Editor’s note: This is the sixth, and final, story in a multi-part series that looked into the state of full-service restaurants for the coming year. The first part explored finances. The second, labor. The third, inventory and menus. The fourth, delivery and takeout. And the fifth, marketing and loyalty platforms.
As we move on to broader technology trends, it’s fair to say a “turning point” was coming for a while. A flood of solutions emerged post-COVID. When the front door closed, a need to open access sent restaurants toward channels they once approached with caution. And that led to a jigsaw of solutions that didn’t always speak to one another.
Naturally, things have settled. Dine-in is back. Some of the early levers, like curbside, tapered off to an extent, and, most notably, operators have started to pause and evaluate what’s actually working and what’s making their restaurants more complex.
In turn, TouchBistro unpacked in its 600 full-service operator survey, there’s been a shift toward consolidation, integration, and solutions that deliver value without tacking on weeks of training.
That’s not to say operators are spending less, however. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they plan to invest more in tech over the next six months, with marketing software (30 percent), reservation software (30 percent), and staff scheduling solutions (26 percent) topping the list. The average monthly technology spend clocked in at $196—similar to 2024. Yet the criteria changed.
Operators in 2025 examined each tool to evolve from implementation to optimization to getting a hold on what makes their restaurant a more efficient and connective operation.
Planned investments among those who intend to spend more on technology
- Marketing software: 30 percent
- Reservation software: 28 percent
- Staff scheduling software: 26 percent
- Kitchen display system: 25 percent
- Inventory management software: 25 percent
There’s also been a push for consistency over customization. Point-of-sale systems have become all but ubiquitous (99 percent said they have one). What’s evolved, though, is how operators pick them.
Rather than chase new features, the survey showed, 97 percent of multi-unit operators said they now deploy the same system across all venues, up significantly from 86 percent, year-over-year.
The pace of POS switching and purchasing slowed considerably, too. Fifty-three percent said they flipped or purchased a new system in the past year. That was 71 percent in 2024.
TouchBistro said this reflects a combination of satisfaction with current platforms and hesitancy to disrupt operations with changes that require retraining.
Considering a prior look at staffing and cost concerns, POS volatility is not an added layer of concern operators want to tack on if they can help it.
For those who did make a change, they cited “features and functionality” (60 percent) for why. Better costs or lower fees (57 percent) followed. When evaluating new systems, operators prioritized reliability (37 percent), ease of use (33 percent), and price/affordability (32 percent).
Top motivating factors for switching POS systems
- Features and functionality: 60 percent
- Better costs or lower fees: 57 percent
- Technical issues: 37 percent
Top factors when choosing a new POS
- System reliability: 37 percent
- Ease of use: 33 percent
- Price/affordability: 32 percent
It seems, in a dressed-down definition, restaurants are investing in tech that improves operations. There is less discovery and eagerness to enter expanded arenas. Operators are trading bells and whistles for running better restaurants.
Like a POS, reservation systems now appear essentially universal for full-serves, with 90 percent of operators claiming to use one to manage operations. And they’re defaulting to a single provider here as well. Operators said they’re choosing tools that fit their workflows without adding unnecessary complexity (the theme reemerges). As a result, usage was spread across several platforms instead of dominated by a clear leader.
OpenTable was the most widely used option at 47 percent. Eat App (25 percent) and TouchBistro Reservations, or TB Dine (20 percent), were next.
What stood out, the company said, was what’s ahead—reservation tools were among the top technology investments operators planned to prioritize this year. So, once more, there’s clear emphasis on operational efficiency and shaping the guest experience before dinners arrive.
Reservation platform usage
- OpenTable: 47 percent
- Eat: 25 percent
- TouchBistro: 20 percent
- Yelp: 19 percent
- Resy: 16 percent
- SevenRooms: 15 percent
- Bentobox: 14 percent
- Tock: 12 percent
- We do not use a reservation platform: 10 percent
There were also common threads with AI usage. This overarching preference for simplicity over complexity showed up in how operators viewed emerging technologies, like AI. Overall sentiment was strong—85 percent of operators said they feel positive or extremely positive about AI advancements, down a touch from 89 percent in 2024.
AI adoption dropped from 95 percent two years ago to 87 percent in 2025. Operators shared they’re most commonly using the tech today for menu optimization, followed by reservations/booking, and inventory management.
Plainly, TouchBistro explained, full-service restaurants see the value in AI. But they still need vivid use cases and smoother workflows before diving in.
And where AI has struggled to catch on is also telling. Phone answering and voice ordering remain niche technologies, suggesting this corner of the industry feels more comfortable with behind-the-scenes AI over consumer facing. As costs rise and customers become more discerning, restaurants want to preserve human interaction at the point of impact.
The biggest AI concern: Operators don’t want more complexity day-to-day. There’s not a lot of room presently for tools that create additional work. Restaurants, the survey said, want AI that runs quietly in the background, is easy for staff to learn, and delivers visible return.
Current use of AI solutions
- AI menu optimization: 31 percent
- AI reservations/booking: 30 percent
- AI inventory management: 30 percent
- AI menu creation: 28 percent
- AI content creation for marketing purposes: 25 percent
- AI voice ordering: 24 percent
- AI sales forecasting: 24 percent
- AI staff scheduling: 24 percent
- AI phone answering: 22 percent
AI sentiments
- Positive: 46 percent
- Extremely positive: 39 percent
- Neutral: 11 percent
- Negative: 3 percent
- Extremely negative: 1 percent
More general automation continues to be met with less trepidation than AI. Technology that handles repetitive tasks based on predefined rules (say, putting 100 pepperonis on a pizza in 14 seconds) has picked up in recent years, and seems destined to keep doing so.
Online ordering automation jumped to 68 from 57 percent, year-over-year. Payroll (54 percent), invoicing (52 percent), and kitchen order routing (52 percent) also saw strong adoption.
Operators, the survey said, are clear on why the topic is gaining preference. Faster service (52 percent) topped the list of reasons to embrace it, dramatically higher than 37 percent in 2024—a direct response to guest expectations around speed. Other benefits included saved time, increased sales, and happier customers.
Still, there were barriers. System reliability concerns (30 percent), high upfront costs (29 percent), and POS integration challenges (26 percent) among them. But few respondents noted being overwhelmed by adoption technology itself.
Top tasks that operators have automated
- Online ordering: 68 percent
- Payroll: 54 percent
- Invoicing: 52 percent
- Kitchen order rerouting: 52 percent
- Email marketing: 51 percent
Top benefits of automation
- Faster service: 52 percent
- Saved time: 42 percent
- Increased sales: 40 percent
- Concerned with system reliability: 30 percent
- High upfront costs: 29 percent
- Concerned with POS integration: 26 percent
Given larger results, TouchBistro’s takeaways fit broader themes. Ease of use over feature richness being the starting point.
The top systems are the ones teams use confidently—not the ones with the most capabilities. AI can do work behind the curtain in full service. Whether it’s inventory management, menu optimization, or reservations, restaurants want to allocate labor toward guest-facing moments rather.
And lastly, and in a similar vein, automation has the ability to pull repetitive tasks off employees’ plates. Operators can preserve personal interactions by handing online ordering, payroll, invoicing, and order routing over to automation tech.
Keep the conversations human, and the return will follow.
