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The perfect storm: how technology is changing the foodservice industry
Take a look around. The world is changing rapidly. Literally 15 years ago, we ordered pizza by phone call, we could not imagine that we would be able to watch in real time how it is being prepared and, moreover, watch the courier drive to our house on the map.

Now it seems familiar and common. To understand where the world is heading now, we decided to analyze and share with you technological trends in the food service industry.
The food service industry
Great! Most likely, this is the word that will fit in this case. The impact of new technologies on the restaurant sector and the fast food industry has been just grandiose lately! The internet and mobile phones have completely changed the way we order, produce and consume food.
Instead of lumbering menus at restaurants, customers use their phones to order for delivery. Instead of asking their friends for advice, people study reviews left by complete strangers on the Internet.
Software is eating the world - software is eating the planet and more and more new sectors of the economy. And today, any restaurateur asks the question: what will be left of the traditional food industry in the end? Restaurant Menu App is a nice example of that.
This article provides an overview of the most important (in our purely personal opinion) changes in the market that are changing the entire industry. So what else is technology doing?
1. Raise the delivery market to a new level
I myself have never ordered anything on Deliveroo, UberEats and other similar sites. And, frankly, I can't understand why other people are doing this.
For me, lunch in a restaurant or cafe is a good excuse to go out and see the world. Sitting at home or in the office, eating out of plastic containers and paying more for it? Thank you but no. And yet I know that for the rest of humanity, delivery is almost a new religion. Someone worships her, someone wants to fight her. In any case, it's not easy: food delivery is a high-tech business, and creating your own IT solutions in this area is very expensive. In delivery, a lot depends on the scale.
Therefore, someone believes that the world of the future belongs to giant tech companies, so you need a App for Restaurant. The global shipping market is expected to exceed $ 160 billion by 2024. And yet I don't think the game is over. Aggregators have a problem: they pay little to restaurants and drivers and continue to be unprofitable. So we'll see how it all ends.
2. Reduce barriers to launching your restaurant
The growth in delivery, as controversial as it may be, is helping to develop a new business model: the dark kitchen. And this is another "hot" novelty on the fast food market.
The idea is simple: if people order delivery via apps on their smartphones, why pay for expensive premises in the city center and invest in the design of the premises? Instead, you can rent a small corner in an industrial building and sell cheaper meals exclusively through delivery platforms.
According to the Restaurant ordering app FREE study, there are many startups (CloudKitchens, Karma Kitchen, Kitchen United, Taster and Keatz in Europe, District Kitchen in Russia) that are looking to capture this market. And some delivery aggregators, for example, Deliveroo, have launched their own dark kitchen project. And even McDonald's is entering this market.
Fedor Ovchinnikov (founder of Dodo Pizza) considers this model not very stable (the “dark kitchen” craze is nonsense), because it depends too much on aggregators. It is almost impossible to do big business only on a virtual restaurant.
Nevertheless, millions of dollars are poured into such projects, and this allows people with almost no capital to start a restaurant business. The lower capital investment in launching a virtual brand compared to traditional restaurants is likely to drive the growth of this market in the near future.
3. Change the way people place orders
Thanks to the kiosks in many fast food restaurants, you can now order a burger and fries without saying a word (however, it would be nice to say at least “thank you” when you pick up your food from the counter).
No queues - and plenty of time to explore everything on the menu. These terminals are also convenient for business, as they increase efficiency.
But is this a long-term solution? Maybe a smartphone in your pocket will be the best "terminal"? You go to the app of a cafe or restaurant and place an order while you are on the road so that the food is ready when you arrive. Conveniently. The app will also remember your payment details, order history and preferences.
Chick-fil-A launched a mobile restaurant ordering app last year. This American brand isn't the only one already using their app to improve their customer experience.