The future of quick service restaurants

The pandemic has taken a toll on restaurants. Some may never come back. We all witnessed years of innovation compressed into months.

I personally think the future of dining looks a little different than it does today.

Picture this.

With the hybrid office model you want to get together with co-workers for drinks or something to eat, you know since we don’t see them every day :) Or perhaps you are getting together with a friend you haven’t seen since say, March 2020. Or two families want to enjoy a Saturday afternoon together.

You take out your phone and reserve a table, or two, at the new cyber cafe in town. This isn’t the lunchroom we still smell from high school. This is a state of the art facility that has comfortable dining, beverages, entertainment, and best of all, access to whatever you want to eat. Think of it as a modern dining hall, cafeteria, or commissary.

Through their partnerships with the local cloud and ghost kitchens everyone can order what they want and it will be delivered fast and freshly to you. Even the pickiest of eaters will be satisfied as you enjoy the cyber cafe’s plethora of caffeinated, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, table top card/board games, multi-player/cooperative video games, trivia, televised sports, carnival rides/obstacles courses for the kids, and more.

A place where everyone can socialize, laugh and relax all while a faceless kitchen down the road prepares fresh, unique and memorable dishes.

Back to reality

In the meantime, what can quick service restaurants do to combat the effects of the pandemic, the restrictions put in place and the anticipated strains this has caused?

It’s time for them to accept that they have to become more of a technology company and leverage the innovative tools out there. To continue to drive revenue, increase profits and deliver a memorable guest experience they have to leverage new technology.

New technology is emerging with edge computing that incorporates cameras and vision artificial intelligence to solve a lot of the challenges QSRs face today.

How does it work?

Cameras are constantly monitoring the fryers, grills and other restaurant equipment. Vision AI feeds algorithms taking in the number of guests and the amount of food available and assisting the crew with the optimal strategy to serve fresh food quickly and accurately while eliminating waste.

There are also other benefits such as constantly conducting temperature scans in the restaurants to ensure compliance with local regulations.

Camera and vision AI at the edge can assist with laying out an optimized plan for the staff to serve quick food. It relieves managerial pressures while supporting crew members and providing a safer work environment for them.

Those who adopt early will differentiate themselves from competitors.

It could also be an answer to current labor shortages and challenges as teams become more efficient. No more paying applicants $50 just to show up for an interview.

Here are a few benefits that will easily pay for themself

Environmental

• Did you know that 1 discarded hamburger patty is equivalent to driving 100 miles in a car?
• Reduce waste and always have fresh food on hand
• 10% of all food is typically thrown out

Customer Experience

• Ensure accurate orders are delivered leading to long term customer retention
• Increase the speed of order fulfillment as you will have the ingredients and food items always available
• Know how many cars are lined up in the parking lot and drive thru and how many turned away
• Know how many customers entered the location and how many left before ordering
• Know which customers are on their way?
• Decrease wait times
• Deliver fresher food
• Know your customer and provide their “usual” or accommodate their unique request
• Rise above competition

Data

• Harness the ability to store and compare data to other stores and aggregate data to make informed decisions
• Optimize inventory. Know exactly what you need when
• Increase quality control

What a cool and exciting use of cameras, AI and edge computing. It would be a fun project to work on. I certainly see the value it can bring to amusement parks with the surge of guests they service during lunch and dinner time. I personally know some QSRs around me that could benefit from this technology :)

PreciTaste is one company leading this transformation. They have some exciting stuff going on.

Here is to no more messed up orders!

Let me know if you want to grab a table at the new cyber cafe ;)