Why Restaurants Should Be More ‘Empathetic’ When It Comes to Technology

Listen to your customer. It’s a golden rule that every business owner should know never to break – particularly if you’re in the world of hospitality. In an industry where word-of-mouth is your most valued marketing channel, you definitely want to hear what those mouths are saying – and use that feedback for your own decision making.

True empathetic innovation drives technology designers to sit in the seat of key stakeholders and end users.

Yet, when it comes to technology, many of today’s restaurants are forced to make decisions based not on customer preferences or operational effectiveness, but based on what they think is “required,” what’s available, and what they can afford. The result can often be a technological nightmare. 

Take for example the number of full-service restaurant operators that have scrambled to find a way to accept chip (or “EMV”) cards, which are now held by most U.S. consumers. Many of the early EMV technology “solutions,” while…