New technologies in restaurant and hotel businesses:
Improved methods of cooperating with clients
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Mobile
ordering. This is one
area where fast-food chains are in the forefront. Domino's Pizza is so far
along with it, they recently introduced their Spanish-language mobile-ordering
app.
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iPad
order kiosks. Why wait in
line if you can file your order at a kiosk immediately, and then sit down and
relax? Blazing Onion Burger Company is testing this system out in a new
restaurant opened last month in Seattle. Expect more of this, since it could
help prevent walk-aways and result in more orders.
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Facebook
ordering. This may be the
biggest technology leap coming in the next year, as nearly 100 percent of
restaurant owners say they plan to have a Facebook presence by next year.
Companies specializing in Facebook-payment integration for restaurants such as
ChowNow and NetWaiter are helping chains to get their ordering onto the popular
platform. This is a fairly low-cost add-on to make, and it has the potential to
grow sales, which always gets a restaurauteur's attention. For instance, the
Taco Spot in Charleston, SC saw a 10 percent sales bump after implementing
Facebook-based ordering, trade magazine Fast Casual recently reported.
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Digital
menu boards + smartphones. Watch for
fast-food restaurants to change menus more often, because digital menu boards
make it so much easier than manually changing prices and items. Digital signage
also allows quick-serve restaurants to provide entertainment and interactivity
while you wait in line -- for example, Boston-based burrito chain Boloco's
digital signboard allows patrons to play tic-tac-toe against friends or the
computer while they wait.
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Games
while-u-wait. Gaming
industry sources report McDonald's is projecting gesture-enabled games onto
restaurant floors for kids to play while they wait for Happy Meals, in 150 of
the chain's higher-profile locations. Now that'll keep kids busy -- and we all
know happy kids mean happy parents who come back to your restaurant.
Ø Online coupons. More restaurants are using digital coupons, and diners gobble them up --
in the Techonomic survey, 58 percent of diners said they've already used them.