1.22.2026
Starfleet Research has announced the release of The Restaurant Optimization Playbook: How to Achieve Peak Performance and Profitability in 2026—and Beyond, a new research-driven eBook based on market research involving 350+ restaurant owners and operators across major global regions and restaurant formats. The new eBook, made possible with underwriting support from Square, finds that even as restaurants adopt more digital tools, operational confidence remains fragile: only 18% of operators describe themselves as very confident in their ability to forecast sales, labor needs, or guest traffic on a daily or weekly basis.
The research underscores how demand volatility, labor instability, supplier price fluctuations and increasingly complex guest expectations are forcing restaurants to rethink optimization as an always-on discipline and not a periodic operational reset. Nearly half (48%) of operators report being only “somewhat confident” in forecasting, while 32% admit they are not very confident or not confident at all. At the same time, enthusiasm for predictive intelligence is strong: 74% rate predictive insights that incorporate variables such as weather, local events, and neighborhood traffic patterns as extremely or very valuable.
“Restaurant operators have never had more data at their fingertips, yet many still feel uncertain about what tomorrow will bring,” said Dustin Stone, a research analysts at Starfleet Research. “This study shows that the next competitive edge won’t come from collecting more data. Rather, it will come from turning data into answers faster, surfacing issues automatically, and tightening the link between decisions and profitability.”
The eBook explores how leading operators are building integrated optimization systems that connect front-of-house and back-of-house workflows with real-time analytics and predictive insight. Rather than treating technology as a patchwork of disconnected tools, these restaurants are consolidating around platforms and workflows that capture richer data at every guest touchpoint and support faster, more proactive decision-making.
Key research findings highlighted in the new eBook include:
Demand forecasting remains a major vulnerability. Only a small minority (18%) report being very confident in forecasting, reinforcing how quickly weather, staffing issues, holidays, promotions, and local events can disrupt operational plans.
Handheld point-of-sale technology has become a central performance lever across restaurant formats. 72% of operators use handheld devices for line-busting or tableside ordering, and 47% use handhelds for curbside or drive-thru workflows. Among handheld users, 79% report integration with kitchen display systems (KDS), enabling orders to route instantly to the line.
Handheld adoption correlates with measurable performance improvements. Operators report:
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82% see a positive impact on service speed
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63% report increased average check size from upsell prompts and modifiers
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70% cite improved guest satisfaction due to faster service and fewer order errors
Self-service ordering is now a revenue intelligence channel and not just a labor tactic. More than half of respondents report using self-service kiosks in at least one location, with kiosks increasingly used to reduce wait times, improve order accuracy, and drive higher ticket sizes through visual upsell prompts and bundled offerings. Among kiosk-enabled restaurants:
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76% report reduced wait times
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67% report higher average check size
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69% report improved order accuracy
Operators are demanding faster answers, not more dashboards. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say they need faster answers to core operational questions on a daily or several-times-per-week basis, such as why sales dropped, which items are hurting margins, or why labor spiked on a given shift.
Exception-based management and proactive alerts are becoming table stakes. 78% of operators rate proactive alerts that flag KPI drift (e.g., labor %, prep time, ticket size, ingredient costs) as extremely or very useful, reflecting a shift toward systems that surface issues automatically rather than requiring managers to hunt through reports.
AI is moving from experimentation to expectation. 64% of operators say an AI assistant capable of answering questions about sales, staffing, or customer trends would be very or extremely helpful, signaling a clear appetite for natural-language decision support so long as data integrity and trust are strong.
Margin and cost volatility are reshaping optimization priorities. Unexpected supplier price changes impact food costs “often” or “very often” for 58% of operators. Interest in real-time ingredient price comparisons is high, with 72% rating it very or extremely valuable. Meanwhile, 63% say automatically generating plate costs for every menu item would significantly improve margin management.
The eBook also includes real-world operator examples and performance outcomes, including multiple Square Seller Success Stories that illustrate how integrated systems can centralize control, increase loyalty engagement, strengthen visibility across locations, and improve operational consistency as businesses scale.
Download the eBook
The full research findings and operational frameworks are available in The Restaurant Optimization Playbook: How to Achieve Peak Performance and Profitability in 2026—and Beyond.
To download the free eBook, click here.
Starfleet Research, the IT market research division of Starfleet Media, is a global leader in benchmarking best practices for technology-enabled business initiatives. Its research reports help hospitality organizations optimize performance and are widely regarded as trusted resources for decision makers evaluating technology solutions and operational strategies. Starfleet Research publications include Restaurant Technology News and Hotel Technology News.
