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Restaurant revenue: which tech approach will help?

Can tech really make the difference between restaurant revenue and loss?

When asked if they’re using technology to accelerate restaurant growth and boost revenue, most operators would reply with an emphatic ‘yes’. 

After all, why else do you have all this tech, with tablets pinging endlessly in the kitchen and complicated integrations between providers?  

But let’s step back: is this tech having the impact you wanted, hoped and envisioned for your business? 

Hospitality revenue goals

64% of operators say increasing revenue is the top priority for their business, and over half report growing repeat and new customers is also a big focus. It’s a goal almost every business shares, but choosing the wrong tech can turn success into failure. 

When you’re thinking about the benefits of your restaurant technology, there are two things that must be true: that it can scale as you grow, and that it actually delivers tools to increase revenue. 

Let’s dive into each of these areas. 

Tech that empowers restaurant growth

Your hospitality tech stack should help your business adapt to industry demands and expand easily. Being able to experiment and add new locations, brands, or order channels with confidence is non-negotiable in today’s ever-evolving hospitality landscape.

Learn more about growing your business…

Chat with an expert

Book a chat with one of our hospitality experts and discover more ways that tech can help you boost revenue and scale, confidently. 

So the ability of your tech to scale alongside your business should be a critical consideration when analysing your existing tech or looking into new solutions. Think ahead to how it will enable future expansion plans – whether that’s opening new locations, launching a virtual brand, or adding new ordering channels like restaurant mobile apps or self-ordering kiosks

Avoid getting locked into rigid, single-purpose solutions that will require complex integrations and hinder your ability to move and scale quickly. Instead, the ideal hospitality tech solution provides a single foundation with everything you need to grow contained within it. 

New components can be switched on as your operation grows; this allows you to spin up additional revenue streams through new channels, brands, and locations when it’s right for you while maintaining a consistent and efficient experience across your entire business.

Take some time up front to think about where you want to go in 3 to 5 years. A lot of what we did in the early years, we picked partners that weren’t scalable or that quite aligned to the needs that we had even then, let alone needs as they change. But that’s something Vita Mojo were great at: building flexibility into the systems. We knew we could input into the road map and would end up with a product that we were going to be genuinely proud of and that would actually solve problems
Rosie Hill
Head of E-commerce, GAIL’s Bakery

Restaurant tech that increases revenue

While ambitious growth plans are exciting, they’ll fall flat if you don’t have the revenue to back it up. 

Digital ordering channels like self-ordering kiosks and Click & Collect are powerful tools for boosting revenue, footfall, and average order values. With smart features like upsells, meal deals, and personalised basket recommendations, these channels can increase ATV by up to 49%.

At first, I was sceptical about technology and whether it would be worth it to change our approach. But having one Order Management System has saved us so much time and money that we wouldn’t go back. Throughput is better. Average spend is better. Managing multiple sites and menus has never been easier.
David Ellison
Chief Operating Officer, Deep Blue Restaurants

However, to get the most out of these channels, you’ll need tight integration between these digital ordering channels, your POS, Kitchen Management System, and more. If these components operate individually, you’ll be leaving money on the table as throughput issues and friction negate many of the benefits.

The benefits of centralised hospitality tech 

As you evaluate your restaurant tech stack, take a big-picture view of how it will enable an adaptable, cohesive operation that removes bottlenecks and unlocks new revenue opportunities. 

Solutions with centralised menu management, for example, allow you to make smarter and more efficient menu design choices that boost profitability across all ordering channels. This sort of revenue boosting tactic is made much more simple when you can update all your menus in one place. 

 

We used to work through the night to make menu updates because there was no way to update everything in a simple way during trading hours. We were using three separate, fragmented systems to do what we can do now with just one platform. Moving to one provider has completely changed the game.
Richard Gilliatt
Digital Brand Manager, Crepeaffaire

What to ask potential tech vendors

When vetting restaurant technology platforms and considering how they will help you grow revenue and scale, ask questions like: 

  1. How quickly can new channels, locations and brands be added and made live?
  2. How easy is it to customise menus, branding, and pricing for each new channel or brand?
  3. Are new storefronts or digital ordering channels built from scratch, or do updates instantly reflect across the entire operation?
  4. How well do menus, orders, kitchen management, and other components integrate to maximise throughput and revenue potential?
  5. What reporting and dashboard tools are available to identify sales trends and optimise for increased revenue?

The right technology partner will help future-proof your operation by providing an agile platform to drive growth through new revenue streams and digital transformation. 

With a solution built for scalability and integrated across all customer touchpoints, you can meet customers however and wherever they want to engage – unlocking the path to increased sales, bigger basket sizes, and a larger customer base.

How to choose the right tech

Download the full Hospitality Tech Buyer’s Guide now – packed with tips on how to identify restaurant tech that will actually grow your business.

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