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AI has tremendous potential for businesses across the globe. For restaurants, knowing where to start is a challenge. It's interesting to think about what AI technology can do one day, but operators need to source technology that provides ROI and boosts efficiencies now.
“This guide is a game-changer for restaurant owners who want to stay ahead of the curve. It provides the knowledge and tools they need to harness the power of AI, transforming their operations and elevating the customer experience,” said Alex Sambvani, co-founder and CEO at Slang.ai.
In this guide, you'll gain a solid understanding of the concepts you need to know to purchase the right AI solution for your business.
Introduction to AI Solutions in Restaurants
There’s a ton of buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), and for good reason. It’s become embedded in our daily lives, whether it’s using always-updated navigation suggestions to avoid traffic or laughing at the AI-generated memes flooding our feeds.
It goes deeper than that, too. AI is changing the face of business. It’s helping brands connect with guests in fresh ways and scale business to new levels.
The pandemic pushed restaurant owners to try new technology to meet the changing needs of their customers. That focus on adopting new tech has led the restaurant industry to ride the rising tide of AI-powered solutions.
From enhancing the guest experience to streamlining operations, AI is revolutionizing how restaurants operate and improve their dining experience.
According to Slang.ai’s AI in the Restaurant Industry study:
- Nearly 94% of operators say AI will be necessary to stay competitive
- 71.6% plan to adopt AI in the next two years
However, the AI landscape is vast, and knowing where to start can prove challenging. This buyer’s guide will make the jump into AI technology less daunting for restaurant owners.
This guide will cover:
- The types of AI solutions used in the restaurant industry today
- The impact AI tools have on restaurant operations
- How to evaluate and implement AI solutions to fit your business
Glossary of AI Terminology
Before digging in, we’ll review AI-related terms and key aspects of AI-powered tech. AI can involve very different types of technology and processes depending on what it’s being used for. To cover our bases, we’ll outline relevant terms that will come up when we cover how AI can be used in a restaurant from inventory management to phone systems.
We’ll cover the following terms:
- AI (artificial intelligence)
- Voice AI
- Natural Language Processing
- Conversational AI
- Chatbots
- Large Language Model
- Automation
- Predictive Analytics
Types of AI Solutions in Restaurant Operations
We’re all familiar with the benefits of using Siri or Alexa to help us through the day, but how does AI make restaurant management easier? Let’s explore the different types of AI solutions restaurant owners use today.
In this guide, we review the following AI tools:
- Inventory management systems: Best for highlighting inefficiencies and reducing waste
- Voice AI phone systems: Great for managing reservations and streamlining the ordering process while freeing up employees
- AI-powered chatbots: Helps customers get restaurant information quickly (what do table wait times look like? How long are you open on Tuesdays?)
- Customer loyalty programs: AI elevates loyalty programs beyond the punchcard
- Demand forecasting tools: Helps predict busy periods and plan for seasonality to give restaurant owners a competitive advantage
Top 5 Benefits of AI Technology in Restaurants
When asked in our industry survey, 54% of restaurant operators thought AI would positively impact restaurants. What does that positive impact look like?
We’ll review the following benefits of using AI in restaurants:
- Improved efficiency: From minimizing manual work to streamlining processes
- Cut costs: How running lean helps debloat your budget
- Increased customer satisfaction: The surprising reason customers actually like interacting with AI
- Deeper data insights: How AI drives more informed decisions with data and predictive analytics
- Fewer human errors: Put your people on the work that really needs a human touch
Evaluation Tips for AI Restaurant Technology
After getting a clear view of the AI playing field, we give a step-by-step overview of how to evaluate different AI tools.
We have checklists for each stage of the evaluation journey to demystify the entire process.
Here’s what we cover:
- Assessing restaurant needs and challenges: What gaps exist in your processes? What could be done better?
- Revisiting the goals for your restaurant: How could AI help bridge the gap between where you are today and where you want to be?
- Researching AI tools: Where should you be looking to understand what kind of solutions are on the market? some text
- Getting the most out of your favorite search engine (sometimes Google isn’t enough)
- Using generative AI (that’s right! Using AI to research AI)
- Checking out review sites (We’ll outline the best ones for the restaurant industry)
- Leveraging your network (Tips for connecting with others in your space)
- Evaluating your options: You know what kind of tool you need, but which option is the best for you and your business? some text
- Getting your team on board (AI-adoption won’t happen over night)
- Watching a product demo (Key for understanding what you’re investing in)
- Asking the right questions (Don’t get caught buying vaporware)
- Weighing your options (How to choose between similar solutions)
Implementation Best Practices for AI tools in Restaurants
Of course, after investing in an AI tool, you want to get the most bang for your buck. We’ll cover best practices for implementing your AI tool smoothly and getting a high return on your investment.
- Implementation: How long should your implementation be? What support can you get from business you’re buying your AI-solution from? Who will be involved in the implementation process?
- Training staff: How will you get your staff on board with the new AI-solution? How can you overcome the learning curve as quickly and efficiently as possible?
- Managing customer expectations: With new AI-solutions, your customer experience should change for the better. That being said, everyone is resistant to change so we’ll offer to tips to set expectations with customers.
- Continuous monitoring and optimization: While some AI solutions are “set it and forget it” tools, they still need to be monitored to make sure they’re helping solve the problem you bought it for.
Frequent AI Questions (FAIQs)
AI is a huge, hot topic and can seem really overwhelming. To wrap up the guide, we’ll cover FAIQ (Frequent AI Questions) we’ve heard restaurant owners ask to further clear things up. We’re pulling straight from our AI study, which surveyed restaurant owners like you.
- Are other restaurant owners investing in AI? We have stats on how many restaurant owners are currently using AI and those who are considering it for the future.
- Is AI here to stay? We’ll break down whether AI is a hot fad or an essential business tool restaurant users want to implement for the long-term success of their restaurant(s).
- How does AI impact the customer experience? The biggest hesitation we hear is around the guest experience and whether using AI will mess with the “human experience” of restaurants. We have some promising stats to share!
Getting ahead with AI
By keeping pace with changing demands and industry advancements, restaurants are poised to thrive. Clinging to the status quo puts you at risk of falling behind.
AI is at the heart of industry advancements. While it may seem intimidating to invest in, it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we made a full guide for restaurant owners looking to get ahead and stay ahead by investing in AI-backed restaurant technology.
Ready to check out the buyer’s guide in full? Grab your copy of this free resource today.
