make sure you have a platform where you can get the data out of that and have co-ownership of it.”
Don’t’ feel like you’re failing because you don’t have the biggest tech. A basic set of tech can carry you for a long way—don’t get sucked into all of the bells and whistles.” Dan Simpson Taziki’s Mediterranean Café
Figure out what your brand needs
Prioritization is one of the biggest challenges an operator can face when it comes to tech, and unfortunately there’s no easy answer because the
tech stack map looks different for everyone.
You’re never too small to build out your tech stack
“Figure out what really is unique to your particular brand and that’s where you should home in,” Dutch Bros Coffee’s Gower said. “Knowing the experience we are looking to bring to life, I ask vendors to supply us with use cases where they’ve already d some engagements and to describe what that looks like.”
It’s a mistake to think that smaller restaurant groups can’t be leaders in the technology space. Just ask Otto Othman, CEO and cofounder of 10- unit fast-casual brand, Pincho.
Not all tech works for everyone – like kiosks and QR codes Since we’ve learned that tech is not one-size-fits- all operation, it should be noted that some technology pieces are either “love it or
“When we first built Pincho, we had to make tech partnerships work even with our small brand,” Othman said, adding that they signed on with Olo early on even as a very small brand. “If you’re going to build 100 restaurants, you have to solve tech stack issues right now. We’ve evolved as we’ve grown and now that we have six restaurants in the pipeline, we are well set-up to make tough decisions early on.”
hate it.” Goodhew said that BurgerFi has really leaned on kiosk technology because their customers like the experience and they’re budget-friendly to install and run (about $5,000 for each restaurant). Smith said that he thinks though that kiosk technology will eventually fade quietly because the technology sometimes frustrates customers. Similarly, while QR codes are very popular with many brands still in the wake of the pandemic, Goodhew thinks that they will go away as customers become more accustomed to just ordering from their phones without the need of a QR code.
Data capture is one of the most important things to check off
One of the most important resources a restaurant’s tech department can have? Customer data.While previously, third-party delivery companies have come under fire for keeping customer data under lock and key, now there
are several solutions to unlocking your customer’s information, including delivery app add-ons like DoorDash Drive or even other platforms. With customer data, you can figure out who your target demographic is and send personalized marketing blasts. “When I got here the brand was 18 years old and we had lots of data pools disconnected from each other,” Dan Simpson said. “You need to make a good POS choice that allows you to co-own the data. If you’re really heavy on mobile or online ordering, you need to
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