Pioneering technologies in food service

Mise en place: The utensils that could revolutionise the food service industry are already set at on the table. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of Things and robotics have the potential to fundamentally change both the processes surrounding the kitchen and the gastronomic customer journey.

Olaf Hohmann, member of the management board of the EHI Retail Institute and expert in the field of in-store gastronomy, gives us an outlook on how these developments will shape the food service industry and what opportunities such technologies hold for catering businesses.

Olaf, what role will food service and gastronomy play for the retail sector in the future?

Olaf Hohmann: This topic is becoming increasingly important. At EHI, for example, we can see this in the development of sales figures reported to us by retailers. In 2022, in-store gastro sales were over 10 billion euros. For 2023, we see a significant increase in sales of 15.9 per cent.

One factor that has contributed to the positive trend is consumers' price sensitivity. In-store catering can score points with a good price-performance ratio – with increased quality and greater customer focus. And finally, in-store catering is able to serve customers quickly, especially at lunchtime.

How important is it for retailers to engage with and invest in technological developments in food service?

Hohmann: Technology brings many benefits, for example in ordering, payment, sales forecasting, workforce planning, process optimisation and efficiency, but also for sustainability. The need to use technology is largely due to a lack of staff. As a result, many retailers are asking themselves: Which processes can I simplify with technology? Where can technology free up people, who I can then use for more creative and demanding purposes?

Let's take a look at the topic from the customer's perspective: how will technology change the customer journey in the food service sector in the coming years?

Hohmann: If we look to the future, many things are conceivable. For example, a catering business knows that a customer, let's call her Julia, usually comes into the shop at lunchtime. At this time of day, Julia automatically receives a special offer. As soon as she enters the shop, she is recognised by facial recognition or via her mobile phone and automatically greeted personally. Chatbots and AI assistants simplify communication, and orders and enquiries can be handled through speech.

This is followed by personalised recommendations. A clever AI suggests to Julia: "You haven't eaten a burger for a long time, would you enjoy this today? By the way, we have a brand-new infused water to go with it." Preferences and allergies are taken into account to develop personalised menu suggestions. Because Julia is interested in certain ingredients, the origin and sustainable production of the ingredients, she is given information about them. It is extremely exciting when a technology knows better than you what you actually want.

Hohmann: One of the most exciting topics is software solutions that make predictions. The software analyses historical order data, for example, and adds information such as weather data or events and public holidays. Based on this data, the forecasting software can predict to the retail or catering business what will be sold in the future. These forecasting solutions are now quite good, with providers claiming accuracy rates of over 90 per cent. In addition to process optimisation, this development also contributes to the issue of sustainability and food waste. Because if I know what I need to produce at certain times of the day, I can make more targeted purchases and throw away significantly less.

The Internet of Things naturally plays a crucial role: production machines and kitchen appliances are networked with each other. This allows preparation processes to be monitored and controlled, the cold chain to be checked and the availability of ingredients to be planned.

Robotics is of course a fascinating field. Robots can already take over some tasks in the classic kitchen process. They can prepare food, for example bowls and salads, which already works very well. In some restaurants, the robots work behind glass and it is of course an experience for customers to be able to watch them. There are already restaurants where robots take away used dishes or bring food to the table.

And on the subject of big data analytics: all these systems now provide so much data that the only question is: what do I do with it? For example, customised offers can be generated for all customers.

Can you give us some practical examples of how technologies are successfully used in food service?

Hohmann: One company that is very well digitalised, especially in the production process, is the Hofbräuhaus in Munich. A complete ERP system including forecasting software and ordering system was introduced there: Orders are passed directly to the kitchen, where there are special stations that specialise in preparing certain dishes. We are talking about around 3,500 seats and up to 2 million guests a year. Of course, this makes it particularly worthwhile to optimise the processes.

We at EuroCIS also recognise the increasing relevance of technology in the in-store gastronomy sector. That's why the Food Service Innovation Hub will be on show for the first time at EuroCIS 2025.

Hohmann: It makes perfect sense for EuroCIS and EuroShop to provide a platform for this topic. We are still at the beginning here, but demand from caterers, from retailers with food services – and above all from customers – will increase. I believe that the big step towards creating added value with scarce staff and increasing efficiency will come primarily through the automation of the production process. In my opinion, this will be the biggest lever that retailers and caterers can use to make progress.

Initially, large establishments such as the Hofbräuhaus will use new technologies. With such quantities, a caterer will feel the effect directly. Of course, the cost-benefit ratio has to be right. But by observing the market and gradually integrating these technologies, smaller businesses can also benefit in the long term.