By Allen Kopelman
Nationwide Payment Systems Inc.
Remember hearing that smart cards, quantum computing or mobile payments were two years away? Here's a news flash for people who are saying the same thing about self-attended solutions: wake up and smell your self-serve coffee. These trends are embedded in the fabric of our daily lives and so common that consumers don't even think about them anymore. Like payments, they just happen, and we are all better off because of that.
Of course, you'll probably notice the first time a robot rolls up to your restaurant table and greets you by name. Some restaurants have already deployed robotic servers that wake up when a guest scans a QR code to initiate an order. These brave restaurateurs are early technology adopters in the restaurant trade. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
Just think how many times that merchant level salespeople (MLSs) have pushed a new technology solution to our customers. The ones that were willing to go on that beta test ride with us, suffering through the slings and arrows until we got it right, are heroes.
Hats off to the pizza trucks delivering pies made by robots in the back of their vans. And how about the restaurants that recharge their wait staff every night? These early adopters are working out the kinks, paving the way for mainstream and late tech adopters.
The time will come when robots roll up to your table with drinks and meals. I've seen robots recite daily specials, show images of meals on screens and even take orders for sushi. I've seen robotic busboys putting dirty dishes in tubs and rolling them back to the kitchen. These things may seem like gimmicks now, but we're clearly at a tipping point and, no pun intended, restaurants may have to rethink their tipping strategies.
Let's be real – if you are using robots instead of people, do they really care about tips? European countries do not even offer tipping on receipts; they factor tips into the food prices. Even bartenders are being replaced by products that can mix drinks and serve large crowds without needing to take a break.
In some establishments, the servers walk up to the bar, choose a wine, beer, or cocktail on a screen and let the computer make the drink. Some of these computers will even tell the server what type of glass and garnish to use. We've all seen merchants struggle with staff shortages, and obviously robots don't need to take vacations or breaks. Staffing shortages are real; many people left the restaurant business during the pandemic and are not coming back. In the post-pandemic era, restaurants, bars and nightclubs have found it necessary to adjust their business models.
Just like we've seen during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, quick service restaurants (QSRs) and new-concept restaurants popped up all over the country, enabling customers to walk up and order food. These restaurants have been around for a long time, and now we will see more new things.
A February 2024 study by the International Federation of Robotics (see bit.ly/4e59UcQ) highlighted all the ways that robots are making the world better and more efficient, and AI was on top of the list. Researchers pointed out that robots can lighten human workloads and are easier than ever to program. Some robot manufacturers have introduced Windows-like interfaces that enable users to program robots without writing a single line of code.
“Workers will no longer need specialized programming skills to select and adjust the robot's actions,” researchers wrote, adding that AI-driven solutions and predictive analytics can help manufacturers save time and money.
It's not unusual for customers to order meals from their phones, even when they are sitting in a restaurant. Technology is changing everything; I can only wonder what AI will bring to the table. AI-powered staffers are already answering phones, taking reservations and orders, and directly interacting with customers. Time will tell how many companies will adopt these solutions.
As I've said before, our job, as MLSs, is not to wait for trends to go viral. Just as we have done in the past, with smart cards, mobile payments and PCI DSS compliance, we need to get in front of the self-attended movement and lead, baby, lead.
Don't wait for prices to go down or for competitors to saturate the market. Don't wait for merchants to ask you about self-attended solutions. Let them be the heroes by implementing these technologies, many of which are well past the beta-testing stage. Let's give them the bragging rights because when they win, we win.
Want to know more? Keep reading The Green Sheet and consider following me on LinkedIn, where we can share ideas and support each other. 
Allen Kopelman, a serial entrepreneur, is co-founder and CEO of Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. and host of B2B Vault: The Payment Technology podcast. Email him at allen@npsbank.com and connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman/ and Twitter @AllenKopelman.
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