Starfleet: 18% of surveyed operators are very confident in forecasts

Only 18% of surveyed restaurant operators feel very confident about forecasting daily sales or labor needs, according to Starfleet Research. Its report, “The Restaurant Optimization Playbook,” released on January 23, draws on data from over 350 operators worldwide. The authors argue that the competitive edge now lies in turning data into answers faster rather than simply collecting more of it.

Among operators using handheld POS devices, 82% reported faster service and 63% reported a higher average check. The report links the increase in check size to automated upsell prompts. Self-service kiosk users reported similar results: 67% saw higher average checks, and 76% reported shorter wait times.

The report says 78% of managers rate proactive alerts about food costs or labor spikes as critical and prefer them to static dashboards. Separately, 64% explicitly want an AI assistant that answers operational questions in natural language.

We see the respondents’ low confidence in forecasting as an argument for integrated digital ecosystems. These systems need to prompt customers to buy more and flag margin problems automatically, without waiting for a manager to notice an issue in a weekly report.