Dan Clayton. Dan Clayton.

Rise of the machines. Technology has made life far easier for outlet staff — but has it taken the old-school personality out of hospitality?

On an average day, I will use no less then 12 different computerised systems during a shift in the restaurant. I’m pretty sure a NASA space launch uses fewer computer systems then me.

My office has so many blinking lights, cooling fans and hard drives that every time I sit in my office chair, I feel like the captain of the Starship Enterprise. Just without the teleportation facilities. Or the spandex suit.

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Technological advances have made the contemporary restaurant a pretty advanced place in which to operate. From maximising profit margins to customer profiling, nowadays pretty much all restaurateurs have a computer to do it for us.

My team can ‘remember’ a guest’s favourite bottle of wine or birthday, thanks to my reservation system. I can ensure my menu layout is optimised for maximum profit margin with the click of a mouse. I can split guest cheques 14 different ways with a single poke of my finger.

Meanwhile, the cooks can steam asparagus spears to perfection thanks to a computerised steamer. My hostesses can send personalised confirmation emails to each and every guest. Meanwhil, guests can reserve tables either online or via text messages.

And the arrival of all these systems has allowed us, as hospitality professionals, to enhance the customer experience, ensure a profitable business model and maintain consistent food quality.

Although many take this electronic assistance for granted, I often find myself thinking about how restaurants operated without all this technology in the past.

Hospitality is one of the oldest industries on the planet; in fact one of the world’s longest-running pubs, the Ye Olde Man & Scythe, in Bolton, UK, opened in 1251.

Since Franklin wasn’t struck by lightening until 1752, I’m pretty sure they didn’t even have electricity let alone Micros handhelds to help them navigate their menu of steamed cabbage, disintegrated potatoes and warm ale.

And can you image how complicated the wine inventory must have been for Tour D’Argent back in 1582, manually stock-checking the 420,000 bottle collection? Not a job I’d be keen to do.