Insights from Restaurant Next 2020

The #restaurant industry is the most resilient industry there has ever been. We always come back stronger. Leaders lead. Hospitality is needed even more than ever. Geoff Alexander, Wow Bao

Longevity (#employeeretention) is the key to WhiteCastle's tech strategy. When we train, we know the GMs will stay. It's a family. Susan Carroll-Boser, White Castle

Where can technology make operations more automated and transparent? Not only "What channels does the customer prefer?" but also - "Which channels will we be more successful with?" Justin Falciola, Papa Johns

re:3rd party delivery: The consumer is loyal to the 3rd party not to the restaurant... Build trust - trust comes from education. Education of the guest. Behaviors have evolved and changed so drastically. Teach the consumer what you have. (e.g. personalized bundles, QR codes, etc.) Al Hank, Famous Dave's

Native Delivery requirements: hot bag, mask/glove usage, uniform drivers, car sign, etc. are a must! If you want to get into the delivery business you have to take your in-restaurant experience on the road... Consider your volume. Drivers are waiters on wheels. They live on tips. If they are not bringing $50, $60, $100 home each day, they won't stick around. Matt Friedman, Wing Zone

re:Native Delivery Best Practices - Make sure your customers know that you do delivery. Make sure they know they can get your quality of service and promotions that may not be available with #3rdpartydelivery Chris Demery, PF Chang's

Dark Kitchens - Pasquallys Pizza - A Brand within a Brand: It's about finding the consumer need, filling the space, and utilizing what you already have. Sherri Landry, CEC Entertainment

Notable KPIs - email open rate, coupon redemption, and average check. If consumers are not opening our emails, not redeeming our coupons, they are not engaging with our brand.

re: Using tech to eliminate customer friction: GPS curbside 20 store pilot - we focused on speed, restaurant efficiency, signage and operational procedure. With GPS opt-in, when you park it's about 45 second to 1.5 minutes to get your food. Andy Rebhun, El Pollo Loco

While franchisees may run different POS, Dickey's Smoke Stack (data analytics platform) provides a common view of the restaurant operational data. Laura Rea Dickey, Dickey's Barbecue Pit

POS can be boring, instead - add some clienteling to the POS. provide prompts (w/customer opt-in) to the employee to engage with the customer. Gagan Sinha, Dunkin Donuts

In the past, it was ok to lose connection for a short while. In today's digital world, that's no longer true. Really strong network connectivity is super important. You need connectivity inside and outside of the restaurant. Dave Harris, Shake Shack

The guest has completely new expectations. Curbside, Online ordering, etc. has funneled into the restaurant experience. It has made us much more nimble (e.g. Pay at the table)... We are always looking to make life simpler for the operations teams...make sure you have good Wi-Fi coverage. Destinee Rollins, Twin Peaks

Loyalty should be a circular conversation: Who is the guest where is the guest? What do they want? What are they willing to pay? Beware of the hamster wheel (buy 9 get 1, buy 9 get 1,...leads to"when do you get off?") It's not just about price. Toby Malbec, Constrata

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