MRM EXCLUSIVE: Lessons Learned From Two Years of Socially Distanced Restaurant Management

As the restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic, restaurants have quickly adapted to the changing landscape. Reports show that 81 percent of fine dining establishments, 78 percent of family restaurants, and 77 percent of fast-casual spots added curbside pickup, pivoting away from dine-in services after March 2020. On top of that, nearly half of all restaurants offered delivery services during the pandemic.

Restaurants finally had to embrace what they had been reluctant to for so long: modernization.

Technology has clearly played a huge role in restaurant modernization, especially in light of the pandemic. As a result, the use of self-ordering kiosks and QR codes during the pandemic went up by 750 percent, with 77 percent of survey respondents saying they would prefer contactless ordering and payment once the pandemic ends. Also, menus largely went digital, and more restaurants have since adopted digital menu managers as a way of life…