Technological advancements have changed the food retail industry enormously in the past years. Your local supermarket undoubtedly looks different from 10 years ago. It is now filled with self-scanners, self-check-out counters, delivery services and what else. However, when we take a look at restaurants, not much innovation can be seen. Most restaurants still have their own traditional feel, with no technological gadgetry that can improve customer experience.
Amsterdam-based tech start-up FoodStory is about to bring change to this. FoodStory is the first Augmented Reality powered 3D menu offering ability to showcase food as holograms and gather data/insights on a micro-(dish)-level (Srivastava, 2018). By downloading the app, customers can go through the menu of a particular restaurant and view the different dishes. These are projected through the smartphone or tablet camera. Guests can view the menu inside the restaurant or at home before making a reservation. (FoodStory, 2018)
There are several reason behind why FoodStory was created, being beneficial for businesses as well as consumers. We can reason that it is beneficial because customers are now able to see a hologram of the dishes they are interested in, which will help them make a more thought through decision and fulfill their expectations. This will result in higher customer satisfaction and thus also improve one’s business. It also results in less dishes being sent back to the kitchen, or not being fully consumed because it was less enjoyable than initially thought. This reduces food waste enormously, which in turn reduces costs. Moreover, as consumers can see the menu at home, they are able to reach an average of 50.000 views a month (FoodStory, 2018), boosting a restaurant’s marketing reach. From the consumer side, being able to see menus in augmented reality from several restaurants beforehand assists a consumer in making the right decision for a restaurant. As going to a restaurant costs a lot of time and effort, this is therefore very useful.
Currently, the app is in use for a few Dutch restaurants, but FoodStory is planning on expanding globally. Is this the future of restaurant menus and a necessity for restaurants to include in their offerings? I believe it is a welcome tool for businesses as well as consumers. What are your thoughts?
Srivastava A., (2018). 10 mind-blowing Dutch tech startups you should know about in 2018. Silicon Canals. [Online] available at: https://siliconcanals.nl/events/twn18/10-mind-blowing-dutch-tech-startups-you-should-know-about-in-2018/
FoodStory., (2018). Food & Innovation go hand in hand. Augmented Reality in Food is the future. [Online] available at: https://foodstory.io/
Hi Marc,
Thank you for sharing this post, as I am a food lover and love to go to restaurants I find the idea of the 3D Augmented Reality menu very interesting and I got really inspired by this idea. I agree with you that this app is a welcome tool, as many people like myself search and compare restaurants by checking menus. But don’t you think that the downside is that the element of surprise is illuminated? In my opinion it will, that is why I think it would be a good idea that they would also conclude an option that shows for example dishes from previous menus. Also with their descriptions and prices, so you still have a feeling what the restaurant has to offer, but you will still be surprised when your course is presented. Besides showing the food as holograms it would also be nice if it would be like you are sitting in the restaurant. As the atmosphere of a restaurant is in my opinion also very important. Profit for the restaurant will be as you mentioned marketing search. I think they can even profit more from the application by receiving insights about which courses are most viewed(clicking-rate), ratios of viewed versus ordered dishes and so on. All with all I see a lot of potential in this application.
Interesting reading! Thank you Marc. I was interested by the fact that the business model of FoodStory can bring great advantages to both supplier side and consumer side. I as a customer always find it difficult to choose a dish from menus that are only in words, because you cannot expect which dish you will get for what you will pay for. It can be an everyday risk that you want to avoid. The model is also very sustainable in terms of reducing food waste. Moreover, I believe if FoodStory expands its services and reaches out globally, it can help a certain customer group such as travelers, who can have a bigger struggle with understanding menus than the normal customer group because of a language barrier. Therefore, FoodStory will be able to find an opportunity in the travel industry, helping local restaurant businesses by attracting more travelers. With that being said, I suggest the company to reinforce its international strategy. Even though the FoodStory’s app now is in use for a few Dutch restaurants, I hope it will soon broaden its range of business.