Is Tech Elevating the Full-Service Dining Experience?

The National Restaurant Association’s Technology Landscape report found that technology is increasingly being desired as part of the full-service dining experience, although boomers aren’t happy about it.

For instance, the report’s accompanying survey found that 65% of full-service diners said they’d likely use a tablet to pay the check, and 60% would use it to place an order. However, while a solid majority of Gen Zers (18-27), millennials (28-43), and Gen Xers (44-59) say they’d use these options, fewer than half of boomers (60-78) said they would.

Other tech options at full-service restaurants were likewise welcomed by more younger consumers, particularly millennials, compared to boomers. Among the findings as far as openness to using different tech in full-service dining occasions:

• Access the menu on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (59%), millennials (78%), boomers (30%).
• Place an order on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (48%), millennials (69%), boomers (21%).
• Pay the check on a smartphone using a QR code: Overall (46%), millennials (65%), boomers (16%).
• Pay the check using contactless or mobile payment options: Overall (62%), millennials (82%), boomers (37%).
• Pay the check by digital wallet (e.g., Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Venmo): Overall (57%), millennials (80%), boomers (25%).

Beyond ordering and paying faster and easier, interest was found in using technology while dining to provide more detailed information about food — such as nutrition, calories, allergens, and sourcing — and indicate when the food will be delivered to the table.

The study said that while engagement with servers remains “an integral part of the experience of going out to eat at a full-service restaurant,” diners are increasingly looking for old-fashioned service aided by technology, particularly paying the check faster. The study stated, “It’s not essential that full-service restaurants have these options, but many consumers think they would be nice to have.”

Hudson Riehle, SVP of the research and knowledge group for the National Restaurant Association, told Nation’s Restaurant News that the pandemic accelerated tech adaptation in restaurants. He said, “The fact is it was going on beforehand but the report shows that across the board for different aspects of restaurant tech, more operators expect to invest more this year than last year.”

Like tech advances such as self-checkout at grocers, the primary motivation for seeking technology while dining out seems to be saving time. A survey last year from hospitality tech company Union found that, on average, consumers at bars and restaurants wait 10 minutes for the bill. Of the respondents, 42% indicated that they wait, on average, the same 10 minutes to get their drinks at bars and restaurants.