Dive Brief:
Restaurant technology company Presto launched a product suite called Staff Multiplier to provide tools to help restaurants contend with the current labor crisis, according to a press release sent to Restaurant Dive.
Staff Multiplier offers various technologies that increase guest-to-staff ratios, improve speed and quality of service, identify bottlenecks and improve the guest experience, according to the release. This includes handheld tablets that can be used at the drive-thru or on the dining floor to pull up loyalty information and take payments, voice ordering technology, pay-at-table tablets and QR codes to order and pay.
Restaurants are increasingly embracing technology, ranging from contactless ordering and payment solutions to back-of-house robots, to supplement short-staffed operations as an industrywide labor shortage persists.
Restaurant labor woes ripple effect on rent payments
Far from needed for beleaguered restaurateurs, another issue has cropped up to stymie a return to brighter days. Nearly half of owners surveyed said they re likely not going to make rent this May and it s all the result of not being able to hire enough workers.
Forty-nine percent of restaurant owners polled said they can t reach revenue goals because they can t find enough workers. As a result they can t meet their rent payments either. (Photo: iStock)
For restaurateurs a new operational thorn has emerged that is shaping up to be a direct side effect of the labor shortage: rent payment problems.
As sales show signs of improvement, the industry turns to its next crisis: Labor
More than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurants are finally starting to see some glimmers of hope.
According to Black Box Intelligence, the industry saw stronger two-year sales for the second consecutive month in April, with same-store sales growth of 6.8% on a two-year basis. That made April the best month for restaurants based on sales growth in over three years.
Restaurant companies’ earnings are beginning to reflect the same improvement. Most recent completed earnings periods included at least the last two weeks of March, leading to huge same-store-sales growth over the same period a year ago, when the country was on lockdown and restaurants were all but closed completely. Many companies also reported two-year growth, showing improvement over pre-pandemic 2019.
Diversis-Backed Black Box Intelligence Acquires MillerPulse
Black Box Intelligence, a portfolio company of
Diversis Capital Partners, has acquired restaurant industry benchmarking firm
MillerPulse LLC. The move comes just four months after Diversis acquired a majority stake in Black Box Intelligence.
“We’re thrilled to add the MillerPulse membership to our database. The reputation Larry Miller and team have built is strong throughout the industry and we’re extremely excited to see the two powerhouse data sets come together to create an even more robust set of benchmarks that will truly be unmatched in the marketplace,” said
Kelli Valade, CEO and president of Black Box Intelligence.
Just this past week, more than a dozen states announced they plan to end enhanced weekly unemployment benefits. At least 16 governors expect to cut it off as early as June 12 and as late as July 10.