Francesca Roche sits down with Arian Zandi, Founder at Lumière AI, to examine how AI-native point-of-sale technology could help restaurants lift spend per guest while preserving the personal service guests value.
For many operators, the point of sale system remains a record of what has already happened, moving orders from the front of house to the kitchen and capturing transaction data for reporting, but the pressures facing restaurants now demand more immediate support.
Rising costs, constrained margins, and the limits of menu price increases have made every service interaction more commercially significant, with Zandi arguing that technology needs to help teams make decisions as those moments unfold.
“Margins are laser thin,” Zandi says, adding that technology embedded in day-to-day operations is becoming essential for restaurants that need to increase revenue in real time.
Much of the hospitality industry’s AI focus has centred on cost optimisation, reporting, and efficiency, yet frontline employees have a major influence on both the guest experience and the financial performance of a restaurant.
Zandi says: “The hospitality industry is not just reports, it’s not just insights and it’s not only managers that are taking action,” highlighting the role of waiters and senior chefs in shaping a service.
The opportunity is especially relevant as restaurants deal with high staff turnover, which can leave teams without the time or continuity needed to build extensive menu knowledge and confident service skills.
Lumière AI reports between seven and 16 percent AI-assisted sales growth in early point-of-sale deployments, alongside increased spend per guest across its pilot restaurants.
