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Restaurateurs urged to embrace smartphone technology - and ignore fears of negative feedback on social media

Published:  23 September, 2016

Smartphone technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the habits of consumers when they dine out - and might be better for business than proprietors imagine.

Smartphone technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the habits of consumers when they dine out - and might be better for business than proprietors imagine.

Perhaps going some way to ease concerns of those in the on-trade who currently avoid driving consumer social-interaction for fear of negative reviews, new research shows that consumers are more likely to share a positive dining experience (26%) than complaining about a disappointing one (7%).

The data from Mobiles showed the extent to which smart technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the on-trade, with 18% of diners checking their mobile three times or more during a meal.

A quarter of people now take photos of their food when eating out.

Twitter remains go-to app for consumers wanting to share pictures on social media, with 17% sharing their pictures on various platforms.

One of the UK's biggest discount dining clubs, tastecard, is jumping onto the digital bandwagon.

In October 2013, tastecard's digital card was launched to enable diners to access discounts on the go.

Matt Turner, CEO, said: "Mobile has continued to grow across many different fields, but the restaurant industry in particular has seen a massive impact. From 'checking in' to restaurants to sharing pictures of our food, phones are involved in every step of the eating out process."

Mobile payment options such as Apple Pay and Android Pay are also highlighted within the study, with 43% of consumers expressing a willingness to pay a restaurant bill this way.

Using dietary-specific hashtags such as #glutenfree to promote specialist dishes or menus also presents an opportunity for restaurants to capitalise on existing online discussions and appease large demographics.

Brunch was the least mentioned mealtime on social media in the UK.

Andrew Cartledge, mobile expert at Mobiles, singled out Deliveroo as one of the leaders in utilising smartphone technology.

"With mobile technology becoming such an important part of enjoying a meal out, it's crucial that restaurants are keeping up with the trend. Deliveroo has taken the market by storm, and new apps that will have an impact on the restaurant industry are appearing every week," he said.

London-based restaurant group and early technology adopters, inamo, created E-Table? technology in late 2005.

Marketing director Noel Hunwick explained: "We wanted to give guests control, so at inamo Soho, each guest uses a touch-sensitive panel to interact with our system, which is projected from above onto their table surface.

"They order when they want, get the bill when they want, and call a waiter at the touch of a button."

Cartledge stressed the importance of restaurants adapting to emerging trends, adding: "People want to go to restaurants that are easy to book and pay for, and where technology adds an interesting twist to an evening out.

"A few technology changes could allow restaurants to not only keep up with the latest social trends, but make their brand stand out in an extremely saturated market."

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