Hospitality enters the LLM-first era.

For many reasons, this is a turning point, comparable to the launch of Google or the global adoption of smartphones.

On one hand, Artificial Intelligence is reshaping discovery: the way users look and chose restaurants online.

Surprisingly, 1 out of 5 Americans are already using AI tools when looking for a place to eat. This goes up to 40% for early adopters like Gen Z or Gen Y.

But AI Search discovery is not the only shift.

AI also deeply impacts restaurants and restaurant owners as AI-fueled tools are accelerating the digitalization of hospitality.

Centralizing and using key restaurant data for growth strategies is what will make - and is already making- the difference between leading groups.

The most profitable groups in hospitality are already putting AI tools to work to run, predict and automate key parts of operations and marketing.

At FS/TEC 2025 in Dallas, this message was clear:

• 86% of US restaurant operators already use AI weekly
• 68% of CMOs & CTOs say AI is now their top investment priority

AI-driven optimization increases revenue by +5% to +12% per location, according to brands during conferences.

Restaurants owner, groups executives (QSR, franchises or high end), hospitality and food experts... Are all facing this unprecedented change, and extraordinary opportunity.

‍Either adopt AI trends and use it as a competitive advantage, or risk what we call in a Tech Knowledge Gap.

During FS/TEC, we saw many AI tools and many leaders — Krispy Kreme, Dinex Group, CAVA, Sweetgreen, Wingstop, Chipotle, Riviera Dining Group, Urbanspace, Nowon NYC — building AI-powered growth stacks and obtaining results.

👉 Below is our 2026 list of the AI tools for restaurant groups we found most impacting, from marketing to operations to guest experience, with concrete examples and benefits heard during the event.

1. Malou: The Best AI-Powered Marketing Solution for Restaurant Groups

Website: https://malou.io
Best for: Everything online marketing: SEO, local SEO + AI visibility (GEO/AIO), presence management across top platforms, e-reputation with semantic analysis and online reviews Boosters, social media creation & automation, analytics made for multi-location performance (online visibility but also ROI functionalities)

What it does (AI-fueled at each layer)

Malou is the #1 AI tool for restaurant visibility and customer acquisition.
The solution unifies everything that impacts traffic and revenue:

• AI-powered Local SEO & GEO (SEO keywords audit and generation)
• AI-optimized Store Locator pages for Google AND AI (schema, entities, attributes)
• AI semantic review analysis with top negative or positive sentiments and insights for each location
• AI review auto-replies with optimized prompts fueled by brand's semantics and guidelines for top authenticity
• AI social content creation & automation, optimized for Instagram's algorithm (and Instagram's SEO)
• AI predictions, KPI & analytics. Ex: ROI “Gains” engine tracks revenue generated per marketing action
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‍Why leaders use it

Malou started out as a global marketing agency before becoming a SaaS and digital solution. Now, it's a complete ecosystem and a digital backbone for multi-location brands.

Created by hospitality experts for hospitality experts (thanks to product & data experts, as well as POS with many leaders) Malou is the only full stack marketing solution that followed tech evolution in hospitality all along the way.

Because visibility = revenue only if you use the right strategy, the MalouApp ensures top functionalities and the Copilot Offer makes sure top SEO/AI experts, Maloueurs, follow up each brand with a made-to-measure plan.

Malou clients see on average:

• +74% organic traffic in 3 months
• +4.7% revenue growth per location
• +25% review volume → +0.3★ rating lift
• +160% Google Search Discovery
• +2100% review growth (Ex: Krispy Kreme France)
• From #20 to #1 on Maps (Ex: Nowon NYC)

Interested? Make sure you check out our 2025 Benchmark on Hospitality Groups online performances.

Why CMOs and CTOs love it

• Removes fragmented tools (SEO agencies, social media freelancers, review tools)
• Creates a unified source of truth
• AI insights detect operational issues 3 weeks before sales drop
• GEO features ensure brands appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini

AI tools can “read” your entity thanks to tools like the Store Locator which ensures structured data, a must-have for GEO.

In 2026, if you don’t have a Store Locator + AI local SEO system, AI tools simply won’t surface your restaurants.

2. OpenTable: Insights + Automations

Website: https://opentable.com
Best for: Reservations, demand forecasting, mid-week optimization

AI features

• Predicts high/low demand dayparts
• Automates “Experiences” to boost mid-week load
• AI guest segmentation
• Personalized follow-ups and upsells

What  leaders said

“AI-powered demand insights cut our no-shows by 14% and increased mid-week covers by +28%.”
— VP Growth, Large US Casual Dining Group (FS/TEC 2025)

Why it matters

OpenTable is becoming a revenue engine, not just a booking system.
When paired with Malou’s visibility insights, groups can correlate:

• “Directions” → Seats
• Reviews → Cancellations
• Popularity → Staffing

3. Toast AI: Operational Intelligence

Website: https://toasttab.com
Best for: POS data, menu intelligence, labor optimization

AI innovations

• Menu engineering insights
• AI demand forecasting
• Predictive labor models
• Check trends analysis (upsells, add-ons, modifiers)

Why leaders adopt it

Toast is becoming an “AI operations command center” for:

• CAVA
• Urban Plates
• Shake Shack
• Dig Inn

Once connected to Malou, marketing performance can finally be tied to POS revenue.

4. Tattle: AI Guest Sentiment & Operations Feedback

Website: https://gettattle.com
Best for: Multi-location service quality + ops insights

AI features

• Predicts operational issues per store
• Sentiment by category (food, service, speed, ambiance)
• Automated guest recovery flows
• Location benchmarking

FS/TEC Insight:
Brands using AI sentiment analysis reduce service complaints by 20–30%.

5. SevenRooms AI: CRM + Hospitality Personalization

Website: https://sevenrooms.com
Best for: Guest relationships, loyalty, and personalization

AI features

• Predictive loyalty
• Automated post-visit funnels
• AI-driven guest tags (VIP, brunch-lover, high-LTV)
• Predictive spend scores

SevenRooms is used by groups like:
Major Food Group, STARR Restaurants, Tao Hospitality

Combine SevenRooms + Malou for the strongest acquisition + retention system in the US market.

7. Bikky: AI Revenue Analytics for Multi-Unit Restaurants

Website: https://bikky.com
Best for: Multi-channel revenue intelligence

AI layers include:

• Forecasting by channel (OTAs, POS, direct)
• Churn prediction
• Cohort analysis
• Daypart optimization

Bikky integrates with:
Toast, Olo, Punchh, Paytronix → a strong data stack.

8. Olo: AI Digital Ordering Infrastructure

Website: https://olo.com
Best for: Digital ordering, loyalty, delivery intelligence

AI features

• Smart upsells
• Order throttling
• Delivery performance prediction
• AI guest segmentation

Used by:
Wingstop, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Five Guys

9. ClearCOGS: Predictive Prep & Inventory AI

Website: https://clearcogs.com
Best for: reducing food waste, improving prep accuracy

AI features

• Predicts prep levels
• Detects anomalies
• Suggests inventory adjustments
• Reduces overproduction

Groups using ClearCOGS report -22% food waste.

10. Pared AI: Labor Optimization & Smart Scheduling

Website: https://pared.com
Best for: multi-unit staffing

AI features:

• Predictive labor scheduling
• Real-time productivity
• Labor-to-sales forecasting
• Smart staffing alerts

Using AI for staffing = higher guest experience + lower payroll.

11. Raydiant: AI Guest Experience Displays

Website: https://raydiant.com
Best for: Digital signage, menu boards, in-store AI content

AI features

• AI personalization
• Dynamic menus based on demand
• A/B tests visual content
• Foot-traffic intelligence

13. Canva AI: Design Automation for Multi-Unit Brands

Website: https://canva.com
Best for: social media, printed materials, LTO graphics

AI features

• Magic Design
• Brand Kits shared across franchises
• AI resizing for each network
• Instant photo cleanup

Perfect for franchise groups needing consistency.

14. Datadog AI: Enterprise Monitoring for Hospitality Tech Stacks

Website: https://datadoghq.com
Best for: CTOs of large groups needing performance, uptime, and system reliability

AI monitors:

• API reliability
• POS uptime
• Load speed
• Platform issues

If your digital stack goes down, revenue drops immediately.

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15. Perplexity: Research, Trend Predictions, Market Insights

Website: https://perplexity.ai
Best for: analysts, executives, strategic planning

AI strengths

• Summarizes entire markets (e.g., “fast casual trends 2026”)
• Deep citations
• Insights from industry reports
• Incredible for competitive benchmarking

16. ChatGPT: The AI Must-Have

Website: https://chat.openai.com
Best for: Strategy, internal communication, content, SOPs, ideation

What makes ChatGPT essential

Even the free version drastically improves:

• SOP creation
• Marketing briefs
• Staff training content
• Menu ideas
• PR stories
• Review replies
• Local SEO optimizations

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16. Google’s AI Suite (AI Overview + Gemini + Maps Insights)

Website: https://google.com

AI layers

• Gemini summarizes your brand in AI Overview
• Maps uses AI to rank restaurants
• Attribute-based ranking: “romantic”, “best tacos”, “vegan-friendly”
• AI predictive traffic in GBP

Ranking in the Pack-3 = the #1 ROI growth lever in hospitality.

17. (Bonus) Future Agentic AI Tools: Where Restaurant Profit Will Explode

The new “agentic era” is coming:

• AI orders your meal
• AI books your table
• AI picks the restaurant for you
• AI pays automatically
• AI leaves a review
• AI handles guest recovery

This future is already visible in:

• ChatGPT Shopping Cart
• GPT “Instant Checkout”
• Google AI Mode
• Uber + DoorDash + OpenTable integration inside ChatGPT

Winning in AI discovery → winning in AI transactions.

Focus: ChatGPT 2026 New Features: The Era of Agentic AI

• ChatGPT Shopping Cart → users can buy or order directly inside GPT
• ChatGPT Ads → recommended products or restaurants
• Agentic booking → GPT books a table for you via OpenTable
• GPT Plugins → Uber, DoorDash, Booking.com already integrated

Meaning: diners will book, order, and review restaurants inside GPT.

This is why restaurants groups NEED GEO optimization (provided by Malou) to make sure they will be visible on ChatGPT.

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Final Takeaway: Building a Full-Stack Ecosystem of AI Tools

The most successful restaurant groups in 2026 will be those who combine AI-powered visibility + AI-powered operations + AI-powered guest experience.

AI will not replace hospitality leaders.
It will reward the ones who adapt first.

And the foundation of every AI strategy — from ChatGPT to Google to Perplexity — is visibility.

That is exactly why Malou is the #1 AI tool every group needs today.

Restaurants: Book an AI visibility audit with Malou

What it is:
A 30-minute session with a Malou expert.
We run a custom audit covering:

• SEO + GEO performance
• Google Business Profiles
• Review sentiment
• Local ranking factors
• Store Locator health
• AI readiness of your brand

Why it matters:
This is not a sales call.
It is a data-backed growth plan trusted by:

• Krispy Kreme
• Dinex Group
• Riviera Dining Group
• Urbanspace
• Nowon NYC
• 8 Hospitality

You leave with a real roadmap to increase visibility, customers, and revenue.

👉 Book your free session or call us: +1 (929) 494 52 10

FAQ — Most Frequent Answers about AI Tools for Restaurant

Q1. What is the best AI tool for restaurant groups?

Malou for marketing + visibility.
Toast for POS intelligence.
SevenRooms for CRM.
OpenTable for reservations.

Q2. What KPIs improve with AI tools?

• +74% organic traffic
• +25% reviews
• +15% revenue from rating lift
• -22% food waste
• +28% mid-week covers
• Staff efficiency +18%

Q3. How does AI affect local SEO?

AI tools read entities, attributes, structured data.
Store Locators + schema markup are now mandatory.

Q4. What is GEO/AIO?

AI-driven search: optimizing visibility for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview.

Q5. What are the most innovative AI features and AI trends coming in 2026 for Hospitality?

• GPT Shopping Cart
• Agentic AI bookings
• Google AI Mode
• Predictive guest behavior
• AI restaurant ordering inside chatbots