About the author 💡 Seun Oladimeji is the Head of IT and Business Analysis at Tasty African Food, bringing a strong background in sales and technology-driven business solutions. With 27 restaurants across London and Kent, Seun plays a key role in expanding to new locations, optimising operations, and implementing innovative IT strategies to drive efficiency and growth.
I’ve been working at Tasty African Food since 2019. Back then, we had about eight restaurants. Now, we’ve moved up to 27 and hope to open more this year.
As you’d expect, there’ve been challenges along the way. One of the biggest? Managing change — especially when implementing new technology.
It’s easy for people to get comfortable with the way things work. When you try to change things, their first reaction is to coil away.
And I get it. Change is scary.
But I know for a fact that change is a good thing. Implementing new technology has improved our business in countless ways — from reducing food waste to minimising labour costs.
So how can you increase support for new tech throughout your restaurant?
Here are some of the best practices I’ve learned along the way.
1. Build a solid business case for new tech
A business case outlines why the change is necessary and how it solves certain problems. Without a clear rationale, decision-makers may struggle to see the urgency or value of adopting new technology.
When I found Nory, this is exactly what I did.
Our CEO understood we needed a solution, but I had to provide a compelling argument for why Nory was the right tool for us. To do that, I developed a project management plan that put our needs into context and mapped out a clear path forward:
- The first step was to break down our entire operation into a work breakdown structure. This allowed us to visualise the key areas that required improvement.
- I then created an organisational structure diagram that highlighted exactly where support was needed, making it easier to pinpoint the gaps that needed to be addressed.
- From here, I focused on offering targeted solutions for each of those areas, clearly defining how we could resolve specific issues.
I presented this information to my CEO and it made all the difference. Having a visual representation of our needs (along with a well-defined roadmap) made it easier for him to see the value in the proposed change.
This approach not only helped secure buy-in but also set the foundation for a smoother and more successful implementation.
2. Showcase the new tech with demos and walkthroughs
From my experience, trialing and demoing a platform is a great way to increase support for the system. Instead of relying on sales pitches or theoretical benefits, people get firsthand experience of:
- How the system works
- How intuitive it is
- How it integrates with existing workflows
Think about an inventory management system as an example.
By watching a product demo, employees can see how the system automatically updates stock levels in real-time. This builds confidence and reassures team members about the software’s capabilities.
3. Involve team members in the process
Incorporating the right people at the right time is one of the best ways to drive successful change.
Initially, this idea came to me after I was studying John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change (which is well worth a read). Here’s a top-level breakdown of the framework:
Step number two includes building a guiding coalition. This idea resonated with me, so I made it a priority to assemble a team to lead the charge on the implementation, involving the right people early on.
One of the first groups I worked with was our restaurant business team, including line leaders responsible for managing different regions. We gave them access to the backend of the platform for their respective regions, allowing them to see how it worked.
This wasn’t just about getting their buy-in. It was about helping them understand how the software would benefit their operations. Once they understood it, they could drive adoption on the ground more effectively.
So when implementing hospitality tech, assemble a team that will drive adoption and support every team member through the transition. Look for leaders that employees trust — like respected managers or experienced team members — who can champion the change and address concerns.
Top tip: Make sure that change team members are on board with change and understand how to use the new technology effectively. Ensure they’re open to learning and that they support the need for change.
In our past experiences, that was something that really held us back. If we sensed that someone wasn’t embracing the change or wasn’t open to learning, we would move fast to find someone more aligned with our goals.
The cost of letting anxiety around change fester was too high for us to repeat.
4. Empower team leaders with knowledge and confidence
When people feel confident and trusted in their decisions, they’re more likely to embrace the software. Confidence allows employees to take ownership of their tasks and approach new technology with a positive mindset, rather than seeing it as a challenge.
At Tasty African Foods, we used a few different approaches to empower employees:
- Deliver effective training. We made sure that all employees (on-the-ground employees, and especially senior execs) received thorough training and support on the new technology.
- Allow room for learning. We created a testing phase where employees could use the software and make mistakes without fear. It allows people to figure out the system on their own terms.
Using Nory has also been a big help when empowering employees.
The customer support team provides regular check-ins, performance reviews, and continually optimises the system to give us the best results. And if we have any questions, our Account Manager is always happy to help.
5. Position the benefits as an incentive
When people see the positive impact of the new technology — whether it’s optimising labour productivity or reducing costs — it naturally drives buy-in. Seeing how much easier it makes their work is an incentive in itself.
For example, our managers on the ground were spending three hours manually counting inventory at the end of every shift. With Nory, it only takes 30 minutes.
That’s a huge time saver. All we had to do was show employees how much time they could save and they were already motivated to use the system.
Here are some of the other ways you could position the benefits of new technology as an incentive to use it:
- Show ease of use. Focus on how the technology simplifies their work, making tasks faster and more efficient, reducing the mental load.
- Demonstrate quick wins. Share early results or success stories to show the immediate impact of the technology (more on this in the next section).
- Tie to employee goals. Align the benefits with personal or team goals, such as meeting performance targets or reducing stress during busy periods.
Top tip: When venues adopt the software, celebrate their wins. For example, we made sure to celebrate the regions that were performing well, especially those that were effectively utilising the system.
Sharing these successes encouraged others to follow suit. It created healthy competition and built momentum as sites aimed for similar results.
This leads nicely to my next point — using real evidence to highlight the benefits of using new tech.
6. Use real evidence to showcase the benefits of new software
If you operate a multi-site operation, it’s a good idea to start small, gather data, and use this information to increase support from other locations. When other venues see the positive impact the system has had on their peers, they’re more likely to buy into the idea and adopt it themselves.
When we started rolling out Nory, we started with a few of our equity stores for a month or two. This allowed us to test it in a real environment and collect performance data.
We could also see how the staff interacted with the system and identify any areas of improvement.
Once we had enough data, we presented the results to our franchisees. We showed them how our equity stores were benefiting from the system, especially in terms of sales and waste management (which was a major focus for us).
As a result, we were able to get all of them on board and move forward with the implementation.
Now, what about if you don’t have multiple sites? How do you showcase the benefits if you don’t have the data?
The good news is that there are other ways you can gather real evidence to highlight the benefits of new tech:
- Review competitor data. Look at how competitors are benefiting from similar technology. This can provide a benchmark for potential outcomes.
- Speak to the provider. Engage with the tech provider for case studies, testimonials, or data from other restaurants using the system. Providers often have success stories that demonstrate tangible benefits.
- Read industry reports. Refer to research or industry reports that show how the tech can improve efficiency, reduce waste, or enhance customer experience.
Final thoughts
Implementing new technology can be challenging, especially when people are resistant to the idea. And it’s pretty common for people to feel comfortable in their current ways of working and unsure of making change.
I’ve been through the change management process myself, so I know the challenges well. But I also know that there are ways you can increase buy-in. Showing people how the software will benefit their daily operations (with real evidence to back it up) and involving team members in the process are just a couple of examples.
Trying to change things up for the better can feel like an uphill battle, but it doesn’t have to be. Use this article as your starting point for successfully implementing new technology. For more advice, read through the other blogs in Nory’s Operator to Operator series:
- Managing Change Management in the Hospitality Industry, by Chris Fletcher, CEO & founder of Tech on Toast
- From one site to many: 5 lessons in scaling hospitality operations , by Stephen Burns, Operations Manager at NolaClan
- When your team hates change: An operators guide to tech buy-in, by Paul Tanner , Managing Director at CUPP