As AI continues to revolutionize many parts of our lives, it's now even getting its teeth into the dining out experience with robot servers and AI chefs and mixologists. If you’re thinking that this sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, you’d be forgiven - but it's actually happening right here, right now.
Food for thought
While Michelin star restaurants might be able to command the big bucks, smaller establishments often struggle. Staff salaries, food waste and long waiting times all go into the mix to create significant challenges for the hospitality industry.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help make restaurants more efficient and economically viable by:
- Saving food by tracking waste more efficiently
- Using AI robots to complete repetitive kitchen tasks
- Cutting wait times through smart restaurant management
- Tailoring menus to customer preferences based on previous orders
- Managing allergen information more proactively
Although, at first glance, this may sound like it's making the dining out experience less personal, the opposite is true. By combining AI with human talent, the diner will be served a more personalized and more efficient experience.
What’s On The AI Tech Menu For Restaurants Today?
So, we’ve given you an idea of what the future restaurant might look like but, what about right now? AI is already present in many forms in the hospitality industry.
So let’s take a look at some of the AI powered restaurant tools you may not have even noticed when visiting your favorite spot:
Making a good impression
Being the host with the most involves keeping a number of balls in the air with tasks including bookings via website and phone, managing walk-ins and assigning tables while taking into account any special customer needs. At busy times, errors and misunderstandings are extremely common; leading to frustration and sometimes even lost custom. A Hostess app can help here by managing all of these tasks much more efficiently while optimizing time and space in the restaurant.
Rather than replacing your real life host or hostess, your
AI host works hand in hand with your staff; taking over basic management tasks so that the host can focus on the customer. After all, the host is the face of your business - but your customers aren’t going to see that face if it's buried in a phone or tablet. As well as managing bookings, hostess apps can crunch the data in order to predict busy times, track table turnover and learn the habits of your guests such as favorite dishes, drinks and tables. This creates a more efficient and responsive experience for both staff and customers and helps to cut down on no-shows by using resources more effectively. AI can also message guests to alert them to waiting times and let them know when their table is ready.
Order taking
In the olden days, your server will have arrived at your table armed only with a notepad and pen. These days, you’re more likely to see waiters using tablets or phones to take your order - which is then instantly whizzed over to the kitchen.
AI can make this process more effective in a number of ways including:
- Menus - If you’re still using traditional paper or laminated menus, you’ll know how annoying and expensive it is to keep replacing them. Since COVID-19 gave us an appetite for self-ordering, this method is still widely used and AI can help to present diners with accurate and interactive digital menus.
- Orders - As well as using apps for orders, Conversational AI is proving to be a game changer for a lot of establishments. With this clever technology, your customer simply tells a smart speaker on their table what they would like - including any special requests. An example of this might be, “Hello virtual server, I’d like a vegan salad without tomatoes please”. The system will then advise the customer of availability and send the order to the kitchen. This has a number of benefits including natural language, multi-language capabilities, speed and personalization.
If you'd like to learn more about what we provide, why not take a look at how we can help?
Boost your skills with our market-leading online courses at super-low prices.
Stop eating up management time!
As any restaurateur knows, providing great food to diners is only half the story. Every restaurant needs lots of management systems in place which are the nuts and bolts of the business. If these systems are less than efficient, the business can fail - no matter how good your enchiladas are. AI can be a complete game-changer for restaurant management by taking over regular tasks such as inventory and waste and staffing activities like rotas, salaries and procedures as well as important things like cleaning schedules.
In the kitchen
Robotic cafe technology is lending chefs a hand in a few ways including the provision of real-time data connected to equipment to ensure every dish is perfect.
Robot sous-chefs are also able to complete tasks such as chopping and prepping, saving chefs valuable time.
The missing link in the supply chain
The supply chain of the food industry can be a long and complicated one which begins in the field or in the sea - and AI has a role to play at every stage. These days, farmers regularly use AI to keep an eye on their crops, accurately forecast harvests and monitor weather data. Similarly, factories harness the power of this tech to run machines, inspect and package products and streamline orders. AI also has a hand in food safety - quickly identifying contamination in a way that’s virtually impossible for a human.
From farm to fork, Artificial Intelligence is streamlining systems and cutting down on waste to help make sure that businesses make money and customers receive quality products.
The Future Is Bright - And Intelligent - For The Food Industry
The bar and restaurant industries are now more competitive than ever before - and business owners need to take advantage of emerging technologies that are vital for survival. Today, smart and innovative tools are transforming the landscape when it comes to the ways in which our food is grown, processed, cooked and served and, for forward thinking restaurants, this technology is now science fact, rather than science fiction.
