Note: The wage penalty is the difference between the hourly wages earned by a restaurant industry worker and those earned by a demographically similar worker in another industry. To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2011Q3–2014Q2 microdata. Hourly wages include tips.
* See endnote four for methodology.
All groups face extreme wage penalties for restaurant work, with the smallest penalty being for workers without a high school degree, who “only” make 10.9 percent less in restaurant work than similar workers earn in other industries. The wage penalty for restaurant work is higher for men than women, for whites than for racial and ethnic minorities, for older workers than younger workers, and for workers with higher levels of education than workers with lower levels of education. This is due to the fact that these workers (men, white non-Hispanics, older workers, and workers with higher levels of education) are more likely to be able to secure higher wages in other industries. Thus, despite having higher wages than other workers within the restaurant industry, they face the largest discrepancy between what they make in the restaurant industry and what they could likely make outside the industry.
The very low wages typically received in restaurants means restaurant workers are much more likely to live in poverty or near-poverty than workers in other industries. When looking at these measures, it is important to note that poverty researchers generally do not consider the poverty threshold to be a good measure of what it takes to make ends meet, in part because the poverty threshold was set in the 1960s and has not evolved to reflect changing shares of spending on various necessities by low-income families. Due to such limitations, the “twice-poverty” rate—the share of people whose income is below twice the official poverty line—is often used as a more meaningful metric for determining what share of workers do not earn enough to make ends meet. For reference, in 2013, the poverty threshold for a family of four was $23,836, and the twice-poverty threshold was $47,672.
Table 7 shows poverty and twice-poverty rates for restaurant workers and other workers, both overall and for various demographic groups. One in six restaurant workers, or 16.7 percent, live below the official poverty line. The poverty rate for workers outside the restaurant industry is more than 10 percentage points lower, at 6.3 percent. More than two in five restaurant workers (43.1 percent) live below twice the poverty line, more than twice the 19.9 percent share outside the restaurant industry.
Poverty rate of restaurant workers | Poverty rate of workers outside restaurant industry | Twice-poverty rate of restaurant workers | Twice-poverty rate of workers outside restaurant industry | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 16.7% | 6.3% | 43.1% | 19.9% |
Gender | ||||
Female | 19.9% | 7.0% | 45.9% | 21.0% |
Male | 13.3% | 5.7% | 40.0% | 18.9% |
Nativity | ||||
U.S. born | 16.0% | 5.4% | 40.0% | 17.5% |
Naturalized U.S. citizen | 13.7% | 5.8% | 41.0% | 21.2% |
Non-naturalized immigrant | 21.5% | 15.6% | 59.3% | 43.8% |
Race/ethnicity | ||||
White, non-Hispanic | 13.9% | 4.2% | 36.0% | 14.2% |
Black, non-Hispanic | 27.1% | 11.0% | 55.6% | 31.2% |
Hispanic, any race | 19.9% | 12.9% | 56.5% | 38.8% |
Asian | 12.0% | 4.7% | 35.5% | 17.2% |
Other | 20.6% | 8.9% | 48.3% | 26.1% |
Education | ||||
Not a high school graduate | 21.4% | 19.1% | 52.1% | 49.3% |
High school graduate | 19.1% | 8.0% | 48.2% | 26.4% |
Some college | 13.9% | 5.9% | 37.1% | 20.0% |
Bachelor’s degree | 8.4% | 2.4% | 26.4% | 9.0% |
Advanced degree | 6.6% | 1.4% | 23.8% | 4.7% |
Age | ||||
16–24 | 17.3% | 12.7% | 41.1% | 33.3% |
25–54 | 17.5% | 6.4% | 46.5% | 20.5% |
55+ | 9.1% | 3.0% | 31.5% | 11.6% |
Union coverage | ||||
Union | 9.1% | 1.7% | 30.3% | 9.1% |
Non-union | 16.8% | 6.4% | 43.1% | 20.1% |
Note: For reference, in 2013 the poverty threshold for a family of four was $23,836, and the twice-poverty threshold was $47,672. To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2011Q3–2014Q2 microdata.
Looking by demographic group, more than 45 percent (45.9 percent) of women who work in restaurants live below twice the poverty line, compared with 40.0 percent of men. Among all the demographic groups in Table 7, non-naturalized immigrants in the restaurant industry are the most likely to be poor or near-poor, with 59.3 percent living below twice the poverty line. Blacks and Hispanics within the restaurant industry are also very likely to be poor or near-poor, with 55.6 percent and 56.5 percent living below twice the poverty line, respectively. Workers with higher levels of education are less likely to be poor or near-poor. Younger workers (under age 25) and “prime-age” workers (age 25–54) in the restaurant industry are both highly likely to be poor or near-poor, with 41.1 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively, living below twice the poverty line. Among restaurant workers, poverty rates are significantly lower among workers in unions. While 43.1 percent of non-unionized restaurant workers live below twice the poverty line, the share drops to 30.3 percent for unionized restaurant workers.
Table 8 shows poverty and twice-poverty rates for restaurant occupations. There are large disparities, but even workers in the most highly compensated jobs in the restaurant industry still have high poverty and twice-poverty rates. Managers in the restaurant industry are the least likely to be poor or near-poor, with 22.2 percent living below twice the poverty line, which is still higher than the 19.9 percent twice-poverty rate outside the restaurant industry. More than 50 percent of dishwashers, food preparation workers, and cooks live below twice the poverty line. Cashiers/counter attendants are also very likely to be poor or near-poor, as are workers in the largest restaurant industry occupation, waiters and waitresses. Nearly one in five waiters and waitresses (18.4 percent) live below the official poverty line, and nearly half (46.2 percent) live below twice the poverty line. For a more in-depth discussion of poverty rates of tipped workers, see Allegretto and Cooper (2014).
Occupations | Poverty rate | Twice-poverty rate |
---|---|---|
Overall | 16.7% | 43.1% |
Cashiers and counter attendants | 23.0% | 46.3% |
Dishwashers | 28.3% | 60.7% |
Food preparation workers | 23.2% | 50.2% |
Hosts and hostesses | 11.8% | 30.8% |
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (e.g., bussers) | 13.3% | 37.7% |
Cooks | 19.1% | 54.1% |
Waiters and waitresses | 18.4% | 46.2% |
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 9.9% | 36.4% |
Chefs and head cooks | 8.1% | 31.1% |
Bartenders | 12.0% | 35.2% |
Managers | 6.1% | 22.2% |
Note: For reference, in 2013 the poverty threshold for a family of four was $23,836, and the twice-poverty threshold was $47,672. To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2011Q3–2014Q2 microdata.
The preceding analysis shows that the wages of restaurant workers are substantially lower than the wages of workers in other industries, and that many restaurant workers live in poverty or near poverty. We now turn to a comparison of the fringe benefits received by restaurant workers and those received by other workers. Table 9 shows the share of workers who receive health insurance from their job, along with the share of workers who have a pension plan at their job. 5 Just 14.4 percent of restaurant workers receive health insurance from their employer, compared with roughly half (48.7 percent) of other workers. And only 8.4 percent of restaurant workers have a pension plan at their job, one-fifth the rate of pension coverage outside the restaurant industry, 41.8 percent.
Employer-provided health insurance coverage rate of restaurant workers | Employer-provided health insurance coverage rate of workers outside the restaurant industry | Employer-provided pension coverage rate of restaurant workers | Employer-provided pension coverage rate of workers outside the restaurant industry | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 14.4% | 48.7% | 8.4% | 41.8% |
Gender | ||||
Female | 13.4% | 46.2% | 8.1% | 41.7% |
Male | 15.6% | 50.9% | 8.8% | 41.9% |
Nativity | ||||
U.S. born | 15.0% | 50.4% | 8.7% | 44.0% |
Naturalized U.S. citizen | 19.1% | 49.0% | 10.1% | 39.3% |
Non-naturalized immigrant | 9.9% | 31.4% | 6.2% | 21.5% |
Race/ethnicity | ||||
White, non-Hispanic | 15.4% | 51.4% | 9.0% | 45.5% |
Black, non-Hispanic | 15.8% | 48.1% | 8.9% | 39.6% |
Hispanic, any race | 11.4% | 36.1% | 6.8% | 26.4% |
Asian | 15.2% | 51.9% | 7.8% | 41.8% |
Other | 12.0% | 42.6% | 8.8% | 38.5% |
Education | ||||
Not a high school graduate | 6.7% | 22.5% | 3.7% | 14.7% |
High school graduate | 15.6% | 43.6% | 9.0% | 35.1% |
Some college | 14.7% | 46.0% | 8.3% | 39.8% |
Bachelor’s degree | 26.4% | 59.5% | 17.0% | 52.2% |
Advanced degree | 31.8% | 65.5% | 22.4% | 61.6% |
Age | ||||
16–24 | 4.4% | 16.0% | 3.0% | 13.6% |
25–54 | 20.9% | 52.8% | 11.9% | 45.4% |
55+ | 24.8% | 53.0% | 13.8% | 45.4% |
Union coverage | ||||
Union | 41.9% | 76.0% | 31.6% | 74.6% |
Non-union | 14.3% | 48.2% | 8.3% | 41.1% |
Within all demographic groups, restaurant workers are significantly less likely to have either type of benefit than workers outside the restaurant industry. Within the restaurant industry, women, non-naturalized immigrants, Hispanics, workers with low levels of education, and workers under age 25 are the groups least likely to have either type of benefit. Among restaurant workers, benefit rates are significantly higher among workers in unions. While 14.3 percent and 8.3 percent of non-union restaurant workers have health insurance and pension coverage from their job, respectively, 41.9 percent and 31.6 percent of unionized restaurant workers have health insurance and pension coverage from their job, respectively.
Table 10 shows that there is significant inequality in benefit coverage within restaurant occupations, but that even the most highly compensated jobs within the restaurant industry still have low levels of benefit coverage. Managers in the restaurant industry have the highest benefit coverage—35.6 percent have employer-provided health insurance and 20.3 percent have pension coverage—but that is still substantially lower than the benefit coverage outside the restaurant industry, where 48.7 percent have employer-provided health insurance and 41.8 percent have pension coverage. Less than 10 percent of cashiers/counter attendants, dishwashers, food prep workers, hosts/hostesses, dining room attendants, and waitstaff receive employer-provided health insurance, and less than 5 percent of cashiers/counter attendants, dishwashers, hosts/hostesses, dining room attendants, and waitstaff have a pension plan at their work.
Employer-provided health insurance coverage rate of restaurant workers | Employer-provided pension coverage rate of restaurant workers | |
---|---|---|
Overall | 14.4% | 8.4% |
Cashiers and counter attendants | 5.8% | 3.0% |
Dishwashers | 5.6% | 4.4% |
Food preparation workers | 9.8% | 7.2% |
Hosts and hostesses | 5.5% | 3.3% |
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (e.g., bussers) | 6.2% | 4.2% |
Cooks | 10.8% | 6.4% |
Waiters and waitresses | 9.7% | 4.7% |
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 28.7% | 16.1% |
Chefs and head cooks | 21.8% | 13.4% |
Bartenders | 14.3% | 5.8% |
Managers | 35.6% | 20.3% |
This paper has documented the very low compensation received by restaurant workers—compensation that leaves many restaurant workers either poor or near-poor. The quality of restaurant jobs can be improved by reforming or enacting policies to give restaurant workers more bargaining power and raise their wages. This is what can be done:
— This report was made possible by generous support from the Berger-Marks Foundation . For more information and news on working women and union organizing, visit the Berger-Marks Foundation website at http://www.bergermarks.org .
Heidi Shierholz joined the Economic Policy Institute as an economist in 2007. She has researched and spoken widely on the economy and economic policy as it affects middle- and low-income families, especially in regards to employment, unemployment, labor force participation, compensation, income and wealth inequality, young workers, unemployment insurance, and the minimum wage. Shierholz is a coauthor of The State of Working America, 12th Edition, is a frequent contributor to broadcast and radio news outlets, is regularly quoted in print and online media outlets, and has repeatedly been called to testify in Congress on labor market issues. Prior to joining EPI, Shierholz worked as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
1. Throughout this paper, “food preparation workers” and “combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food” are combined into one category, “food preparation workers.”
2. In particular, hourly wages are the hourly earnings of wage and salary workers, including any tips, overtime pay, and commissions for both hourly and non-hourly workers. The hourly wage measure was created using the “hybrid” approach described in Schmitt (2003, 9–13).
3. Throughout this paper, union coverage is defined as workers who are either a member of a labor union or association, or are covered by a union contract.
4. We use the reweighting approach developed in Dinardo, Fortin, and Lemieux (1996) to determine median hourly wages outside of the restaurant industry for workers similar to restaurant workers. In particular, we reweight workers who are not in the restaurant industry so that they have, on average, similar characteristics—namely, gender, nativity, citizenship, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, age, marital status, urbanicity, and region of the country—to those in the restaurant industry.
5. Throughout this paper, “employer-provided health insurance coverage” refers to workers who are included in an employer group health plan from their employer, where the employer helps pay for at least some portion of the plan. “Employer-provided pension coverage” refers to workers who are included in a pension or other type of retirement plan (other than Social Security) from their employer.
Allegretto, Sylvia, and David Cooper. 2014. Twenty-Three Years and Still Waiting for Change: Why It’s Time to Give Tipped Workers the Regular Minimum Wage. Economic Policy Institute, Briefing Paper No. 379. http://www.epi.org/publication/waiting-for-change-tipped-minimum-wage/
Bendick Jr., Marc, Rekha Eanni Rodriguez, and Sarumathi Jayaraman. 2010. “Employment Discrimination in Upscale Restaurants: Evidence from Matched Pair Testing.” The Social Science Journal , vol. 47, no. 4, 802–818.
Bernhardt, Annette, Ruth Milkman, Nik Theodore, Douglas D. Heckathorn, Mirabai Auer, and James DeFilippis. 2009. Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities. National Employment and Law Project. http://www.nelp.org/page/-/brokenlaws/BrokenLawsReport2009.pdf?nocdn=1
Bivens, Josh, Elise Gould, Lawrence Mishel, and Heidi Shierholz. 2014. Raising America’s Pay : Why It’s Our Central Economic Policy Challenge. Economic Policy Institute, Briefing Paper No. 378. http://www.epi.org/publication/raising-americas-pay/
Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor) Current Employment Statistics program. Various years. Employment, Hours and Earnings—National [database]. http://www.bls.gov/ces/#data
Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata. Various years. Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics [machine-readable microdata file]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.bls.census.gov/cps_ftp.html#cpsbasic
DiNardo, John, Nicole M Fortin, and Thomas Lemieux. 1996. “Labor Market Institutions and the Distribution of Wages, 1973-1992: A Semiparametric Approach.” Econometrica, vol. 64, no.5, 1001–1044.
Eisenbrey, Ross. 2014. Improving the Quality of Jobs Through Better Labor Standards . Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Path to Full Employment Initiative . http://www.pathtofullemployment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/eisenbrey.pdf
Jayaraman, Saru. 2013. Behind the Kitchen Door. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Kitchen-Door-Saru-Jayaraman/dp/0801451728
Joint Economic Committee (JEC). 2010. Expanding Access to Paid Sick Leave: The Impact of the Healthy Families Act on America’s Workers. http://jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=abf8aca7-6b94-4152-b720-2d8d04b81ed6
Passel, Jeffrey, and D’Vera Cohn. 2009. A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States. Pew Research Center: Pew Hispanic Center. http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/reports/107.pdf
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC). 2012. Tipped Over the Edge: Gender Inequity in the Restaurant Industry . http://rocunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ROC_GenderInequity_F1-1.pdf
Schmitt, John. 2003. Creating a Consistent Hourly Wage Series from the Current Population Survey’s Outgoing Rotation Group, 1979-2002 . Center for Economic and Policy Research. http://ceprdata.org/wp-content/cps/CEPR_ORG_Wages.pdf
See related work on Income and wages
See more work by Heidi Shierholz
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Trends affecting the restaurant industry in 2022.
Like many industries, COVID 19 greatly affected the restaurant industry. Since it was unable to operate normally for an extended period due to the lockdown and other restrictions imposed by the government, the industry faced a significant setback in 2020 that, for many, continued into 2021.
As we are coming out of the most significant pandemic in generations, restaurant owners still face many challenges operating their businesses. That said, I believe the most effective & positive trend in the industry is how restaurants of all sizes now embrace technology. Much of the technology, such as apps, third-party ordering, and direct online ordering, has been used for several years. Still, it took Covid 19 to force the industry to exploit its use to a fuller extent. This adaptability of technology is paving the way for recovery and growth in 2022. By the end of 2022, the food industry expects to reach $899 billion in sales.
Another trend carrying into 2022 is restaurant delivery. Food delivery services became immensely important but brought unique challenges. Trust of the food handling process, delivery methods, and demand for contactless transactions became front and center for those using restaurants for home delivery. Remembering that more than 900,000 people died in the U.S. makes the ongoing situation a long-term consideration for food service workers, field workers, and other employees related to the field.
From servers to cooks, and other restaurant workers to agriculture and the meatpacking production workforce, labor shortages still significantly affect the industry and the cost associated with running a restaurant—the number of employees willing to work is such a critical situation that many restaurants are forced to operate with shorter hours and fewer days. In addition, continuing trucker shortages and delays in delivery have created congestion in restaurants' delivery processes, causing some restaurants to modify their menu.
Supply chain issues also raised multiple problems for restaurant owners, from fresh produce to meats to paper products such as coffee cups, straws, and takeaway containers. As a result, restaurant owners continue to experience shortages and increasing prices as we approach the second quarter of 2022.
Taylor Morabito, the owner of New York's famed Friend of a Farmer restaurant, said, "While labor shortages have begun to improve, I think the biggest challenge the industry currently faces is the drastic increase in food cost, specifically within the world of poultry, meat & fish.
Best covid-19 travel insurance plans.
Products that used to cost $11 or $12 a pound have doubled &, in some cases, nearly tripled in price. Unfortunately, with the current supply chain issues & rising inflation, I believe that restaurant owners & management will be navigating around this particular challenge for quite some time."
According to the National Restaurant Association, Wholesale food costs were up 7.9 percent in 2021, and hourly labor costs were up 8.6 percent for the year.
The "No Vax, No Entry" restrictions are changing in major cities like New York. The easing of regulations resulting from vaccinations worldwide and people following social protocols has finally started to move the restaurant business towards the pre-pandemic normal.
Over 68% of the American population has received complete vaccination. The fact is; the vaccinations led the government to lift restrictions allowing people to sit and enjoy meals in a pre-pandemic style.
The past two years have completely changed the way people think and function. The pandemic has also altered people's expectations of the restaurant business. With contactless payment methods and online orders, people have become more dependent on technology than before. To survive during the pandemic and shutdowns, restaurants offered enhanced discounts as many customers shifted to online or app ordering. However, in 2022, many customers still expect restaurants to continue discounting, extra reward incentives, and other programs to connect to their favorite eateries.
Digitalization has helped all types of industries in different ways. Like other industries, the food industry gained numerous benefits by shifting to a digital working model. It helped them reduce costs and increase performance. With restaurant workers quitting jobs in significant numbers and business owners struggling to retain them, digital technology became helpful with recruiting, retention, and reducing the number of employees required to service the guest.
Regarding the data-driven trends in the industry, Fred Kirvan, the founder of Kirvan Consulting, a New Jersey based restaurant consulting firm, stated, "Now more than ever, it's vital that you analyze the data available to ensure your business is fully optimized. As an example, valuable information exists within your point of sale to help you determine what changes could streamline your menu offerings. Streamlining your menu offering could result in improved profitability, the need for less staff, and fewer items from your distributor, so you're using more of what you do use. But, so often, I find that business owners aren't using the data to drive the decisions that could help them navigate these challenging times."
Since the restaurant industry contributes significantly to America's economy, one cannot ignore its difficulties for the past two years. Unfortunately, the food industry is still working to recover the losses. Still, unless there is a recurrence of Covid, restaurant sales in 2022 are trending in a very positive direction.
The United States Census report stated that the ongoing pandemic had damaged the sales of restaurants and bars up to $280 billion. Even though the restaurants, eateries, and bars managed to follow all protocols, the various mandates negatively impacted the entire food industry's economy. Therefore, restaurateurs look to 2022 as the turnaround year.
Technology became a crucial answer in addressing issues restaurants faced during the pandemic. The tech-savviest operators shifted their menu online and increased delivery, which allowed them to stay open. However, to continue the positive trend in 2022, we need to address inflation, supply chain, and labor issues. Overall the first quarter of 2022 is proving to trend in the right direction, demonstrating the resiliency of our industry.
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By Anthony Strong
Mr. Strong is the chef and owner of Pasta Supply Co.
Like so many other chefs, I was drawn to the restaurant business because it is exciting. I ignored its dysfunction and accepted that I’d forgo higher education, financial stability and holidays with family in order to share my craft with others.
All it took was a pandemic, an enormous wave of inflation and an impossibly tight job market to force me and many others to burrow to the very core of what a restaurant does for its guests, workers and community and redefine it from the ground up.
This is the silver lining of the pandemic and the never-ending economic uncertainty that has ensued: More places are finally figuring out how to make this business an actual business .
The start of my story is a typical one. I gleefully started skipping school to work in kitchens at 15, then shipped off to New York to experience all kinds of “character building” abuse, and by my early 30s, I had made it in San Francisco as an executive chef … which meant 80-hour workweeks while barely scraping by.
I eventually struck out on my own, deciding to play it safe by opening a restaurant with a normal business model. And as is usually the case, normal sucked . Our 80 seats were full every night, employing great folks and serving great food and cocktails — and sweating our $11,000 rent and roughly $90,000 payroll each month. Structurally, our mission to price affordably had landed us in the death zone: full service yet unable to charge fine-dining prices. The anxiety was weapons grade.
The standard model for a business almost all of us engage with regularly, the one we frequently post our own reviews about , has barely worked for a majority of the more than 12 million people it employs. The restaurant industry accounts for some 4 percent of the G.D.P. in the United States but has been stuck in a deeply flawed business model with sadly outdated practices. The pandemic only brought this reality to the center of the plate and made it something we couldn’t push aside anymore.
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KFC’s ‘restaurant of the future’ may begin a new chapter in the digital development of the Russian restaurant industry
June 10th, 2020, Moscow – In response to the new challenges of the time, KFC is preparing to open its first ‘restaurant of the future’ in the world – a restaurant based on the concept of minimizing all possible indoor contacts. Contactless service is made possible by switching the traditional cash desks with cashiers into digital kiosks, as well as through the use of a new contactless automated zone for picking up orders and a biometric identification system for the payment and receipt of orders. The new restaurant will also become an incubator of innovative ideas and digital solutions, the most successful of which will be implemented in other KFC restaurants in Russia, thus transforming it completely.
The restaurant, located near the Butyrskaya metro station in Moscow, is operationally ready and will be able to start receiving guests as soon as the restrictions on public catering restaurants are lifted.
Pic 1. An automated order issuing system
Pic 2. The order hall and beverage station
All orders in the new restaurant will be made through digital kiosks. To simplify and speed up the procedure, KFC has additionally implemented a biometric identification system in every device in the restaurant. The system converts a face image of the customer into an individual digital code and makes it possible for the customer, once registered, to not only eliminate the need for a card or mobile phone to pay for orders during every subsequent visit to KFC, but also to order their favourite dishes faster than ever, as the system remembers and suggests the order during future visits. The guests can also place an order without registration.
The restaurant is equipped with a Click & Collect function when a guest places an order via the mobile app and picks it up at a specified time from the corresponding cell in the restaurant.
In order to improve safety and security inside the restaurant, the restaurant minimized cash circulation, so the guests can choose between a biometric identification system, a credit card or a phone which supports Apple Pay or Android Pay technologies. If a customer requires help, they can contact a hostess or call the restaurant Manager via a special SOS kiosk. Those who wish to pay in cash can still do it using a special terminal.
Pic 3. Self-service kiosks with a biometric identification system for persons with reduced mobility
Pic 4. A special Robo-hand puts the order into a cell
Pic 5. A visitor picks up an order from the cell
Pic 6. Contactless automated zone for picking up orders
The kitchen in the "restaurant of the future" is partly open, allowing guests to watch the preparation process of their order as it is being assembled and transported along the conveyor belt. A special Robo-hand then moves the order into a cell, where it is stored for no longer than 10 minutes. The cell opens automatically with the help of the face recognition system, which is also installed in automatic hot drink filling machines. Thus, the first hands that touch the freshly prepared chicken are the guest's own hands.
The restaurant will feature a full KFC menu with the exception of ice cream in a cone, beer, and Chef lemonade.
The digital transformation of the largest player in the fast-food industry in Russia could impact the entire industry, contributing to its further development in line with modern digital trends.
“The digital transformation of KFC in Russia has been going on for the past few years. We implement innovations not only in our internal business processes but also work to make ordering meals directly in the restaurant and outside even more convenient and fast for millions of KFC chicken lovers. Together with our guests we will test the most advanced and interesting ideas and decide which of them will be implemented in other restaurants of the chain, thus transforming it as a whole,” said Raisa Polyakova, KFC's CEO in Russia and CIS. “In addition, our ‘restaurant of the future’ will serve as a response to the challenges of the new reality, where ensuring security and reducing the number of contacts become the key to success and a guarantee of maintaining business stability. ”
To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the restaurant of the future, as well all of the chain’s 930 restaurants, will implement increased sanitary and hygiene measures to ensure the safety of guests and employees. Special markings will be placed on the floor in the digital kiosks area to help remind visitors to keep a social distance. Special signs will also be placed in the common areas of the restaurant and on the chairs, reminding visitors to keep a distance of 1.5 meters and offering them any other available space. Tables will be disinfected after each guest leaves, and, every 30 minutes, self-service kiosks and other surfaces that are often touched by guests. Guests of the restaurant can also use antibacterial soap in the bathrooms and disinfect their hands with a sanitizer.
KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.), is a global chicken restaurant brand with a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation. It all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. Today we still follow his formula for success, with real cooks breading and freshly preparing our delicious chicken by hand in more than 23,000 restaurants in 140 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit www.kfc.ru
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The Restaurant Industry Past. Dining facilities have a long history, dating back to the eighteenth century. The first restaurant believed to have opened in France in 1762, specialized in soups and other simple dishes (Walker, 2021). Although the restaurant wasn't the first to offer a menu with a selection of options, it was the first to ...
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