There’s no denying it — AI is everywhere in hospitality. Voice-powered drive-thrus, chatbots responding to guests, algorithms predicting table turns. It’s exciting to see what’s possible on the front lines of service.
But the real opportunity lies not in choosing between the front or back of house — it’s in connecting them. Because every guest experience depends on what happens behind the scenes. At Craftable, we believe that AI’s greatest impact comes when it bridges both — bringing clarity, consistency, and control to operations that ultimately improve the guest experience.
AI in the Front of House: A Growing Promise with Caveats
Across the industry, restaurants are experimenting with AI to enhance the guest experience:
- Voice ordering and phone automation are reducing wait times and improving drive-thru flow for brands like Wendy’s and Domino’s.
- AI-assisted review responses and guest communications help teams manage feedback faster and more thoughtfully.
- Reservation platforms and guest analytics are using AI to predict demand and personalize service.
These advancements are exciting — and they should be tested. But during this year’s FSTEC conference, one topic stood out: the generational divide in how guests feel about technology in restaurants.
Younger guests often value speed, convenience, and personalization, while older generations still prioritize the human connection that defines dining — being greeted by name, speaking with someone who knows your order, and sharing a meal served by hand, not an algorithm.
For example, a recent survey found that 45% of diners used kiosks in the past three months — and 83% expect them to match traditional cashier capabilities. Self Service Kiosk Machine Many diners say the ability to review their order and customise via kiosk improves their sense of accuracy and convenience. Restaurant Dive
Operators are being asked to balance both expectations: to modernize without losing the warmth that makes hospitality timeless. After all, restaurants have followed a similar ritual for thousands of years — you arrive, you’re welcomed, you’re served, and you’re cared for.
That’s why at Craftable, we believe the real transformation won’t come from replacing that ritual — but from strengthening what supports it. The consistency, control, and clarity that make those moments possible start not in the dining room, but in the back of house.
AI in the Back of House: Where It Really Pays Off
The majority of an operator’s challenges — from rising food costs to unpredictable labor to inconsistent compliance — start behind the scenes. AI has the power to turn that complexity into clarity, giving managers the tools to make faster, smarter, and more confident decisions.
Here’s how:
1. AI Invoice Automation
Every restaurant deals with invoices in different formats, with line items that vary by vendor, pack size, and product description. Traditional OCR tools can “read” invoices — but they can’t understand them. Craftable’s Invoice AI goes further: it learns the structure of each vendor document, maps it to your chart of accounts, and verifies it against what was actually received.
Result: same-day visibility into costs, cleaner accounting, and fewer surprises at period close.
2. AI-Driven Inventory Accuracy
AI continuously compares purchase data, recipes, and usage patterns to detect anomalies — like a sudden spike in one item or a recurring variance in theoretical vs. actual. That insight helps teams catch issues early, from over-portioning to vendor pricing errors, and keeps inventory levels optimized.
3. AI Forecasting
By blending historical sales, event calendars, local weather, and day-part data, forecasting models can now predict demand with remarkable precision. Instead of reacting to last week’s numbers, managers can proactively schedule labor, order stock, and prep exactly what’s needed — reducing waste while keeping guests happy and wait times short.
4. AI Suggestive Ordering
Imagine a system that automatically recommends what to order, when, and from whom — not as a guess, but as a calculation based on sales velocity, vendor pricing trends, and real-time inventory. That’s what suggestive ordering delivers: less rogue spend, fewer emergency purchases, and more reliable supply chains.
5. AI Profitability Insights
Hospitality margins live and die by the details — a 1% swing in COGS can make or break a month. AI can analyze vendor pricing, invoice timing, compliance rates, and labor ratios to surface patterns that are invisible to the human eye. Instead of just reporting the past, it highlights where profitability is being lost right now — and what action will protect it.
6. AI Compliance and Audit Readiness
From AP approvals to vendor contracts, AI can flag exceptions, duplicate invoices, and pricing discrepancies before they become costly errors. For multi-unit operators or hotel groups, that means more control and transparency — with less manual review and re-work.
When you add it all up, AI in the back of house isn’t about replacing people — it’s about removing friction. It takes away the repetitive work that keeps managers behind a screen and gives them time back to lead teams, serve guests, and grow the business.
That’s why Craftable’s AI roadmap starts here — with AI Invoice at the foundation and AI Forecasting, AI Suggestive Ordering, and AI Profitability Insights on the horizon.
AI will change hospitality — but not by replacing its people. It will change it by serving them. When technology handles the tedious, teams can get back to what hospitality is all about: connection, care, and craft. And that’s what makes AI in the back of house is actually an AI investment in the front of house as well.
Further reading & sources
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