Host 2023 is once again the best opportunity to discover market trends in this sector. “We are increasingly switching to formats that are being replicated on a geographical basis,” says Domenico Palmisani, CEO of iPratico, which creates iPad-based management software for restaurants. “Customers are more attentive to service and technology, they expect to have digital menus, to be able to order online, to pay at the table and to be able to receive food at home without needing to queue.” Digitisation is also important for sustainability: “With iPads, we are doing away with paper orders in bars and kitchens,” Palmisani explains. “And these are reconditioned iPads, i.e. another eco-sustainable move, and Apple certified with a one-year guarantee.”

“There has been an increase in the use of apps for online ordering, triggered by the tendency of restaurateurs to opt for ghost or dark kitchens,” agrees Alberto Alcini, CEO of Kuokko. “A clearly visible trend in big cities like Milan and Rome, and less, but growing, in the provinces. Kuokko has always focused on an online ordering system via native apps, which assists restaurateurs in organizing and managing takeaways and delivery in a sustainable way because it is digitalised. But, above all, it provides the venue manager with marketing modules that allow loyalty and cross-selling and up-selling of products directly from the app, personalized for the brand.”

“With the growth of interest in food-to-go, home delivery and ghost kitchens,” says Leonardo Serboni, of marketing and communication at Passepartout, a software house that designs software and management services, “we are now focusing on innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, in order to optimise delivery and improve the customer experience”. And here too, the transition to digital translates into greater respect for the environment: “using Menu, our foodservice management system, reduces the carbon footprint of running a restaurant. We have also developed software that optimises food supply and ‘mobile’ solutions for ordering or consulting the menu.”

“We are noticing that customers are leaning more and more towards things digital,” adds Angelo Guaragni, CEO of Zucchetti Hospitality, the company in the group that specialises in professional hospitality. “Apps are essential both for the administrative needs of restaurateurs and for digital menus, order management, delivery, takeaway and digital payments. This is why we created the Business Coach app, which monitors sales data in real time.” It is a responsible choice too: “The app allows you to eliminate paper documents and reduce the amount of ingredients that are wasted. Our offer also provides solutions for energy saving and for reducing the carbon footprint,” he says in conclusion.

A whole world to explore at Host 2023, then, mingling with the big players and discovering innovative start-ups: buy your ticket online now.