Page continued: “There is good news for
restauranteurs. Millennials are dining out on
average four times a month which is more than
they are ordering in. In a competitive market
the industry is using technology to attract new
customers and deliver a better dining experience.”
In restaurants, the technological
improvement most wanted by millennial
respondents is the ability to order food and
drinks before arriving (47%), paying via an
app (44%) and ordering food electronically at
the venue (34%). This is already a reality at
many venues.
In response, 52% of restaurateurs have
implemented technology to allow food and
drink ordering in advance of arrival and
39% to let customers pay their bill online
or through an app. 28% of restauranteurs
intend to implement an interactive e-menu
that shows food selections in 3D and nearly
a quarter (23%) expect to introduce the
option of dining with a virtual companion
via an interactive screen, which fits with 20%
of millennials thinking this would improve
their experience.
However, 76% of millennials still prefer
the human touch throughout their dining
experience, so this is not the beginning of
total automation. They also place significant
value on originality, with 53% rating a ‘new
experience’ as an important feature when
choosing a place to eat.
Surprisingly, some technologies do not seem
to resonate with millennials. Only 16% were
positive about 3D virtual entertainment.
By contrast, 28% of restaurants expect to
implement 3D virtual entertainment in
their restaurants within five years. 25%
of millennials consider paying more at a
restaurant if the social media ratings are
excellent.
Page concluded: “With such a large percentage
of their income now coming from the millennial
generation, restaurateurs need to ensure they
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are futureproofing their businesses now to cope
with their desires and demands.
“The tech savvy nature of the millennial
group and their loyalty to a brand is of huge
significance to the future of the industry, which
must continue to adapt and to evolve to meet
these new challenges.”
Loungers to reach 140 sites
by year end
Loungers, the operator of 126 neighbourhood,
café-bar-restaurants trading under the
Lounge and Cosy Club brands, recently
announced a new opening programme. The
Group, which comprises 104 Lounges and
22 Cosy Clubs, remains on track to reach
140 sites by the end of 2018. The Group has
opened 12 new sites this year, and there are
25 new sites in the pipeline for 2018.
Loungers say the business “continues to
trade well in the current environment”
and Lounger’s home-from-home, relaxed
customer proposition - offering “great food
and drink, all day, to an increasingly broad
demographic” - continues to resonate with
customers. Trading across both brands,
in both mature sites and new openings
“continues to be strong”.
Loungers CEO Nick Collins said: “We are
pleased with trading both in terms of our new
openings and the consistent level of growth
which we are achieving across both brands in
our more established sites.”