Revolutionizing Restaurants: Embracing Tech Solutions in a Challenging Labor Market

Just as some people have experienced “long COVID,” with symptoms lasting well beyond the initial infection, so too have some industries struggled to fully recover from the pandemic’s economic impact. The restaurant industry is a case in point, where employment has yet to climb back from pandemic-induced losses. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), as of October 2023 eating and drinking places were 14,000 jobs below their February 2020 level.

Restaurants Embrace TechnologyToday, some of the pressure of labor shortages in the restaurant industry is mitigated by technology. Physical menus are being replaced by the increased use of mobile-centric applications, such as restaurant apps and QR codes. In quick-serve restaurants, there has also been a marked uptick in digital kiosk usage. This is an innovation that consumers appreciate: 42 percent of diners have already used kiosks, and one in every three people say they would like restaurants to have more kiosks…