AI and automation are headline-makers, but operators are increasingly investing in technology with a behind-the-scenes, staff-first mindset
While so many of the latest developments in restaurant technology are customer-facing — from the drive-thru voice AI that identifies loyalty customers to the droids and drones that complete food deliveries — each tech investment impacts the restaurant employee behind the scenes. Drive-thru voice AI and automated deliveries, for example, can free up workers to take on more customer-service-oriented roles.
Increasingly, restaurant operators are investing in technology that directly influences the way their employees work and thrive, instead of seeing these job tweaks as mere happy side effects of tech advancements.
It’s easy to say that the “Restaurant of the Future” will be completely automated and driven by AI-curated analytics, but as restaurant industry turnover rates remain high (the 2023 turnover rates were 70.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), tomorrow’s successful restaurant will put its employees first.
Here’s a tour of the Restaurant of the Future, based on real investments that leading operators are making in their restaurants today.
Voice AI might be getting all the attention when it comes to drive-thru technology, but the imperfect technology has its limits. New York City-based salad chain Just Salad just opened its first drive-thru lane in New Jersey, and although the 100-unit chain has not yet invested in voice AI, it has launched small tools that make the drive-thru experience smoother.
Just Salad recently opened its first drive-thru lane in New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Just Salad
Each time a car enters the drive-thru lane, a subtle tone alerts the employee. Although this tiny feature is inaudible on the consumer side, according to the brand’s chief technology officer, Matt Silverman, it allows employees “to stay focused on other tasks until needed.”
“We've partnered with HME to equip our team with the best-in-class drive-thru audio technology,” Silverman told Nation’s Restaurant News. “Other features we are experimenting with include a customizable automated greeting that team members can personally record, maintaining brand consistency while freeing up time for more meaningful guest interactions during the order-taking process.”
Walk into any high-traffic Starbucks café during peak hours, and it’s not uncommon to see a large cluster of customers waiting for their drinks to be made, while baristas frantically work behind the counters to take orders, fill coffee cups, and yell out customer names.
Starbucks rolled out equipment to cut down the time it takes to make a Frappuccino. Photo courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks aimed to cut down on the chaos with the 2022 rollout of new automation equipment that was able to whittle down the time it takes to make a Frappuccino from a minute-and-a-half to 30 seconds. The next update to this new equipment was dubbed the Siren Craft System, and it was scaled nationally in July 2024.
The Siren Craft System created new simplified routines for making popular drinks, including a change in beverage sequencing, which allowed employees to save time by pulling espresso first and then steaming the milk instead of the other way around. The new system also implemented a “floater” flexible staff position whose job is to help baristas wherever is needed during peak times.
“Prior to Siren Craft System, we were hearing from some of our partners at certain stores that they felt overburdened during some of our busiest times,” said Kionte’ Sheffield, the district manager who worked on the Siren Craft System when it was in pilot mode, in a statement. “They didn't have many ways to anticipate that demand or respond. With Siren Craft System being a solution by partners and for partners, we have an ease of operations — we’re more efficient without it feeling difficult.”
Mediterranean fast-casual brand CAVA has been diligently working behind the scenes on its multiyear Connected Kitchen initiative, a generative AI video tool that is able to monitor ingredient-usage on the make-line in real time for prep and cook amounts. This technology is now live in four stores, while the company’s new kitchen display system is live in 25 stores.
“This test deploys new and improved digital order management capabilities for our second make line, enhancing productivity and order accuracy,” said Brett Schulman, cofounder and CEO of CAVA, during the company’s most recent earnings call. “While both initiatives are in the very early stages, we believe they can improve quality and consistency, increase order accuracy, boost speed of service, and simplify prep and planning.”
Tools like this are not only productivity boosters, but they also mitigate back-of-house stress that has been amplified by omnichannel capabilities.
Another relatively invisible back-of-house improvement is the modern and improved training video. While there are many tech vendors that have rolled out AI-enabled videos and even gamified training modules, breakfast and lunch chain First Watch is trying out its own proprietary technology called Yolk TV, which emulates the length and engagement of a short-form social media video, like TikTok.
“These are quick 30-second videos to show employees how to do everything in the restaurant, from rolling silverware to making an omelet to preparing pancake mix,” First Watch COO Dan Jones told Nation’s Restaurant News. “These are short, easy-to-digest videos that can be accessed anytime and anywhere in whatever frequency the employee needs them. I believe they will help with both employee satisfaction and retention in the long-term because if employees feel like they know what they're doing, then they’re confident in their job.”
Many operators are upgrading their point of sales systems — the workhorses of the restaurant — with employee needs in mind. After First Watch rolled out its new kitchen display system three years ago, the casual-dining chain quickly realized that it had to now rebuild the POS system to ensure that servers were able to communicate quickly and accurately with the kitchen. First Watch was able to discern exactly what employees needed from a new POS system by meeting with back- and front-of-house employees from every operational region.
“They sit with [CEO] Chris Tomasso, [chief people officer] Laura Sorensen, and myself, and they gave us a lot of great feedback on the buttons they needed,” Jones said. “I didn't know that ‘light cheese’ was such a massive request, but if you can't communicate that to the kitchen, it's a big problem. So, we rebuilt the POS system, and that has made a huge difference.”
Kiosks have been crucial to Shake Shack’s most recent technology upgrades, and last year, every store in the New York City-based burger chain’s portfolio was retrofitted with them. The kiosks aren’t just convenient for guests (and cut down on long lines), but they also allow employees to switch to more customer service-oriented tasks. Shake Shack CFO Katie Fogertey said in a recent interview that thanks to kiosks, all Shake Shack employees now bring customer orders directly to their tables — bringing a touch of casual-dining hospitality to a fast-casual environment.
Kiosks have been crucial to Shake Shack’s tech upgrades. Photo courtesy of Shake Shack
“We would have not been able to do this special touch had we not had the kiosks in place,” Fogertey said. “Kiosks provide a better guest experience. ... And our team members love providing a great hospitality experience.”
Fogertey said that even with the rollout of kiosks, the company still employs cashiers. They’re just usually checking IDs for alcohol sales, answering menu questions, and focusing more on the holistic side of the job than ringing up sales.
“Shake Shack is not going to be that kind of experience where everything's robotic and automated,” she said. “We are really focused on that warm hospitality moment.”
Tableside payment is another relatively simple piece of technology that frees up employees’ time and energy to focus on customer service aspects of their job. When First Watch implemented QR code tableside payment with Apple Pay and Google Pay, it “relieved a lot of congestion” at the host stand, Dan Jones said.
Putting QR code stickers on each table at Friendly’s was a simple but efficient way to relieve employees on busy Friday and Saturday nights, Sherif Mityas, CEO of Brix Holdings, told Nation’s Restaurant News.
“We have a lot of families with small children, and we all know when those kids are ready to go and you’re still waiting for the check that it can be a sore point at the end of the dining visit that could spoil an otherwise great experience,” Mityas said.
While technology improvements for staff and customers tend to go hand-in-hand, Mityas said that these investments are meant to enhance staff experience, rather than replace jobs.
“The technology can help train, it can help deliver timely information on specific guests so you know their name, their favorite table, and favorite ice cream,” Mityas said. “The technology can help take mundane tasks from the team member to allow them to spend more time talking to their guests. Technology, when used correctly, enhances instead replaces team members in the restaurants of the future.”
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]
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