18/07/2025
First off, thank you to those of you who took the time to respond to my email last week. It was so interesting to hear what different things motivate people. The one common theme seemed to be relationships – family, friends, colleagues, children, it seems that these are the things that really drive most of us!
This week, I just wanted to talk you a little bit about tech and hospitality. Recently, I had lunch at Boston Tea Party where it is now standard procedure to order food and beverages through a QR code. I feel like this is something that took off during the pandemic and whilst it hasn’t stuck everywhere, it is definitely more noticeable. There is now a new key player in hospitality tech called Sunday, partnering with over 3,000 restaurants and facilitating payments for more than 45 million diners in the last year alone. I don’t know much about it, but I have actually heard positive things – faster check outs, more guest data, and a measurable uplift across the board.
My take on this?
I get it. Hospitality is evolving and people want speed, efficiency, transparency and teams benefit from the tools that make their difficult jobs easier. However, for me, there is a very real fear that introducing tech at the table takes away from the restaurant experience. I have heard from operators that they actually believe the contrary, that technology can actually remove friction – waiting for the bill, splitting payments (this is in relation to Sunday in particular). I heard recently that one of the biggest benefits of using Sunday is the peace of mind. Knowing that check out is handled smoothly, accurately and without delays – it means that the teams can focus on the quality of service.
My question is, what if we could introduce more tech without taking away from the guest experience? Is that such a bad thing? I don’t know much about Sunday, but it is something that I would like to know more about. If it can improve the quality of guest experience, then I’m open to learning about it. I would love to know people’s thoughts on technology and moving with the times. Is it a no, no? Or do you feel it can help move things along?
Hit me up!
Big Love
Mark