Three Ways Restaurants Can Use Technology to Keep up with Millennials
This thought leadership piece from Gather, an event software provider for restaurants and venues, offers three tips for connecting with millennials.
Whether you love them or love to complain about them, millennials are a hot topic — and for good reason. Making up nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, with spending power and social influence on the rise, this demographic is already changing the face of many industries — including, or even especially, the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Millennials are going out to eat more than other age groups — 53% go out to eat once a week, compared to 43% for the general population. When they do, they are increasingly looking for a meal that is special and exclusive. They view food as an experience, and one that they most like to enjoy with friends or in a group (even if they don’t know them — more than half of millennials prefer the “communal table” if it’s offered). So it’s no surprise that all these factors (bolstered by the desire to enjoy a truly Instagram-able meal) are leading more millennials to look in the direction of private dining.
For restaurant owners, this reality can be lucrative. The earning potential is high for private dining and small events (particularly when considering millennial business diners — who are apt to spend 1.6 to 1.8 times more than casual diners). It’s also one more area to manage on top of daily demands and tight margins. It’s not clear, however, that the perceived difficulty around coordinating these dinners outweighs the money they may be leaving on the table.Restaurants can use technology like event management software to overcome this barrier and live up to their full earning (and booking!) potential, allowing owners to manage every step of the process seamlessly. This article breaks down three ways to take advantage of technology to keep up with millennial demand — and expectations — for private dining.