From Ovens to Ice Machines: Restaurant Technology that Can Improve Operations

Restaurant technology continues to get smaller, smarter and more social as restaurant operators look for ways to reduce the cost of real estate, have more intuitive technology on hand and strive to improve the customer experience. There have been a number of new innovations of late that stand to significantly improve the operational management of a restaurant business. Here are a few of the latest restaurant technology highlights.

Smaller, More Intuitive Restaurant Technology

From computer-regulated back-of-the house appliances, to smaller and more efficient front-of-house equipment, there is a mass of great technological adaptations and innovations available to operators. For example, some ice machines now come with technological diagnostics that will warn restaurant operators when there is a problem likely to occur. They have improvements in the program for repair and maintenance, making for less downtime. Fryers are moving toward all-digital control panels, giving operators greater control over the quality of any product that’s programmed in. Temperatures can be set precisely and food can be cooked with a specific timing. There are a number of new environmental cooling options as well. These include a 24.5 inch portable air cooler, with the same footprint as a propane-powered heater, and an evaporative cooling unit that can chill the air in a 14 foot radius down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. This unit uses about as much electricity as a household toaster.

In response to an increased demand for space-saving innovations to help restaurants expand menus, ventless countertop ovens have seen a jump in production and innovation. There are a number of different types of countertop ovens now available.Some of these ovens can convert from a one-item shuttle to a higher-volume conveyor mode at the switch of a button. Drink machines, like Coke’s Freestyle, have also gone counter-size and can now include anywhere from 35-80 drink options.

Home-Made Craft Brews Now Available for Any Restaurant

Speaking of increasing drink options, restaurant owners can also now install their own “home-brew”systems on location, in as little as a 10-by-10 space. These self-contained units are different from your typical brew-pub brewery, most significantly because they bypass many of the regulatory and environmental impact considerations that brew pubs must adhere to. Such systems cost around $57,000 and can produce 1,400 twelve-ounce servings of beer per week. You have the ability to customize the types of beer you offer, paving the way for seasonal and local favorites that are uniquely your own. The craft-brewing industry has grown significantly over the course of the last few years, and if you’re looking for a way to add unique flavor to the drinks that your restaurant provides, a home-brew craft beer unit might be the solution.

More Comprehensive Point of Sale Restaurant Technology

New point-of-sale systems are on the horizon too. Tabletop tablets, for instance, are no longer used to simply place an order. Along with being one-stop devices for employees to perform a number of tasks, they now can include interactive tiles that can really enhance guest interactions. For instance, the tablets can display and promote specials of the day, upcoming events, loyalty program details, links to external feeds and the ability to take pictures and share to social media accounts. They provide a forum for customers to conveniently place and pay for their orders as well as to leave feedback about their experiences—which they do 20% of the time in restaurants who have them installed.

Utilizing these technological adaptations and innovations can greatly enhance the customer and employee experience, as well as improve the return on investment and the overall efficiency of the restaurant. Bottom line: new technology can be a restaurant owner’s best friend, and there are plenty of innovative options available.

Is Variable Menu Pricing the Next Big Move for Restaurants?

As restaurants continue to look for ways to cut costs and increase profit margins, the idea of introducing variable menu pricing as a form of yield management is gaining steam. The hotel and airline industries have been utilizing this form of yield management for years with great success. While it is clear how this system is beneficial from the business standpoint of more accurately managing costs, what many restaurant operators may not have considered is that the introduction of variable menu pricing could actually help drive more traffic to their restaurants as well.

Consumer Confidence Remains Fragile and Disposable Income Is Spread Thin

The economy has been steadily gaining strength from its major downturn a few years back, but consumer confidence and spending remains fragile, and nowhere near the level of decades past. In 2013, disposable personal income for the average American gained a mere 0.8 percent; an anemic rate, at best.

What’s more, that money is getting distributed over a wider range of consumer expenditures than it did in days of yore. It used to be that a restaurant operator’s biggest competition was other restaurant operators. However, these days, the bigger competition is in getting the consumer to spend that meager disposable income in the foodservice industry at all.

Variable Menu Pricing Represents a Way to Grab Traffic and Build Demand

According to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), two out of every five consumers said they were not using restaurants as much as they would like to in their daily lifestyles. Interestingly, this number was highest among those with household incomes of $75,000 or more. Even more telling is the fact that 72% of consumers in another NRA study said that they’d dine out more often if menu prices were lower during off-peak times. Menu prices that vary on different days of the week, or times during the day, therefore represent a tangible method of building consumer demand, driving traffic and lowering operational costs—creating a win-win for everyone.

Younger Consumers are Primed and the Technology to Implement Variable Menu Pricing Is in Place

In today’s world, consumers under the age of 44 generally expect restaurants to utilize some form of technology in their establishments. Video menu boards and tablet table menus are already being employed in a number of restaurants around the country. It wouldn’t be a major leap to have real-time menu prices on your websites and social media forums as well.

Despite the fact that yield management is a reasonably sophisticated science, advances in technology over that last 10 years have made it quite capable of handling the demands of a variable menu pricing system. Not only is it easy to alter menu prices by time of day, week or season, it’s also easy to alter those prices according to current market rates. These variable alterations can thus be utilized to meet the demands of both the consumer and the business. Therefore, they represent an opportunity to both fine-tune your restaurant’s operational system, as well as build incremental demand with your patrons.

Understanding the Gluten-Free Diner

People who are born with a food allergy or intolerance or develop one later in life often approach dining out with a certain amount of trepidation. This fear is well justified considering that accidental consumption of the offending substance can cause serious illness and even death. Gluten allergies, in particular, can be especially difficult to manage.  As a restaurateur, it’s important to understand the needs of your gluten-free customers and to provide thorough training to your employees to avoid mishaps.

Wheat Allergies, Gluten Sensitivities and Celiac Disease – What’s the Difference?

Allergies and intolerances come in many different forms, and one of the first things to realize about gluten is that gluten intolerance and wheat allergies don’t always go hand in hand. In fact, many diners who are allergic to wheat can actually eat several other types of high-gluten grains, such as barley and rye, without problems.

Celiac disease is a lifelong autoimmune disorder that damages and inflames the lining of the small intestine. Diners with this condition must avoid gluten at all costs or suffer severe health repercussions.  These individuals are highly sensitive to even the tiniest amount of gluten, and along with avoiding likely suspects such as beer, pizza, and bread, they are susceptible to gluten cross-contamination from places like cutting boards and fryers.

Although gluten intolerance or sensitivity is not the same thing as Celiac disease, the symptoms are similar and individuals with gluten sensitivity often have to follow the same type of diet. Unlike Celiac patients, however, those with gluten intolerance can sometimes consume gluten – depending on their level of sensitivity.

Keeping the Monkey Wrench Out of the Gears by Training Employees about Gluten Allergies

While it’s important to train employees to take gluten allergies seriously in order to avoid mishaps with customers, it’s also important to be able to accommodate gluten-free diners easily without throwing a wrench in the gears of your operation. Restaurants serve hundreds of plates a day, and the only way to ensure that a gluten-free request does not disrupt the flow is to train employees well about how to handle the request. Many restaurants do this by creating a ‘gluten-free’ station to avoid cross-contamination and by designating one employee to be in charge of cooking the gluten-free food to ensure quality.

Creating Foods that Gluten-Free Diners Love

Most people with gluten allergies have given up breads, pastas, and fried foods as a lost cause long ago – and usually, not by choice. As a result, restaurants have a unique opportunity to treat gluten-free customers by providing them with the opportunity to eat gluten-free variants of these types of food.

For example, a little experimenting with a mix of white and brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch can yield crispy, crunchy, and delicious fried chicken that you can’t even tell is gluten-free.

Thanks to the rising awareness of gluten allergies, there are tons of delicious, gluten-free recipes out there. A little experimentation and a commitment to meeting the needs of your gluten-free customers can make all the difference in how often this demographic of diner frequents your establishment.