6 Must-Have Technologies of the Food & Beverage Industry

In 2024, the COVID-19 pandemic seems like a distant memory to many. We’ve begun our return to daily commutes into office buildings and have settled into our new normal. As many industries are returning to pre-pandemic routines, there is one industry revolutionized by the pandemic – the food and beverage industry – and business owners are not looking back. 

Within the food and beverage industry, the pains and trials of the pandemic gave birth to innovations that have since carried on into this “new normal.” In 2024, customers reserve tables, order meals and drinks for delivery, and gather perks and rewards at their favorite restaurants all via mobile applications. Automation and new services have sprung up to serve a new generation of consumers and to build operations with lower overhead costs (labor, delivery drivers, etc). 

As the consumer becomes more cost and environmentally conscious, businesses must adapt to bring greater transparency to their operations and create excellent customer experiences. Several technologies are must-haves for the modern F&B industry business: alcohol and tobacco compliance services, customer loyalty and mobile ordering platforms, blockchain-driven food traceability, food delivery services, and self-ordering capabilities.

Alcohol & Tobacco Compliance Services

Alcohol and tobacco compliance services bring security and confidence to business owners by mitigating legal risks or loss of licensure.

It’s easier than ever for restaurant, bar, and shop owners to ensure their staff members are adhering to federal and local laws for the sale of tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol products. With services like Stinger Compliance, business owners can easily schedule a private check-in – also called a “Sting” – where a secret shopper visits a location and confirms the employees are checking identification when selling age-restricted products. 

Services like Stinger Compliance partner with business owners to promote compliance adherence. Unfortunately, business owners put their livelihoods at stake if their alcohol or tobacco sales license becomes suspended due to a failed municipal sting (a sting operated by local law enforcement). By scheduling regular private Stings with Stinger Compliance, business owners can mitigate risks to their operations by reinforcing compliant practices.

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Customer Loyalty Data and Mobile Ordering

Customer loyalty data paired with mobile ordering gives meaningful insights into a business’s customer base.

Now, more than ever, marketing and targeted advertising are a requirement for business owners with multiple locations. The first step in any marketing and advertising effort is for business owners to understand their current client base and examine the many segments of customers frequenting their locations. Data gathered with each purchase should include some identifying information about the customer (gender, city, etc) and their shopping trends (when they shop, what they buy, and how they interact with any mobile applications/tech, etc). 

Through this information, business owners can create marketing and advertising campaigns that truly speak to their target audiences. Also, business owners can use the gathered customer data to create promotions and loyalty programs that encourage more purchases. For example, the Starbucks application frequently pushes out promotions that encourage customers to purchase a specific type of product within a limited time frame. By purchasing within the time frame, the customer receives points that can be redeemed for products at a later date. 

Blockchain-Driven Food Traceability

Blockchain-driven food traceability solutions provide confidence to business owners and consumers alike in terms of food safety and environmental factors. 

Consumers are increasingly asking for food traceability. Questions like "Where did the fish come from?" "When was it caught?" or "Has the fish been frozen?" are commonly asked by environmentally-conscious shoppers. These questions might have been dismissed in the past and considered over-the-top behavior from a customer. Yet, in 2024, news articles detailing the food chains directly linked to illnesses and animal-derived pandemics are making it harder to ignore food traceability inquiries. Consumers want to know that the food is safe for consumption and that business owners are not exposing them to contaminated or falsified food. 

Software companies like dock and TraceX offer food traceability services to business owners and their customers by ensuring supply chain paper trails and contamination alerts. This new era of food traceability will likely evolve as consumers continue to select businesses that offer quality products with transparency and safety in mind. 

Food Delivery Services

Food delivery services provide flexibility to business owners who want to offer off-premises dining options through third-party delivery drivers. 

Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Grub Hub are not necessarily “new,” but many businesses have yet to get on board the delivery service train. For this reason, many businesses are missing out on potential sales. As the global online food delivery market is expected to grow from $130.2 billion to $223.7 billion by 2027, businesses should consider tapping into this revenue stream. 

Previously, business owners offering delivery were directly responsible for hiring drivers and taking payments off-premises. Today, business owners can utilize third-party services to deliver products and take payment, thus reducing the risks and responsibilities for the business owner. 

Since 2020, business owners have seen an uptick in alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco sales using third-party delivery services. As the purchase of age-restricted products continues via third-party delivery, business owners should understand the risks to their business as stated by their State's laws. Overall, if technology solutions are not put into place to prevent minors from gaining access to age-restricted products, underage communities are at risk of injury associated with the consumption of these products.

Self-Ordering Solutions

Self-ordering solutions allow business owners to manage leaner teams due to resources being focused on execution rather than waiting tables directly. 

As the cost of labor increases, business owners need to think of ways to reduce the number of employees required to keep operations moving forward. A great, but often controversial, solution is the self-order kiosk or online ordering. Whether the customer is asked to order food via a physical kiosk or an online portal via their smartphone, self-ordering is becoming more common in the food and beverage industry. Some argue that these solutions negatively impact the overall experience of going out to eat, as they prefer interacting with a knowledgeable employee. Others prefer the self-ordering process to reduce time required to place orders and ensure orders are placed correctly.

These self-ordering solutions reduce the number of wait staff required to take orders and cater to guests. Rather, the customer submits orders for whatever is needed and employees deliver the requested items directly to the customer. Customers can pay via the kiosk or online portal, thus eliminating the need for wait staff to handle payment processes. For leaner operations, business owners should consider some form of self-ordering solution for their clientele. 

Online Table Reservation Systems 

Online table reservation systems provide business owners with more seamless experiences for customers and easier reservation management for their staff. 

Calling a restaurant to place a reservation is a thing of the past in most cases, as restaurant owners have embraced online table reservation systems like Open Table and Resy. With these solutions, customers can easily make reservations and include preferences in seating and modify reservations as needed. 

These platforms allow business owners to reduce the wait staff required to answer calls for reservations and provide a much smoother experience for customers. 

What’s Next for the F&B Industry?

Technology is continually evolving to fit the needs of the upcoming generations and the changing cultural norms. As consumer purchasing behavior changes, so do the platforms offered to business owners to meet the needs of their customers. The goal of the F&B business owner is to sell products of high quality and to ensure customer satisfaction throughout the purchasing process. 

Though there are many tech solutions available to business owners, not every solution will work for all businesses. Some may only choose to apply one or two of the above mentioned technology solutions based on customer behavior and the type of business. The only thing certain about the food & beverage industry is the constant evolution we will see as technology and society advances. 

What do you think is the next tech innovation to change the F&B industry? Let us know in the comments!