Digital dining: how technology is changing the restaurant industry

As diners return to restaurants, cafes and pubs, the dining experience has, forever, evolved.

Although your menu might not have changed, how people order and pay had to, initially, for the safety of your customers and staff. But, if you thought QR codes and ordering apps were just having a moment, you might need to consider their use long-term.

Understanding how your customers want to order and pay for their meals when dining-in is vital to getting them to the table. This is compared to a fast food setting, when the diner journey of placing an order and paying are often combined into one transaction.

If you’ve too much on your plate to ask them, don’t stress, we’ve done the research for you.

We surveyed a thousand adults, aged 16-65, online in Ireland between November 11-19, 2021 with market researchers Ipsos. The trends the results reveal might surprise you.

Generational gap

There are some interesting trends to note when we delve into the differing age groups of Ireland’s diners. It demonstrates the importance of striking the right balance between face-to-face and non-face-to-face customer service.

Think of how we used to eat out; sitting down at our favourite restaurant, looking at the menu, and ordering our meal through a member of staff coming to our table. After devouring a main and perhaps even a dessert, we’d ask for the bill. The staff would bring it to us, and we’d pay right there at the table. Traditionally, with cash. More recently, wireless card machines would be brought to the table

“If you know your target audience, you can tailor the ordering and payment journey to best place yourself for their business and loyalty.” David Wheatcroft, Head of European Hospitality.

“Explain this concept to my teenaged children and they might find it absurd,” says David.

“However, there is still a large segment of the population that want the sense of security that comes with ordering via a real person, and often the smile that comes with that service. So it’s important not to forget about those customers, and to offer a variety of methods to order and pay for a drink or a meal.”

Of the 55-65 age group, most (93%) still prefer to order through a member of staff, and almost nine out of ten (89%) prefer to pay the same way. Just one in 20 (5%) of that same age group prefer to order using an app or automated system, and slightly more (11%) prefer to pay this way.

If you want to talk to us about how a modern payments system can benefit your business, talk to our team.

We commissioned this same survey in other countries too, which may interest you:

We asked these same questions to 1108 adults in the UK and 1098 adults in Poland.

• The research was conducted on i:omnibus, Ipsos’ online Omnibus.
• Online interviews were carried out amongst adults aged 16-65 in Ireland.
• Our total respondents base includes 1000 adults who completed the survey November 11-19, 2021
• The sample obtained is representative of this population, having met quotas on: age, gender, region and workings status.
• The data has been weighted to the known population profile by age within gender, region, education, working status and social grade to be nationally representative and reflect the adult population of Ireland.