Amid increasing pressures from the labor market, supply chain shortages, and inflation, this Tech Market Map looks at the companies helping restaurant and food service leaders — like McDonald’s and Compass Group — transform their front- and back-of-house operations.
The rising costs of supplies, labor, and rent, have put a squeeze on the food service industry’s already slim profit margins. With these challenges, investing in solutions that can boost profit and increase efficiency is more important than ever.
Services that help offset these costs have been gaining traction — funding for restaurant tech is projected to more than double this year compared to 2020. These companies have been shaking up the restaurant industry with technology that helps boost sales, eliminate waste, and streamline operational processes.
From global chains like McDonald’s to local restaurants, food service operators are turning to automation to take orders, cook food, and manage staff. Expect large fast food chains to continue testing robotics — which has been challenging to implement well in the past but could eventually offer big cost savings — thanks to their scale and consistent menu items, while smaller operators will likely prioritize tech with lower cost barriers like supply ordering platforms.
Using CB Insights data, we identified 160 restaurant tech companies addressing 12 technology priorities for restaurant and food service leaders, from serving robots to supply ordering platforms.
These solutions cover front of house, back of house, and staffing — excluding delivery services and ghost kitchens. For more on delivery services and ghost kitchens, read 60+ early-stage companies reshaping food & meal delivery.
Want the full expert post? Become a CB Insights customer.
If you’re already a customer, log in here.
