The fast casual dining experience is all about blending the speedy service you need to fit the demands of your hectic schedule and the delicious food your stomach is loudly demanding, and these two restaurants are using technology to reach the perfect balance.
Wow Bao, a Chicago-based restaurant serving up Asian fare with a modern twist, introduced kiosk ordering in 2009 in order to speed up the ordering process without increasing labor costs, according to Wow Bao President Geoff Alexander. An added bonus- customers love the control the kiosks afford them when ordering dishes. Plus, staff doesn’t have to worry about making mistakes when entering orders. Truly a win, win!Although Alexander agrees that technology comes with its own set of problems, such as occasional minor malfunctions and the rare crash. However, the tech investment has most definitely paid off for the franchise as Wow Bao received its return in only eight months because of increased sales as well as labor savings.
Panera Bread is a popular name in the world of fast casual, and to continue its reign, plus beat out mounting competition, CEO Ron Shaich says “Panera Bread will be different in the future.”Welcome to ‘Panera 2.0’, a series of integrated technologies aimed to reduce wait times, improve order accuracy, and create a more personalized experience for the customer. The upgrade will include the integration of a mobile app for ordering and paying for food to go, as well as a designated counter for pick up without the wait.For dine-in customers, both kiosks (similar to Wow Bao) and an online ordering system will be available in addition to cashier stations, both of which will be able to remember your food preferences. The days of picking onions off of your sandwich are nearing an end! Plus, meals will be delivered directly to your table for added convenience.For now, only designated ‘Panera 2.0 Cafés’ will feature the 2.0 technology, however the company expects to have implemented the upgrade in the majority of its locations by 2017.
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With both sales and employment continuing to gain ground in December, the industry’s business environment starts the year out strong.
Restaurant sales totaled $49.6 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the eighth consecutive monthly increase in sales volume, as well as the strongest on record. National Restaurant Industry’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy credits the recent run of strong sales gains to declining gas prices, which fell more than $1.40 during the last 6 months. Consumers used savings at the pump to dine out. December’s total eating-and-drinking-places sales signaled a 5% increase since June, raking in an additional $2.3 billion as compared to the mid-summer’s month seasonally-adjusted sales volume.
Employment within the restaurant industry mirrored sales, also registering continued gains in December. Preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate a net gain of 43,600 jobs among eating-and-drinking-places during the final month of the year on a seasonally-adjusted basis, marking the 58th consecutive monthly increase and strongest gain in two years.
The industry is not only surpassing its own historical employment growth, but moreover the country’s. Restaurants added jobs at a 3.1 percent rate in total for 2014, more than a full percentage point above the 1.9 percent growth rate of the U.S. as a whole making this the 15th consecutive year in which restaurant job growth outpaced the overall economy.While economic challenges remain, one of those being elevated food costs, the general outlook of the restaurant industry is promising. If economic fundamentals continue to improve, 2015 will be a great year for restaurants nationwide.
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