Agilysys, a provider of hospitality software solutions and services, has released its 2025 Foodservice Management Industry Impact Study: Balancing Operational Excellence with Experience Innovation.
The survey of 412 foodservice executives and F&B technology decision-makers examines “readiness to deliver” dining experiences aligned with consumer preferences and reveals significant operational and technology challenges that make doing so difficult.
The revenue potential of offering preference-driven dining rests on serving consumers' expectations for personalized, seamless interactions across dining experiences—whether choosing a table-service restaurant, using self-service kiosks for orders and payments or taking advantage of ‘anytime, anywhere’ dining using mobile ordering and delivery services. According to research, when consumers have preference-based dining choices they spend up to 50 percent more per transaction. While 68 percent of foodservice executives want to deliver preference-driven dining options, 50 percent say they need to upgrade their technology to do so and 60 percent cite budget or resource constraints as barriers to adopting modern technology.
"Foodservice providers can elevate revenue and deepen customer loyalty by delivering seamless 'service my way' dining experiences across all channels," Terrie O'Hanlon, senior vice president at Agilysys, said in a statement. "However, modern technology equipped to deliver preference-driven dining experiences, whether through mobile apps, self-service kiosks, or omnichannel point-of-sale systems, is not yet pervasive. Organizations that invest in technology to bridge the gap between desire and readiness will strengthen lifetime loyalty and elevate revenue by serving customers on their terms. Those that do not are likely to forego substantial revenue and diminish loyalty,” Ms. O’Hanlon concluded.
Key research findings include:
- Critical "Aspiration-Readiness Gap": While 68 percent of foodservice executives want to deliver preference-driven dining experiences, 50 percent feel they need technology infrastructure upgrades to do so.
- Technology Transformation Considerations: To enable preference-driven dining, 49 percent of executives would consider switching POS providers and 40 percent are ready to do so.
- Sector-Specific Priorities: Experience-focused sectors (restaurants and higher education) prioritize personalization as a competitive advantage, while necessity-focused sectors (healthcare and active adult communities) emphasize operational efficiency and cost management.
- Operational Excellence Focus: 60 percent of leaders prioritize increasing operational efficiency and profitability over the next two years, with 76 percent focused on improving day-to-day operations and inventory management.
- Implementation Concerns: 65 percent of foodservice leaders have delayed changing technology platforms due to concerns about implementation difficulty, while 61 percent cite upfront costs as a key barrier.
To access the full report, click here.