The role of AI in the restaurant of the future

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gradually made its way into the restaurant industry, offering restaurateurs the chance for new ways of working. For those businesses that can take advantage of the technology and apply it in the right way, a range of opportunities are opening up. This article explores the first steps the restaurant industry is taking to integrate AI and how it could impact the future of the restaurant industry.

Artificial intelligence in the restaurant industry
Sound like a bad sci-fi movie? Or does it sound completely natural? AI is in many ways a watershed, but one thing is certain: AI is on its way into the restaurant industry.
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As a first step, we have for some time now launched the AI forecasts service as part of Caspeco Analysis. The forecasts use AI models to combine historical sales data with external factors to best predict future sales. In this way, our customers can have a basis to consider before scheduling or placing orders. 

The analysis is one way AI can already help our customers, but in the near future we will launch additional AI tools. These tools will make scheduling easier and allow staff to automate routine and time-consuming tasks. The idea is that the tools will free up time for restaurant staff to focus on more creative and service-oriented tasks.

Why AI?

For us at Caspeco, the goal is always to offer our customers better and more profitable services. We see the implementation of AI as part of that goal. By introducing AI technology into our services, we can find new ways of working that benefit both customers and the industry as a whole.

We are convinced that having one leg in service and another in technology, we have a unique opportunity to combine the two, in a way that can add value to the industry as a whole.

Opportunities

AI has great potential to facilitate routine and time-consuming activities. It can reduce the risk of errors and free up time and resources for more creative and value-adding tasks.

Already, some organizations are testing new ways to streamline their operations. One such way is AI for menu optimization and inventory. Using AI, restaurants can get suggestions on which dishes to include in the menu and which ingredients need to be ordered.

Another interesting opportunity with AI is the guest experience in relation to loyalty and apps. By collecting and analyzing data about the guest, AI could create personalized recommendations and offers based on data and machine learning.

There are, of course, many more possibilities with AI and, as mentioned above, the potential is huge. With all the possibilities, it is quite certain that AI will have a place in the restaurant, but to what extent and in what ways remains to be seen.

What makes a good AI?

For an AI to work as well as possible, there are some factors to consider. The amount of data is one such factor. Data is important for developing and training a good AI because it gives algorithms and models enough information to learn. The more data available, the more comprehensive and representative the knowledge base will be.

Another factor that is at least as important is the way and framework in which it is applied. By this we mean that AI works best when it is integrated with the right tools, when the staff using it believe in its function and when it is used in an area that can use its full potential. Just as it is the chef and not the knives that create what ends up on the plate, it is the use of AI and not the AI itself that will dictate the end result.
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The restaurant of the future

AI will certainly be met with mixed feelings, but over time we believe that AI in some form will be found in almost all restaurants - of course to different degrees depending on the business and conditions.

In the same way that digitalization has changed administrative work, we believe that AI will facilitate the tasks that have previously required time and manual work. A positive consequence of this we believe will be reduced error margins - especially for larger chains that work with large purchases and very time-consuming administration.

Finally, we want to highlight that when new technology is not received or used in the right way, it is difficult to make it work. If your organization is interested in introducing AI technology, it is therefore important to learn about the tools and perhaps most importantly - anchor the concept with the staff who will use it.

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