You might ask: why are restaurants seeking digital technology innovation?

With technology continuously evolving and seamlessly integrating itself into our daily lives, restaurants — from fast-food chains to fine dining institutions — are beginning to realize they must not only adapt but lead the way in digital integration if they want to maintain customer satisfaction.

According to the National Restaurant Association, about 25 percent of consumers say technology options are important features in where they choose to eat, and that number is up from 20 percent last year.

However, in order to stay relevant and thrive in the contemporary market, it is no longer enough to simply harness the power of digital technological innovation.

Instead, businesses must create a cohesive and singular web, mobile, kiosk and tableside experience across all platforms used.

Restaurants must be agile and stay abreast to current digital technology trends. This can be daunting but nonetheless necessary to stay relevant and thrive.

You would be hard pressed to find a fast casual restaurant that does not have a mobile application or a social media presence today, but that is no longer enough.

In order to have a competitive edge in the current market, these disparate units must function together like a living and breathing organism, working in concert with each other to reflect the vision and identity of your company.

This singular, omnichannel approach not only benefits your restaurant but, more importantly, maximizes the customer experience.

Similarly to how a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square, an omnichannel experience is a kind to a multichannel experience, however, a multichannel experience is not omnichannel.

That is to say that the omnichannel experience not only utilizes technologies across multiple platforms, it blends them together seamlessly to create a cohesive user experience.

As customers demand more options and it becomes more obvious that web & mobile ordering and self-serve kiosks are necessary, it is not enough to just make these options available, but to maintain brand fidelity across them.

As a company, your mobile application should be consistent with your image and message, in regards to content as well as design.

The benefits of an omnichannel experience are unbounded, both to the customer as well as the business.

In the restaurant industry alone it has increased overall sales, reduced costs and time associated with take-out order processing, while also enhancing and improving guest relationships. This aids the customer, but also benefit your bottom line.

In today’s market, customers are seeking a friendly and intuitive experience that remains consistent with your brand image and the future belongs to the companies that can offer that unified, omnichannel approach across a variety of platforms, giving them an edge in an already increasingly competitive marketplace.

Innovation Is Intrinsic to the OmniChannel Experience

Whatever web app, mobile app, or kiosk you are currently using or plan to use in the future, they should be a reflection of your restaurant and the innovative customer experience you provide.