Presentation from NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show Ira Gleser, Microsoft Bruce Hoffmeister, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Colin McGuire, Chipotle Mexican Grill Digital transformation is having an impact on the restaurant industry like never before. Your customers are driving the customer journey, and they are embracing technology to decide what they want, where they want it and when they want it, which has created significant changes in marketing, loyalty and operations as restaurant chains pivot to meet their guests where they are. What about digital transformation in the back of the house? How do you leverage technology to take friction out of the daily tasks performed by your front line workers? How do you equip your store managers with data that will help them be more efficient and effective in doing their jobs, and free them up to focus on their team members and delivering a great guest experience? In this panel discussion with members of the Microsoft Restaurant CIO Council, we will explore these topics and what restaurants might look like in the next five years.

1. Session sponsored by:
Where is
restaurant
technology
headed in the
next five years? Bruce Hoffmeister
Chief Information Officer
Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store
Colin McGuire
VP, Corporate Systems
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Ira Gleser
Director, Industry Executive
Microsoft

2. Created by Microsoft to:
• Enable peer dialog among restaurant technology leaders
• Listen and Learn
• Identify Common Pain Points and Opportunities
Advance Digital Transformation in the Restaurant
Industry
The Restaurant CIO Council

3. • Dine-in is back – Consumers want to go out to eat and socialize
with friends and family
• Labor Challenges – Work/life balance continues to be a challenge for
front line workers and store managers
• Challenges in industry hiring and attracting tech talent
• In-store execution – Losing team members because it is harder to get
them fully trained. Need to keep things simple in the restaurants.
• Delivery is sticky – Consumers like the convenience
• Store hours continue to be down due to the pandemic
The Restaurant CIO Council – Fall Meeting
Key Learnings/Observations – 2022

4. The Restaurant CIO Council
Where is Restaurant Technology Headed in the Next Five Years?
Guests will be in more control of their dining journey. Restaurant operators will
focus on three things – greet, seat, and serve.
• Higher penetration of tablets and guest ordering. The payment process for the
dine-in occasion will become more fluid and easier as guests pay on their
own at the table.
The guest will continue to dictate what they want and how they want it as it
relates to takeout, delivery, or dine-in.
• Managing production capacities and efficiencies in the back of the house, by
leveraging technology, will continue to increase in importance.

5. Digital orders
The Restaurant CIO Council
Where is Restaurant Technology Headed in the Next Five Years?
Will continue to be a meaningful part of the sales mix, meaning
operators may need less space in their restaurants for dine-in
guests.
• More make lines dedicated to preparing digital orders, and many
brands will reconfigure their restaurants for online orders only.
Onboarding, scheduling, training and communications – and overall
FLW engagement will be improved by becoming more automated
through technology.
• Increased efficiency at delivering data to store employees and
managers, providing them with the information they need, when they
need it.
The employee
experience

6. Restaurants Will _______________________________________________
The Restaurant CIO Council
Where is Restaurant Technology Headed in the Next Five Years?

7. Thank You!