USA | A new report by Deloitte has overviewed the future of AI investments by restauarants and how it could become an essential tool.
Deloitte’s Restaurant AI Investments Survey indicated that restaurants will leverage AI technology to enhance customer experiences and improve operations from the dining room to the kitchen and drive-thru, yet risks and challenges remain.
Eight in 10 (82 percent) restaurant executives surveyed plan to increase investments in AI technologies in the next fiscal year, and hope to see benefits for improved customer experience (60 percent), restaurant operations (36 percent), and loyalty programs (31 percent).
AI investments in customer experience are generating impact with 52 percent of brands and 84 percent of operators surveyed currently seeing high customer experience impact.
Among those surveyed, identifying the right use cases (48 percent) and managing risks (48 percent) are the top two factors holding back restaurant leaders from deploying AI.
Across all brands surveyed, less than half of respondents say their organisations are ready for AI adoption when it comes to strategy (43 percent), technology infrastructure (39 percent), operations (34 percent), risk and governance (28 percent), and talent (27 percent).
With customer expectations evolving, some restaurant leaders are turning to artificial intelligence to create new opportunities for growth across their operations. In its new report, "How AI is Revolutionising Restaurants," Deloitte examines artificial intelligence adoption, what is driving value, perceived challenges, and organisational readiness to scale AI effectively. The report reveals that AI investment and adoption differs across the industry as organisations seek to balance experimentation with operational focus, customer-facing innovation with back-of-house transformation, and high ambitions with organisational readiness.
AI has captured the interest and imagination of many business leaders worldwide, and restaurant executives are no exception. Deloitte found respondents indicated plans for AI investments, along with hopes for what such investments can help them achieve.
When asked how they expect their organisation's investment in AI technologies to change in the next fiscal year, 82 percent of respondents say their AI investment is likely to increase while only two percent expect a decrease.
Sixty percent of respondents cited enhanced customer experience as one of the top three benefits they hope to achieve through AI efforts, followed by improved restaurant operations (36 percent) and enhanced loyalty programs (31 percent).
A smaller but significant portion of those surveyed hope artificial intelligence will strengthen their digital marketing efforts (26 percent), optimise food prep and waste management (25 percent), enhance crew experiences (21 percent), and help them develop new products and concepts (20 percent).
Benefit expectations vary by restaurant type: For example, respondents from casual dining restaurants hope to achieve a significantly greater benefit in enhancing customer experience (60 percent) compared to those in the quick service, fast casual and café segments (48 percent).
Regionally, differences arose. When looking at AI's potential to enable a more positive customer experience, respondents in the U.S. and Europe are more optimistic than their counterparts in Asia (62 percent of U.S. and 59 percent of European respondents noted it as a top three benefit, compared to 42 percent in Asia). Meanwhile, respondents from Asia were the only group to cite automation/augmentation of restaurant labour as their top three hoped-for benefits (25 percent).
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