As humans, we’re more connected than ever. Connectivity is  something we live by and it makes sense that sooner rather than later,  the things around us will join the world of global connectivity. Of  course, we’re all excited for the internet of things (IoT). If the  things are smarter we don’t have to be. All of the mundane, boring tasks  suddenly become automated and taken care of by “something” else.

Restaurants are one particular industry we’re interested in. Smooth  operations have always been a key part of hospitality. Without them,  restaurants fail to run and customers can get annoyed quite quickly.  Here are some of the best and most realistic IoT solutions we see for  the connected restaurant of now and the future.

Companies such as Restaurant Technologies  track data across the connected restaurant space. This data might  monitor say, oil levels across multiple pieces of cooking equipment. The  company then delivers oil only based on what the restaurant actually  needs at any given moment. This dynamic delivery services saves the  restaurant on cost, waste and ensures it never runs out of oil again.  The real beauty as they tell it, is in the way the data is analyzed.  Data collection is not too difficult using cellular device transmission  units attached to each fryer or oven. The difficulty is in the analysis  of said data and the action you can take as a result. For example, oil  level low = order more oil. The same system could monitor fridges for  product stock or even keep a check on how many plates or glasses are  stacked on a certain shelf to save on last-minute shortages.

Restaurants are one industry where it’s quite difficult to monitor  what’s going on unless you’re inside the physical restaurant itself. Now  and in the future, data will become much more accessible through  smartphones and app-based monitoring. When you think of an online  company, such as a SaaS tool, you have all sorts of dashboards available  that tell you about the health of your company. You can login and see  how many customers you have, what type of sales you’re making that day,  who’s visiting your website and so on. In a restaurant, this information  is invisible, or at best hard to obtain.

For example, the operations manager of a chain of restaurants could  monitor the entire kitchen ecosystem. Able to check in on exactly how  long the cooking equipment is being used for, peak periods, energy usage  and so on. Sensors mounted on each piece of kitchen equipment could  send this data to the cloud in real time, allowing them to make instant  decisions on opening hours and equipment use.

For a general manager, IoT could monitor customer number, peak  periods and average orders, allowing them to view the information on a  smartphone app from wherever they are to better schedule staff and  market their business in quiet periods.

Having live data available on a smartphone gives restaurants a way to react in the moment, improving operations as a result.

The digital screen. Often, this is the easiest smart “thing” to  implement that many restaurants are already using today to great effect.  Digital signage allows restaurateurs to set up personalized, tailored  displays of content that appeal directly to their audience. These  content streams don’t have to be the static news displays they once  were. With cloud-based digital signage  software systems, restaurant digital menu boards can be changed and edited in seconds.  This allows restaurant staff to make changes to menus as items sell out,  or to upsell specials on specific times and days. One of our deli customers  did exactly that and went from selling zero speciality hot chickens to  selling out of chicken in just a few flicks of their screen.

Digital signage can also be used to add real time travel updates,  live news, emergency warning systems, social media and customer feedback  and testimonials. All great ways to make your restaurant more awesome and increase connectivity between your customers and what you do.

Online and connected ordering systems are already here in many  restaurant chains, including McDonald's and Pizza Hut. These systems  allow customers to order, pay and sometimes receive their orders without  relying on a staff member. Great for those times when you know exactly  what you want and just want to get your food.

The next step of the connected restaurant space is hyper personalized ordering systems. Vitamogo,  a restaurant in London, is a bit like MyFitnessPal crossed with a make  your own pizza party (without the pizza). Their mobile app allows you to  create your own meal, choosing individual ingredients. Once chosen, you  can then adjust amounts in order to get that perfect protein or calorie  balance. They claim to be able to create meals for vegetarians, vegans,  paleos, low carb and gluten free diners. You then collect your order in  as little as two minutes, or order in ahead and choose a time slot to  collect if you’re really hungry.

Due to everything being hyper personalized in our online lives, it  probably won’t be long before hyper-personalized meals become the norm  in the connected restaurant space.

With customers now demanding farm-to-table freshness in their meals  and an onus on seasonal produce, stock and wastage can be an issue.  Restaurants are now using connected systems where sensors and stock  control are managed in the cloud, producing warning, alerts and smarter  stock management systems.

This even works at the very point of sale. SteadyServ® iKeg® solution  is a keg tracker that monitors beer servings from point of delivery,  through to pouring. This allows bars to keep a better handle on what  they’re selling and when they may need to reorder. Similarly, BarVision  is a connected system that tracks how much of a drink is poured. This  not only makes stock management easier, but also makes security on  products a breeze. When you can see what’s being poured you can easily  track any over or under pouring issues.

At the end of the day, retail IoT, and any form of technology, will never  replace great food and drink. But what they can do is create a great  experience to go with it. Restaurants put on a show night after night,  and no two night are ever the same. This increases the pressure for them  to get things right first time, every time. In an IoT-enabled  restaurant space, interconnectivity between people, systems and products  could make all the difference.

Applications of the internet of things in restaurant spaces, showing how ovens, smart apps, delivery services and digital signage are connecting the dots.

How smart things are helping restaurants to become more finely tuned to their customers.

5 IoT Solutions for the Connected Restaurant

5 IoT Solutions for the Connected Restaurant

5 IoT Solutions for the Connected Restaurant

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