article thumbnail

Customer Experience in the Restaurant Industry: Reflections and Predictions through an AI Lens

Modern Restaurant Management

Fast food and food delivery gradually began changing that equation. 2024 was a year of experimentation with AI, with restaurants testing it on customer-facing interactions, like AI drive-thru ordering, with varying degrees of success. The restaurant experience was once solely comprised of human-to-human, in-person experiences.

article thumbnail

2025 Outlook: Experts Weigh In on Restaurant Trends and Challenges, Part One

Modern Restaurant Management

Steady Online Ordering Brings Food Waste, Donations to the Forefront of Priorities Ordering food online increases restaurant sales, but it also can potentially increase wasted food if proactive measures aren’t taken – for both the business and consumers at home.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Beyond the Scoop Shop: A Blueprint for Scaling Artisan Food Businesses

Modern Restaurant Management

Scaling an artisan food business is no easy feat. Many small food businesses reach a critical point where they must decide whether to remain small and exclusive or expand into wholesale, manufacturing, and broader distribution. Increased interest from wholesale buyers or retailers requesting larger orders.

article thumbnail

Value Is the New Battleground for Loyalty

Modern Restaurant Management

A third of diners said their favorite restaurant changed in the past 12 months, with “better food” (46 percent) and “better value” (40 percent) cited as the leading reasons, according to Tillster’s 2025 Phygital Index Report. For the third year in a row, consumers want more kiosks. The survey of 1,500 U.S.-based

article thumbnail

MRM EXCLUSIVE: Personalized Promotions Must Line the Loyalty Path

Modern Restaurant Management

While overall interest in AI-driven restaurant features remains low, loyalty is increasingly influenced by personalized promotions, according to the Summer 2025 Consumer Trends Report from Provoke Insights in collaboration with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine.

article thumbnail

Making Your Food Delivery Business More Sustainable

Modern Restaurant Management

The results demonstrated that online consumers seek delivery services from providers committed to carbon-neutral processes. This trend of seeking out a more sustainable process of e-commerce related to food goods is not going away anytime soon. The rest goes to feeding local consumers and livestock or turning them into biofuels.

article thumbnail

2025 F&B Trends: Newstalgia, Stealth Health, and Botanical Beverages

Modern Restaurant Management

“Through expansive experiences that inspire our guests paired with the ambiance of the space and the food on the plate, we’re setting new standards for the industry and creating truly spectacular moments for all who enter our restaurants and bars.” That’s where the NEXT Flavor Report comes in.