The Tech Beat: The Editors Weigh In with Joanna Fantozzi and Joseph Guszkowski

In the very first edition of TechBytes, Rob Grimes has a tech conversation from the floor of the National Restaurant Show 2024, with Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor of Nation’s Restaurant News & Joe Guszkowski, Senior Editor of Restaurant Business.

The trio started the conversation by discussing the world of restaurant technology prior, during and after COVID – coming into present day. Joe mentions that QR codes is one technology that was non-existent almost a joke prior to COVID, but now they are omnipresent. Ghost Kitchens have had the opposite trajectory. During the early stages of COVID, Ghost Kitchens were seen as the future of the restaurant industry however the support has fizzled as consumers expressed concern over food quality and real estate was put back in play as operations reopened. And now things have morphed into Virtual Brands and Dark Kitchens.

Moving over into the technology featured at this year’s Restaurant Show – the topic of Artificial Intelligence is brought up. Nearly every tech company at the show has some sort of AI offering. What is behind all of this in reality, is the amount of data available and how the technology providers use it in their applications and make it available to their customers to help them operate. Data makes the restaurant experience more personalized, gains insights about customers, and feeds AI applications. Other technologies broadly featured are robotics, kiosks, and of course POS.

Tune in to enjoy the inaugural episode of TechBytes recorded on location at National Restaurant Show 2024 to see what those that cover the industry see, experience and predict in the tech that enables the future of restaurants.

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