The restaurant business is changing beyond recognition

Toast, which provides software to 164,000 restaurants, uses AI to analyze sales data, such as spikes in omelette sales near Taylor Swift concerts, to help eateries optimize inventory and staffing.

Toast is developing AI tools like transcription software for waiters' handheld devices and dining-room cameras to alert staff to customer needs, aiming to reduce distractions and improve service.

The restaurant industry is evolving rapidly due to technology, shifting consumer habits, and persistent inflation, which increases competitive pressure.

During the covid-19 pandemic, about 10% of restaurants in America and Britain closed in 2020, and in India roughly a quarter of formal food-service businesses were affected.

In China, the risk of a restaurant closing rose by 12.7% for every 12 days a lockdown was imposed nearby, according to a 2024 study.