MENU
Franchise - Find franchise Opportunities in the UK, Point Franchise
0
Empty
basket
  • Home
  • Account
  • Franchises by Region, County or City
    • Franchise opportunities by Region
    • Franchise opportunities by County
    • Franchise opportunities by Town / City
  • Franchises by Sectors
    • Business & B2B Services
    • Car & Automotive
    • Cleaning
    • Estate Agency & Property
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Franchise Services
    • Gym, Sport & Beauty
    • Home Based
    • Home Improvement & Construction
    • IT, High-Tech & Online
    • Master Franchise
    • Personal & Home Care Services
    • Pet
    • Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
    • Retail & Stores
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Van Based
    • All sectors and industries
  • Franchises by Investment
    • Low-cost franchises
    • Franchises under £10K
    • Franchises under £20K
    • Franchises under £30K
    • Franchises under £40K
    • Franchises under £50K
    • Franchises under £100K
    • Franchises under £150K
    • Franchises under £200K
    • Franchises over £200K
  • Franchise Directory
  • Franchise Opportunities
    • Best Franchises
    • Most Profitable Franchises
    • New Franchises
  • Franchise News & Articles
    • Franchise News
    • Franchise Articles
    • Dictionary
    • Interviews
  • Franchise Experts
    • Latest articles from our experts
    • Our experts
  • Franchisor Area
    • Get your franchise listed for free
    • Advertise
  • Articles
  • Trends
  • Tech Trends
  • The Latest Tech Trends Innovating the Restaurant Sector

The Latest Tech Trends Innovating the Restaurant Sector

Share:
Published on 08/07/2021 08:00:00

Technology is developing at a fast pace, and many in the restaurant sector are responding to the latest tech trends in order to develop, grow and innovate. If you’re working in the food service industry or looking to make an investment in it, you can thrive in 2021 with the help of these six tech trends.


Well-implemented tech makes a huge contribution to profit in the restaurant sector, streamlining processes and growing customer bases. Keeping up with the latest trends won’t always be easy, but it will always be important, improving your chances of operating a successful franchise. If you’re struggling to keep up with your competitors, a digital transformation can flip the script.

Statistically, 80% of restaurants are turning to tech to improve their business model. 41% of restaurants are, for example, using handheld server tablets, and 68% of customers agree that these tablets improve the restaurant experience [Upserve].

The 6 latest tech trends in the restaurant sector 

Now, it’s time to dive in. What are the latest tech trends innovating the restaurant sector, and why should you, whether you’re a franchisor or a franchisee, be paying attention to them? Read on, and find out...

1. Delivery apps and ordering technology 

From third party apps like Deliveroo and JustEat to order and delivery options via the restaurant’s website, the food delivery sector is thriving, expanding and extremely profitable. Particularly across the past year, more restaurants than ever have made their way onto delivery platforms or started offering delivery services, and others will continue to follow suit in order to meet changing customer demands and maximise profits.

There are pros and cons, and different considerations to make as to whether you should be implementing technology in your business. Would your franchise be better placed to fulfill deliveries via a Deliveroo-style platform or via its own website, using an in-house team of delivery drivers, for example. Either way, though, offering delivery and takeaway options is one more way to connect with customers, and tech is developing at pace to accommodate this connection with efficiency and ease.


>> Read more:

  • 5 Qualities of a Successful Franchisor
  • 4 Things Franchisees Never Have Time for But Are Essential for Running a Successful Business
  • How to Launch a Franchise and Get Noticed
  • 4 Elements of a Successful Franchise
  • How to Start a New Business on a Shoe-String Budget
  • The Ultimate Guide to Franchising Success

2. Online booking platforms

Calling up a restaurant to make a booking is quickly becoming a thing of the past, and many customers prefer to be able to book a table online in just a few clicks using platforms like Eat App, Tablein and OpenTable. Slotting online booking tech into your operational processes won’t just help your customers to have an easier time of it, it’ll make life easier for your franchise, too, allowing you to:

  • Quickly and easily manage seating

  • Manage waitlists

  • Save dining preferences

  • Collect customer data (allowing for loyalty rewards to be offered down the line)

  • Collect market insights

3. Digital communications 

Staff no longer need to communicate with each other, from restaurant floor to kitchen, via small pads of paper and scribbled orders and preferences. In many restaurants, wait staff now take orders on tablets, and in many more, customers now have the option to make orders themselves. The kitchen staff receive orders through on digital menu boards, allowing them to:

  • Prioritise and flag dietary requirements

  • Track meal delivery times

  • Streamline back-of-house operations

By no means do we expect restaurant operators to start replacing new employees with technology. But we are seeing that if they can automate specific steps in the diner experience, the savings on labor costs can be re-distributed as higher wages to their employees. This pay increase could result in better employee retention and more talent competing for restaurant jobs.
– Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes

4. Automated inventory management

Automated inventory management technology is allowing restaurant franchises across the UK to save time, avoid costly mistakes and reduce food waste. For every £1 that a restaurant invests in reducing their food waste, £7 in operational costs is saved, creating a 600% return on the investment [WRAP].

Inventory management platforms can notify restaurants when stock is running low, automate the re-ordering process and remove the margin of human error when it comes to making calculations and tracking amounts.


>> Read more:

  • 12 Things to Consider When Identifying the Right Location for Your Restaurant Franchise
  • 3 Ways to Get Funding For Your Restaurant Franchise
  • Regulations and Licences Required to Open a Restaurant
  • 14 Tips for Defining and Reaching Your Restaurant's Target Customers
  • Hiring Employees for Your Restaurant
  • Choosing a Concept for Your Restaurant

5. Payment technologies

Payment technologies like contactless aren’t brand-new to the scene, but thanks to increased contactless limits and ever-improving tech, they’re certainly gaining popularity in 2021. Whether it’s tapping your card over typing your pin, or paying with your mobile phone, customers enjoy the ease that new, simplified payment tech provides. There are three key pros to payment technologies that simplify the process to a click or a tap:

  1. It’s the most hygienic way to pay for goods and services, which has been a huge consideration for many during the COVID-19 pandemic.


  2. It’s simple and efficient, done in an instant, and as customers don’t need to remember a PIN or type it out correctly, there’s less margin for error.


  3. Newer tech is often more portable and reliable than older style card machines and payment methods.

6. QR codes

QR code technology has been around for a while, but during the pandemic, it’s really come into its own in the restaurant and food service sectors. QR codes have allowed UK businesses to encourage visiting customers during the pandemic to check in via the NHS app so that they can be contacted at a later date if there’s any risk that they’ve been exposed to COVID. They’ve also been put into wide use as a way for customers to access an online ordering platform, reducing points of contact between staff and customers.

Nearly a third of consumers said disposable or single-use menus would make them feel safe as restaurants reopen, according to Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. QR codes take that one step further by putting menus on guests’ phone screens.

– Joe Guszkowski, Restaurant Business

Become a successful franchisee and enjoy running your own business in the food sector 

Understanding the latest tech trends in the restaurant sector (and using them to the advantage of your franchise) will put you in a solid position, but there are even more ways to be ahead of the curve. Consider making your business more sustainable, or investing in security measures to protect your franchise.

Lily Sweeney, Point Franchise ©

>> Read more articles on the Restaurant sector

Shoryu Ramen franchise Shoryu Ramen
Min. investment £450,000
Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
Request
information
Camile Thai Kitchen franchise Camile Thai Kitchen
Min. investment £100,000
Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
Request
information
Pieminister franchise Pieminister
Min. investment £70,000
Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
Request
information
The Butcher franchise The Butcher
Min. investment £150,000 +VAT
Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
Request
information
Rooster Shack franchise Rooster Shack
Min. investment £120,000
Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub
Request
information
These articles may interest you

The Latest Tech Trends Innovating the Property Management Sector

If you’ve decided you want to follow your ambitions to become a [...]

Article published on 11/04/2022 08:00

The Latest Tech Trends Innovating the Windscreen Repair Sector

The ever-changing impact of technology is one thing that’s [...]

Article published on 28/02/2022 08:00

The Latest Tech Trends Innovating the Retail Sector

If you’re interested in running a retail franchise, you should be [...]

Article published on 21/01/2022 16:00

Top 4 Frozen Yogurt Franchises in the UK

If you’re a business-minded entrepreneur with an undeniable sweet [...]

Article published on 27/04/2022 16:00
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Q&A: Does Street Greek Franchise in the UK?

If you’re a feta-loving, souvlaki-scoffing Greek food connoisseur [...]

Article published on 26/04/2022 10:00
BRAND FOCUS

Top 3 Salad Bar Franchises in the UK

If you’re an entrepreneurial person who dreams of running your own [...]

Article published on 25/04/2022 16:00
TOP FRANCHISES
Did you enjoy this article? Please rate this article
Be the first to rate this article
Newsletter Envelope

Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to our newsletter!

Receive up-to-date industry news, in-depth articles and the newest franchise opportunities directly to your inbox.

0 Comments

Still no comment for this article. Be the first to publish a comment!

Post a comment

Characters remaining: 250

Top 5 recruiting sectors
  • Car & Automotive Franchises
  • Cleaning Franchises
  • Estate Agency & Property Franchises
  • Finance Franchises
  • Restaurant, Coffee Shop & Pub Franchises
Top 5 franchise opportunities
  • Franchise Acacia Homecare Acacia Homecare Franchise
  • Franchise dns accountants dns accountants Franchise
  • Franchise Gelateria 3 BIS Gelateria 3 BIS Franchise
  • Franchise Secure Locker Rentals Secure Locker Rentals Franchise
  • Franchise SylvianCare SylvianCare Franchise
Top 5 recruiting cities
  • 1 Birmingham
  • 2 Bristol
  • 3 Glasgow
  • 4 Leeds
  • 5 Manchester
Franchises by
minimum investment
Low-cost franchises Franchises under £10K Franchises under £20K Franchises under £30K Franchises under £40K Franchises under £50K Franchises under £100K Franchises under £150K Franchises under £200K Franchises over £200K
Latest News
  • Mail Boxes Etc. - MAIL BOXES ETC.: THE BEST FINE ART CARRIER IN THE UK
  • Healthy Feet Mobile Clinic - FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWING MARKET: HEALTHY FEET...
  • Mail Boxes Etc. - MAIL BOXES ETC. EXPANDS, BECOMING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY
  • Driver Hire - NEW FRANCHISEES AT LINCOLN RECRUITMENT BUSINESS
  • TaxAssist Accountants - ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL: TAXASSIST ACCOUNTANTS VIRTUAL...
Newsletter Envelope

Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to our newsletter!

Receive up-to-date industry news, in-depth articles and the newest franchise opportunities directly to your inbox.

Find your franchise
  • UK Franchise Directory
  • Best Franchises
  • New Franchises
  • Most Profitable Franchises
  • Dictionary
  • Interviews
  • Checklist
Our top guides
  • Franchise for Sale
  • Franchise Definition
  • Starting a Franchise
  • What is a Franchisee?
  • What is a Franchisor?
  • Franchise Agreement
  • Franchise Shows and Exhibitions
Are you a franchisor?
  • Advertise your franchise with us
Subscribe to our newsletter
Useful links
  • About us
  • Privacy policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact us
  • Consent notices
  • Terms and conditions
  • Disclaimer
  • Our writers
Follow us
Infopro Digital
✕
point franchises newsletter

Keep up to date with the franchise industry