Minute on the clock: Simon Stenning, FutureFoodservice

What do you believe some of the key technologies will be?

I think payment at table via apps will be adopted further, purely because it makes the customer journey smoother and faster, and puts it in the customer's control. As hospitality deals with recruitment issues, it will be critical to focus staff on value-enhancing tasks rather than the mundane, repetitive, manual tasks, which is where technology can take the burden. So we will see robotic assistance in busy kitchens where it is applicable – dipping chip baskets, flipping burgers – but we will always need expert, skilled chefs to perform the intricate tasks, such as finishing plates.

So can we expect to see robots roaming around restaurants in the near future?

Many people would assume that a futurist would identify robots as the key development in the future for kitchens. However, I believe they are a long way off. That said, automation is beginning to be implemented in kitchens. Miso Robotics has developed Flippy (for hamburgers), Sippy (a beverage dispenser) and Chippy (to fry tortilla chips), which are being introduced into fast-food kitchens in the US, including Cali Burger, White Castle and Chipotle, as well as into sports stadia where the mass production of simple dishes is required.

Aside from automation, how will technology change the way commercial kitchens work?

We will see an accelerated implementation of digitalisation, such as menu development software, including the allergen and nutritional information from suppliers such as Nutritics, but also to allow updating onto all digital platforms, such as Ten Kites.

This will tie into scanning software, which will allow for ingredient identification, menu calculations and portion control. Carbon footprint analysis will also be big, thanks to tools such as Foodprint, developed by Nutritics.

There will be developments in artificial intelligence to improve aspects such as waste management, forward planning and ordering management, and voice-controlled ordering tools will become more commonplace, using software from the likes of Apprente. All of these will improve the efficiency of kitchens and will enable chefs to spend more time on the production and service of meals rather than on the organisation.

And how will hotels be adopting new technology?

There will be more automation and digitalisation of the whole journey, from booking to room. This can allow hotels to become more efficient, but the warm, personal greeting from hotel staff needs to be amplified to deliver the human touch of great hospitality.

I believe we might even begin to see face recognition, and beacon technology could help hotels recognise guests as soon as they enter the premises so they can be greeted personally.

Virtual and augmented reality will allow guests to be familiar with the property before they've arrived, as well as bringing things like in-room menus to life. And voice recognition technology will also be more commonplace in rooms to manage guest requests and information.