The use and perspectives of digital technologies in restaurant business

Digital economyis not only based on the development of IT-infrastructure but also implies the extended use of digital solutions in business and daily life. Restaurant industry is relatively slow in adoption of new digital technologies although their potential is increasingly recognized. The article evaluates the current state of digitalization as well as perspectives of the Russian restaurant companies, basing on the analysis of expert views, industry reports, statistical data, and own industry research. It is revealed that Russian restaurants widely use some basic digital solutions for business processes automation, especially for order processing, and consumer relations. At the same time, comparing to US industry, development of own mobile apps is one of the most underestimated and promising digital solutions. Other promising directions of restaurant digitalization include the use of RFID technologies, QR-codes, flexible mobile payments, robotization, Big Data –based analytical and predictive technologies.