Study finds food and beverage brands expect AI to improve efficiency
Paytronix, a provider of guest engagement for restaurants and convenience stores and an Access Group company, has released a new study looking at how AI will impact food and beverage brands in the coming years.
While focused on the United States, the study’s findings have implications for Canada.
The reports, AI and Integrated Systems in the Hospitality Sector, finds that 48% of American food & beverage respondents expect AI to be used to improve efficiency in the future. The report also looks at how these companies are consolidating their software systems and whether that will also help accelerate their business.
Across the board, responders in the study looked positively towards AI’s future, while predicting a lot of room for growth in how they use AI, and where suppliers can provide extra value. Some 37% of respondents replied that they are actively rolling out AI across multiple departments of their business. Alternatively, a combined 47% of brands said that they either had early interest in AI and were just starting to explore the technology or haven’t implemented anything yet.
When asked what they want from AI technology, 32 % expect it to improve customer experience and service quality, while 29% want better decision making through improved insights. Looking forward, while much of the industry has yet to commit to AI, brands still expect AI to help improve efficiency across the board and to help with reporting and routine tasks.
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"Nearly half of brands expect AI to transform their efficiency, yet many are still figuring out where to start. AI and integrated systems hold tremendous promise for hospitality brands—from improving guest engagement through richer first-party data and better analytics to building the consolidated platforms that enable smarter operations. At Paytronix, we see our role as a partner in this evolution, helping brands consolidate their tech stack and harness AI in ways that deliver real operational efficiency and value. We've been pioneers in data-led solutions for more than two decades, and we're building on that strength with deeper investments in AI tooling—for our people and our products," said Nonita Verma, general manager, Paytronix.
Only 35% of brands believe they are currently using technology fairly well, while another 30% feel there is room for improvement in their own operations. Specifically, they identified the following challenges.
Some 21% said constant training is required due to high staff turnover, and 17% said there is not enough time to properly train everyone. All told, 55% said that staff and operational efficiency present a moderate to significant challenge for their business.
More than half (51%) of brands said that forecasting and revenue optimization is a moderate or significant challenge for their business. When allowed to select multiple options, respondents said that forecasting guest demand and predicting traffic were the two hardest challenges to get right, 52% and 49% respectively.
