I’m always being asked, “How can I make my restaurant more successful?” Of course, the food, ambiance, and service are all important, and you have to get those right. But one thing that all bar and restaurant owners can do is utilize technology to improve the success of their businesses. There are so many improvements – across the entire guest experience as well is in back-of-the-house operations – that establishments can make today with the help of technology. Here are four technology trends that restaurants and bars should be exploring today:

1. Taking reservations, payments and more from mobile devices.

   Smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of everyday life. More and more restaurants and bars are allowing customers to make reservations, order food, and pay for their meals directly from mobile devices. Using WiFi-enabled tablets to take orders enables wait staff to send them instantly to the kitchen and with far less chance of errors or delays.

2. Reinventing how customers order with dynamic menus.

   Tablet menus and kiosks let customers order food themselves, which lets them order when they are ready, reduces mistakes, and frees up servers to provide faster, higher-quality service. And online menus have the additional advantage of being easier to update so that diners have up-to-date menus with the latest specials and featuring current food trends.

3. Getting instant reporting on sales and guest satisfaction.

   Bars and restaurants are increasingly adopting interactive tools that allow patrons to provide instant feedback and enable owners to monitor sales. When sales and guest feedback can be tracked and reported quickly, owners have valuable information to help improve customer service and financial performance.

4. Enabling instant inventory tracking and re-ordering.

   Inventory management and vendor payment systems are increasingly moving to the cloud, so food orders and payments can be completed instantly. This helps bar and restaurant owners keep a fully stocked kitchen at all times – and helps them control costs by tracking inventory in real time.