That was one of the insights that came out of a round-table discussion on ‘Technology and thre Future of Food & Hospitality’ at the Plexar Centre in Olympic Park, East London yesterday.
Adrian Valeriano, vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa with Open Table (short descriptor needed here), said his company’s surveys also showed that up to 70% of bookings are now made using a mobile.
“That’s not to say the food isn’t important, but the way people access it and enjoy it is very dependent on technology,” he said.
The event, hosted by public relations and marketing company William Murray, also heard that technology allowed catering providers to better understand their customers as the eating out of home sector continued to evolve.
Data is picking such trends, for example, as a big growth in the number of bookings ‘for one’ and the rise in the number of families looking to dine out on Christmas Day rather than cook at home.
Within the workplace, caterers are being asked more and more by clients to provide not only healthier options, but to support this with communication to customers about nutritional and allergen information, and the sustainability and sourcing of the ingredients. And it is the growing use of technology in this sector that is allowing contractors to deliver the food and the supporting information.