In this episode of “On Foodable Weekly,” host Paul Barron is joined by tech journalist Mike Elgan, founder of food and technology podcast The FATcast, to discuss tech trends and how technology is impacting the future of foodservice.
Though the restaurant industry itself is rooted in slow technology adoption, it has certainly accelerated more quickly in the past five years. “What’s driving that,” says Barron, “is everything from the on-demand economy logistics, with companies like Uber; mobile and smartphones, which have kind of transcended the whole POS industry; obviously the tablet business is really exploding; and we’re seeing wearables in social media really have an impact on restaurants that are making an amazing jump into the future.”
Food and technology. The two are more similar than you might think. “What I’ve found in talking to tech people is that technology-oriented people tend to also be foodies,” says Elgan. “And I think the reason for that is, a nerd — a technologist — is somebody who doesn’t accept things the way they are. They think there’s a better way to do things. And so those same kinds of people also tend to be of a similar mind when it comes to food — they don’t just accept the food that’s around them. They don’t just do the same things over and over in the kitchen or in restaurants, and so on. They try new things.”
So, what does the future hold for restaurant technology?
