Is your restaurant ready for the revolution brewing in the kitchen and beyond? While the image of an avocado-cutting robot named "Autocado" (yes, that's real, thanks to Chipotle!) might still feel futuristic, the truth is, artificial intelligence (AI) is already a powerful, accessible tool transforming the dining industry. It's helping businesses worldwide not just streamline operations, but fundamentally enhance the guest experience.
The adoption rates are speaking volumes: our global survey of restaurant owners reveals an overwhelmingly pro-AI sentiment. A striking 87% of operators in the UAE are leveraging AI in some capacity, followed by a robust 79% in the U.S., 74% in the U.K., and 65% in Australia. This isn't just a trend; it's the new standard for efficiency and competitive edge.
So, where exactly is AI making the biggest splash in the restaurant world? Our survey highlighted the top five global categories:
Marketing (46%)
Data analytics (45%)
Customer service (40%)
Scheduling (34%)
Inventory management (33%)
If you're among those who haven't yet begun to integrate AI, there's no need for alarm. "Leveraging AI" can be as remarkably simple as an AI-powered grammar checker, or as strategically complex as advanced pricing analysis. Let’s take a deeper look at the tangible ways restaurants are harnessing AI to elevate operational efficiency and deliver unparalleled guest experiences.
1. AI as Your Content Co-Pilot: Revolutionizing Restaurant Marketing
AI is fundamentally transforming how restaurant marketers create compelling content. From crafting engaging blog posts and generating social media captions to refining existing copy and even creating stunning visuals, AI is proving to be an indispensable ally.
Our data shows that over half (51%) of respondents who use AI for marketing utilize it for video creation, with 42% for generating images and 36% for copywriting. AI tools, powered by natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, have an uncanny ability to understand context, tone, and direction, enabling them to produce content and images that truly resonate with your audience.
While AI-generated content always thrives with a human touch for nuance and refinement, it provides an exceptional starting point for any marketing material. Kevin Coetzee, People Director at Humble Grape in the UK, attests to this, stating his team "actively use AI in marketing, SEO, social media posts and various other written tasks using ChatGPT. The team also uses it for email responses, letter drafting and HR functions like job adverts and descriptions.”
Pro Tip: ChatGPT can emulate specific writing styles. If your brand has published content, try prompting ChatGPT to write "in your voice." This investment in training the AI to match your unique brand voice is crucial for ensuring the content feels as personal and on-brand as if crafted by a team member.
2. Unveiling Hidden Gold: AI in Data Analysis and Reporting
If there’s one domain where AI truly shines, it's data. The restaurant industry is rapidly taking full advantage of AI-powered data analysis to gain a profound competitive edge. Globally, 45% of operators are leveraging AI for data analytics, and the benefits are strikingly clear.
AI seamlessly aggregates data from various systems—such as CRM, POS, and marketing software—to provide a truly comprehensive view of your restaurant's performance. Kevin Coetzee at Humble Grape highlights this, explaining his team uses an AI bot that pulls information from diverse solutions like SevenRooms, Harri, and Lightspeed, compiling it into one insightful report.
Kelly MacPherson, Chief Supply Chain and Technology Officer at Union Square Hospitality Group, beautifully articulates AI’s power in this realm: “AI elevates our storytelling around data. We have a wealth of data at our fingertips, but this can create analysis paralysis. With AI, we can more efficiently synthesize the data, create stories about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what we can do about it, and then present these stories to our teams in a digestible format with actionable next step
3. The Voice of Your Customers: AI in Review Analysis & Inquiries
Understanding how your customers truly feel is paramount. AI software, such as SevenRooms AI Feedback Summary, excels at analyzing customer reviews and feedback, extracting actionable insights to help you continuously improve every aspect, from table service to food quality. By identifying common themes and emerging trends in feedback, AI enables you to address issues promptly and proactively enhance the overall dining experience.
As David from JKS Restaurants in the UK explains, “The most impactful way we’ve been using AI is to summarise and identify trends in qualitative feedback from our guests. This has saved hours of time for our team, helped remove human bias in manual summarisation and surfaced actionable insights that have improved service in our restaurants.”
Beyond reviews, 40% of operators globally are using AI for customer service, from replying to online inquiries via phone, text, or email:
Phone Calls: AI-powered voice assistants can significantly reduce the amount of time your staff spends on the phone. They anticipate guest needs, triage calls, and handle common requests like reservations or FAQs, freeing your team to focus on in-person hospitality.
Email and Text: AI helps teams quickly draft responses based on sentiment and tone. SevenRooms customers using AI-powered messaging have seen a remarkable 27% decrease in response time for guest inquiries across email, SMS, and reviews.
Chatbots: Implementing a chatbot on your website is one of the easiest ways to get started with AI. These 24/7 virtual assistants handle common inquiries, reservations, and orders, escalating issues only when more help is needed. Kevin at Humble Grape uses a chatbot "to funnel and direct inquiries from customers to the relevant stream.” Even McDonald's leverages internal chatbots, like "Ask Pickles," to assist workers with shift conundrums, boosting productivity.
Notably, while 79% of diners are comfortable with restaurants using AI in the reservation process, only 32% of operators globally are currently using it in that way—a clear indicator of significant untapped potential.
4. Crafting the Perfect Offering: AI in Menu & Pricing Analysis
AI is literally on the menu at many restaurants, helping restaurateurs analyze performance and strategically design item placement for maximum sales. AI can suggest removing low-performing dishes or promoting high-margin items.
Kylie Moncur, Chief Marketing Officer at Australian Venue Co. (AVC), a group managing over 220 unique menus, shared their plans: “We’re building an AI tool that can analyse menu structure & dish performance and will provide recommendations to optimise dishes and the overall menu."
Beyond the menu structure, AI is also revolutionizing pricing analysis. One price doesn’t fit every situation, and AI helps operators analyze pricing, predict trends, and suggest revenue-maximizing adjustments. AVC plans to implement an AI-driven price elasticity model that allows for more nuanced pricing across their many venues. This tool will consider customer demographics and product performance to determine appropriate pricing strategies.
5. Beyond the Plates: AI in Operations Management
AI's reach extends deep into the operational backbone of a restaurant, optimizing critical areas:
Table Management: AI software can predict guest arrival patterns, optimize seating arrangements, and significantly reduce wait times, improving the guest experience and boosting revenue. SevenRooms’ Table Management software, for instance, uses an AI-driven seating algorithm that considers over 10,000 combinations every second, maximizing floor plans.
Inventory Management: Ordering too much or too little becomes a thing of the past. AI systems track inventory levels in real-time, predict usage patterns, and automatically reorder supplies, leading to better control, cost savings, and reduced food waste. Dishoom in London reduced food waste by 20% using an AI-powered inventory management tool. AI also ensures you always have fresh ingredients, automatically reordering before depletion.
Staff Management: AI is streamlining hiring, training, and scheduling. It can analyze resumes to identify best candidates and assist with training and performance management. For scheduling, AI analyzes historical data to ensure optimal staffing levels. Some KFC, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen franchises use an AI system named Riley, which collects video and audio data to assess worker performance and even awards bonuses for upselling.
The Golden Age of SuperHuman Hospitality
There’s no denying that AI brings an immense amount to the table. While its applications in restaurant operations, from table management to content creation, are vast and varied, it’s crucial to remember that AI can never fully replace the irreplaceable human element—the warmth, connection, and nuanced interactions that define true hospitality.
However, when you effectively combine the strategic power of AI with genuine human experience, you unlock an unprecedented synergy. As Kinesh Patel, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at SevenRooms, aptly puts it: “AI has the potential to create a golden age for hospitality – an age of SuperHuman Hospitality™. With AI becoming ubiquitous, you're going to have increased demand for human experiences. And the other part of the equation is that restaurants will inevitably use robotics in the back of house or back offices to streamline cost…so you're going to have expanded margins in restaurants because AI helps reduce their cost…the combination of those things is going to make hospitality really attractive.”
The future of dining is here, and it’s intelligent, efficient, and profoundly human. By strategically embracing AI, restaurants can not only streamline their operations and enhance their marketing but also empower their teams to deliver unforgettable, personalized experiences at scale, creating a competitive advantage that truly shines.
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