19fbtechreview.comJUNE 2019Why Restaurant Industry Needs a Fully Integrated and Optimized Tech Ecosystem?Welcome to 2019! It's been 72 years since the disruption of the drive thru, thanks to Red's Giant Hamburg. It's been 25 years since online pizza delivery hit the web, courtesy of Pizza Hut. Grubhub introduced an early online aggregator marketplace 15 years ago. It's been 10 years since Square jumped into the credit card processing that led to a disruptive Point of Sale tablet, and it's only been five years since UberEats made the convenience of delivery from nearly every restaurant a staple of society. Yes, a lot has happened, but it still seems that the restaurant industry is still playing catch up and still has a long to go to achieve a fully integrated and optimized tech ecosystem. That said, there are some exciting advancements to recognize and observe. Customer-Facing TechnologyLet's start with customer-facing technology, after all we're in the people-business first, and foremost. Today's guests expect digital ordering with an aligned omni-channel experience where "in-line" and "on-line" are equally outstanding. At Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, we've had an app for years, but adoption was low and we initially treated it more like a bolt-on. And by the way, outside of a short pilot, "bolt-on" is not a good strategy. As we've developed our technology strategy, we've prioritized components that integrate. We conducted research by looking at the best apps and re-invested in our iPhone and Android mobile app, in addition to online ordering with our partner ToGoTechnologies. Our goal was cXo insightsBY DAN SIMPSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TAZIKI'S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE
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