Cafe owners argued that Gen Z customers don't like speaking to waiters in restaurants, preferring to order and pay through mobile apps.
Tom James, managing director of restaurant chain Bill's, said an increasing number of younger diners were reluctant to converse with waiters because they had grown up communicating through mobile phones and devices.
The casual dining business recently introduced several technological upgrades, including self-service kiosks and QR codes, to modernize its restaurants and attract Gen Z customers.
James said that in some stores, particularly in central London, more than 50% of customers are already choosing to pay digitally.
He told the Times: “This is certainly the way that a large proportion of the market wants to eat out.”
“This is anti-hospitality and alien to me as a traditional hospitality veteran, but we have to adapt.”
As they have become “adults” who communicate through their phones and devices, more and more young customers are reluctant to converse with waiters (Photo: A TikTok user posted a video expressing frustration at having to talk to waiters)
Tom James, managing director of the Bills chain, said more than 50% of customers in its stores, particularly in central London, were already choosing to pay digitally (stock image)
Self-service kiosks have become commonplace for years at many restaurant chains, including McDonald's and Leon, and activists have warned they could effectively lock out older customers who are accustomed to face-to-face contact.
James insisted Bill's would not lose sight of its commitment to traditional hospitality, stressing that the restaurant would continue to have waiters on hand for customers who want it done the old-fashioned way.
He also claimed the company's self-service kiosks would be “much more unobtrusive” than those found at fast-food chains, adding: “That personal interaction, creating an experience in the moment is what's most important to us in this industry. But now we have to offer an alternative.”
Bill's has also expanded its selection of non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails to attract Gen Z customers to its stores after a recent report found that 21% of people under the age of 25 said they avoided drinking alcohol completely in the last year.
The tables and menus have also been revamped to be more social media friendly, and a company called TikTok has been launched, leading to “very positive results.”
James said: “Another reason is that we were conscious of how important social media is to Gen Z. We went back and looked at everything from the tableware to the way the food looks on the plate. We realised it's not just about great food, it's also about how it looks on your social media channels.”
The restaurateur also claimed that he has seen an increase in bookings over the past two years since he started using AI chatbots rather than human staff to take reservations.
The Bill CEO argued that Gen Z customers don't want to talk to waiters in restaurants and therefore prefer to order and pay through mobile apps.
Bill's recently installed several technological upgrades, including self-service kiosks and QR codes, to modernize its restaurants and attract Gen Z customers.
Self-service kiosks have become commonplace over the past few years at many restaurant chains, such as McDonald's (pictured here).
Now owned by billionaire restaurant mogul Richard Culling, Bill's began as a grocery store in Lewes, Sussex, named after its founder, Bill Collison.
Before the pandemic, Bill's had struggled to attract customers and had been forced to close dozens of stores in recent years after Carling acknowledged people were “tired” of the brand.
But the company now operates around 45 locations across the country and expects sales to reach £92.6m in 2023. This figure will continue to grow by 3.4% in the first half of 2024, the company said this week.
“Part one was rebranding and presenting ourselves in a more vibrant, colorful and targeted way to families and Gen Z,” James said. “Part two was a really ground-up approach to all costs.”
They also point out that during the cost-of-living crisis, while many of its competitors forced customers to pay steep price hikes, Bill's barely raised its prices at all.
The company now plans to open two new sites in Milton Keynes and Somerset Street by the end of the year.
This comes ahead of a wider expansion next year, which will combine the traditional Bill's restaurant with a new cafe-bar style outlet that will focus on sharing food, cakes, pastries, coffee and draught beer rather than just sit-down dining.