Trends in restaurant technology for 2018

New year and of course, technology in the new hospitality….

Many of the technologies that have been implemented in 2017 in many sectors will reach restaurants in 2018, at least in the most innovative.

More and more technological applications that are developed in fields such as computing, retail or industry, reach all the productive sectors of the population in a shorter period of time, including restaurants.

1. Facial recognition

If a few years ago the boom was mobile payment, then the fingerprint for mobile unlocking, now the iPhone X brings us facial recognition. It is not a proprietary technology by Apple and there are many applications that may see the light of day next year.

AliPay, a subsidiary of the commercial monster Alibaba, is an app that allows payment only with your face, preventing customers from using money, cards and mobile phones. This type of service is more focused on fast food, in fact, a KFC in Hangzhou, China, already charges through facial recognition.

2. Online reservation

People no longer want to wait, nor do restaurants have people waiting at the door, it gives a bad image and can scare people away. How to solve it? With online reservations, especially, although also placing orders online.

The use of tablets is being implemented so that diners, while they wait, can place their orders, and even pay from there.

In addition, some restaurants have created gamification systems by which points are awarded to those who make a prior reservation before going to the restaurant.

3. Payment systems

Little by little we will see that payment systems will undergo great changes in restaurants, in addition to mobile payment with NFC technology, increasingly popular, applications will be used that allow the account to be divided among all diners.

Some believe that 2018 will be the year that restaurants will not touch the cash.

4. Data collection will be key

The technology will allow restaurants to offer maximum customization. Data will drive virtually every restaurant operation, from personalized marketing actions to hyper-personalized menu suggestions, and ultra-efficient kitchen design loaded with sensors to keep capturing data and making decisions based on it.

5. The battle for the senses

Thanks to Instagram or experiences with virtual reality, sensory experiences will be improved in 2018. Technological innovations in food have been in color and texture, especially in molecular gastronomy.

We will have chewy or crunchy elements in drinks, for example, or in reinventing sweets in baked products, with the aim of providing new sensations.

During 2018 we hope to bring you even more and better things about technology for your restaurant.