2 min read

Restaurants brace for a future with fewer staff

More industry executives believe restaurants may never get all their workers back and should focus on improving overall productivity.

As restaurant operators increase pay, benefits, and training so they can recruit and retain workers, yet still close early because they don’t have enough help, more of them are coming to a stark realization: Things may never get back to normal.

Industry executives in recent weeks have seemed resigned to a future with fewer available workers and say they must take time to transform their restaurants and operations to prepare for that inevitability.

Restaurant employment is down about 8% since before the pandemic. The industry indeed lost about 1 million workers. Yet the industry is struggling more than any other to get people employed. Signs placed outside of many fast-food and casual dining restaurants beg for employees.

The next-gen voice AI technology could help overcome this challenge gradually, by making life easier for employees and giving them more reasons to stay while improving the efficiency inside restaurants. More companies are now investing heavily into new types of technology to do just that—including ordering technology in drive-thrus and more advanced kitchen technology to make things more efficient.

To know how we can help you automate the phone and drive-thru ordering processes, get in touch with us at [email protected]

AUTHOR BIO Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav, with extensive experience in product management, leads the strategic direction of VoicePlug's AI solutions. In previous roles, Kuldeep has been part of the founding team at Think7, where he led the development of hardware and software solutions for digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in India. His diverse experience spans pre-sales, project implementation, account management, and customer support across industries such as hospitality, manufacturing, and supply chain. He holds expertise in product lifecycle management, business analytics, AI, CRM, and data modeling. His expertise in AI and voice technology drives product innovation and growth.
Outside of work, Kuldeep enjoys hiking and aquascaping.