Why You Need to Build a Virtual Restaurant Community
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year. The business world has gone primarily virtual since the COVID-19 pandemic touched down in March, and everyone from managers to customers has become increasingly reliant on technology. Where we once thought we could weather the storm to its end, now were developing technology solutions to help us move forward in this evolved world of social distance and contact-free customer experiences.
Customers and restaurateurs alike depend more on technology. Once-loyal diners grew accustomed to mobile ordering and delivery options while restaurant operators started investing in machines that make it easier to adapt to these expectations with minimal cost and headache. Things like one-click or touch-free ordering via QR codes and self-service kiosks have become the norm. All of this can seem a bit scary to restaurants just entering the modern age; a lot of them had no reason to get so involved in the tech sector before, especially those mom and pop shops that have operated manually since their inceptionwhich was all part of the charm. Now, they have to adapt if they want to stay afloat.
FSTEC, an annual restaurant technology conference, is the most prolific gathering of its kind. With so many restaurants going under because of this virus and many more at risk of the same, organizers knew they had to do something to give the industry a boost in these continually troubled times. Thats why this year, they’re introducing their first interactive, high-quality, on-demand and totally virtual conference starting October 26th.
What is FSTEC?
Hosted by Winsight, the parent company of Restaurant Business magazine, FSTEC this year will be a three-month gathering where industry professionals can connect, bond over technology solutions and help each other learn to not just survive, but thrive. From October to December, restaurateurs will get all the high quality content of past FSTEC conferences without any of the danger: Watch exclusive interviews with top industry experts, webinars from fellow restaurant CEOs, and get advice from Restaurant Business editors on topics that are the talk of the industry today. Over 40 speakers will talk in virtual sessions, including sponsors for businesses to chat with and discussion boards where they can discuss the information and data being gathered by the Restaurant Business editorial team.
Aside from this annual gathering, the same hosts have done conferences like Restaurant Leadership Conference, Restaurant Directions and theyre launching a new event this November aimed to find community solutions to help each other recover from the pandemic, Restaurant Recovery Summit.
The FSTEC community comprises experts in the field, from restaurant owners to solutions providers, to most effectively address issues in the industry and help solve them for restaurants like yours.
What does FSTEC do?
This conference, like all the in-person ones before it, is designed to help you generate ideas to keep your restaurant top-shape and growing. From contactless payment methods to off-premise ordering, they’re dedicated to helping the restaurant community find new solutions for the issues plaguing them this year.
FSTEC also knows that you’re very busy handling restaurant operations even when there isn’t a global pandemic forcing you to get creative. That’s why they’re hosting their entire three-month conference on demand so you can watch anywhere, anytime that it’s convenient for you. FSTEC has worked hard to ensure that the conference is the same great quality that their community has come to expect. Visit their website to learn more about the event, sign up and join a community of intelligent and dedicated restaurateurs.
In times like these, virtual communities of restaurateurs are invaluable. Theyre a support network of like-minded professionals experiencing the same struggles as you, with different insights and experiences that you can put together to come up with ingenious solutions that benefit everybody. By connecting with other restaurants with similar experiences, you can more easily form partnerships and get help when you need it.
Even if you cant make it to FSTEC this year, consider joining or building a web of restaurants in your own virtual community. Its an invaluable asset, especially amidst so much uncertainty but at all other times too, to make industry connections that you can rely on.
