As restaurants continue to struggle with labor challenges, PYMNTS research reveals that these issues affect the experience most noticeably for customers ordering their food for pickup.
By the Numbers
Research from the October edition of the PYMNTS Digital Divide study, “The 2022 Restaurant Digital Divide: Restaurant Apps And Websites In The Spotlight,” which draws from a September survey of a census-balanced panel of nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers, finds that 71% of consumers who typically order restaurant meals for pickup agree that the restaurants they visit have become increasingly understaffed. This share exceeds that of any other ordering channel.
Read the full report: The 2022 Restaurant Digital Divide: Restaurant Apps And Websites In The Spotlight
The Data in Action
Amid these ongoing labor challenges, a range of solutions are emerging to tackle the issue in creative ways. For instance, Bite Ninja, a Memphis-based tech startup offering a remote work solution for takeout-focused restaurants, announced in August that it had raised $11.3 million in a post-seed bridge funding round, bringing its total funding to $15.4 million.
The company offers eateries access to its workforce of “Ninjas,” United States-based workers at locations of their choosing, to appear on screens by quick-service restaurants’ (QSRs) menu boards to remotely assist customers at drive-thrus and front counters.
“Bite Ninja is currently powering some of the most notable quick service restaurants from coast to coast, providing operators with access to more than 12,000 qualified ‘Ninjas’ ready to serve customers and fill open shifts,” Will Clem, the company’s CEO and co-founder, said in a statement.
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