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
38 | FSTEC 2025
Powered by FlippingBook