It’s about “that time” of year when we think about the future – many corporations are involved with preparing 2018 budgets and plans for next year’s capital investments.  Restaurant Business asked industry experts to predict what dining services might look like in the next 10 years.

A quick summary of their high-level predictions includes:

• A smaller front of house footprint makes it a necessity to have more prominent pickup counters and ways to speed up and simplify the to-go order process.
• Increases in “smart” kitchen equipment and technology will enable managers to track and analyze inventory, food safety, orders, and ingredients for nutritional labels.  There will be an influx in back of house automation for food prep.
• A second “makeline” will be a necessity for retail locations preparing orders for off-premise dining.
• Increased location-based marketing will be used to provide customers near a retail location with coupons, menu specials, and other useful information.
• Direct payment technologies – for customers and vendors – will be enhanced and streamlined. The paperless transaction is coming!

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