New research from the National Restaurant
Association found that more than a third of consumers say they are more likely to use technology-related options in restaurants now than two years ago. A significant number use their smartphones to interact with restaurants on a regular basis, such as ordering delivery, redeeming rewards and paying for meals.
“While overall usage of restaurant technology options is still more common among diners in the Millennial generation compared with Baby Boomers, the age gap generally levels out when it comes to frequent users,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research for the NRA. “As restaurants integrate more customer-facing technology, usage among consumers is growing. When done right, it can help a restaurant’s productivity and the customer experience.”
“However, it’s important to note that a substantial number of consumers say they still prefer to deal with restaurant staff, underscoring that this is still an industry of hospitality where the human factor will always be paramount,” Riehle added.
Riehle presented this new research, as well as additional current NRA research, at a breakfast keynote at the Restaurant
Innovation Summit in Atlanta.
The NRA asked the
consumers who said they are not using technology options more often why they
aren’t using them more. Half of them say it is simply because they prefer
dealing with human beings. This is particularly notable among younger
consumers, where 61 percent of 18-34-year-olds gave this as a reason, while
only 42 percent of those 65+ agreed.
