How Technology Is Changing The Way We Eat: From Fast Food to Fine Dining

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been so blown away by the architecture or ambiance that you didn’t even think about what you were going to order? Maybe it was your first time there, and the experience was so overwhelming that all you could think about was going back.

Or maybe you frequent that same restaurant regularly and don’t want to change anything. Either way, restaurants have started using technology in order to bring their guests back again and again with upgraded services and a new level of hospitality.

We have included some ways technology is changing the way we eat: From fast food to fine dining.

Order and Pay Online

Ordering a takeout meal at a restaurant used to be a time-consuming process. You’d have to find a nearby location, call the restaurant, and make your order over the phone. You’d then have to wait until the food arrived and then eat it as soon as it was in your hands.

This was one of the reasons why eating out was limited to special occasions. But what if you could order takeout food online? What if you could order a takeout meal that you could have on your couch in less than an hour? What if you could even cook the meal yourself?

Online ordering has been around for years, but restaurant brands have only recently started using it to bring more convenience to their diners. With online ordering, diners can order and pay at their convenience, which can help them decide what they want to eat without having to get their hands dirty.

Tablets and Smartphones

Have you ever had a conversation with a friend or family member about what to eat? One person might recommend a certain type of food, and another might suggest an entirely different type of food. This is what drives a lot of the fast food industry, but will quickly change as more fine dining restaurants find ways to use technology to help diners make their own recommendations.

The first way technology is changing the way we eat is through the use of tablets and table kiosks. Restaurants are starting to install tablet signs that allow diners to see what other customers are saying about their meals, as well as make their own recommendations. By allowing diners to see what other people are saying, restaurants are increasing customer loyalty and making diners more willing to try new foods. Plus, we will take the word of someone else before that of the restaurant.

AI in the Kitchen

Dining out is a special occasion, and sometimes it’s difficult to decide which restaurant is right for the occasion. Let’s say you want to go to a restaurant that specializes in fine dining, but your friends are all die-hard burger fans.

With so many choices, so many different options and customer expectations, AI helps the team in the kitchen by helping chefs make adjustments to dishes so that they taste better. In the past, chefs would only make adjustments to dishes that customers complained about. Now, AI is helping chefs learn what diners like so that they can customize dishes for every customer. And the more customer data you have, the smarter you can be with your experiences.

VR and AR

VR is one of the newest ways technology is changing the way we eat. VR is especially helpful for restaurants that are focused on fine dining, but it can also be helpful for fast casual chains. VR allows diners to experience the food being prepared in real time, which helps fine tune the flavors to create the best possible dish. Another way technology is changing the way we eat is through AR. AR is similar to VR, but it allows diners to get a first-hand look at the ingredients that go into their dishes.

Connected Platforms

Dining out used to be a one-way experience. Once you sat down, you could only see what the kitchen could provide for you. What if you could see what the customers sitting at nearby tables were ordering? This would allow you to see what their food looked like, what they were saying about their meals, and even what they were saying about the wait staff. Restaurants are starting to use technologies like beacon technology to help diners get a feel for what their experience will be while they wait for their tables.

Connected platforms also allows a restaurant to share their brand and experience before a customer even enters their doors. Think about how a visual tour of your restaurant, the kitchen or even video of food prep could entice new guests and repeat visits.

Bottom line

From fast food to fine dining, technology is changing the way we eat. The first way technology is changing the way we eat is with tablet and kiosks, which puts more control at the fingertips of the customers. AI is also changing the way we eat in the kitchen, as chefs learn what diners like so that they can customize dishes for every customer. VR and AR are also changing the way we eat by allowing diners to experience the food being prepared in real time, while VR and AR allow diners to get a first-hand look at ingredients.

From fast food to fine dining, technology is changing the way we eat, and it’s only going to get better from here.

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EZ-Chow has solutions such as an Online Ordering, Self-Ordering Kiosks and Rewards/Loyalty Solutions that integrate into your existing POS systems. To learn how EZ-Chow can help you with these initiatives and more, get started by contacting us here.

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