Ø 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.

Ø 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.

Ø 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.

Ø 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.