Joel Warady

Techie Types Go Out to Eat

July 16, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
New research by Technomic has found that consumers in "the gotta have the latest gadget" crowd are more likely eat out than the population as a whole. What are the practical implications for restaurants and specialty food stores knowing that the group of people most open to technology are also quite likely their best customer prospects?      [more...]

This is a great opportunity for QSRs and other dining establishments to incorporate technology into their strategy, both as a way to market to their consumers as well as keep them engaged while in the restaurant, and get them to spend more money on their meals.

Knowing the relationship between technology geeks and dining out, there is a great opportunity to move menus on to iPads, allow for pre-ordering of meals on iPhones and Androids, have live video streaming at each table to watch food being prepared in the kitchen, and have internet-enabled tables that allow for Yelp reviews right when the meal is completed.

Not only will these initiatives potentially help the restaurant brand, but it will also drive traffic to the establishments within the technology community, who tends to spend more money on eating out. There is a real opportunity here.