Without a doubt, technology has reshaped the food industry. With its potential to improve supply chains and meet customers’ needs, restaurants have been adopting different types of technologies to keep up with the changing conditions of the market.
Now more than ever, innovations in technology have all but benefited restaurant owners, retailers, managers, and customers. Essentially, technology impacts supply chain management in the food industry. As restaurants aim to deliver an impressive and enjoyable experience to their customers, notable tech tools will turn this vision into utmost reality.
We’ll take a look at some of the innovative and notable tech tools restaurants can use to optimize customer experience and improve the supply chain.
Using Electronic Devices
Electronic devices like Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) and the global positioning system (GPS) have both drastically improved the efficiency of restaurants when it comes to expediting the flow of the supply chain.
The use of RFID allowed restaurants to keep track of their inventory and to ensure that products are delivered to the right destination. This electronic device communicates via electromagnetic waves through a channel that sends data about the product.
This could be the product’s expiration date and temperature. The data from RFIDs enables restaurants and other food companies to monitor and track products that may contain harmful pathogens or bacteria.
Restaurants track pallets containing different types of fruits, vegetables, spices, meat products, seafood, and many more. Essentially, the use of RFID managed stocks and improved deliveries on time. Also, RFIDs have the potential to increase productivity, efficiency, and traceability of the restaurant’s supply chain.
On the other hand, the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) enables restaurant chains to specifically track and manage their product. Here, the industry has higher control of managing the products they either sell or purchase.
For example, restaurants can track shipments of products that are sourced from international countries. The use of GPS allows precise access to the product’s location and condition. With this information at their hands, restaurant owners can deliver high-quality food products to their consumers.
Adapting Information Technology
Currently, restaurants have started to adopt information technology in reducing costs and meeting customer demands. Essentially, information technology works by organizing and strategizing the needs of a specific group. Different products require a different approach when integrating information tech on the flow of the supply chain.
In the restaurant-chain industry, monitoring the habits of customers and keeping track of sales can provide ample information in meeting consumer demands. This information is integrated with technologies such as data collection at a specific sale terminal.
Moreover, portable scanners incorporated with a comprehensive resource and planning software such as the JD Edwards closely monitor and track products needed by restaurants for their inventory.
This allows restaurants to know what food products appeal more to customers and what products are being left out on the whole menu. For restaurant retailers, using customer loyalty cards play a crucial part in gathering information about customers.
Retailers use this information to gauge customer behavior and meet their specific needs. Loyalty cards are an innovative way of getting demographics such as the consumer’s socioeconomic status and purchasing habits. Eventually, adapting information tech to keep track of the flow of the supply chain in restaurants has been responsive in meeting customers’ needs and expectations.
Incorporating Green Technology
One of the main prompts for this movement lies in corporate accountability and social responsibility as a response to the negative repercussions face by the environment. Incorporating green technology in restaurant chains leads to increased sales and reputable branding in the market.
Using green technology in packaging has a significant effect on the supply chain of restaurants. Recently, restaurant chains have been focused on micro packaging.
This reduces the amount of materials used in packaging products which in turn, ensures a positive impact on the environment. Packaging waste is reduced at a maximum level which in turn, enables restaurants to improve their supply chain.
Green technology has been gaining traction in the food industry. As restaurants increase in number, this means that more customers are present in the market. In turn, the supply chain of the industry should be able to meet the specific needs of customers. Ultimately, technology has the potential to strengthen supply chains and bring innovative results to restaurant chains.
