrictions. Delivery service is no longer limited to pizza and takeout, and most customers expect technology to reach every restaurant, explained Li.

Beyond that, technology is starting to take over mundane and repetitive jobs in restaurants like flipping burgers, cashing customers out, or doing the dishes, according to Irvine.

“During the pandemic, we did contactless payment. Everything was done via your phone or an app, or when you got home. You were able to leave the experience, go home and complete your payment. That allowed us to open our doors and keep guests safe,” said Barr. “We found that guests liked not having a transaction to conclude their experiences. It really does feel like you’re coming into our house — that you’re a part of this dinner party.

3. Use third-party help to get new tech off the ground

Now, more than ever, technology is a must-have for restaurants. Using a third-party technology partner can ease some of the burdens off restaurant staff and leaders when it comes to integrating new technology into a restaurant.

“I’m not a tech guy. I literally had Comcast Business come in and tell me what to do,” said Irvine. “I needed somebody to help me combine all the business data that I had into a single reporting system, not just from our restaurants, but our packaged food, spirits and clothing businesses too.

“Again, it comes down to customer expectations,” said Li. “There are base infrastructure needs that weren’t critical before. But when the digital orders can’t come into my shop, that’s critical.”

The hospitality industry is prepping for the future

Li explains, “If someone was asking me for advice about opening a new restaurant, I would say ‘invest in your infrastructure.’” Technology is a key component of this infrastructure and will only rise in significance over time

Restaurants that are revamping their network infrastructure to use technology-based offerings like contactless payments or delivery through third-party apps are on the right track. These establishments need to consider how to best incorporate engaging technologies that keep customers happy and healthy and how to know when it’s time to call in third-party help.

Barr explained that communication and collaboration within the restaurant industry are also critical. Listen to leaders, whether in the restaurant industry or the tech industry, to see how they approach success.

To read the transcript of the complete panel discussion, visit this link.