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By Sabrina Tullo
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Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of everyday business operations, but some of its most significant opportunities may lie in sectors that have traditionally had limited access to sophisticated technology. Independent restaurants, in particular, are beginning to explore how AI can simplify operations, strengthen customer engagement and support long-term growth. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, nearly 60 percent of small businesses used generative AI in 2025, up from 40 percent a year earlier. For restaurants, that shift arrives as margins remain tight.
The opportunity extends well beyond the dining room as off-premises dining becomes a permanent part of the restaurant business. The National Restaurant Association highlights that 47 percent of adults pick up takeout at least weekly and 37 percent order delivery every week. As digital ordering becomes more common, restaurants are increasingly asking who controls the customer relationship once an order is placed.
As restaurants balance rising costs with changing consumer expectations and an expanding array of digital tools, the conversation is shifting from whether to adopt AI to how to use it effectively.
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For many independent operators, the challenge is no longer whether technology matters, but how to incorporate it into already demanding daily operations. According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly three in 10 operators believe they are lagging in technology adoption, while marketing, ordering, payments, and back-office functions remain among the areas where digital tools are having the greatest impact.
Paul Birrell, the founder of Decade Strategy, argues that this challenge is translating AI into something a busy owner can actually use. Drawing on more than three decades building restaurant, catering and food-delivery businesses, Birrell points to ventures such as The Soup Club, a platform that helps restaurants connect directly with customers by promoting daily menu items and driving orders through their own systems rather than third-party delivery services.
Birrell’s view is that small businesses may gain an unusual advantage from AI because they can adapt workflows quickly and build capabilities once reserved for larger organizations. “This is a time of abundance for small businesses,” he says. “People can create tools, applications and even entire businesses that they may have imagined before but could never afford to build.”
That perspective informs Decade Strategy, the company Birrell founded to help small businesses identify operational friction and develop affordable AI-supported systems. The New Jersey-based business reviews workflows, recommends practical tools and builds customized applications covering functions such as ordering, scheduling, communications, applicant tracking, dispatch and financial reporting.
Its restaurant work reflects Birrell’s three decades in catering, delivery and food-service operations. Through his firm, he is developing systems intended to help restaurants automate marketing, simplify online ordering and reconnect with customers outside their four walls. “The goal is to make the experience easier for the customer while giving the restaurant a clearer path to communicate, promote and build repeat business,” Birrell says.
That emphasis on connection matters because digital convenience can weaken the direct relationship restaurants once had with regular guests. Birrell recalls a time when owners knew the people picking up an order, recognized their families and understood their preferences. In his assessment, modern ordering systems should help restore some of that familiarity by giving operators usable customer information and better ways to share specials, events and timely offers.
From Birrell’s perspective, digital tools become far more valuable when they help operators build lasting relationships rather than simply process transactions. He believes AI can make personalized marketing, customer outreach, and repeat engagement practical even for independent restaurants without dedicated marketing teams or large technology budgets.
Birrell says wider adoption depends on making AI approachable rather than overwhelming. Restaurant owners spend their days focused on food, staff and customers, he explains, so technology should fit naturally into those priorities. “AI does not have to feel threatening,” he says. “A computer on a desk once seemed unfamiliar too, and it ultimately made many businesses easier to run.”
The larger lesson extends beyond restaurants. Birrell maintains that experience still matters because AI cannot replace judgment, timing, or the willingness to change direction. After decades of economic shifts and changing customer habits, he identifies agility as the enduring skill. Owners who recognize a new operating standard early can redesign their businesses around it instead of adding another disconnected subscription.
For independent restaurants, that redesign could mean leaner operations, more consistent marketing and a better understanding of customer behavior. Birrell believes AI can help operators meet growing off-premises demand without losing the personal relationships that made local restaurants successful in the first place.
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