Restaurants are continuing to tread lightly around AI.
More than 4 in 10 (42%) operators say they are taking a cautious approach to using AI, according to a new survey by the National Restaurant Association. More than a quarter (26%) said they are excited about AI, while 18% are skeptical. Another 7% are not interested, and 4% are not sure.
The caution is reflected in AI adoption rates. Nearly a third of operators (31%) said they have no plans yet for implementing AI, while 20% are experimenting with small-scale pilot projects. Only 3% said they’re implementing AI projects companywide.
“The results suggest that many operators are still evaluating the business case for AI before committing to broader adoption,” the report said.
AI has taken the tech world by storm over the past four years, restaurant tech included. And while innovations such as drive-thru voice AI and AI agents have grabbed headlines, the report shows that most restaurants remain far from the front lines.
It’s not that they’re opposed to the tech itself. Instead, it’s the practicalities of implementing AI that are holding them back.
Asked to describe their biggest concerns about adopting AI, 46% of restaurants said complexity and 43% said cost.
A similar amount (42%) said they were worried about whether customers would accept the technology. (A recent Gallup poll found that just 35% of Americans believe AI will improve their lives.)
Data security and privacy was also a common concern for restaurants (35%).
Overall, nearly 39% of restaurants are using AI tools in some form. Among those, the most popular use case is personalized marketing and outreach (58%). Other common uses are analyzing customer feedback (48%), recruiting/scheduling/labor management (37%), and forecasting customer demand/sales (34%).
Two in 10 said they are using AI to take orders and process payments.
The report noted that restaurants seem to be prioritizing AI in areas that are pragmatic and low-risk.
Asked what might lower the barrier of entry to AI and other technology, 56.5% of operators said more training and education, while 45% said financial assistance or incentives. Forty-two percent would like to see more case studies or examples.
The data is included in the National Restaurant Association’s newly published report, “Digital Innovation: The Future of Restaurant Technology.” It’s based on surveys of 212 operators between June 18 and July 18.
