48 FEDA News & Views
OPERATIONS
Front-of-House Tech, Back-of-House Transformation
What equipment dealers need to know to help lead the way
By Rita Rousseau, Contributing Writer
ritarrousseau@gmail.com
e restaurant industry is in the
midst of rapid, transformational change.
Front-of-house ordering kiosks or
tabletop tablets are making dining in
more technology-mediated and less
dependent on human interaction.
At the same time, the dine-in experience
itself is in decline. Takeout is playing an
increasing role in both full-service and
limited-service restaurants, facilitated by
a rapid growth of online and mobile app-
based ordering and payment options.
What's more, a growing proportion of
these takeout meals include grab-and-go
items from a counter case in addition to,
or instead of, hot items made to order.
All of which lines up with findings by
NPD. According to a recent study by the
market research firm, half of the meals
ordered in restaurants are now eaten in
consumers' homes.
Another disrupter is the rapid growth
of delivery across the restaurant industry.
While some restaurants are rolling
out delivery with their own personnel,
the explosion of meals coming to the
consumer, and not the other way around,
is thanks in large part to the proliferation
of third-party delivery services like
GrubHub and UberEats. In response
to these changes in consumer buying
patterns, restaurants are beginning to
look quite a bit different than they did
just a few years ago.
Tom Lawson, president of Glenelg,
Md.-based EVI, has witnessed the
transformation firsthand. EVI, which
specializes in design-build projects for
multiunits, chains and independents
