 The recent launch of Threads, Meta’s answer to Twitter, came with much fanfare. But in the weeks since, the response has been more about the disillusionment of users who thought they would be getting a useful new way to connect but were disappointed by what it actually delivered. A recent Restaurant Business article compared the Threads launch to what’s happening in restaurant tech. In the technology space, it’s common to launch a minimally viable product to test the waters and gain traction, but it’s a far more difficult task when you’re launching a product designed to compete with an established tool. It needs to wow people from the start to gain adopters — not just be a mildly better alternative. Yet this happens routinely in the digital loyalty space in restaurants, with large, established brands running sophisticated, targeted promotions and many other brands being satisfied with, say, some adoption of the restaurant’s app and redemption of general offers. To keep people engaged once they have downloaded your app and joined your loyalty program, you need to be able to offer competitive features and understand what features will hold people’s attention and offer some “wow” factor. It’s important to invest in the early stages in the testing needed to get a program right — otherwise you may be spending the money later on, when your audience will likely be more difficult to re-engage.
 If you’re considering tech investments this year – and most restaurant operators are – your approach to the human side of new systems is just as important as the technology itself. By identifying the main problems you need to solve (drilling down to the specific information you need at the level of the transaction, for example), you can clearly defining your priorities and focus on the tools that can address them. What roadblocks – in the form of existing contracts and systems – are currently in your way? How will any new tech integrate with your existing systems and allow for greater customization and flexibility down the line? Consider how to blend these systems seamlessly. That involves getting the right people involved to account for how existing and new tech is used, who throughout your operation is using it, and how it can deliver for those people in ways that will improve their ability to do their job without a difficult training process. This can also help you foresee what might go wrong and minimize the chances of it happening. Identify some ambassadors at various levels of your organization who can help tout the new system, demonstrate it to others and answer questions as people get up to speed.
 Is the technology you use to present your menu, take and prepare orders, and collect customer information obvious to your guests? Or does it simply dissolve into the background? A recent report from Modern Restaurant Management says ambient technology is the future of restaurant technology. When you have an interconnected system that integrates new functionality with ease, your technology can blend seamlessly into the experience of eating at your restaurant. There is no need – or consumer desire – for obvious bells and whistles. If you’re able to use your technology to smoothly call up past orders, make informed recommendations based on stored preferences, and then reward consumers without hassle, you’re elevating your service and overall guest experience (and making the technology responsible for it all seem like an afterthought)
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