The restaurant industry is facing a brutal reckoning. The old playbook is obsolete. To survive, operators must embrace a new reality defined by flexibility, safety, and evolving customer expectations. A recent report breaks down the four crucial imperatives that will separate the victors from the casualties in this redefined landscape.
Operational Agility: The Name of the Game
The pandemic forced restaurants into survival mode, demanding rapid pivots to curbside pickup, delivery, and stringent safety protocols. Now, operators must bake this agility into their DNA. This means retraining staff for new roles – from curbside concierge to COVID policy enforcers – and adapting to unpredictable demand patterns. Delivery-based sales, which surged from 9% to 13% in 2020, are projected to exceed 20% by 2025. Restaurants that can’t adapt risk being left behind.
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Shifting Guest Priorities: Experience Redefined
Diners are eager to return, but their expectations have fundamentally changed. Convenience and safety are paramount. The explosion of digital ordering and fulfillment options like curbside pickup is here to stay. Cleanliness, contactless ordering, and transparent food handling are no longer optional – they’re table stakes. Value isn’t just about price; it’s about delivering a superior experience that justifies the cost. Curbside pickup alone is projected to generate $124 billion in revenue (CHD Expert), highlighting the importance of meeting these evolving needs.
The Tech Foundation: Flexibility, Contactless, Simplicity, And Future-Proofing
Navigating the new normal requires a fundamental reimagining of the restaurant’s physical space, operational processes, and supporting technology. The four core imperatives for technology investment are:
- Flexible: Tech must quickly adapt to changing store environments.
- Contactless: Seamless, low-contact experiences are non-negotiable.
- Simple: Intuitive systems maximize productivity for staff and ease of use for customers.
- Future-Proof: Investments must scale long-term with open architecture.
Imperative #1: Embrace Flexible POS Systems
Restaurants require robust point-of-sale (POS) systems that can handle diverse use cases—from delivery staging to kiosk checkout—while seamlessly integrating with everyday consumer technologies. For instance, El Pollo Loco leverages GPS technology to predict customer arrival times, speeding up the checkout process. This trend is further evidenced by the fact that 48% of the top 50 QSRs have already adopted contactless pickup options, with 40% of customers expressing satisfaction with the experience. By deploying a unified platform across multiple touchpoints—such as kitchen displays, order entry, drive-through, delivery/pickup, and self-service—operators can boost order speed, accuracy, and efficiency, ultimately enhancing the overall guest experience.
Imperative #2: Frictionless Guest & Associate Expectations
The demand for a safe and seamless buying experience has never been greater. Shoppers now expect frictionless ordering, pickup, and payment, yet legacy systems often fall short. Burger King’s innovative format—featuring multi-lane digital drive-throughs and conveyor belt delivery—demonstrates the future of service, especially given that 62% of diners would avoid a restaurant that doesn’t prioritize health and safety.
As digitalization accelerates in the restaurant sector, operators must invest in integrated technology that enhances every touchpoint—from order entry and fulfillment to pickup and delivery—without compromising efficiency, speed, or accuracy.
Imperative #3: The Power of Simplicity
Restaurateurs need solutions that are intuitive for employees and easy for consumers. A single platform that can be deployed across multiple areas—whether it’s at the hostess stand, in the kitchen, or at the drive-through—and that seamlessly integrates with other systems is crucial. In addition, systems should offer a familiar interface for associates to minimize training requirements, especially given the expanded responsibilities many now shoulder. Finally, with heightened sanitation demands both now and in a post-pandemic world, the system must be easy to clean.
Saladworks sanitizes POS and payment terminals every 15 minutes, illustrating the heightened focus on cleanliness. The move towards platform solutions over point solutions is gaining momentum.
Imperative #4: Future-Proofing for the Long Haul
Achieving long-term value hinges on adaptability. A platform-driven strategy fosters both agility and resilience and the concept of being “retail-hardened” has never been more critical. For restaurants, systems must endure harsh conditions and seamlessly integrate with emerging digital innovations.
The pandemic has fundamentally transformed how we interact and transact business. As restaurants continue to evolve in response to shifting consumer demands, POS technology will remain the cornerstone of their infrastructure. It must be robust enough to integrate and interface with new digital offerings, ensuring that businesses not only meet today’s challenges but also thrive in a dynamic, ever-changing market.
The Road Ahead: Quick Start Recommendations
Technology is the key enabler for restaurants to navigate this new landscape. Despite revenue pressures, investing in technology is essential for survival. To get started:
- Follow the Guest: Understand their evolving needs and behaviors.
- Build an Enabling Roadmap: Research and test technologies that deliver the desired experience.
- Map the Experience: Collaborate across teams to map the guest journey from a process and technology perspective.
- Start with the Core Platform: Choose a POS system that drives multiple components of the restaurant experience and enables seamless integrations.
The restaurant industry is at a crossroads. Those who embrace these imperatives will be best positioned to thrive in the post-pandemic world.
Industry Insight: The Purchasing Paradox
Rovshan Rasulov, Founder and CEO at Rgand, an online wholesale marketplace that connects food producers directly with U.S. restaurants, eliminating middlemen such as wholesalers and distributors, notes:
“Restaurants lose profits not only in sales but also in purchasing. Even the best efforts to boost restaurant growth and operational efficiency can falter without optimized purchasing—inefficient procurement practices can drive up costs and hinder scalable, sustainable success. The solution is to buy directly from producers, cutting out middlemen. This approach lowers costs, improves product control, and strengthens financial stability. In essence, it’s not just about how you sell, but how you buy—that’s the key to profitability and growth.”
