How AI Could Forever Change The Way We Eat Out

Published Aug 4, 2017

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the buzz word nowadays. The future of economies depends on AI. The AI market is expected to grow to $5.05 billion by 2020. Food & beverage industries can leverage AI to improve offerings, optimise operations, and deliver better customer experience.

Food taste & quality are the most important parameters when considering an eating out sojourn. The speed of service & staff, ambience & value for money follow. But if the food isn't good, the overall experience tends to range in between average and bad. In the current scenario, a huge part of the eating out experience is dependent on stewards. Good stewards ask the right questions & have the acumen to suggest the right dishes according to your preferences or mood. However, the inexperienced ones, who aren't well versed with the menu, might not be able to suggest the right dishes. This leads to a poor overall experience.

AI has the power to analyse large amounts of data and mimic human characteristics. Having an AI powered bot to interact with guests could be the next big thing in the restaurant industry. With the use of machine learning, these AI bots can be taught to ask guests what they want to eat and then suggest dishes based on patterns from their earlier experiences. These AI powered “stewards” can also go into the next level by “recognising” you from your past & knowing your eating preferences. They could end up reading your mind & provide suggestions that could leave you amazed! In addition to building your order, the AI bots can also recommend special offers on the orders placed or cashback deals that you might not otherwise be aware of.

The biggest advantage of having an AI steward bot is its ability to standardise the experience and be consistent with everyone it comes across. This means that all the guests visiting a restaurant could be provided equally relevant suggestions based on their preferences. This ensures an equally good experience for everyone.

AI uses customer data to enhance the experience. Siri, for example, stores information that allows her to suggest tasks to be carried out for your needs. Similarly, an AI steward bot can store preferences from your past data & provide you intelligent suggestions. AI can be used to process real-time data, which can enable restaurants to interact with its target audience and also provide a spontaneous response. This capability to respond instantaneously can increase consumer experience, which in turn can enhance the restaurant’s reputation.

AI is not the future but the present. With top technology companies working on AI related technologies such as self-driving cars and food-delivering drones, this is the time when others, including people in the restaurant industry, started taking AI rather seriously. From helping foodies find the best restaurant as per their preferences to helping them decide on what to eat, AI bots could go a long way in making the entire eating out experience better and hassle free.