ViewSonic Reveals Restaurant Technology Revelations Seen At NRA 2012

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) tradeshow has come and gone once more. Over the course of four days, more than 1,800 exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees met to mold what the future will look like for the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industries. Following this week’s show, we wanted to share what, in our opinion, were the most notable technological advancements and trends that will change the customer experience within these industries.

The standout technology at this show was digital menu boards. Restaurants are increasingly showing nutritional information and digital boards can help them make updates quickly and without additional costs. Whether wanting to easily switch from morning to evening menus, or advertise the new special of the day, it’s clear that eateries now have significant opportunities to promote their menus in a brand new way.

A trend popular at NRA this year was the use of tablets within restaurants to make the customer experience more seamless. Tablet implementation examples include the wait-staff using the devices to take orders, turning the tablet into a POS system to manage the front of house, or even placing tablets on tables to enable patrons to place their order themselves. It’s great to see that due to their mobility factor, the possibilities for tablets within dining establishments are nearly endless.

What technological advancements do you see impacting the foodservice industry? Have you experienced any of these above examples in your own dining experience? Did you like or dislike it? Share your thoughts with us!