Often in the restaurant industry, solutions—particularly in tech—focus on the customer and customer experience. We integrate apps and other technologies that improve upon a customer’s perception or experience. And while this is part of being hospitable and focusing on guest relations, it isn’t a holistic approach to the customer experience, because customer experiences begin with restaurant operations. If operations are smooth and efficient, performed by staff who are happy and confident in their job, it doesn’t matter what customer-facing technology has been implemented. The guest will feel the strain.
So, it is a benefit to the industry that second and third generation technologies are shifting focus. According to Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), the 2026 Restaurant Technology Outlook Market Leader Report from Informa Foodservice “reveals that restaurants are investing this year in back-of-house technology, such as point-of-sale systems (prioritized this year by 53% of operators, up from 40% last year) and inventory management, which ranked as the third most common area for future tech investment.”
This shift in focus is primarily driven by a tech- and especially AI-centered world. Improved technologies are no longer seen as an “add-on” or extra benefit. Technological integrations have become an expectation for restaurant guests; therefore, they have become an expectations in restaurants, including operations. This shows up in long-term planning around how tech is used within the restaurant and how it benefits the whole business. “Restaurant technology has transitioned from a supplementary add-on to a crucial driver of operational efficiency and profitability. Newer tech stack components may be less visible than customer-facing tools like digital ordering — which dropped on operator wish lists from 38% to 29% — but the focus on tangible ROI has grown significantly,” states NRN.
Of course, the up-front costs are greater, and this comes at a time when restaurants are facing even more unexpected challenges after crawling out of COVID-19 setbacks. However, as all business are being driven toward data and optimization, it is an investment that should paRy off in the long run. Industry leaders and restaurant owners are trending toward this thinking. According to the NRN article, “32% of operators said they would invest in data management and security in 2026, up from 26% last year. Plus, one-third of operators believe that enhancing guest data analysis would improve revenue goals — the top answer that won out over off-premises channels, loyalty programs, and AI adoption.”
Data capture and optimization is being broadly accepted across the business world because of its efficiency improvements; but studies show that AI and data collection is generally becoming more accepted as well. “Last year, 28% of operators said that they were not interested in utilizing AI, and this year, that number has shrunk to 19% of operators,” NRN reports from the Informa survey. Regardless of challenges or concerns, studies indicate that now is the optimum time for restaurant business owners to educate themselves on the burgeoning tech and determining how it works into their business models.
Richard Weil, owner and principal at National Restaurant Consultants, strongly believes in restaurant tech for the food service and hospitality industry to gain efficiency. However, Weil notes, “The power of technology will not and should not replace the importance of customer service. Depending upon the segment that each respective operation evolves, the need to be sure that meeting guest expectations by fulfilling their needs and wants is still part of the human experience. Long live customer service!”