Food
Table Tech
Being too tired to cook or pick up
dinner is creating a multibillion dollar
industry - apps like UberEats and
Deliveroo are bringing food straight to
customers’ doorsteps from a curated
list of local restaurants. It’s a crowded
market where a spate of new apps are
on the rise, and whilst not all venues
are on board, restaurateurs should
consider the space and requirements
to manage pickups. Tech’s also found
on more tables where customers are
ordering food and drinks off apps at
their convenience. Meanwhile UK
outfit DelivAir is using drones, GPS
and smartphone signals to bring food
straight to customers.
Reservations are back
Table for two? Get in the queue – is
the route many restaurateurs have
taken in a no reservations, walk-in
approach, seating customers on a first
come basis. Alternatively restaurants
like Momofuku do small-scale seating
without waiting lists which, when five
star reviews are added, skyrockets
demand. But in 2018 reservations
are coming back to make restaurants
more accessible. This is thanks in
part to Google who’ve just launched
insights into wait times and peak
visiting periods, giving customers
more control of bookings and how long
they wait.
2018 TOP FOOD
and Hospitality Trends
The food and hospitality
scene is a competitive
space. From concept
dining to the latest
technology shaping menus
and fitouts, these top food
and dining trends will keep
you in the loop and dining
outside the box.
Cashless Dining
More eateries and bars are integrating
technology that lets customers
transact without cash or cards. Alipay
has a 520 million user base and
lets 1.4 million Chinese visitors in
Australia pay the way they like most –
on their smartphones and in their own
currency. Alipay arrived on the Gold
Coast at the end of 2017 and launches
in other parts of Australia shortly
to shape the visitor experience and
boost spending. Are you a restaurant
owner? Find out more about Alipay
here. Apps like Apple Pay lets users
make payments using an iPhone,
Apple Watch or iPad and similarly
Samsung Pay lets customers transact
and access member discounts without
the plastic.
Watch out for these additional food
trends taking off in 2018: creative use
of upcycled surrounds, high-end, no-
alcoholic drinks and farm-to-shaker
cocktails.