Once you know what AI is, of course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Brief Overview of AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve probably heard \u201cAI\u201d said more than your own name in the past year, but its buzzword status is for good reason: AI is really, really <\/em>cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to TechTarget<\/span><\/a>, AI is defined as \u201cthe simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It works by \u201cingesting large amounts of labeled training data<\/span><\/a>,\u201d looking for trends and patterns, and using that information to make predictions. It then uses those predictions to \u201clearn\u201d how to do certain tasks\u2026 sometimes even better than humans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in other words?<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI is a human-created, computer-and-data-powered system that helps people solve problems better, faster, and easier than before. Including <\/em>people who own restaurants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing AI in restaurants used to feel like a thing of the far (far<\/em>) future. But, whether you knew it was there or not, we\u2019ve had AI in restaurants for a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Big names like Domino\u2019s Pizza<\/span><\/a> and Starbucks<\/span><\/a> have been using AI in their restaurants since 2014 and 2020, respectively. But smaller restaurants have been hopping on the AI train, too, with recent surveys reflecting an industry-wide shift to tech-forward solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021, Lightspeed surveyed 8,000+ restaurant industry <\/span><\/a>professionals, from owners and operators to managers and guests. The survey looked at shifting perspectives of the restaurant industry, including how more and more operators were using \u201cautomation to save time and streamline operations\u201d… which is up to 45% of fast-casual restaurants in the United States!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what does AI in restaurants look like now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a good question\u2026 but we\u2019ve got an even better one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What doesn\u2019t<\/em> AI in restaurants look like now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n From helping front-of-house staff with faster, more accurate orders to helping back-of-house staff track inventory and scheduling needs, AI in restaurants is creating efficiencies that we only would have dreamed of a decade ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s get into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Front-of-house employees have a ton of \u201cbusy\u201d work on their plates, juggling competing priorities on every shift. But, when thinking about AI in restaurants, that means tons of opportunities to streamline your staff\u2019s day-to-day tasks with AI-powered efficiencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Human error in the restaurant industry can cost businesses a whopping $9,000 per month<\/span><\/a>. And, the truth is that mistakes are inevitable, because humans are\u2026 well, human<\/em>. The nice thing about AI in restaurants is that it helps us take human error out of the ordering equation (while freeing up humans to do other helpful things). White Castle has been testing an AI bot named Julia<\/span><\/a> in their drive-thru, reporting both a 90% accuracy rate, and an overwhelmingly positive response from employees using the AI, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Increasing the speed of service is another solution we\u2019re seeing by adding AI in restaurants. So, while \u201crobotic\u201d employees may seem like the plot of a sci-fi movie, it\u2019s a time-saving reality for restaurants like Zaucer Pizza. Zaucer\u2019s \u201cartificial intelligence-equipped pizza-making platform<\/span><\/a>\u201d makes up to 300 pizzas an hour, the equivalent of \u201c5 or 6 people\u201d giving their 110%, says CEO Aaron Roberts. AI-powered restaurant solutions like kiosks<\/span><\/a> can also slash guest wait times, speeding up everything from tapping in an order to processing a payment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know that 60% of customers won’t wait on hold for more than 60 seconds<\/span><\/a>? If you press “hold” on your FOH phone more than anything else, it\u2019s a good time to consider an AI customer service solution like Domino\u2019s. \u201cDom,\u201d Domino\u2019s AI voice assistant, has been helping guests since 2014<\/span><\/a>, placing the orders customers give by voice over the app. Voice assistant AI in restaurants is a multi-faceted solution, offering other efficiencies like answering FAQs<\/span><\/a> or adding guests to a waitlist<\/span><\/a>, too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Back-of-house employees might do all their work behind the scenes, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have just as many tasks they\u2019d gratefully relinquish to automation. Bringing AI to restaurants helps back-of-house staff with their daily tasks just as much as front-of-house! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ever realize you\u2019re out of cheddar right after <\/em>5 grilled cheese orders come in? That doesn\u2019t happen when you\u2019ve got AI in your restaurant. In 2022, Chipotle began testing a new inventory-monitoring AI system<\/span><\/a> from PreciTaste. Using \u201csensors to monitor food pans in real time,\u201d the AI system not only tracks the store\u2019s inventory but also manages portion sizes. Yum! Brands, on the other hand, rely on an AI-powered \u201cordering module<\/span><\/a>,\u201d telling managers how much of each product they need to order every week. No more manual stock calculations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaning on AI for certain restaurant tasks hasn\u2019t decreased the need for staff at all. In fact, some restaurants like White Castle<\/span><\/a> have increased<\/em> their staff recently, and AI in restaurants can help back-of-house staff manage those newly increased scheduling needs. By analyzing historical guest data \u2013 and using that information to predict traffic and demand \u2013 AI models can suggest staffing numbers in a way that perfectly balances labor costs and productivity. Chronic issues with over- or under-staffing? Not once you add AI to your restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While AI in restaurants will never replace <\/em>experienced marketing professionals (says the 100% human writer), it can help streamline marketing efforts like promotions, upselling, and personalization campaigns. AI platforms can easily send out emails or text messages about up-and-coming promotions while upselling products and add-ons in the same (artificial) breath. Deep Brew, Starbucks\u2019 AI system, absolutely dominates the personalization game<\/span><\/a>, giving customers always-updated recommendations\u2026 and the drinks basically sell themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, to be clear, none of these tech-forward efficiencies mean that employees should be replaced with AI in restaurants \u2014 because they can\u2019t be<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What it does<\/em> mean is replacing time-consuming <\/span>tasks <\/span><\/em>with AI<\/span><\/a> in restaurants, freeing up human employees to do what they do best: give guests that irreplaceable human-to-human experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how you can start adding AI to your restaurant with Craver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Craver apps are not only completely customized to your branding, but they also offer a ton of AI-powered benefits to your front- and back-of-house staff. By creating a custom-branded app, your guest’s orders get sent straight to the kitchen, relieving your staff of taking orders manually so they can better focus on the guest experience. You can also leverage loyalty programs and push notifications to keep guests engaged while leaning on the power of personalization through single-tap re-ordering and saved preferences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Craver self-serve kiosk puts the power in your guest\u2019s hands, allowing them to order at their own pace and dictate every part of their experience. And, when your guests can customize their orders in the hands-on, self-paced way that\u2019s so characteristic of kiosks, nobody has to worry about holding up a line with substitutions or restrictions. Kiosks also free up labor hours for your staff, allowing them to use their unique capabilities for other restaurant tasks\u2026 like offering their stellar, impossible-to-replace customer service skills to guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no doubt that AI in restaurants is becoming the rule, not the exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you want a place in that tech-powered future, you have to make a choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Will you get your restaurant on the AI train headed towards the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or will you be left behind in the manual-powered past? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The choice is yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s an easy one with Craver<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Chat](\"https:\/\/www.getcraver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Chat-bot-with-AI-technology.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUsing AI in Restaurants <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
AI Efficiencies in Restaurant Front-of-House<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Taking Orders and Improving Order Accuracy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.getcraver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/White-Castle-drive-thru.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Increasing Speed of Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Customer Service Automation <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
AI Efficiencies in Restaurant Back-of-House<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Forecasting Inventory & Purchasing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Restaurant](\"https:\/\/www.getcraver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Restaurant-manager-working-on-computer.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Staffing & Scheduling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Get Started with AI in Restaurants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Custom-Branded App<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Craver](\"https:\/\/www.getcraver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Craver-Mobile-Apps.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Self-Serve Kiosk<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Craver](\"https:\/\/www.getcraver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Craver-self-serve-kiosk.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWrap Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n