How Data Enhances Good Hospitality

How Data Enhances Good Hospitality When applied correctly, technology streamlines processes and helps restaurants run more efficiently. It also helps staff manage the flow of guests and understand more about the people who are dining at a restaurant. The New York Times has a quick look at a few companies tackling the collection and application of restaurant data, from table turns to customer spend and loyalty. Erik Oberholtzer, founder and chief executive at the expanding Tender Greens, sums up the big data challenge as it applies to restaurants: “The goal is to leverage the technology to do what we would do if we had one little restaurant and we were there all the time and knew every customer by name.” Thanks to the systems restaurants use, collecting data on everything from popular menu items to customer loyalty is reasonably easy. What’s more challenging, though, is applying that data in fast, easy-to-understand, actionable ways that help time- and resource-crunched restaurateurs do better business. Currently, many restaurants use disparate systems to manage different parts of the business.