# Culinary and Foodservice — Investment Areas — Consumer Equity Partners

Source: https://consumerequitypartners.com/pillars/culinary-and-foodservice/

CEP backs technology companies that sell to restaurant and foodservice operators. Point of sale, digital ordering and kitchen display; back-of-house software for scheduling, inventory and labor; kitchen automation and cooking robotics; guest-facing AI for ordering and personalization; and the menu and nutrition data operators use as diners move toward protein- and fiber-forward choices. The National Restaurant Association projects US restaurant and foodservice sales of $1.55 trillion in 2026, and says operators are adding ordering, AI and data tools to manage costs and improve the guest experience. Prepared foods inside grocery stores sit at the edge of the pillar, where a foodservice meal enters the grocery basket.

## Representative areas

- Restaurant operating software: point of sale, digital ordering and kitchen display
- Back-of-house software for scheduling, inventory and labor
- Kitchen automation and cooking robotics
- Guest-facing AI for ordering, menu discovery and personalization
- Menu engineering and nutrition data as diners shift toward protein and fiber
- Off-premise and delivery channel tools built for independent and multi-unit operators

## Lens

Operators adopt technology that helps each location run on fewer labor hours and serve guests with better information. A product proves itself in one kitchen, then rolls out across a restaurant group and into the ordering and point-of-sale systems operators already use.