THE DIGITAL DIMENSION
“There are various trends becoming more apparent in the catering and food services industry, driven predominantly by the growing need for more mobile technology and the industries’ desire to tackle their number one challenge – food waste. Our own research into this within the UK revealed that 53 percent of contract caterers and food service companies believe reducing food waste is their number one challenge. However, 54 percent also believe that technology can help solve this issue for them. Mobile is particularly key for the market, as companies and operators look to provide a more seamless, frictionless experience for their customers. From pre-ordering food and beverage via an app, to then integrating that app with the kitchen management system to automatically prepare the food, ensuring a fast and convenient service. In addition, more advanced technology is also available, such as customer recognition systems that notify a kitchen that a particular customer has walked into the restaurant and will want their usual order, to cashless payment methods via app or self-service kiosk.”