Starfleet Media is announcing five titles in its 2027 Restaurant Technology Smart Decision Guide™ series and inviting technology solution providers to explore limited sponsorship opportunities. Each program combines independent research, targeted promotion and a guaranteed number of qualified leads through Starfleet Velocity.
Each guide is being independently produced by Starfleet Research, Starfleet Media’s globally recognized IT market research arm. The series will combine best-practices benchmarking with practical guidance for evaluating technology and improving operating performance.
A proven series, newly researched for 2027
The series builds on more than a decade of restaurant technology research, including six successful editions of The Smart Decision Guide to Restaurant Management and POS Systems. Restaurant POS Systems and Payments and several of the other 2027 titles give subjects previously addressed within that broader guide a more focused treatment. The expanded series also creates room to examine emerging areas such as voice AI in greater depth.
Restaurant technology decisions have become more specialized as platforms have expanded and capabilities have advanced. Choosing a POS system, improving food cost control and evaluating voice AI involve different workflows, buying teams and measures of success. Dedicated titles allow each subject to receive the depth and practical detail it deserves while still addressing integration with the wider restaurant operation.
Each 2027 guide will contain all-new content reflecting the latest technology innovations and the practices of top-performing restaurants. For industry practitioners, the narrower focus means more relevant benchmarks, evaluation criteria and implementation guidance. For sponsoring solution providers, it means a clearer connection between their capabilities and the buying decisions the research addresses, supported by campaigns targeted to their agreed prospect criteria.
Across POS and payments, guest loyalty, food cost control, voice AI and workforce management, the series will help restaurant decision-makers connect technology choices with service quality, operating margins and growth. Sponsors will gain visibility in the categories most relevant to their solutions, with an independently produced resource their sales and marketing teams can continue to use.
Explore the five titles below, or check current sponsorship availability through our restaurant technology programs page. Restaurant practitioners are also invited to contribute to the independent research through the survey links accompanying each title.
The 2027 Smart Decision Guide™ to Restaurant POS Systems and Payments
The POS system connects the guest transaction with much of the work happening across a restaurant. This guide will examine ordering, payments, reporting and connections with kitchen systems, digital channels and other operating tools. It will help buyers assess usability, reliability and fit across service formats, with attention to the workflows that affect order accuracy, staff productivity and the guest experience.
If your work involves restaurant POS or payment systems, contribute to the POS systems and payments survey.
The 2027 Smart Decision Guide™ to Restaurant Loyalty, Guest Data and Digital Marketing
Repeat business depends on giving guests reasons to return. This guide will explore how restaurants connect customer profiles, loyalty programs and digital marketing to create more relevant communications and offers. It will address data quality, customer preferences, integration and measurement, including how operators evaluate whether campaigns and rewards produce additional visits, sales and profit.
Help shape the findings by taking the loyalty, guest data and digital marketing survey.
The 2027 Smart Decision Guide™ to Restaurant Purchasing, Inventory and Food Cost Control
Food cost control depends on what happens from the purchase order to the plate. This guide will examine purchasing, receiving, inventory visibility, recipe costing and waste tracking, along with the connections between them. It will help buyers evaluate tools for spotting discrepancies, improving forecasts and giving managers timely information about the decisions affecting food costs and margins.
Share your operating experience in the purchasing, inventory and food cost control survey.
The 2027 Smart Decision Guide™ to Restaurant Voice AI for Ordering and Guest Service
Voice AI is bringing new options to phone ordering, guest questions and service interactions. This guide will examine how operators evaluate accuracy, current menu and POS connections, language support, complex requests and handoffs to employees. It will also address how restaurants test performance under real operating conditions and measure results, including the staff support required to complete interactions successfully.
If you use, evaluate or help implement these tools, contribute to the voice AI research survey.
The 2027 Smart Decision Guide™ to Restaurant Workforce Management Systems
A workable staffing plan balances demand, service needs, labor costs and the people available to do the work. This guide will examine scheduling, labor forecasting, time and attendance, employee availability and workforce coordination. It will help buyers assess how connected tools support managers and employees, reduce routine administration and improve visibility into staffing across shifts and locations.
Help inform the guide through the restaurant workforce management survey.
Independent research with a practical purpose
Starfleet Research’s best-practices benchmarking approach examines technology alongside workflows, staff readiness, integration, data and performance measures. It seeks to identify the practices that distinguish stronger-performing operations and translate those findings into useful evaluation criteria and recommendations.
Starfleet Research maintains editorial control of the guides, with a focus on objective analysis and practical value for technology decision-makers.
The research surveys are confidential, and findings will be reported only in aggregate. Respondents can request a complimentary copy of the relevant guide when it is published in 2027. The optional email address is used only to deliver that report. Names, contact details and identifiable survey responses will not be shared with sponsors or used for marketing.
Turn research visibility into qualified sales opportunities
Each multi-sponsored Smart Decision Guide program includes a lead generation campaign powered by Starfleet Velocity, with a guaranteed number of qualified leads based on the sponsor’s agreed target prospect criteria. The program gives restaurant technology solution providers both a credible content asset and a defined commitment to prospect delivery.
Targeting can reflect restaurant operating formats, company categories, location counts, decision-maker roles, geographies and other agreed requirements. Campaign leads are generated through dedicated content promotion and registration programs, then reviewed and validated against the agreed criteria before delivery.
Participating sponsors will receive branding within the guide, a company profile and perpetual licensing rights to an individually branded edition. Their teams can use the research in outreach, nurture campaigns and sales conversations, helping prospective customers evaluate their needs and move toward an informed purchase.
Promotion will include Restaurant Technology News, targeted outreach and additional promotion and distribution through Starfleet Media’s extended publication partner network, ensuring excellent brand visibility among relevant industry decision-makers.
Explore the 2027 Restaurant Technology series while sponsorships remain available
Sponsorship positions are limited, and some titles may already be fully committed by the time you read this announcement. Restaurant technology solution providers are encouraged to request current availability and discuss the guide, target audience, qualified lead commitment and campaign timing best suited to their goals.