Having grown up in the restaurant tech industry together, longtime friends Alan Hayman, Paul Armstrong, and Kelly MacPherson and Accelerate host Rob Grimes reflect on what they’ve seen over the last 40 years (they started in Elementary School). From their individual experiences, they discuss their perspectives on what’s happening now, and where they think things are headed for tech within the restaurant industries.

In this candid chat, they begin by agreeing that the omnichannel approach operators must keep up with has made it even more complicated for independents to run their business. On the flip side, operators also don’t have to settle with technology either now that there are more choices.

The group touches on technologies like dynamic pricing and handheld devices that existed long before they were implemented and became popular for restaurants. Even AI, the hot topic of today, is like the rules-based systems that appeared 20+ years ago. And what about the “non-resettable grand total?”

If you want to hear how tech has impacted and changed within operations over the years, and which innovations may take the lead looking forward - listen to this episode of Accelerate.