Restaurant And Hospitality IT News For VARs — January 27, 2014
By Anna Rose Welch, Editorial & Community Director, Advancing RNA
In the news, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) is predicting industry sales to reach $683 billion in 2014. Also, NRA includes in its 2014 Industry Forecast that restaurant customers are looking to engage more with restaurants via smartphone or tablet.
Restaurant Industry To Hit $683 Billion In 2014
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) reports that 2014 will be the fifth consecutive year of restaurant industry sales growth. The NRA predicts that industry sales will reach $683 billion in 2014, an increase of 3.6 percent from 2013. The report also found that, for nearly one-fifth of those surveyed, technology is a key factor in deciding which restaurant to choose. Twenty-four percent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they consider a restaurant’s technology offerings when picking a full service restaurant, compared to 11 percent of those 65 and over.
Restaurants See More Customer Engagement Through Technology
In addition to the release above, QSRweb.com discusses some of the key points of the National Restaurant Association 2014 Industry Forecast. According to NRA findings, customers are looking to engage with restaurants via technology more often. Roughly 67 percent have used a phone or tablet to research a restaurant, while 50 percent has used a smartphone or tablet to receive loyalty rewards. The full report can be found here.
Customers Get Personal For A Good Deal
An IBM study reveals that consumers are more comfortable sharing personal information, including location, cell numbers, and social media handles with retailers in exchange for a good deal. IBM urges retailers to enact Big Data and analytics strategies in order to use this information to provide customers with personalized and relevant deals.
Restaurant And Hospitality IT Talking Points
The Nation says that Tesco Lotus’ QR code system has been implemented in Thailand so that grocery customers can figure out the source of meat products on grocery shelves. Tesco Lotus expects this QR code system to expand to pork, chicken, eggs, frozen foods, bakery, and ready-to-eat meals. Last year, the company labeled 100 other fresh food items with QR codes so consumers interested in traceability could feel more confident about the products’ quality.
A restaurant in New Zealand has created a system that can deliver burgers at 87 miles per hour. According to a Reuters article, the restaurant achieves this using a system of pneumatic tubes.
QSR Magazine discusses how hotels have begun to pose a threat to QSR restaurants. Many hotels don’t traditionally have their restaurant menus posted or available online, however with the rise of social media and certain apps, they have begun to do so more easily. This information enables customers to learn more about the food offerings available and take a hotel’s food service into account as they make decisions about where to stay. Hotels have also begun to incorporate healthier options, various take-away, grab-and-go, and in-room options.