Smarter, Faster, More Human: Why AI and Automation Are Transforming Restaurants | Modern Restaurant Management | The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News

The hospitality industry has always been about delivering great service—but today, that means more than just good food and friendly staff. Restaurant operators are dealing with shrinking margins, labor shortages, and higher guest expectations than ever before. The smartest ones aren’t just adapting—they’re using AI and automation to transform how their businesses run.

This isn’t about replacing people with machines. It’s about taking friction out of operations—so staff can spend more time focused on hospitality, not paperwork.

AI Is the New Secret Sauce in Restaurant OperationsFirst, let me take a moment to say – AI isn’t just ChatGPT or image generation. Artificial Intelligence doesn’t necessarily mean human-like behavior. Artificial – or maybe more accurately, “machine” intelligence, is rooted deeply in pattern recognition that helps us accelerate or even eliminate tasks that don’t require deep, human thinking (or intuition).

It’s critical for…

Adoniram Sides

As SVP, Hospitality, Adoniram Sides manages Lightspeed's global hospitality product portfolio, leading teams from North America to Australia. His leadership is backed by a solid foundation of experience in product development and technology with +10 years of experience building tools and providing data for the restaurant, hospitality, and events industries. Prior to Lightspeed, Sides led the product strategy and launches at Upserve, the leading fine dining software platform in the United States. He is a board member of the RI Hospitality Association and has an ongoing commitment to the Rhode Island community as a board member of the Rhode Island Hospitality.

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Adoniram Sides