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1 | FSTEC 2025
Chris Keating EVP, Conferences, Informa Connect Foodservice
We recently wrapped another groundbreaking FS/TEC, where the leading minds in restaurant technology come together each year to tackle the industry’s most pressing digital challenges. For three days in Orlando, Fla., restaurant leaders explored the delicate balance between technological advancement and genuine hospitality, sharing insights on how to improve guest experience and streamline operations without sacrificing guest experience. From topical education sessions to an innovation-packed market - place, industry leaders discussed the ROI of artificial intelligence implementations, strategies for meeting evolving consumer expect - ations, and practical solutions to integration hurdles. This interactive report brings you the best of FS/TEC through video interviews, podcasts, exclusive data, and behind-the-scenes photos. Get top trends and takeaways from the editors of Restaurant Busi - ness and Nation’s Restaurant News, who were on the scene talking with decision-makers at Five Guys, Jollibee, Panera, Qdoba, Dine Brands, Habit Burger Grill, Freddy’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and many more. We hope this interactive report gives you the insights and inspira - tion you need to shape the future of your business.
2 | FSTEC 2025
CONTENTS
4 12 TAKEAWAYS FROM FS/TEC 2025 10
HOW RESTAURANTS ARE TAPPING TECHNOLOGY 14 THE NEST AT FS/TEC 16 AT FSTEC, RESTAURANTS ASK THE KEY QUESTION ON AI: WHY? 20 OPERATOR SPOTLIGHT 22 CONSUMER SPENDING FORECAST 24 MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESTAURANT DELIVERY? 26 SCENES FROM THE SHOW 32 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MAIN STAGE 38 THE RESTAURANT TECH GENERATION GAP
12 TAKEAWAYS FROM FS/TEC 2025 The next hot restaurant tech job, AI’s evolving role in restaurants, and more lessons from this year’s conference. T he recent FSTEC conference in Orlando, Florida, brought together thousands of restaurant technol - ogy specialists and vendors to the Gaylord Palms
“They’re not in the back-of-the-house” count - ing inventory, Kevin Summers, strategy manager, inventory AI counting for Star - bucks, said at the conference. “They can be more in the front-of-the-house, interacting with customers.” 2 Loyalty must constantly evolve A loyalty program is not a “set it and forget it” thing. It’s an effort that needs constant re - visiting, said Dino Northway, senior director of off-premise & guest services for Portillo’s. The Chicago-based fast-casual chain launched a new loyalty program in March that has continued to evolve. Rather than create a program built around coupons or discounts, Portillo’s wanted to build an experience for guests that would be fun and interactive. To date, the program now has about 2 mil - lion members, said Northway. There’s no app. The Portillo’s Perks program lives in an Apple or Google digital wallet. Northway said the chain engages with members with RCS messaging, which is like texting but more interactive. Portillo’s can layer in images, video and links, and guests can reply. “It feels like an app, but it’s not an app,” he said. “It lives in your message stream.” And Portillo’s can have fun with the content. When news of Taylor Swift’s engagement hit, Portillo’s within hours sent Perks mem - bers free onion rings, with the message, “She got a ring. So should you,” Northway said. These little surprises often turn into happy social media posts. “You don’t get that type of experience from just giving a coupon,” he said.
Resort for three days of conversation about the future of AI, the role of technology in the customer journey, and, funda - mentally, the need to keep the human touch of hospitality in operations. Next year, FSTEC will move back to Dallas. But, if you missed this year’s event, here are some nuggets from operators.
1 Tech takes a backseat to ‘connection’ One recurring theme of this year’s FSTEC: Technology that improves hospitality, rather than technology for technology’s sake. And that includes the Tech du Jour, artificial intelligence. Multiple executives highlighted AI’s ability to remove some mundane tasks from the restaurant to free workers up for that hospi - tality. “AI is taking all the bullshit we don’t want to do every day,” Jennifer Bell, CMO with the independent restaurant operator Lettuce En - tertain You Enterprises. “It’s freeing up time for the connection, to be creative and have fun. If we’re not doing it, we’re missing it.” One such example comes from Starbucks, which is debuting a new AI-based inventory counting program that uses tablets with cameras to count inventory in a fraction of the time. That technology is designed to save time to free up store managers for that hospitality.
4 | FSTEC 2025
3 Computing veers toward the edge
Restaurant technology used to run on physical servers in the store. Then computing moved to the cloud. Now it might be coming back to earth, at least partially. Many suppliers are rolling out edge computing systems that allow restaurants to process data locally, and, crucial - ly, without an internet connection. This not only speeds things up but also acts as a backup if the internet goes out. The edge is also viewed as a potentially important piece of AI adoption because of its lightning-fast processing speeds. It could solve the problem of laggy voice bots, for instance. Edge isn’t going to replace the cloud, as it has just a frac - tion of the processing power. But the two could work in tandem, with the edge handling real-time tasks, like ordering. 4 The next hot restaurant job: Concierge A general theme at this year’s event was restaurants’ desire to bring more hospitality into their operations after several years of adding technology. Things like kiosks have freed up staff to do other things, and a few brands said they are thinking about redeploying employees as concierges who can greet customers and help them navi - gate the ordering experience. “We’ll see how it all plays out, obviously, with the labor costs and all that good stuff,” said Iwona Alter, COO of The Habit Burger Grill, which is testing a host position. “But definitely a lot more texture and intimacy as to how the hospitality can happen in the restaurants today.” 5 Third-party customers prove tough to convert Restaurants have spent years trying to get customers who order through aggregators like DoorDash to order directly from them instead. This has been difficult, given the selec - tion and convenience that third-party apps offer. Some brands, like The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, have given up entirely on trying to convert third-party users, and are now treating them as a distinct set of cus - tomers. “There was a time when brand leaders thought that we were going to take the customer from the third party and bring them to our native, and it’s not happened,” said Presi - dent Bob Andersen. “Most of the third-party platforms do a phenomenal job with their technology. They do a great job with their loyalty program. So now it’s, ‘How do I play in that arena the best we can, and then how do we bring business to us for people who want to come direct?’”
AT A GLANCE
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
FSTEC 2025 | 5
“The end game is to drive frequency, drive occasion, make a moment that will bring your customers back again.”
— Zerrick Pearson, CIO of Five Guys Enterprises
7 It’s all about the endgame Restaurant operators are more forward-thinking now. When it comes to tech, they’re looking at who’s best in breed, not can I have it, said Zerrick Pearson, CIO of Five Guys Enter - prises and chair of the International Food and Beverage Technology Association. “The features, the functions, the innovation cycle, it’s gotten so quick. Now people are far more forward-thinking. They’re less thinking about the integration, the ease of integration, and more about the end game, which I think is a better ap - proach,” he said. 6 Dynamic pricing is dead (as we know it) “I don’t think we should use that word anymore,” said Erik Knott, CEO of eight-unit Tiki Tacos. He’s not against the general idea of using technology to change menu prices based on demand. After all, he said, it’s commonplace in the travel industry. But consumers’ emo - tional attachment to restaurants makes it more difficult, as Wendy’s learned last year.
Maybe dynamic pricing just needs a rebrand. Tom Kincaid, a retail specialist with Google, noted that the idea has existed forever in restaurants in the form of happy hour. “If you can help the customer understand where the value comes from, then there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. He threw out the name “dynamic menus” as an idea.
9 AI and sports schedules Tom’s Watch Bar, a chain of supersized sports bars fre - quently placed near sports venues, can make an awful lot of money one day and not a whole lot the next, and it’s all dependent on who’s playing in its markets that night. And so the company uses an AI forecasting model, along with sports schedules in the markets it operates, to deter - mine whether a specific location will be busy on a specific night. “We can have a $2,000 Wednesday and then a $200,000 Friday,” said Brooks Schaden, the chain’s co-CEO. “It’s like playing out the Grammys or an award show. You plan every - thing out. We know which locations are going to be busier than others and plan accordingly.” But because it can get so busy, it also takes other steps to satisfy customers. It has multiple bars to ensure that it can get drinks into customers’ hands quickly. Handheld devices cut down on mistakes. And it has a KDS system to ensure its orders are processed correctly. No matter who is playing.
8 And what is that endgame? It depends on the product, Pearson said.
“I think we’re all competing for the same customer forever,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to deliver the best product and the top customer experience. So that end game is to drive frequency, drive occasion, make a moment that will bring your customers back again, either through the experience or the food, or both.”
6 | FSTEC 2025
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“Technology is an expectation; it’s not just a ‘nice to have.’ I’m such a stickler with our vendors because I want this experience to be seamless for our guests.” — Jennifer Bell, CMO, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
10 Removing friction from technology Jennifer Bell, chief marketing officer at Lettuce Entertain You, shared how her Gen Z son abandoned using a restau - rant gift card after difficulties in trying to use the gift card in the brand’s mobile app. “His tolerance for technology is an expectation; it’s not just a ‘nice to have,’” Bell explained. “I’m such a stickler with our vendors because I want this experience to be seamless for our guests.” This friction has grown alongside operational complexity. During the same panel, Iwona Alter, chief operating officer of Habit Burger & Grill, noted that her brand expanded from primarily dine-in to “11 possible points of entry” post-pan - demic. “It used to be simple,” she said. “Today, our tools and chan - nels have multiplied.” 11 Getting back to basics Hospitality was one of the most repeated buzzwords at the FSTEC conference, as operators discussed investing in tech - nology without sacrificing the humanity of old-fashioned customer service. Jennifer Dodd, CEO of Main Squeeze Juice Co., said when she joined Main Squeeze, she found the company wasn’t leveraging consumer data to the best of its ability, so she and her team began creating focus groups to garner feed - back from their top rewards customers. “What we took from that is to double down on what brought you to the dance in the first place,” Dodd said. “Like, why did they come to you as a foodservice provider?” For Main Squeeze, it was about using technology to get to the core of why people loved the brand and learning how not to stray too far from that identity.
12 Knowing technology ‘don’ts’ FSTEC speakers had strong opinions around popular tech buzzwords: Robotics — “It’s a lot of investment for not a huge amount of return.” (Tom Kincaid, Google) Dynamic pricing — “People will get pissed off if you charge them $3.50 for a taco one day and the next day $5. Smart pricing — knowing what your competitor is charging — is a better model.” (Eric Knott, CEO of Tiki Taco) Data (invasion of) privacy — “There’s so many laws that are out now about data privacy. So the challenge on the legal side is, how do you actually connect your data in a way that you fully know and understand the consumer?” (Kevin Bent - ley, head of technology and digital for Jollibee)
8 | FSTEC 2025
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HOW RESTAURANTS ARE TAPPING TECHNOLOGY TO CULTIVATE THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY C-suite execs talk AI, kiosks and mining data. Fundamentally, it’s about making the human experience better. By Lisa Jennings
F orget the next shiny thing. With so many tech tools avail - able today, the driving force for operators is cultivating the customer journey. That was the theme of the lively C-Suite in the Hot Seat session at the FSTEC conference in Orlando. Oper - ators from six restaurant companies shared their quick-hit experiences with bringing new technologies to play in their brands with moderators Joe Guszkowski, senior editor of Restau - rant Business, and Joanna Fantozzi, senior editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. Problem solving is, of course, a factor in selecting any new technology. But the operators described the importance of focusing on how that technology might impact the guest experience. At Panera Bread, for example, Meenak -
shi Nagarajan, the chain’s senior vice president and chief digital officer, said the bakery café chain maps out the different customer journeys through each channel, from ordering in units, to ordering through delivery or on the app for rapid pickup. The brand is tapping AI—whether abso - lute, predictive or agentic—for different use cases, she said. “We start thinking about it from the start of the journey to fulfillment in the back,” she said. The decision is not whether or not to use AI, but how AI could be used to, say, write better emails when engaging with guests, for example, or to choose the right images for promotions. Tim Newton, chief technology officer for Long John Silver’s, is bringing in technology like kiosks, for example, to bring the 50-year-old brand to a new
generation. But that has not been with - out pushback from older guests who still want to interact with humans at the register. As the kiosks were being installed, guests were almost confrontational in opposition, Newton said. And staff members were worried about losing their jobs. But the technology has freed up staff members to devote more attention to third-party delivery, a growing chan - nel, and other guest-facing tasks. “Full transparency, it’s a slow adoption,” he said. “But we’re optimistic that if we can bring friction down in the ordering experience, make people more aware of menu, they’re going to engage with us better that way.” Long John Silver’s is also thinking about possibly bringing AI ordering into the drive thru, but it’s critical that
Balancing tech and hospitality Five Guys CIO Zerrick Pearson talks about why restaurants should use their brand identity as a north star as they imple - ment new technology in their restaurants.
10 | FSTEC 2025
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Chris Padilla, vice president of product and brand technology for Dine Brands Global, said the parent of Applebee’s, IHOP and Fuzzy’s Tacos has been using AI to drive more personalized upselling at the point of sale.
they find a vendor offering the most realistic interactive experience. “We have a much older demographic and they tend not to want to engage with a robotic voice,” he said. Jamie Denney, the new chief oper - ations officer for Blaze Pizza, said she also uses the guest experience as her north star. Technology is evaluated with a simple three-pronged question: Is this what the guest wants, when they want it and how they want it? There is no one-size-fits-all technology solution today, she said. Guests want brands to meet them where they are, and, for Blaze, that means some guests will want to interact with team mem - bers as they walk the line, and some digital guests will want to skip the line. Blaze is looking at technology to improve speed, like a next-generation conveyor oven, and a new kitchen display system, she said, as well as holding pizzas at the right temperature to maintain quality. The brand is also planning to open an innovation lab in Atlanta, where Blaze is based, that will allow the franchisor to test different types of technology, like using QR codes or kiosks. Again, it’s about letting guests choose their own adventure.
The chain is also investing in a new position on the team who will be at the front to help guide customers to the experience they want and navigate the technology. Bob Andersen, president of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, said quite a few guests order in restaurants but the chain is seeing triple-digit growth on online platforms and a “very solid” delivery business—though he admits that he was once a delivery denier. Growing those channels has allowed them to collect data. An evolving quest is “how do we take data and make it actionable for us, make it useful for the brand,” he said. The chain is working with some tech partners to help analyze and aggregate that data. Andersen said the chains diving deep - er into “how do we create more value for the customer, but also how do we create more value out of that customer for our operators as a limited-service brand.” Roland Gonzalez, CEO of Church’s Chicken said his 73-year-old brand with more than 1,500 units recently took a relatively simple step of using drive-thru timers. That has led to a one-minute improvement in speed of service, year over year.
“And getting those ducks in a row has really allowed us to unlock and build on the rest of the tech stack,” he said. Chris Padilla, the vice president of product & brand technology for Dine Brands Global, said the parent of Applebee’s, IHOP and Fuzzy’s Tacos has been using AI to drive more personal - ized upselling as guests are checking out. They might be asked if they want to add an appetizer or dessert, but it’s more personalized to their tastes. Both Applebee’s and IHOP have recent - ly undergone a digital transformation, he said. The AI recommendation en - gine improved engagement and ultim - ately resulted in higher check sizes. Padilla said AI as a whole is here to stay. But for restaurants, it’s about find - ing the best use case. Dine Brands last year created an AI Innovation Foundry to build the technology in house, taking ideas from franchisees, team members or support staff. The Foundry is designed to do things first at a small scale, building it out in house, and then find ways to offer it to customers. “We’re a service industry, by and large,” he said. “We’re about human inter - action first.”
12 | FSTEC 2025
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THE NEST AT FS/TEC C-suite leaders come together to share powerful peer-to-peer insights.
T his year’s FS/TEC featured a variety of net - ive of C-level leaders in the restaurant industry. The conference kicked off with a main stage panel session featuring four Nest members: Iwona Alter, COO of The Habit Burger & Grill, Jennifer Bell, CMO of Let - tuce Entertain You Enterprises; Kevin Bentley, head of technology and digital for Jolibee Foods Inc.; and Jen - nifer Dodd, CEO of Main Squeeze Juice Co. The panel, sponsored by Toast, discussed how technology impacts customer experience, loyalty, hiring and retention, and more. Each also underscored the value they find through connecting with like-minded execs through the Nest. Later that evening, Nest members raised a glass during a private cocktail reception sponsored by Cox Busi - ness. The following day they got back down to business during a C-Suite Luncheon where they discussed key business challenges heading into 2026, as well as AI use cases and tech integration strategies. The luncheon was sponsored by 858 Partners, Bite, OfOne, Olo, Salesforce and Toast. working and idea-sharing opportunities featuring members of The Nest, an invitation-only collect - Led by Mark Hatch, vice president of trade relations and head of Nest engagement for the Informa Connect Food - service Group, The Nest is a trusted think tank where top executives gather monthly to explore trends, share insights, and drive innovation. Nest groups serve leaders in a wide variety of roles, including president/CEO, COO, CIO, CMO, CFO, brand founders, and supply chain executives. There are nearly 400 Nest members representing more than 150 of the top 250 restaurant brands. For membership and sponsorship opportunities:
Learn More
14 | FSTEC 2025
NEST EVENTS AT FS/TEC SPONSORED BY
FSTEC 2025 | 15
AT FSTEC, RESTAURANTS ASK THE KEY QUESTION ON AI: WHY?
Operators are working to see past the hype to understand the business case for AI. Hopes are high, but realistic. By Joe Guszkowski
F or the second straight year, annual restaurant technology confer - ence. But the tone of that conversation was different this time around. A year ago, there was a palpable sense of awe about AI’s potential. Leaders from big companies like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Yum Brands detailed ambitious plans for the technology. A futurist hailed it as the foundation of a new industrial evolution. artificial intelligence dominated the conversation at FSTEC, the This year, that awe was tempered by a healthy dose of reality. Restaurants are still eager to use AI. But they are think - ing more carefully about the business case.
One theme: Not every form of AI will make sense for every brand. Many QSRs are treading carefully on AI in the drive-thru, for instance, because of how automated voice bots might impact the customer experience. “We have a much older demographic and they tend not to want to engage with a robotic voice,” said Tim Newton, CTO of Long John Silver’s, which has been exploring drive-thru AI solutions. ROI has also become more of a focus. With all the shiny new toys on the market, operators have to be extra sure that the tech has a clear purpose and that it can pay for itself, lest they fall victim to the hype cycle. “I see the cycle, but it’s flatter for me, because I take the hype out and just
apply it to what I’m trying to do,” said Leon Davoyan, CTO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “If it matches up, then great, we roll it out. If not, we shelve it, and at least we have a story to tell about why we’re not trying to pursue it.” Dave’s applies that philosophy even to tech that it’s high on, like computer vision. The chain has been testing it for a while to help with order accuracy and sees a bright future for it. But it won’t move forward until it can prove the ROI, Davoyan said. As with any technology, clear goals and timelines are key. But with AI, there’s a push and pull between oper - ators and suppliers that is muddying the waters. Restaurant execs want to see more AI in their tech products,
16 | FSTEC 2025
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Enhancing efficiency with AI Panera Bread SVP & chief digital officer Meenakshi Nagarajan shares how the brand leverages AI, data, and digital strategy to stay ahead.
and all the buzz has them expecting big results. Vendors have responded by rapidly developing AI tools ranging from basic chatbots to more sophis - ticated predictive systems and even AI agents. Despite all the activity, some cautioned that AI is still not in a position to trans - form anyone’s business overnight. “I think we’re in the assisted driving stage of AI, not self-driving,” said Ivan Matkovic, founder and CEO of loyalty provider Spendgo. “A lot of vendors are overeager and have a lot of that Elon in them.” Operators said it’s important to set realistic expectations for higher-ups about what AI will be able to do in the near-term.
“In reality, it’s a long-term play. It’s not this quarter,” said Keith Canseco, senior director of national marketing for Cap - tain D’s. Being honest about that can help avoid the disillusionment that is so often part of the hype curve. Overall, restaurants remain excited about what AI can do, but not over - ly so. According to Technomic data presented at the event, 31% of operators believe AI will be the most impactful form of technology for their business in the future. But that ranked behind other, less flashy technologies, such as equipment that can measure temper- ature and food safety (35%) and POS integration (49%). As far as how they planned to use AI, most operators tended to place it be -
hind the scenes. Nearly half (48%) said they’d use it to analyze customer data, and 43% apiece chose staff scheduling and inventory tracking and prediction. Forty percent said AI phone ordering. On the ground, many brands praised AI’s ability to forecast sales and other tradewinds. Others agreed that it’s good for handling mundane tasks—“all the bullshit that we don’t want to do day to day,” said Jennifer Bell, CMO of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. That leaves more room for essentials like human connection and creativity. “If we’re not jumping on those oppor - tunities, we’re missing the mark,” she said.
Leading AI Use Cases for Restaurants
48 %
43 %
40 %
plan to use predictive analytics for customer insights
plan to use AI to help with staff scheduling
Plan to use it to help with food waste management
Source: Technomic
18 | FSTEC 2025
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OPERATOR SPOTLIGHT Hear how 5 restaurant tech leaders approach AI, data and customer experience at their brands.
Dine Brands Chris Padilla of Dine Brands—parent of Applebee’s, IHOP and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop—talks with Nation’s Restaurant News’ Alicia Kelso about how the brands leverage data and customer insights to build loyalty. Hear how the company is using its AI recommendation engine to boost check size and drive growth.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers Sean Thompson of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers talks with Restaurant Business’ Joe Guszkowski about how the brand takes a guest-centric approach to technology and data capture. Plus, hear whether he thinks we’re in an AI bubble.
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GoTo Foods Manuel Valdes of GoTo Foods talks with Nation’s Restaurant News’ Joanna Fantozzi about how the company unifies its tech stack across its portfolio without sacrificing their individual brand identi - ties. He breaks down the company’s approach to tech investment for such concepts as Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Carvel, and more.
Tom’s Watch Bar Brooks Schaden of Tom’s Watch Bar talks with Restaurant Business’ Joe Guszkowski about how the brand uses technology to redefine the modern sports bar. Hear how AI helps the brand understand how fans want to experience their favorite sports, and how better forecasting helps the brand manage traffic surges during big games.
Zaxbys Nick Petrocci of Zaxbys talks with Nation’s Res - taurant News’ Alicia Kelso about how the brand approaches personalization through data and AI. He also shares how his team balances invest - ments in guest-facing tech with a focus on em- ployee-facing tools that can drive ROI behind the scenes.
FSTEC 2025 | 21
CONSUMERS ARE EXPECTING MORE MENU PRICE INFLATION AND RESTAURANTS MIGHT GIVE IT TO THEM Menu-price inflation is creeping up again, and most restau - rant operators expect to raise prices over the next six months due to tariffs. Consumers are expecting just that. By Jonathan Maze
C onsumers in 2025 remain ful of the impact of tariffs and expect further price increases at restaurants as a result. They appear to be correct on that front, at least according to surveys from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. scarred by the post-pandemic inflationary period and are fear - According to the survey, 62% of con - sumers expect price increases over the next six months. That’s almost the same percentage of restaurant oper- ators—61%--who believe menu prices will increase over that period, at least due to tariffs. Evidence already suggests this is hap -
pening. “We’re starting to see menu in - flation kick back up again,” Rich Shank, senior principal with Technomic, said at the FSTEC restaurant technology conference in Orlando. Food-away-from-home prices have risen 3.9% over the past 12 months, according to federal data released last week. By comparison, food-at-home prices are up 2.7%. Overall inflation is up 2.9%. Maybe most importantly: Average hourly earnings are up 3.7%. Average weekly earnings are up 3.4%. Prices in restaurants, in other words, are ex - ceeding wage and earnings growth. “The challenge we’re experiencing is the fact that inflation in other seg -
ments has actually cooled a lot quicker over the last several quarters than in the restaurant space,” Shank said. “It’s problematic to say the least, because people are becoming less able to afford what we’re offering.” “We’re actually moving in the opposite direction of where we want to be right now,” he added. Consumers are more aware of price increases, and perhaps to a fault, which is largely the result of the post-pan - demic inflationary period combined with social media. Consumers think prices are going up more than they are, but they’re not wrong that prices are going up. “They’re noticing these things much
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quicker these days than they did two to three years ago,” Shank said. “They’re expecting price increases at a faster rate than they’re occurring.” Consumers are concerned about the impact prices could have on their finances. More than half, 56%, told Technomic that they are closely following tariffs. Nearly half, 48%, are paying close attention to inflation. And 80% of consumers are either concerned or very concerned about the impact of rising prices on their finances. “Consumers are primed to expect price increases,” Shank said. Operators, unsurprisingly, are worried about their costs. The vast majority, 84%, told Technomic last quarter that they were worried about food costs. Nearly two-thirds, 65%, said they were worried about labor costs—though that was down from 79% in the first quar - ter. And 65% are worried about tariffs, according to Technomic. There is some contradiction in sur - vey data on tariffs, however. Near - ly three-quarters of operators told Technomic they are confident they can manage the higher costs. And 71% said they taken steps to protect themselves from tariffs. But only 24% of operators are very familiar with the tariff sched - ule. So operators are confident in their ability to withstand the problem but they are not entirely familiar with what the problem actually is. All this is coming as the restaurant industry is dealing with weak sales. Technomic expects limited-service sales to rise between 3.7% to 4.8% this year. But, Shank said, “We’re trending toward the lower end.”
Industry outlook Rich Shank of Technomic presents a deep dive into current restaurant market trends, inflation impacts, and evolving consumer behaviors. A must-watch for those seeking strategic insights in a rapidly shifting environment.
Loyalty in the digital age Restaurant executives discuss how brands can use technology and first- party data to create a 360-degree view of their guests, remove friction, and, most importantly, drive return visits.
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MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESTAURANT DELIVERY? Exclusive secret shopper study reveals challenges and opportunities for restaurants looking to grow delivery sales .
G etting a restaurant meal delivered to your home is cheaper than it was a year ago, at least when it comes to the fees. But it’s also slower. That’s the biggest takeaway from a Restaurant Business/Nation’s Restaurant News exclusive study on the perform - ance of delivery services, in conjunction with the mystery shopping firm Intouch Insight. Intouch Insight CEO Cameron Watt shared key findings of the study with FS/TEC attendees and joined Jonathan Maze’s A Deeper Dive podcast to explore the results. Among the highlights from the study: Delivery services are getting better at estimating delivery times, but overall delivery times dropped; • Food orders from restaurants are less likely this year to be the right temperature; • Delivery fees charged to consumers dropped, but the menu prices are higher than they are in the restaurant; • Convenience stores, a growing com - petitor for many fast-food chains, are closing the gap with restaurants when it comes to delivery • Delivery companies are offering fewer promotions, even as their fees have decreased, despite a value push by restaurants. To conduct the study, Intouch shoppers ordered delivery from 600 restaurants and convenience stores from each of the three major third-party delivery services, along with first-party delivery offered by well-known brands in both industries.
Unpacking restaurant delivery costs Cameron Watt of Intouch Insight breaks down the true costs of restaurant delivery and what it means for operators’ bottom lines.
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DELIVERY IS CHEAPER, BUT IT’S ALSO SLOWER
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FROM THE MARKETPLACE
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MAIN STAGE
Get more insights direct from leading restaurant tech execs at FS/TEC 2025.
Humanity in the age of AI Jennifer Dodd, CEO of Main Squeeze Juice Co. and Jennifer Bell, CMO of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises weigh in on where AI makes sense in restaurants—and where it doesn’t.
Qdoba’s tech makeover Qdoba CTO Prashant Budhale and VP of marketing Jon Burke discuss how the chain is leveraging digital innovation, media strategies, and customer experience to stay competitive.
Winning with AI Tom’s Watch Bar co-CEOs Shannon McNiel and Brooks Schaden share how they’re reinventing the sports bar, and why AI forecasting is the key to managing high-volume game days.
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NOVEMBER 17-19 2025 BARCELONA, SPAIN The leading foodservice event for executives from the top global restaurants and suppliers .
DERIC ROSENBAUM President – Groucho’s Deli
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THE RESTAURANT TECH GENERATION GAP IS SMALLER THAN YOU’D THINK
Gen Zers say they’re more likely to use tech, when given the option. But both old and young still value human interaction when dining out. By Joe Guszkowski
S hould restaurants invest in con - venience, or an experience? The answer may be both. At the FSTEC conference, a panel of consumers from across generations took the stage to give their thoughts on technology in restaurants, and where they’d like to see the industry go from here. And generally, they seemed to agree that while things like online ordering and kiosks can be useful, and even preferred at times, they don’t want to see the human element of restaurants disappear entirely. The conversation came five years after COVID-19 forced many restaurants to invest in digital ordering modes like mobile apps and third-party delivery for the first time. Those channels are growing, but still make up less than 20% of the overall pie. The vast ma - jority of customers still interact with
restaurants in person. And most of the seven consumers on the panel seemed happy with that ratio. “I love the social interaction,” said Riley, age 22, a member of tech-savvy Gener - ation Z. “When I worked in the restau - rant industry, that was my favorite part of the job, just getting to talk to people.” Two millennials on the panel agreed that the 80/20 split feels right. Nia, 30, said she worries about what will happen to her niece’s ability to interact with people if restaurants continue their shift toward digital ordering. “If someone says, ‘Hello, how are you?’ [my niece] freezes up. It’s so awkward and she doesn’t want to interact,” she said. “I feel like if that goes away, it’s going to get even worse for the next generation.” Not surprisingly, the older folks in the bunch also favored more human contact in restaurants, and not just be -
cause they might be less familiar with digital ordering methods. Rolando, 72, noted that as people age, opportunities to socialize become scarce. “I think interacting with food providers is an important social encounter, be - cause people have to eat, and many are isolated for various reasons,” he said. “There’s an opportunity here, I think, for your industry.” Sunshine, a millennial, said the right level of human interaction really de - pends on the restaurant. In a fast-food context, she’s happy to order digitally, but at a fine-dining place, she wants hands-on service. “It’s just all about the level of experi - ence I’m expecting,” she said. The responses mirrored comments from many operators during the three- day event who said they are now fo - cusing on how they can use tech to get closer to their customers, rather than
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Restaurant tech: Love it or hate it? Consumers from four generations—Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and boomers—get candid about their dining preferences and attitudes toward technology.
further away. Many brands that have added self-service kiosks said they are now thinking about redeploying some workers as hosts or greeters to help customers navigate the ordering experience, for instance. There is some data to support this approach. According to Technomic, customer satisfaction is 4% lower when the person orders online versus in person. Brands with kiosks tend to have lower satisfaction scores. “Culturally, we expect some hospital - ity,” said Rich Shank, VP of innovation at Technomic. “We advise brands to be available wherever the customer wants to interact with you,” whether that’s through an app, a kiosk or an employee at the counter. Despite broad agreement on that topic among the generations, there were some notable differences between age groups. The Gen Zers were far more
likely to use technology when given the choice. Riley has 18 food apps on her phone. Claudia, also 22, has 32. Both had more apps than the rest of the group combined. And they were more motivated by loyalty programs and the promise of free food. “Even if it’s my first time trying a place, I would be likely to go download their app and see if they have a reward sys - tem,” Riley said. At the same time, even the youngsters want to have options. Asked whether they’d visit a coffee shop where you could only order from an app, all but one (Claudia) said they’d walk out and look for the nearest Starbucks.
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