Reviewing the progress of information and communication technology in the restaurant industry

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the progress of research of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the restaurant industry. More specifically, this paper reviews the main academic contributions from the area of hospitality and tourism over the past 18 years by addressing the adoption and implementation of ICT in restaurant activities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyses 68 full-length ICT research articles that were published in the period 2000-2018 in 29 journals (with Science Journal Citation Reports or Scimago Journal Rankings impact) and eight subject areas.

Findings

The review reveals a number of significant findings. It highlights the scarcity of contributions within academic research related to the area of hospitality and tourism focused on addressing the issue of ICT in restaurants. Moreover, and predictably, several dimensions clearly emerge from the consumer and supply perspectives as being the most prominent. On the one hand, the adoption of ICT has changed the behaviour of consumers in at least three dimensions: information search and evaluation of alternatives purchase decision and post-purchase behaviour. On the other hand, ICT has revolutionised the core business areas of restaurants by dramatically transforming the following areas: operational and strategic management, marketing and Web design, customer services, security, food and nutrition and human resources.

Originality/value

Given the fact that ICT in the restaurant industry remains a largely unexplored subject, this paper can offer a useful tool for researchers who pursue advances in this field, by providing an overview that outlines the main aspects that need further research.

研究目的

本文旨在研究饭店行业信息通信系统（ICT）的发展进程。确切地说, 本文审阅过去18年中酒店旅游领域的主要文献, 关于饭店行业使用和执行ICT的研究。

研究设计/方法/途径

本文样本为2000-2018年出版在29个期刊（带有JCR或者SJR影响因子）的68篇ICT文献。其文献涵盖8大学科领域。

研究结果

本文研究结果表明, 目前酒店旅游文献中针对饭店行业ICT应用的文章还是很少。此外, 关于消费者和供应商角度的研究成为最显著的研究方向。一方面, ICT影响消费者行为至少从三个方向上：信息搜索、购买决策的备择方案评估、以及购买后行为。另一方面, ICT颠覆了饭店主营业务从以下几个方面：运营和战略管理、营销和网页设计、消费服务、安保、食品和营养、以及人力资源。

研究原创性/价值

基于事实ICT在饭店行业仍处于未研究领域, 本文为相关领域学者提供了一个有力工具, 对相关领域进行梳理并对未来研究领域做出启示。

Citation

Moreno, P. and Tejada, P. (2019), "Reviewing the progress of information and communication technology in the restaurant industry", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 673-688. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-07-2018-0072