Talking Heads: Into the unknown

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In this chapter of Talking Heads, three leading operators and a supplier explore the future potential of tech in hospitality

Jim Hingston, technology director, Azzurri Group

Business Profile: Azzurri is the parent company of the ASK Italian, Zizzi and Coco di Mama restaurant brands. Its team is committed to sustainability, putting people, planet and plate at the forefront. They work to build a better business that strengthens communities and protects the world for future generations, always with passion and purpose at the core.

Dine Out (DO): What emerging technologies are you most interested in exploring for your business and why?
Jim Hingston (JH): We’re particularly interested in the convergence of data, AI and guest experience. Things like predictive analytics and AI-powered insights are helping us better understand guest behaviours, optimise operations and tailor our experience more intelligently. But it’s not about replacing the human touch – it’s about empowering our teams to make smarter, faster decisions that lead to a better dining experience.

DO: Where do you stand on the use of robotics or other advanced technologies in restaurant spaces?
JH: In hospitality, we need to be quite practical in our technology investment. Chasing the latest fads and flashy technology can be a distraction from what’s important to our customers and the fast-growing business. At ASK Italian, we have a great track record in trialling and scaling new technology, whether in kitchen operations, digital experiences, AI workforce management or other areas, we’re always on the lookout for things that improve consistency and free up our teams to focus on guests.

DO: Do you see a future where online ordering and delivery become even more integrated with your in-house operations?
JH: Absolutely. It’s already here to some extent, but there’s still work to be done to make those experiences and systems feel fully joined up. For us, it’s about ensuring that digital ordering channels, from third-party delivery to our own click-and-collect system, are seamlessly integrated within the kitchen workflows, staffing and reporting. At ASK, we have just released a new loyalty app: ASK Perks. The new app offers a great opportunity to engage with customers when serving them in and out of the restaurant.
Our goal is to ensure that both our in-restaurant and off-site offerings consistently meet the high standards our customers expect.

DO: How do you see the role of the restaurant evolving in the next five to 10 years?
JH: Ironically, as a techie, I like the thought of a restaurant being a place for a digital detox. There’s a growing cross-generational trend of people looking to disconnect from the day-to-day. As our lives get more connected, will guests look to restaurants as places to unplug, where they can put their phones down, enjoy real conversations and be present? Restaurants have always been a place to take time out, to relax, connect and celebrate. Long may it continue, in my opinion.

DO: What do you view as the biggest opportunities for innovation within hospitality tech?
JH: As an industry, we are often held back by legacy and overly complex systems, which are generally slow to innovate and modernise. Hospitality businesses can be constrained by technology and suppliers, unable to move or integrate new solutions. The biggest innovation will come from those businesses and hos-tech suppliers who can help build a more flexible tech and data stack to seamlessly power a complex operation.

Marcus Denison-Smith, chief marketing officer, Honest Burgers

Business Profile: Honest Burgers started in a tent, serving burgers and chips at parties and festivals. Now, the group has restaurants across the UK, making its British beef patties in its own butchery and serving rosemary chips that are cut and cooked daily in-house.

DO: What emerging technologies are you most interested in exploring for your business and why?
Marcus Denison-Smith (MDS): We believe the priority for tech is anything that can improve our customer experience by helping our teams simplify operations, reducing admin and improving decision-making. AI is currently the obvious industry buzzword and we’re certainly exploring its potential. For example, we’re using our AI bot to ensure staff have answers to questions at their fingertips at any time, day or night.
We’re looking at automating scheduling, ordering, forecasting labour demand and generating surface insights without requiring hours of spreadsheet work. Tech and AI are only truly valuable when they solve real problems; otherwise, they risk becoming gimmicks.

DO: Where do you stand on the use of robotics or other advanced technologies in restaurant spaces?
MDS: We are very focused on digital technology in our restaurants and in December 2024, we converted our Liverpool Street restaurant into a new smashburger concept – Honest Smash + Grab. It offers the same Honest quality at pace and exceptional value for money, and tech plays a crucial role in maximising efficiency for the customer and our kitchen teams. We’d consider any automation as long as it enhances our team or guest experience. Robotic extraction or grill/fryer cleaning, or grease-trap emptying/cleaning (which is arguably the worst job in a restaurant) could alleviate tasks our staff detest but are essential to daily operations.

DO: Do you see a future where online ordering and delivery become more integrated with your in-house operations?
MDS: 100%, and they’re already blending with kiosks, third-party aggregators, QR ordering and fully integrated platforms like our POS. This helps reconcile them all into a single system and provides better reporting. The key here is integration. We’re not adding five screens to the pass or running separate loyalty schemes between platforms. They all need to blend seamlessly from a guest and team perspective.

DO: How do you see the role of the restaurant evolving in the next five to 10 years?
MDS: I see technology taking over much of the admin work from managers, allowing them to focus on their teams and making every customer interaction amazing. While the physical job will remain, the technology layer will be almost invisible, supporting and enhancing the overall experience. Guests will expect more personalisation, speed and seamless payments. Ultimately, restaurants will remain about people and connection.

DO: What do you view as the biggest opportunities for innovation within hospitality tech?
MDS: Workforce optimising is crucial for the hospitality industry, where labour remains a significant cost. By implementing smarter scheduling, compliance and employee engagement tools, businesses can support their operations more effectively.
From a customer point of view, with the data we are now getting from our new loyalty programme, Honest Insiders, we have never been as well-positioned to better understand our customers.

James Brown, CEO, Prezzo Italian

Business Profile: Prezzo Italian is going through a UK-wide transformation under the leadership of CEO James Brown, the former BrewDog CEO. Since joining in November, Brown has spearheaded efforts to refresh and revitalise the brand. This includes a nationwide restaurant refurbishment programme, revamped menus and the launch of an innovative rewards scheme hosted on the new Club Prezzo app.

DO: What emerging technologies are you most interested in exploring for your business and why?
James Brown (JB): At Prezzo Italian, we’re most interested in technologies that improve efficiency behind the scenes; things that streamline operations, reduce complexity for our teams and ultimately free up more time for our people to do what they do best: look after our guests. Whether that’s smarter forecasting tools, AI-driven inventory management or tech that helps reduce food waste, our focus is on using innovation to power the back end so our teams can focus on human hospitality at the front end.

DO: Where do you stand on the use of robotics and other advanced technologies in restaurant spaces?
JB: We’re not in a rush to put robots on the restaurant floor. Hospitality is, and should be, a deeply human experience. For me, technology that replaces human connection tends to be better suited to QSR concepts. Guests come to Prezzo Italian for great food, yes, but also for warmth, care and that personal touch from our team. That’s not something a robot can deliver. So, while we’re open to anything that improves the guest experience, we draw the line at tech that dilutes or interferes with the human side of hospitality.

DO: Do you see a future where online ordering and delivery become even more integrated with your in-house operations?
JB: Absolutely, and that’s already happening. The future is seamless, and tech has a role to play in making sure that the online experience and the in-restaurant experience feel like two sides of the same coin. But, again, our approach is about using integration to reduce friction for our teams and guests, not add to it. If tech can make service smoother, help us understand our customers better or make the journey more personal, we’re all in. But it’s got to support the people in the business, not replace them.

DO: How do you see the role of the restaurant evolving in the next five to 10 years?
JB: I think the restaurant will become even more of a community hub: a place where people go not just to eat, but to connect, celebrate or just pause from their busy lives. Tech will help facilitate that by removing the background noise of operations. But it will be the people who bring it to life. That means our job as leaders is to invest in both smart operating systems behind the scenes and passionate people out front.

DO: What do you view as the biggest opportunities for innovation within hospitality tech?
JB: The real opportunity lies in improving what the guest doesn’t see. AI and automation have huge potential when it comes to forecasting, rota management, supplier logistics and training delivery. The more streamlined and intelligent we can make those processes, the more freedom we give our restaurant teams to focus on the hospitality – and that’s where the magic happens. Tech should help turn our people into hospitality superheroes. I feel anyone who tries to use it to replace humans will degrade the essence of why hospitality exists in the first place.

Nathan Wildbore, head of operations, Bidfood

Business Profile: As one of the UK’s leading foodservice providers, Bidfood has a passion for great food and is always focused on going the extra mile for customers. Whether it’s on the emergence of tech and AI, supporting with cost saving and menu development, sustainability or insights into the latest food and drink trends, Bidfood’s experts are on hand to deliver service excellence.

DO: What emerging technologies are you most interested in exploring for your business and why?
Nathan Wildbore (NW): There is a lot of noise and excitement around AI, which Bidfood is already using: from capturing Teams meetings to creating transcripts and action plans. Our award-winning online shop, Bidfood Direct, now has a companion products feature, which uses AI to present customers with products that are complementary to the ones they’re already browsing. And, from an operational perspective, there have been some interesting developments for using AI to support improvements in the layout of the warehouse (product slotting) and in gamification for our operatives to support KPI achievements.

DO: Where do you stand on the use of robotics and other advanced technologies in restaurant spaces?
NW: A couple of weeks ago, I was in a fantastic restaurant near our Slough depot, and the food was delivered by a robotic waiter. It was interesting to see the technology in use, which ultimately required a person to complete the final delivery to the table to provide the human interaction, which I believe is a key part of a restaurant experience.

DO: Do you see a future where online ordering and delivery become even more integrated with your in-house operations?
NW: Online ordering from Bidfood Direct accounts for a lot of our orders, with 82% of customers using the desktop shop and 18% the app, which we’re continuing to develop.
Integrating Slimstock, our forecasting tool, which uses AI to crunch big data and react to changes in our customer base, our range, seasonality and capacity as orders come into Bidfood has allowed for even better fulfilment of orders.
And then our in-house Q Stock system ensures that the stock in the warehouse is in the right place at the right time. From goods in, to pallet put away and warehouse management, it replenishes our pick locations using algorithms based on live demand.

DO: How do you see warehouse operational technology evolving in the next five to 10 years?
NW: The focus will be on being data-driven to ensure we are delivering our seven rights of excellence to our customers, with emphasis on efficiency and timings. Empowering our warehouse teams with the right equipment and systems will be key to ensuring they are doing the right activity, at the right time, in the right place.

DO: How has technology transformed the customer experience in delivered wholesale?
NW: For the past couple of years, our customers have been able to sign up for texts or emails informing them of when their driver has left the depot, with a link to a map to track them on their route.
We’ve improved on this with the introduction of ‘Smart Alerts’, so when a customer is next on the delivery route, they’ll receive a notification, and another when their driver has arrived at the restaurant. While this isn’t new in the retail space, it is for wholesale, ensuring a more reliable, transparent and efficient service and giving our customers greater confidence, flexibility and time to focus on delivering an exceptional dining experience.

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