FoodTech startup, HungryHungry is part of global efforts to help embattled hospitality industries use tech solutions to enable COVID safe restaurant openings.
The Australian tech company is working with venues to safely reopen through the use of contactless digital menus and table ordering technology, to avoid shared touch points and the threat of infection.
Tech solutions that offer safer dining and peace of mind for customers are seen as critical in reviving the hospitality sector and HungryHungry has recently raised $AU2million in Series A funding to fuel expansion plans.
A recent study in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management indicates that 64.7 per cent of restaurant customers and the majority of hotel customers believe that the use of technologies in service delivery will be necessary in the COVID-19 environment in order to minimise human-to-human contact.
The study also found that around one-third of restaurant customers and around 40 per cent of the hotel customers are willing to pay more for increased safety precautions.
The new tech solutions are seen as pivotal in rebuilding the global restaurant sector in the wake of the pandemic, where in the US alone, it’s estimated the immediate impacts of COVID-19 resulted in the industry losing three decades’ worth of employees in just six weeks.
As the sector works to rebuild, HungryHungry Co-founder Mark Calabro says it’s vital technology startups work closely with industry to ensure the solutions are fit for purpose for restaurant openings.
“In the aftermath of COVID we are seeing many hospitality venues weighing up their options for how to re-open while still being profitable,” he says.
“As well as trying to make up for lost sales they’re also having to deal with social distancing restrictions and in many cases a drop in revenue as a result of tourism being significantly down.
“Technology is going to play a critical role in helping venues to maximise capacity while adhering to regulations.”