Full-service restaurants have had an especially challenging road in recent years – and the belt-tightening that has come with inflation hasn’t helped. A report from Fortune said that Gen X and boomers are the sole demographics that can afford to dine at high-end restaurants right now. But fortunately, technology is helping the segment find ways to deliver full-service meals (and what feel like high-value experiences) to guests. Specifically, full-service restaurants are doubling down on AI and automation, according to FSR Magazine. Like brands in other restaurant segments, they are using AI to deliver more personal experiences to guests and maximize order accuracy. But beyond that, AI is also helping the full-service segment innovate, which could otherwise be a challenge at a time when more consumers may hesitate to spend money on higher-end meals. AI is transforming how these restaurants plan, develop, and test new concepts. Using AI, a restaurant can create “digital twins” – models that allow them to experiment with a variety of kitchen workflows, dining room configurations and staffing levels, for example. As a result, full-service operators may be better able to predict how service levels, traffic flows or other elements of the business would likely be affected if they made such changes in real life. Then, when changes are made, immersive, AI-supported simulations can be used to train employees on how to anticipate and navigate the scenarios that may arise as a result. Of course, segments beyond full-service can benefit from these tools too.

The drive to provide convenient off-premise dining options to a wider audience of customers in recent years has driven a proliferation of third-party delivery providers — and along with it, a loss of guest data on the part of restaurants. This data is becoming more important all the time to a restaurant’s ability to compete. If your data management has become too scattered over the years (whether to outside providers or across too many platforms internally), bringing it in-house and managing it from a central source can help you derive a far greater understanding of your guests. From there, you’re in a stronger position to create the kinds of segmented, targeted offers that help you build and retain their loyalty. Bringing your delivery in-house is especially helpful here, but even if that isn’t an option, there are alternate approaches to building upon your store of guest data. Entice walk-in business by offering deals or other perks to those who order and collect from you. When you can get people through your doors, you can use your reservation system, QR codes, loyalty program and guest feedback mechanisms to enhance your insights about the people who enjoy your food. From there, being able to combine and analyze those threads of information from a single dashboard helps you create promotions that feel personal and worthwhile to your guests — enough so that they might think twice about ordering from you via a third-party provider and come to you directly instead.