An analysis of technology applications in the restaurant industry

• Main Author: Cavusoglu, M. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Group Holdings Ltd. 2019
• Subjects: Back of house technologies; Front of house applications; Mobile POS; Restaurant technology
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Purpose: This study aims to examine the utilization of Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) technology applications in different types of US restaurants along with their level of IT management and explore the importance of these technology applications to restaurant operations. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 500 randomly selected restaurant technology managers who subscribe to Hospitality Technology Magazine. The sample group represented 67,299 restaurant units. Data analysis was organized into three parts (descriptive, exploratory factor analysis, and independent samples t-test). Findings: For FOH, the top-five point of sale (POS) technologies used are POS hardware, touchscreen, POS software, gift card integration and integrated credit card swipe into POS. At the BOH, the top-five POS technologies used are accounting/financial software, enterprise reporting, inventory management software, kitchen printers and company intranet. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to include a variety of technologies used in restaurants. Most existing studies focus on a single technology or a small number of them. However, this study provides an overall perspective on a variety of restaurant technologies from FOH to BOH. It also includes mobile POS technologies. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.