ORANGE (KABC) — Of all the industries hurt by Covid, the restaurant business was among the hardest hit. Now that the pandemic has passed, many restaurants are looking for new ways to operate while facing a new struggle: the rising costs of food and labor

Some restaurants like Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill in Orange are utilizing technology, like handheld devices, to combat these issues

“We can take directly to the table, it makes things a lot quicker for turnaround,” said Rod Fraser. “We are taking orders directly to the table. It means once the orders placed it goes directly to the kitchen, straight to the cooks and they can make it immediately.”

Popmenu is a company helping restaurant owners utilize technology. A new Popmenu study researching US restaurant leaders and consumers finds that restaurant revenue is steady or growing but there is a 34% average increase in their labor costs.

“An AI phone system like we have Popmenu allows the restaurant to answer three or four hundred phone calls at the exact same time,” said Tony Roy, COO, Popmenu. “They can do online orders, they can do reservations, and they can do revenue generating activities without having to disturb what might be an already stressed labor force.”

Many business owners may be struggling to find employees. Roy says AI technology isn’t used to necessarily replace workers. It can be utilized to make things more efficient. He says AI technology can be used for posting automatically on a restaurants social media, answering customer’s questions, and more

“We have a greater insight into peak ordering times, or when people are making reservations, or when calls are happening at the most frequent basis, or are catering gigs most likely being ordered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” said Roy.

More consumers are dining in or getting take out but convenience is a huge key.