Why tech is still a major theme at restaurant conferences

This week, several editors here at Nation’s Restaurant News attended the Restaurant Leadership Conference or RLC in Arizona. The conference gathers top leadership at restaurant companies for discussions, networking, and sessions.

Senior editor Joanna Fantozzi was there are had some key takeaways from the conference.

First, pricing & labor costs. Something we’ve been talking about in the industry for quite a while ranging from digital menu boards to AI technology that can predict future needs to how to maintain fair pricing while also turning a profit.

Second, experience is still key. At casual dining restaurants, there’s a hesitancy to embrace technology out of fear that it would disrupt the hospitality they’ve become known for. How can they balance both? Also, the rise in the new kind of eatertainment brands was a big theme of the conference.

Third, data is a big tech takeaway. We’ve been talking about data collection here for a while but the question of ‘what do I do with his data?’ is still a mystery for many brands, including the top 25.