News

Service remains priority for restaurant patrons even as technology usage increases

October 30, 2014

The National Restaurant Association has released new research that shows overall technology use in restaurants is increasing. More than one-third of consumers say they are more likely to use technology-related options in restaurants now, compared to two years ago.

In addition, a significant number use their smartphones to interact with restaurants on a regular basis, such as ordering delivery, redeeming rewards and paying.

"While overall usage of restaurant technology options is still more common among diners in the Millennial generation compared with Baby Boomers, the age gap generally levels out when it comes to frequent users," NRA SVP Hudson Riehle said in a news release. "As restaurants integrate more customer-facing technology, usage among consumers is growing. When done right, it can help a restaurant's productivity and the customer experience."

However, Riehle cautioned, a substantial number of consumers said they still prefer to deal with restaurant staff.

"This is still an industry of hospitality where the human factor will always be paramount," he said.

More than 30 percent want mobile payment option

Some highlights from the research include:

• Overall, 70 percent of consumers say they own or regularly use a smartphone or tablet computer. Usage and ownership is common among younger consumers at 90 percent of 18-34-year-olds and 89 percent of 35-44-year-olds.
• Among those consumers, one-third (32 percent) said they would use a smartphone app to pay their check instead of using cash or debit/credit card if offered.
• Half of consumers said they are not using tech options more because they prefer dealing with people. Even the younger consumers agreed – 61 percent of 18 to 34 year olds gave this as a reason for not using technology options more.
• Fifteen percent of respondents said they don't use more technology because they don't know how, while 5 percent said they don't trust technology options to work correctly.

The use of smartphones relative to restaurants

A majority of smartphone owners say they use their devices for several restaurant-related tasks at least a few times per year, such as to looking up basic information about a restaurant (location and hours of operation, for example), viewing menus, reading online reviews, using rewards and special deals, and ordering takeout or delivery on restaurant-branded apps. Half also say they look up nutrition information on their devices several times per year, and one-quarter use their phones to pay for meals at that frequency.

The NRA research also examines consumers who frequently use these tech options. It found that among consumers who use these options at least once per week, the proportional spread across age groups shrunk from the much wider gaps shown for overall and occasional use.

For example, 15 percent of all adults use their smartphone to look up nutrition information at least once per week: 14 percent among consumers in the 18-34 age group, and 12 percent among those 65 and older. Similarly, 11 percent of all adults use their smartphone to use rewards or special deals at least once per week: 11 percent among consumers in the 18-34 age group, and 12 percent among those 65 and older.