Running a restaurant has never been more complex. Operators are balancing rising labor costs, changing guest expectations, tighter margins, and constant pressure to do more with less.
The good news is that smart tech can solve many of the most common operational headaches.
From AI answering systems to inventory tools and smarter scheduling, today’s technology for restaurants can help you save time, protect revenue, and improve the guest experience.
Back of House consultants Marylise Trépanier and David Wisdom share five practical ways restaurant operators like you can use tech to solve everyday problems and grow smarter.
Missed calls and poorly handled phone inquiries cost restaurants more than many operators realize. During peak service hours, phones often ring when staff are least available to answer properly.
AI-powered phone solutions can help teams stay focused on guests while capturing more revenue opportunities.
David: Most restaurants don't realize how much revenue is walking away through the phone. It's missed calls during peak hours, staff rushing through orders, or putting someone on hold and never getting back to them. That's a direct loss of sales, especially for takeout and catering inquiries.
Marylise: I agree. When restaurant staffers miss a reservation call, customers rarely call back multiple times. It also reflects poorly on customer service. Even when calls are answered, background noise can be distracting and make communication difficult, which affects the overall experience.
On top of that, employees are often rushed and may not always have the time or patience to provide the level of service clients expect over the phone.
David: AI should handle the repeatable, transactional stuff — placing orders, answering questions about hours or the menu, directions, and reservation requests. That's 70-80% of your call volume.
Humans should focus on relationship-based or complex tasks, such as catering orders, complaints, and special requests. That’s where the real human-to-human experience matters.
Marylise: I echo this — 100%.
Marylise: One of the biggest misconceptions is that AI phone systems still feel like the old automated menus we all used to hate. Personally, I never enjoyed those “press 1, press 2” calls. When the voice sounds robotic, doesn’t understand what you’re saying, or only responds to very specific prompts, it becomes very frustrating very quickly.
What many operators don’t realize is how much these systems have evolved. Today’s AI can feel far more natural and responsive when implemented properly. That said, it’s not plug-and-play.
Like any AI, it needs to be trained and refined. There’s real value in dedicating time upfront to ensure it delivers the level of service and information you expect. Give it at least a few months, and have someone on your team regularly test the system by calling in, identifying gaps, and fine-tuning responses.
For restaurants looking to create more predictable revenue, catering and events can become a powerful growth channel. With the right restaurant technology solutions, operators can streamline catering inquiries, production, and communication.
David: Catering is one of the most underutilized revenue streams in the business. For many operators (if done right), catering events can result in 20-40% of total annual revenue. It also has better margins compared to dine-in/take-out or delivery.
Catering and events are large orders that are predictable and don’t rely on feet through the door or butts in seats.
Marylise: Absolutely! With catering, you can plan more effectively, which also helps reduce food waste and saves you money. As David mentioned, incorporating catering or hosting monthly events can make a real difference, helping offset slower periods and supporting more consistent end-of-month results.
David: Two things — no structure, no systems. Most restaurants treat catering as an afterthought, with no clear menu, pricing strategy, or processes to handle inquiries quickly. These lacks create opportunities for orders to get lost or mishandled.
Marylise: Better planning — centralized information, standardized templates, and clear production lists all help teams stay organized and reduce last-minute chaos. Some of the biggest impacts can be seen with:
Customers also get faster quoting and invoicing. Clearer communication and fewer mistakes in orders create an overall experience.
Restaurants are no longer limited to their physical dining room. Online ordering has changed how guests discover and buy from restaurants.
Strong restaurant tech solutions help operators capture a greater share of that digital revenue.
David: It has completely shifted the game. Restaurants are no longer just physical locations — they are digital storefronts. The problem is that many operators build their online business through third-party apps, which means they’re growing revenue but losing margins because of the fees that go to third parties.
David: Ownership and awareness. Most restaurants don’t push their own ordering channels enough. They rely on third parties because it’s easy, but they’re paying for that convenience with fees and lost customer data.
Marylise: I second this. Also, you need staff to support the growth. If the team is not ready for more orders, it can be tricky to offer online ordering.
Marylise: The right partnership; a menu that is easy to deliver; think of packaging (sustainable wins right now); maybe your own drivers to save on deliveries.
Great SEO — menus that are a designed part of your website, not PDFs, are the best way to protect SEO. Also, try to avoid ordering outside of your own page. Also, reply to your reviews and ensure your customers feel taken care of.
Scheduling remains one of the toughest responsibilities in restaurant management. Tight margins and changing availability leave little room for error.
Smart technology for restaurants can help managers build more accurate schedules using real data.
Marylise: There are constant scheduling challenges — time-off requests, sick days, personal commitments, and availability is always changing. At the same time, margins are so tight that even small mistakes can be costly.
Having too many or too few employees for a shift directly affects your bottom line. Without proper analytics, it’s very difficult to optimize labor costs and make informed decisions.
Marylise: Customer service is where it shows up first. There’s nothing worse than guests waiting an hour for their food because the team is overwhelmed and running in all directions. The pressure also hits your staff when stress levels go up, morale drops, and burnout becomes a real risk.
Over time, that leads to higher turnover, which only makes scheduling even harder. And of course, it affects costs too in terms of lost revenue from unhappy customers, comped meals, and inefficient labor allocation.
Marylise: It’s the data you get from your restaurant POS system or past seasons. There is no magic wand, but the more data you have, the better you can plan.
Having people on call can also be helpful if you are hesitating to put them on the schedule. For example, during spring, when the terrace reopens, the weather can change very quickly. Keeping an eye on the predictions and having employees on call are great strategies.
Inventory directly affects food cost, waste, menu consistency, and profitability. Strong restaurant technology solutions can transform inventory from guesswork into a real solution.
David: Daily. Restaurants just don’t always see it clearly. Running out of items, over-ordering, inconsistent portions — it all ties back to inventory. And it directly impacts what you can sell.
David: Lack of real-time visibility. Most operators are making ordering decisions based on gut feeling, not data. That leads to waste on one side and shortages on the other.
Marylise: Forecasting is also difficult with seasonal ingredients, as pricing can vary. Sometimes you have to keep an eye on what you buy and have a plan B. Are blueberries way too expensive? How about blackberries or raspberries? If you don’t keep track of the data, it’s hard to optimize and protect your margin and food cost.
David: This is where it gets powerful. When you know your true costs and usage, you can engineer your menu properly, push high-margin items, adjust pricing, and remove underperformers.
Marylise: Catering first, because you have fewer changes to implement to get results. Second is inventory, because you need to know your food cost and protect margins before scaling your business.
The right restaurant tech solutions can help restaurants answer more calls, grow revenue, optimize labor, and improve profitability. Success comes from selecting systems that align with your goals and daily operations.
If you’re reading to build a stronger foundation for your restaurant, download the Back of House Restaurant Tech Starter Kit to learn how to design a smarter, more scalable tech stack.