Business Insights

An Insider’s Guide to the Top Restaurant Trends Right Now

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A lot has changed for restaurateurs over the last few years, including how they run their businesses.

To better understand these changes and the current restaurant trends, TouchBistro surveyed more than 600 full service restaurant owners and operators for its annual State of Restaurants Report. Here’s a peek at what they found.

Top 3 Restaurant Trends for 2024

  • Automation Nation

    Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will become increasingly critical to restaurant operations in 2024. In fact, TouchBistro’s data shows that 89% of restaurateurs already use some form of AI in their business. However, leaning into automation doesn’t have to mean adopting flashy tech like burger-flipping robots. Rather, the most impactful applications of AI will be invisible to the customer, such as software that takes over important but tedious tasks in your business, like inventory management (which 65% of restaurants have already automated) and payroll (which 70% have automated).

  • 360-Degree Guest Engagement

    Building on a shift that’s been happening for several years, 2024 will be all about omni-channel guest engagement – operators need to ensure they’re top of mind, all the time. Many restaurants are already taking a 360-degree approach to guest engagement. 72% have a website, the majority maintain a social media presence, and 67% offer loyalty programs. If you want to increase discoverability in 2024, the secret is leveraging as many guest engagement platforms as possible.

  • Future-Proof POS Systems

    Efficiency will be key to success in 2024 and cloud POS systems offer that efficiency. According to TouchBistro’s report, the top three features restaurant operators look for in a POS system are ease of use, system reliability, and customer support – all of which are things cloud systems offer. And there’s no question that the cloud is where most restaurants are moving, with 76% reporting that they already use a cloud-based POS.

        • First, contact the POS company and determine if their software supports NFC. It might be as simple as calling the support number and asking them to enable it.
        • Second, if the POS doesn’t have touchless capability, reach out to your credit card processor and inquire about their NFC solution.
        • If you do not have a POS system, terminals from credit card processing companies can stand alone, if there is a phone line or data line.

Change is the one constant you can expect from the restaurant industry. Learn more about the latest restaurant industry trends and how to future-proof your business by downloading TouchBistro’s 2024 State of Restaurant Report today.

About TouchBistro:

TouchBistro is an all-in-one POS and restaurant management system that offers the reliability, functionality, and speed that operators need to take care of their guests and grow their businesses.

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