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By
Sarah Ward

The Future of Restaurants: 6 Factors of Restaurant Futures

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The future of restaurants lies in innovations in technology, new ways of conceptualizing restaurants and bar business setups, and finding keys to customer satisfaction. The future of dining has been changing in how people want to enjoy their time at restaurants, bars, brunch café spots, and the top 25 Michelin Star restaurants

The future of restaurants is dictated by the expectations of customers and the systems in place at restaurants. In this BinWise blog post, we’ll take a look at the future we can expect for restaurants. Some of these concepts are new, while some are revamped takes on long-standing restaurant plans. All of them will carry your restaurant forward for profits and customer happiness. They'll also be formed around restaurant risk assessment.

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The Future of Restaurants

The future of restaurants is happening around us right now. The below three expectations are already taking hold and growing within the restaurant industry. We can look forward to seeing how they continue to expand. 

3. Expanded Delivery Options

Expanded delivery options–including drone delivery services–are continuing to grow in popularity. Delivery took off with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it hasn’t slowed down since. We’re expecting even more delivery options in years to come. 

2. À la carte Menus

À la carte menus make it easier for customers to order exactly what they want. There are already many restaurants that are embracing the idea of selling individual menu items. That way, customers can create the meal they want, and restaurants gain profits from selling each individual item. 

1. Food Cart-Esque Establishments

Food cart-esque establishments are anything that is easily accessible, potentially mobile, and quick to start up as a restaurant. This could also be a café on a stationary bus, a coffee shop in a roadside hut, or a pop-ups option for kitchens.

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The Future of Restaurant Technology

The future of restaurant technology is closely tied to customer service. The goal of every restaurant is to provide excellent customer service and turn a profit. These three growing technologies help with both of those goals. 

3. Online Table Reservations

Online table reservations aren’t a new technological advancement, but they are continuing to grow in popularity and in versatility. These days, there are restaurants where you can select your exact table in your reservation. This will continue to grow as people get back out more and more.

2. Contactless Payment

Contactless payment as part of a restaurant POS system is turning into an expectation for customers, but the technology is still evolving. These days we’re paying by tapping our cards or holding up our phones. Who knows how we’ll pay in the next few years?

1. Expanded Inventory Management

An inventory management system can make or break a restaurant or similar business. There are plenty of restaurant inventory management software programs available today. That said, platforms continue to innovate and find ways to make your process to take inventory even easier. This is technology to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Future of the Restaurant Business

The future of the restaurant business industry is a mix of customer service and further utilization of technology. Restaurants will continue to deal with the same issues: food supply shortages, inflation, operational costs, and drawing in customers. With new technologies and a focus on customer satisfaction, however, restaurants will continue to be a profitable business venture.

"Key Takeaway: The future of restaurants is dictated by the expectations of customers and the systems in place at restaurants."

Frequently Asked Questions About Futures for Restaurants

The future of restaurants is something a lot of people want to know more about. That list of people includes restaurant owners and managers, investors, entrepreneurs, and customers. Everyone is invested in knowing what the restaurant industry will look like in the future. 

Our answers to these frequently asked questions are for all of those people. Whatever your reason for being curious about the future of restaurants, these answers will help you continue to learn. Keep in mind, as time passes these answers will change as the restaurant industry continues to grow and adapt. 

What Will Happen to Restaurants In 2023?

In 2023 restaurants can expect to continue to see issues with inflation and the food supply chain. There will also be improvements in people coming out to eat. More and more people are looking for places to get out and enjoy time with friends and loved ones. Restaurants have their work cut out for them, but customers will continue to come back.

What are the Biggest Challenges Restaurants Face?

Some of the biggest challenges restaurants face include

  • Inflation and food costs: the food supply chain is in a state of disarray. Inflation, food costs, and food availability are a challenge restaurants will need to work around for quite some time. 
  • Staffing: finding, hiring, and retaining the right people for your restaurant takes consistent effort. The hiring process is hard enough, with a need for the best bartender interview questions and restaurant interview questions. From there, retaining the best staff is key, and it requires work internally, to make sure you treat your staff well.
  • Operational costs: operational costs, from overhead expenses to the work that goes into maintaining operational efficiency, are a constant challenge for restaurants.
  • Finding new customers: this is the constant goal of restaurants. With content marketing, email marketing, pop-up events, and other ways of getting your restaurant on the radar, you can manage this challenge.

These challenges aren’t new to the scene. What is new are the ways restaurants can continue to innovate to meet these challenges.

What are Five Reasons Why Restaurants Fail?

Five of the most common reasons why restaurants fail are:

  1. Poor leadership: poor leadership can take a restaurant to the ground. When leadership fails the staff, the entire restaurant can crumble. If you’re in a leadership position, listen to your staff and take care of them.
  2. Toxic culture: toxic culture can be related to poor leadership, but it extends to staff and customers too. The only way to avoid toxic culture is to hire the right people, have standards for your customers, and take care of issues.
  3. Poor hiring and training: your hiring and training process needs to be functional, open to new ideas, and all-inclusive.
  4. Forgettable food: you want your customers to walk away with the memory of their meal lasting for a long time. Food can be tasty and still forgettable. You want unique, well-prepared meals and menu types that will keep people coming back for more.
  5. Logistics: everything from food costs to operational costs to cleaning supplies and cocktail ingredients to buy can break a restaurant down. Budgeting and working with an accountant can help keep this from happening.

These issues aren’t all things you can avoid entirely. You can, however, work to prevent them when you’re aware of them, and you keep an eye out for early signs of problems.

What Keeps Customers Coming Back to Restaurants?

Customers return to restaurants because of great food, service, and the overall experience. Great food is something you can put together with your kitchen staff and creativity. The service is all about hiring the right people and training them well. The overall experience covers everything, it’s mainly about having a restaurant that invites people in and calls them back.

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Restaurant Business Futures: Supper and Seers for Restaurants

The future of restaurants rests in the hands of restaurant owners and the support that exists for restaurants. Some of that support is inventory management software. Check out BinWise if you’re looking for inventory program support. BinWise Pro alongside the BinScan mobile app keeps your inventory running smoothly while you run your restaurant.

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