Balancing Tech Expectations and Human Touch

By shuttering its pick-up only concept, Starbucks is placing its bets on connection over convenience in a strategic brand reset. 

This renewed focus on its third-place roots and customer experience (CX) comes after declining traffic and sales, consumer dissatisfaction, and competitive headwinds, according to Craig Miller, former Chief Strategy & Technology Officer at Sonic Drive-In and co-author of Bricks and Clicks: How We Drove Sonic Into the Digital Age.

The move signaled a larger truth many brands are now confronting about their own digital journeys:: while technology might create efficiency by streamlining operations, it doesn’t build long-term loyalty and connection with customers.

Miller has spent decades helping legacy brands modernize without eroding their core identity. In this conversation with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine, he discusses  how digital minimalism is reshaping guest expectations, why outdated systems are a ticking time bomb, and how the smart use of data and AI can actually strengthen a brand.

What do customers expect and want when it comes to technology in restaurants and how can brands use this to provide a better customer journey that inspires loyalty?

Customers’ expectations for tech in restaurants have evolved rapidly in the past ten years, centered on an elevated experience (on and off premise), including personalization, convenience, and trust. Restaurants that harness the power of tech and data to remove friction from the experience and meet these needs can create a seamless, satisfying journey that fosters long-term loyalty.

What role does data play in identifying the evolving customer journey?

Data is essential for mapping the customer’s evolving behavior and quality of interactions throughout the journey (on and off premise) – without it, the journey map is not measurable nor actionable. Data is the backbone of understanding how customers (with different behavior profiles) interact with a brand across touchpoints.

Data transforms the customer journey from a static funnel into a dynamic, responsive ecosystem.

As we describe in the book, data acts as a compass—it shows you where customers are, where they’ve been, and where they’re likely headed, so you can refine experiences, personalize/target engagement, and maintain loyalty as preferences evolve.  Data transforms the customer journey from a static funnel into a dynamic, responsive ecosystem. It empowers brands to meet different customer segments where they are—and anticipate where they’re going next.

Define digital minimalism and what brands need to understand about it and the challenges of it?

Digital minimalism is a philosophy and (lifestyle) practice of selectively prioritizing the use of technology for meaningful and high-value interactions, while minimizing unnecessary distractions that could dominate time and attention.  It is not about abandoning technology entirely, but rather about being more purposeful, mindful and intentional with its use.  It's about decluttering one’s digital life and actively seeking ways to reduce digital distractions.

Brands need to cut through the noise with intentional, high-value digital engagement—without losing visibility or customer connection.

Digital minimalism is a growing consumer trend characterized by simplicity, authenticity, and a conscious effort to reduce digital consumption and prioritize deeper, more meaningful engagement with brands (paradoxically led by Gen Z.)  

As with any consumer-oriented trending or shifting behavior, brands need to scope the potential top-line impact and adapt accordingly.  Customer segmentation and journey mapping analysis are great analytic tools for identifying and measuring impact and resolution.  

Digital minimalism isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing better with higher quality engagement and interactions. The goal isn’t silence—it’s resonance.  It’s about rethinking how to communicate, engage, and build trust with this trending cohort and consumer profile. Brands need to cut through the noise with intentional, high-value digital engagement—without losing visibility or customer connection.

What are the signs that an in-place legacy system is no longer meeting the brand needs?

The primary sign is when the legacy system becomes a constraint or liability to the brand’s long-term strategy and/or operational reliability – sometimes referred to as “technical debt”.  Deficiencies typically fall into several categories, including poor customer engagement/experience, operational disruption/inefficiency, lack of scalability/agility, compliance/security risk, increasing TCO, data limitations, lack of modern system integration, and insufficient vendor innovation 

 How can brands find a balance between technological investments and human interaction that works for their concept? Can you give examples of brands you feel have done this well?

ALL technology investments must be justified by a measurable value proposition for the customer or employee (in service of the customer).  The process of journey mapping analysis will measure the quality of all human interactions with the brand and identify where tech and data can remove friction and where human interaction creates value.  Technology should never dilute or compromise the brand’s value proposition.

Brands that excel:  Apple, Disney, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Walmart, Best Buy, PepsiCo, Planet Fitness, Sonic (prior to acquisition)

Looking ahead, how do you anticipate AI will impact restaurant brands in the next few years and what is the connection between technology and brand building?

Technology is no longer just a supporting tool or utility—it has become strategically and operationally critical in all aspect of brand building, reshaping traditional business models.  Tech and data have become essential to driving top line growth and bottom-line efficiencies.

Fundamentally, ALL tech can be classified as an instrument of DATA.  All solutions and brand building initiatives – past, present, and future – are fundamentally based on the consumption, distribution, or processing of DATA, fueling every aspect of the business through a portfolio of integrated systems (linking the business with customers, employees, suppliers, and equipment).  The rapid evolution and emergence of new technology, such as AI, simply become new innovated ways to manage data.

Brand innovation for the digital age can be defined as unlocking transformational growth by harnessing the power of technology and data within the customer experience and business model.

Brand innovation for the digital age can be defined as unlocking transformational growth by harnessing the power of technology and data within the customer experience and business model.

As with most emerging technologies, AI will no doubt continue to impact customer-facing experiences (top-line growth) and back-of-house restaurant operations (bottom-line efficiencies), including, but not limited to, expanding reach by enhancing brand visibility, personalizing customer experiences/integrations, business automation, content generation, and predictive analytics.

The birth of AI can be traced back to the 1950s as a new branch of computer science.  Most companies are already leveraging some form of AI technology within all business functions.  AI is a form of predictive data analysis that uses an adaptive algorithm to process patterns and trends in very large datasets (including content).  The predictive nature of the model means the accuracy of the results may vary but designed to learn and adapt as it processes more data, gradually improving its accuracy.  The AI paradigm and notion of machine learning has evolved rapidly due to the confluence of several technology breakthroughs, including the exponential increase in computing power and the internet’s ability to unlock unlimited access to oceans of digital content and data.

Can you elaborate on what you and co-author Clifford Hudson state in Bricks and Clicks: How We Drove SONIC into the Digital Age about customer-centric decisions being the key to long-term brand sustainability and what are the dangers of not having a customer-centric approach?

With over four decades of experience working with some of the most successful leading brands, we determined that the long-term sustainability of a brand involves not only establishing but also continually evolving the brand’s characteristics and value proposition to remain relevant and trusted by consumers as preferences, competitive landscapes, and market conditions change. 

Navigating the perpetual uncertainty and constant change has always presented a significant challenge for brands because it necessitates foresight and continuous adjustments to strategy, operations, and potential resistance to change among employees (ie. messy middles), which can be difficult and disruptive. 

So how do some companies seem to have the resiliency and endurance to survive and thrive, especially when the changes facing companies today seem to be more radical and happening faster than ever?  

You can’t predict the future, and there’s no crystal ball that can tell us what will happen next.  But there are historical patterns of success and failure that provide valuable insights:

Walmart vs Kmart; Target vs Sears; Best Buy vs Circuit City; Apple vs Blackberry; Bank of America vs Washington Mutual; more recently, Chili’s vs TGI Friday’s; 

How did Sonic Drive-In skyrocket to becoming a national icon while most of the other drive-in restaurants disappeared? 

The common themes and characteristics among these resilient and enduring companies can be distilled to four primary themes, but the most significant is as follows: 

Companies that flourish are best able to ADAPT to the changing environment in which they find themselves, starting with the (evolving) customer profile as a guiding light and strategic compass.