USA | AI technology in restaurants has become a driver for higher revenue for hospitality business owners across the United States.
An early leader in bringing artificial intelligence to restaurant technology, Popmenu has announced enhanced AI features that address labour gaps and other pressing challenges for operators—while increasing revenue opportunities. From answering hundreds of calls at once to automatically creating marketing content that is tailored for each restaurant and tracking marketing's influence on online and on-premise sales, Popmenu's AI is helping to guide busy operators on what to do next to grow their business in an increasingly competitive market.
The majority (60 percent) of restaurant operators reported that they are having a hard time hiring for certain roles; 39 percent have lost revenue opportunities due to staffing issues. This is according to Popmenu's nationwide study of 362 U.S. restaurant leaders in April 2024.
"The restaurant market is more competitive than ever, and there is a noticeable difference in financial performance between restaurants who are consistently marketing and those who are not," said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu.
"The problem is many operators are short on time and resources. Around 40 percent don't actively reach out to guests. We've invested in AI over the years to help restaurants not only automate marketing across digital channels but do it in a personalised way and pinpoint what's having the biggest impact on sales. It's not just about giving them tools; it's about giving them content and a playbook for growth based on billions of guest interactions."
When asked to identify their most time-consuming tasks, 58 percent of restaurant operators said creating marketing content. Three in four (74 percent) are open to using AI for this purpose; 79 percent said they would rather edit marketing content vs. building it from scratch.
In the coming months, Popmenu is launching a new AI tool that enables operators to enter a topic they want to talk about and then instantly compose an email, text, and social post for them, including an image. The company is also planning a phased rollout of a Mobile Advisor feature on its Popmenu for Owners app that serves up marketing content for operators to consider on-the-go.
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