AI in catering: what changes can we expect in 2025?

Interactive kiosks, voice assistants, automated inventory management, smart cameras... Artificial intelligence (AI) has already begun to profoundly transform the fast food sector. From order-taking to kitchen management to delivery logistics, AI is being integrated everywhere and at every stage to improve performance and meet the new expectations of consumers and restaurateurs alike. But this revolution also raises questions: how can AI help restaurateurs gain efficiency without losing the essence of the business? What are the challenges of automation in the restaurant business? Here are the answers.

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AI at the service of the customer experience

AI makes it possible to refine your customers' experience by making service more fluid, personalized and efficient. Here's how: 

Order customization

Thanks to AI, order terminals and mobile apps are now capable ofanalyzing customer preferences to suggest tailor-made dishes. Better still, they can take into account the weather, the season, current trends or even available stocks to adjust their recommendations. For example, if it's cold, the order terminal can suggest a hot drink to accompany the menu. If it's hot, the AI will suggest a cool smoothie.

And to take things a step further, interactive menus can evolve in real time according to the most popular products or your customers' preferences. A customer often orders a burger with extra cheddar? The AI will suggest this option directly. 

Simplified controls

AI not only enhances personalization, it also simplifies ordering. Voice assistants integrated into kiosks and applications make ordering easier, especially for foreign customers thanks to multilingual recognition. This makes for a smoother customer experience and reduces waiting times.

On the payment side, AI also speeds up transactions by facilitating contactless payments, via facial recognition or ultra-fast mobile payment solutions. The result: shorter queues and an even smoother experience!

More efficient delivery and order management

Thanks to AI, deliveries reach their destination faster. By optimizing delivery routes in real time, algorithms ensure that delivery drivers take the fastest route, avoiding traffic jams and minimizing waiting time. The result? Fewer delays and better-quality dishes on arrival.

In the kitchen, AI streamlines order preparation. It intelligently organizes the work of your teams so that each dish is ready at the right time, without unnecessary waiting. No more delays or errors in orders: meals are prepared and served more efficiently, even at peak times! 

👉 Further information: Restoration: digitization as a secret weapon

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AI for optimized operational management

Beyond customer service, AI can also play a key role in optimizing the management of your points of sale: 

• Intelligent inventory management: thanks to automated tracking systems, AI can anticipate replenishment needs based on consumption trends and real-time stock levels. This limits out-of-stocks and avoids unnecessary surpluses.

• Supervision and quality control: AI helps guarantee food safety by monitoring compliance with HACCP standards. Intelligent sensors and cameras continuously analyze storage conditions and warn of non-compliance, reducing the risk of human error.

• Fighting food waste: AI-enabled cameras can analyze food waste and identify recurring surpluses. This data enables managers to adjust their purchases and portions to minimize waste while meeting demand.

Focus on AI-integrated inventory management software

Innovorder's integration with Fullsoon and Inpulse uses artificial intelligence to optimize inventory and supply management in the foodservice sector.

Fullsoon uses AI algorithms to analyze sales data and forecast demand with 94% accuracy. This anticipation enables you to place appropriate supplier orders, reducing surplus and food waste. By automating these processes, Fullsoon ensures optimal product availability while keeping costs under control.

Inpulsefor its part, centralizes sales and inventory data to provide real-time visibility on store performance. Using AI, Inpulse automates inventory and order management, taking into account sales forecasts and current stock levels. This proactive approach effectively controls raw material costs and improves overall profitability.

By combining Innovorder's solutions with advanced technologies from Fullsoon and Inpulse, you benefit from intelligent, automated inventory management, aligned with the real needs of your business.

👉 To find out more: How to choose the best digital solution for your restaurant?

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Technological innovations in the kitchen

In the kitchen, the latest technological innovations are revolutionizing food preparation and operations management.

Automating and optimizing repetitive tasks

100% connected kitchens, where intelligent equipment optimizes every gesture: this is already a reality. AI assists teams by automating certain repetitive tasks, saving time and avoiding errors.

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Challenges and future prospects for AI in foodservice

Despite its many benefits, AI raises a number of issues that restaurateurs need to address.

Firstly, the balance between automation and human relations remains a major challenge. While AI improves efficiency, it must not dehumanize the customer experience. According to Forbes, most consumers remain attached to human interaction and perceive an overly automated service negatively. The challenge for managers is therefore to find the right balance between technological innovation and human service.

Then there's the question of employment in the catering industry. In a sector that is struggling to recruit, AI can be an invaluable ally in taking over tedious tasks, such as order management, stock tracking or even certain stages of kitchen preparation. This allows teams to focus on what makes the difference: customer service, culinary creativity and customer experience management.

But this transformation implies an increase in team skills. Cooks must now learn to use connected equipment, service teams to integrate these tools into their customer relations, and managers to analyze the data provided by AI. Training staff in these new technologies is therefore becoming essential to avoid a divide between equipped restaurants and those that remain on traditional methods. Those who know how to combine technology and human know-how will have a clear advantage in a rapidly changing market.

As the AI World Summit 2025 brought together international leaders in Paris to encourage the development of AI and ensure responsible use, the question is not one of choosing between human or machine, but rather of intelligently reconciling human and technological innovations. In 2025, the challenge will be to choose the most appropriate solutions for each type of establishment. In the foodservice industry, as in other sectors, this evolution will take place in stages, with a gradual adoption of technologies according to managers' needs and investment capacities. 

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Do you run a fast-food restaurant and are looking for a partner to help you digitalize your business? Innovorder is the only player in France to offer a complete ecosystem: order-taking, checkout, preparation, delivery and management!

👉 Discover our range of products for fast-food outlets