Restaurant CIOs, What Does Your “Bridge” Strategy Look Like?

What The Leaders Are Telling Us

At the most recent FSTEC conference in D.C. there were key takeaways which justify that I’m a part of the right industry and working for the right company, but also reiterated that there is still a lot of work to do. In case you are unfamiliar with FSTEC, it is the annual convergence of leading technologists in the food services industry to discuss the latest trends and where top vendors showcase the newest technology.

One entertaining discussion included a panel of some of the brightest thinkers in the industry, Joe Tenczar, CIO and VP of IT at Sonny’s BBQ, Phil Crawford of Shake Shack, Joel Chrisman of Sweetgreen and Stacked CIO, Brian Pearson. They fast-forwarded the audience seven years ahead to 2022 and used the fictional fast-casual concept “Four Guys Taqueria” as a fun example to illustrate where the industry is headed.

A key lesson from the discussion and their vision for the future, is working in an environment where a standardized language, or open API, could unlock the shackles and allow restaurant IT leaders to connect the best-of-breed services to work harmoniously together, whether it be services like HotSchedules for employee management, Olo for online ordering or LevelUp for mobile payments and digital loyalty, as just a handful of examples.

When I asked the above bright group of four about the top 3 features they wish they had from technology vendors, the unanimous decision was just one: “an open API.” That’s easy to understand, because if you are like these guys, you get that the only way to construct the restaurant of the future is  to have an open environment to link the industry leading applications together to make a cohesive system.

Data Belongs To The End User, Not Locked Up

Besides an open connection, access to data that can be leveraged to good effect in real-time is also key in their opinion. With that said, cloud services are becoming the hallmark of forward-leaning brands these days.

“[We need] to get more open analytical data without being handcuffed by companies or to jump through hoops to get it quickly,” - Brian Pearson, CIO of Stacked

What the best CIOs understand is that we live in a subscription-based economy, both professionally and personally. We no longer buy music, movies or even groceries. Mobile technology is moving us to an on demand, subscription environment that translates to adapt or die.

Leading CIOs recognize this and also have the business savvy to work with their CFO and CEO to deliver an ROI model from adopting SaaS applications. The ability to shift from a CAPEX heavy approach to an OPEX model is how brands can stay nimble and flexible.

Building a Bridge for the Future

It got me thinking about the sandbox I play in, which is to be a connector, a central nervous system so to speak, of these best-of-breed services and the daily input mechanism at the store level, which is point-of-sale. Let’s face it, POS is the area of (for some, evil) necessity for all restaurant operators, but there is a brighter future.

As someone who left an IT outsourcing and tech consulting gig to join Revel Systems, a lot of what was discussed and so desired at FSTEC was validation for why I’m excited to be in my current role and why our company exists. In true disruptive fashion, we are revitalizing the legacy approach to restaurant commerce, and aligning ourselves for what the future of technology will look like for restaurants and retail over the next several years.

Consumer Technology Is Invading The Restaurant

Today’s best restaurant CIOs are recognizing that costly investments in traditional, legacy hardware and systems is a losing proposition. The large cost of replacement along with the pace of trying to stay relevant, and most importantly, the closed nature of these systems prove to be untenable for forward-thinking brands that want (in fact, actually need) to be nimble. This means utilizing and leveraging more affordable consumer technology in place of those bulky commercial systems that are twice as expensive and become irrelevant too soon.

An example we're all pretty familiar with is the explosion of using tablets as point-of-sale terminals. However, there are some tablets that are better than others, or some operating systems more secure than others and some providers more stable than others, but I’ll leave that for an offline discussion. At the heart of it is that a $400 - $500 iPad makes so much more sense than a $1,000 - $1,500 terminal that looks like it was designed in 1987. 

Besides the pure aesthetics upgrade, consumer technology in the workplace allows for open communication to best-of-breed services and productivity apps.

You can upgrade in 2 years, instead of 5 at below or same cost, and the urge to upgrade isn’t due to the hardware life ending, it’s to take advantage of the latest and greatest features. We all get this, as we do it every year or two with our smartphones. Plus, the technology will actually retain value and can be repurposed as employee gifts or, hell, even sold on Gazelle instead of going to a POS terminal graveyard.

But if you look just a bit deeper of what's happening right now, it's not just iPads being deployed as terminals, we’ll see iPad Pros as self-ordering kiosks and utilized as innovative Kitchen Display Systems, or flat screen TVs used for Digital Menu Boards, iPod touches or iPhones as inventory barcode scanners, Apple TVs for team meetings and presentations at the home office, Macbooks as manager's PCs, etc. Your living room’s technology is invading the restaurant, and it will allow you to shrink your hardware footprint significantly.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: The Future of the iPad: Business Use Will Overtake Personal Use

However, all of this is really what I refer to as “bridge” technology because the real consumer device that rules the roost is the smartphone in your customers’ pockets. This will essentially become the new point-of-sale within the next decade, and the best way to prepare for that transition is to operate with a lighter, less expensive tech footprint right now that can be open and upgraded with ease over the years. You also want to  train your customers and staff that your brand understands this new reality.

Skip the line for your morning coffee? Sure, why not, your restaurant will help enable that. Order another kombucha while seated at your busy fast fine restaurant during lunch? No problem, sit back, continue conversing with friends and the restauran't ordering app will take care of it. Ready to leave that busy bar? We get it. No need to wait to close your tab, just hit a button on your smartphone's app and go. See you next weekend. Not sure how to prep that dish? No worries, a quick look down at a short video on your Apple Watch or through the lens of Google Glass, and the restaurant's training app provides clear step-by-step instructions. You get the idea.

Photo courtesy of Eater

You Still Need A Foundation For The Bridge (But Just Make Sure It’s Open and Flexible)

Ecommerce isn’t going to completely eradicate brick and mortar any time soon, otherwise we might as well pack it up and look for another job. However, your brand is up against some stiff, and pretty disruptive competition that didn’t exist just a year or two ago...and it’s only going to grow (cue the examples of how Uber and Airbnb exploded from select, niche urban markets to becoming global phenoms). From on demand services to food-fast delivery, the battle ground will be around ease of use and convenience, and you can count on technology being at the heart of it all.

ALSO READ: Is It Time to Run Your Restaurant Brand Like a Tech Startup?

POS will continue to be the foundation of commerce for several years to come, but there’s much room for improvement across the industry. Sales pitch aside, Revel’s goal is to ensure we align with what forward-leaning CIOs and business owners are asking for on their wishlist: a lighter, more attractive technology footprint, open API to connect with the best services, lock-tight security, stability on the front-end, scalability as the brand grows, ability to customize and the flexibility of the cloud on the backend. It’s been our job to turn this wishlist into reality (so far so good) and build a bridge together with our customers. For those who really get it, the bridge will be built fast and we’ll both be a part of setting the next wave of trends in food service and retail technology.

So, I’ll end this post the way I started. What does your "bridge" strategy look like?

CHECK OUT: Why It’s Really, Really Time To Rethink Your POS

I am on the Enterprise team with award-winning San Francisco based Revel Systems iPad POS, a select Apple Enterprise Mobility partner. I advise clients to implement a best-of-breed technology stack that will make a positive impact to their brand. Follow me on Twitter @BrandonTechExec and read more about Revel news here. #RevelUp!