The last five years have brought both disruptions and innovations for fast-casual and quick-service brands. The pandemic kicked off many of these developments, with others emerging more recently. Looking ahead, restaurants and the customer experience are in for even more changes before the decade’s end.

Consumers and fast-food establishments of all types are under pressure. Constraints on money and time are at the forefront, but they’re just the beginning. Elements such as healthy eating, brand loyalty, and workforce shifts will also influence the customer experience of the future.

Many of the changes we see on the horizon are rooted in technology. A recent report found that 76 percent of restaurant operators say using technology gives them a competitive edge, but only 13 percent think they’re on the leading edge of tech use compared to their peers. With significant money already invested in both software and hardware, restaurants will expand and iterate on how they use existing tools, moving from simply applying technology to solve long-standing problems to executing strategies they may not have even thought possible just a few years ago.

Customized menus that feel truly personal

Fast dining of the future will see brands pull value from past order data far beyond the use cases of today by blending it with newer technologies. Customer preferences and behaviors, camera feeds, and AI could come together to develop customized menus influenced by individual diners’ previous choices while also enticing them with new or timely items. Real-time facial recognition in the store and license plate readers in the drive-thru and parking areas, for example, can get a boost from AI to quickly identify loyalty program members. Infusing the preferences, past order data, and buying behaviors of these valued customers into the current scope of offerings will enable restaurants to seamlessly tee up digital signage to display highly personal menus, from curated condiment selections gleaned from previous orders to unique incentives based on the customer-level success of past promotions.

Stay in the moment with dynamic menus and promos

Along with menus tailored to individual diners, fast-dining brands will employ a wider variety of data to inform in-the-moment menu development and supply orders. More than half (52 percent) of restaurant operators say their most common use of AI is data analysis to predict future sales. AI tools can quickly analyze external information sources, such as weather forecasts, and compare sales volumes from periods with similar conditions to determine which menu items (e.g., cold drinks) will perform best and how much of each variety the store should order to satisfy demand without wasting product. What about a sudden downpour? AI can recognize store-level events as they happen and adjust digital menu boards with offers designed to keep customers inside with larger meals or more dessert options.

Foot traffic, camera feeds, and even the time of day and day of the week will provide valuable direction to create dynamic menus that drive revenue. If it’s a Wednesday morning and the drive-through cameras identify cars with young children in them, the AI may determine the need for kid-friendly menu items and take proactive measures to prepare for an unplanned surge. Customers that fit this profile can receive in-app and digital display promos that combine health-conscious options for parents and kids’ meals that feature apple slices instead of fries. Franchise locations near college campuses will automatically recognize game-day traffic and connect diners to targeted campaigns while showing the latest division standings on in-store signage.

Bring it all together for the ultimate customer experience

Much of the customer experience happens behind the counter. More powerful technologies will give brands better control and flexibility in aligning kitchen operations and customer service. The same cameras restaurants use today—particularly those that measure and monitor food safety, food quality, and work area cleanliness—will also count the number of pickles on burgers, the pepperoni slices on pizza, or the number of fries in each size of French fry. A heightened ability to track details with existing cameras and to apply AI tools to pull out the most meaningful data from video feeds will help to control costs, ensure menu items are visually appealing, and deliver a vibrant front-of-house customer experience.

Big value without big investments

Brands will have increased opportunities to pull more value out of existing technology investments, and, in many cases, these gains will come at little or no additional cost. Many modern AI solutions can leverage the data feeds flowing from today’s video and camera systems to enhance the customer experience, reduce costs, streamline staffing, and increase profitability. In the future, quick-service and fast-casual brands will discover new capabilities simply by adding new software or perhaps migrating workloads to the cloud to save on capital expenditures while accessing powerful AI models. Many won’t even need to upgrade their equipment or technology stack to gain the benefits—the use of APIs will be sufficient to connect most AI-powered solutions to existing equipment.

Transformative advancements in quick-service and fast-casual dining are already happening. With the capabilities and advancements of modern tools, brands will continue to see many more use case possibilities come to fruition before the end of the decade. The good news is that restaurants are using most of these technologies today. The advancements envisioned in Fast Food 2030 will largely involve combining existing solutions to increase speed, enhance customer engagement, drive revenue, and create a more impactful experience.

Author: Staff Writer | Courtesy of “Forbes” | Edited for WTFwire.com | SOURCE: QSR Magazine