Diners Like The Innovators...

A great report (an oldie, but a goodie) makes a powerful statement about what diners want! According to a Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University report:

Restaurants and Institutions magazine, the findings, based on survey responses from 1,737 U.S. residents, conclude:
– Online-reservation systems and pagers are the most commonly used restaurant technologies.
– Restaurant consumers who use a particular technology consider it to be more valuable than those who have never tried it.
– Restaurant consumers seem to prefer technologies such as pagers or virtual menus that add convenience in the early stages of service versus those designed for use at the end of the dining experience (like electronic payment options).
– Very few restaurant consumers used cell-phone payment systems.

The researchers have something to say too... 

“Based on our study, we recommend that restaurants encourage customers to try new technologies,” says Michael J. Dixon, a co-author, in a news release. “But restaurants should avoid forcing technology use, and implement new technologies with considerable support and demonstrations.”

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