Why Every Restaurant Needs an AI Game Plan — Before Tariffs and Costs Spike Again
Tariffs are back in the headlines, and while the conversation often centers on geopolitics and trade policy, the impact will be felt in your back-of-house: in the price of plastic lids, foil wrap, stainless steel equipment, kitchen parts, and containers. And it's not just about goods from China—global suppliers are tightening, and costs are already creeping upward.
Food prices are also quietly climbing again, driven by instability in global supply chains and the rising cost of imported ingredients, packaging, and transportation.
Bracing for Margin Pressure
This isn’t theoretical. Operators are being squeezed—some slowly, some sharply. Independents are already bracing for a new wave of margin pressure, while experts warn this time it won’t be easy to pass costs onto customers. The old playbook—raise prices, cut portions, reduce headcount—is wearing thin.
And yet, most kitchens are still flying blind when it comes to the one thing they can control: operations.
That’s where AI comes in—not as a buzzword, but as a tactical advantage.
Here’s what the sharpest operators are doing right now to get ahead of the next shock:
- Cutting food waste by up to 70%, with smart scales and prep tracking that adjust dynamically to demand
- Avoiding tariff-sensitive packaging costs, by switching to reusable containers that mitigate aluminum, plastic, and paper cost increases on a lifetime use basis.
- Automating manual tasks like compliance checks, inventory logs, and prep documentation—freeing up hours of labor without cutting staff
- Gaining real-time visibility into ingredient usage, over-ordering, and waste before they hit margins
One restaurant saved over $100K per location annually — just by optimizing packaging tied to actual prep data. No consultants. No guesswork. Just smarter systems.
And this is the moment where AI goes from optional to essential. Because tariffs are just the symptom. The deeper issue is volatility — across pricing, labor, materials, and supply chains. Operators who can’t adapt fast will fall behind, not because they lack effort, but because they lack insight.
AI gives you that edge. It’s not about predicting what happens next—it’s about having systems in place to respond in real time when it does.
Tariffs may be imposed in D.C., but their costs land on your kitchen counter. And they don’t come with a warning. They show up in your invoices, in your freight costs, and in that sudden price hike on a case of to-go containers.
So the question is: will you be caught off guard—or ready to shift with data, not panic?
The kitchens that will thrive in 2025 aren’t just cutting costs. They’re building muscle. And AI is how they’re doing it—quietly, decisively, and just in time.
About the Author
Adam Bailey is the co-founder of Topanga, a kitchen intelligence company used in over 430 kitchens nationwide. He previously led data and AI teams at Sweetgreen.